Monday, July 16, 2007

Who do you write like?


by Maggie Toussaint


"Who do you write like?"


I got asked this question at a booksigning this past weekend. The inquirer wanted a comparison point to know if she'd be interested in reading my romantic suspense, House of Lies.


I'd never thought about this question before. I write like me. I worked hard to write like me. But this lady needed an answer, and I wanted to make a sale.


I rattled off some romantic suspense authors. "J.D. Robb, Lisa Gardner, Lisa Scottoline, Linda Howard," I said, reciting names of the NYT bestsellers that miraculously popped into my head. I knew that I didn't write like these giants but our stories contained a blend of mystery and romance, so I was still in the ballpark.


"I've never heard of them," she said, and then she went on to list other romance authors (but not romantic suspense) I had heard of. I smiled and said my book was like those books with a big secret thrown in.


Her eyes widened appreciatively and she handed me to sign a book for her.


That was a good sale.


Keep on writing!

Maggie Toussaint

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