Guest Post - C.T. Adams

In celebration of the release for To Dance With the Devil, Lily's Reviews has the pleasure of hosting C.T. Adams with the following guest post:

The number of readers is down. People are buying fewer books. Me included. Now I LOVE to read. So, what’s up? I mean, what IS the problem? It comes down to logistics.

Time.

Years back I would get off of work, eat dinner, and settle down with a good book. I’ve never been a big one for television. I preferred reading.

Then came cell phones. And the Internet.

People are ON all the time. Available and in touch. You sit down next to that computer screen and hours absolutely vanish. POOF, it’s magic. And you look up and “HOLY CRAP I’ve gotta get to bed! I’ve got to work tomorrow.” And you haven’t read.

And then there’s the lack of bookstores. If I want to go get a book, and I don’t know what I want, I can’t just go to a local bookstore and browse. Nope. I have to drive for about an hour or more to find one. There is a local used bookstore, but it’s open hours for the unemployed. So, I figure, hey, just pop onto the internet, go to Amazon or B&N. No biggie . . . but then it’s but before I do, I’d better check my e-mails . . .

And that is a damned shame.

Because reading is fun. It’s exercise for the mind. It’s a work out for the imagination. Reading lets you experience other people’s points of view, see new places and new worlds from the comfort of your La-Z-Boy® recliner. And reading, my friends, reduces stress.

You open a book of genre fiction and you learn things. But also you get packaged hope.

“HUNH?” You say. “Run that by me again Cie. You lost me.”

PACKAGED HOPE. Seriously. Authors put their characters through hell. But somehow, in genre fiction (and in Star Trek and Star Wars, which is just one reason they’re so popular). It WORKS OUT. It’s hard, and there are losses (sometimes there’s terrible cost). But the characters persevere, and they eventually end up in a better spot. And you step away from the book at the end satisfied, and with the subconscious feeling that “Hey, my life’s not so unmanageable.” And because your imagination has had a workout and is a little more limber, it works with you to try to figure out a way through whatever it is you ARE dealing with.

In mystery – the riddle is solved.
In epic fantasy – the quest is completed.
In romance – the couple overcomes the obstacles to achieve their happily ever after.

Now I’m not saying you need to get rid of your computer. I certainly won’t! For one thing it’s what lets me actually WRITE the books I want you to be reading. It’s a hugely useful tool. But it’s also just a wee bit addicting. And if you’re finding yourself stressed, frustrated, and angry at the idiots posting idiocy on the freaking web; your day job sucks scum covered pond rocks, and life has thrown you better curve balls than a major league pitcher, might I suggest a good book?

Perhaps one of mine?

Places where Ms. Adams may be found online:
Facebook - a release party to be held there from 7-9 pm CST today, so be sure to check it out.
Website
GoodReads