Running With Quills: This is dedicated! To the one I...

Welcome to Running With Quills, your online newsletter designed to keep you up to date with what your favorite authors (that would be us) are doing throughout the year. Here you will find the release dates of our new books and get information about our backlists. We'll preview our cover art here long before the books hit the stores and we'll keep you informed about works-in-progress and special projects. You'll also receive advance notice of signings and appearances. From time to time we'll give you a peek at our worlds, tell you what we're reading, and introduce you to some new authors.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

This is dedicated! To the one I...

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-LUV!

One of the things I like reading in books of an author whose work I admire is the dedication page. It doesn't matter that I don't know the people it's dedicated to--I simply enjoy that peek into a slice of her life. And one of my favorite parts of my own books, right up there tromping on the heels of writing The End, is dedicating them to the ones that I--sing it with me!--la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-LOVE. So many friends and family have supported me and my career, so many industry folks helped me make my books better--and this is the smallest way I can repay them.

(a few of those to whom I dedicate)

What do you guys think of dedications? Do you find them interesting or simply skim them since you don't really know the dedicees anyway?

As always, Mother Susan is itching to know.

27 Comments:

Anonymous said...: I like dedications. I'll always remember the one where you dedicated a book to your ""sweet baby boy" and I suddenly realized that my "sweet baby boy" and yours were about the same age. I totally connected with you at that moment. The surge of love for a child, once small, now grown, became a universal connector for all mothers in my heart, and you became much more than just a favorite author. You became vividly human and consummately female.
I also have noticed how the friendships within the author community connect through these dedications. What a lovely village to call home!

Lynne Thomas; 11:14 PM
Sue G said...: I like to read the dedications. I may not know the "who" but reading the "why" is a nice peek into the author's life. It also seems when reading a dedication I find that we are all (writers or otherwise)thankful to/for our parents, children, families in general, our friends, and those strangers who touch our lives with a little help or a kind word.; 11:20 PM
susan andersen said...: Ah, Lynne! That is one of the most touching things I've ever read. Thank you! I think I wrote that one in my first book, which would have made my sweet baby boy about 14. He'll be 34 in September.

Sue G, that's what I feel when I read them, too!; 12:10 AM
Anonymous said...: I like to read the dedications. Aside from the family references which are understandable, I look to see who within the writing community are given expressions of thanks or gratitude. If it is an author that I am not familiar with, it makes want to seek out their work and give it a try. If I like the author who is making the dedication, and they like the author they are dedicating too, I think I might like the new author too.

Hmmm, that sounds a bit confusing, but I hope you understand what I meant. I have found lots of new authors that I like that way, so keep them coming...

Kathy H.; 1:20 AM
kris b said...: I do like the dedications! they are very interesting, heartwarming, funny and well it give a glimpse of the close author community. because alot of the ones I read are to other authors and its very intersting, I also like the ones to friends that go into details occasionally it give a view into an authors life we simple readers don't often get a chance to see! I like your pics because they give me an actual view of those you are happy to have help you with your books in so many ways!
so it narrows down to yep I like em!LOL

kris b; 3:51 AM
Kate Douglas said...: I love dedications--reading and writing them! And Lynne, my books are often dedicated to my "village," the amazing people who support me along the way. I even dedicated one book to my husband--well, it's not the only one, but this one in particular said something along the lines of thank you for not following your instinct to murder me and bury the body in the compost heap, which I'm sure, after over three decades of marriage, he's been tempted to do on more than one occasion. It really does take a village to write a book, and the dedication page is a place to acknowledge that village, and often the readers, too, who make this job so much fun...Susan, LOVE your simple dedication in Bending the Rules, and I'm really loving the book!!!; 5:11 AM
Lori Foster said...: I love reading the dedications too!
And wow, I see Margo Lipschultz in there, right?! She's my new editor. Is she your editor, too? Very fun! I like her oodles already!

Lori; 5:29 AM
Anonymous said...: I really like dedications. They are reminders that it takes a village to raise a novel.

Joan; 8:09 AM
susan andersen said...: KathyH--clever! I never thought of gleaning the dedication for new authors to read. But it makes sense, for as you said: one often likes the books of the person writing a book YOU really like. (And you thought your explanation was confusing :)

Kris B, yep. Great minds think alike.

Kate: I once dedicated a book to my brothers that said something along the lines of You aren't nearly as obnoxious as you used to be. My middle brother didn't think that was very funny so I had to do something a little more serious in the next one.

Lori, Yep that was Margo before the RITAs last year. She's a sweetheart and a good editor.; 8:22 AM
susan andersen said...: JOAN, yes, it absolutely does. And I like seeing acknowledgment to the villagers who contributed to the process.; 9:12 AM
Sunny said...: Oh I love the dedication page. I always read it, and I especially enjoy the less common ones (e.g. the hubby/kid dedication is lovely, but more obvious). It's fun to think about the "real life" relationships of this author with whom I only share a "made up" world.

I am a huge Kresley Cole fan. I recently picked up my first Gena Showalter novel, and saw that she dedicated it to Kresley Cole as writer friends. That gave me a great first impression of Gena without yet reading a word of the book; I imagined them laughing and talking shop together, and I think it put me in a positive frame of mind to start the story. That same book was also dedicated to Nalini Singh, and I plan to check her out soon, too. :); 12:12 PM
susan andersen said...: Sunny, I also like seeing the professional/writer friends connection. And don't give me initials! How am I supposed to figure those out aside from the obvious like SEP and JAK?; 12:39 PM
Anonymous said...: Yes, I like to read dedications. Sometime I see names that I recognize, most of the time they are new to me*. Next time I see their name I'll think of them as "Friends" that I know.

Like your books.
Keep on writing, please.; 1:34 PM
Judy F said...: I love dedications read every single one of them. Been mentioned a time or two myself and its a thrill.

For me it gives a peek into the writers sense of humor or seriousness.

Makes me feel more connected to the author and their peeps.; 2:06 PM
susan andersen said...: Thanks, anonymous! And JudyF love the peeps. I know what it means but I always think of little yellow or pink marshmallow chicks. And that makes me smile.; 4:34 PM
Sheila Roberts said...: I loooove dedications. They say so much about the author. And they do give a teeny glimpse into that writer's life. Always fun, since I'm a nosy person. BTW, huge congrats, Quills, on hitting those top 10 Amazon "Best of" slots.; 5:41 PM
susan andersen said...: Thanks Sheila! Nosy, are ya? Hmmm. I wonder if there are any writers who aren't nosy.; 7:51 PM
Stella Cameron said...: Another dedication fan here. I often haven't decided on a dedication before I finish a book. The one I just wrote "The End" for, I do know already but not exactly what I'll write. This is the second Court of Angels book, OUT OF MIND, and I knew fairly early who should get this one.

I've dedicated books to all of my family members, my husband many times, my closest friends, and one or two people I never met but wish I had.

My father didn't notice the dedication in his book and I never told him!

Stella; 11:46 PM
Anonymous said...: Dear Susan,

I love dedications too. When I can't decide whether or not to try a new author or am looking for something new to read, I go to the dedications first.

Congratulations on Bending the Rules. It is a great book, and I've already read it twice. Can't wait to find out what happens to Ava! Happy writing.

Jennifer; 5:13 AM
Jayne Ann Krentz said...: I love reading dedications! I never skim over them. But, then, I always read author bios at the end, too. I know a lot of folks skip those. How do I know this? Because a good one-third of my audience is still astonished to discover that I also write as Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle. Clearly they are not reading my bio.

--Jayne; 7:09 AM
susan andersen said...: Stella, I, too, have written dedications to people who never mentioned it so probably didn't read the book. Ah, well. We all know how subjective reading tastes are.

Jennifer, you've read the book twice? You just made my day, sistah!

Jayne, I'm another who reads the author bio. I often go online and check out their webpage as well, because if the book knocked me out I want to know more about them.; 7:40 AM
Anonymous said...: Hi there,

I have been a lurker for RWQ for months but had to pipe up on this topic.

Years ago, I bought a book at the airport bookstore on the way home as I had finished all my other books. I saw a sea of books and, having only 30 minutes until boarding, picked the one with a nice blue cover (and interesting storyline per the back cover).

I devoured the book and so for the last hour of the flight, reread parts to see which was my favourite, read the sneak peek into the forthcoming release, the dedication, and (for the first time, but not the last) the author bio.

It was then that I discovered to my great astonishment and utter delight, this new release called Scandal was actually written by my favourite author Jayne Ann Krentz!

Dedications and author bios are now my gold standars as to how I pick new authors when browsing in the bookstore. ;-)

Nancy; 11:13 AM
elizabeth said...: Sneaking in to say I like dedications, too. Reading them, making them.

Most of all I like finishing the dang book so I can dedicate it!; 11:39 AM
susan andersen said...: Nancy! You've got lots to say! Stop by more often to chat with us.

Yep, EL The End. My favorite two words in my ms.; 3:38 PM
Erin said...: I don't mind dedications. I mean, i don't skip the dedication page, if there is one.

If it's something simple like "To Mom." or something, I just go, "oh. ok. that's nice." but I like the dedications with a wee bit of color. haha. something that's clearly an inside joke/reference to the other person. I find those fun.; 8:34 PM
Blackpaws said...: I usually read a book from cover to cover. So "YES" to your question :-)

If, I don't like the book, I still read dedications, bio's, credits, advertisements, etc. Its an insight into what the author is like and what else he/she has written. Who knows? I might like his/he other books.; 11:54 AM
Anonymous said...: I look forward to the dedications. I read them as soon as I get my hands on the book. I've laughed and cried over dedications in the checkout line.

Sue M.; 7:55 PM

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Tuesday, July 07, 2009

This is dedicated! To the one I...

27 Comments: