Guest Post with Author Kathryn Jones, Plus a Giveaway! (US/CANADA)

Hello fellow readers!

Today I'm excited to bring you an awesome guest post from Kathryn Jones, author of the recently released "cozy mystery" Scrambled.  She's stopped by Melissa's Midnight Musings today to talk about a topic that I love, "What Your Reading Genre Says About You" You'll also learn a bit more about her, as well as her book, Scrambled. One lucky reader will have a chance to win a paperback copy! The details for the giveaway will be at the end of this post.

We'll get straight to the guest post since this is such a great topic:

What Your Reading Genre Says About You

By

Kathryn Jones

Since all writers I know love to tap into what people are thinking; even guess at their intentions and the reasons for their unique, say we say, qualities, I thought it might be fun to dig in a little and discover why folks read what they do and what their reading choices may be saying about them.

Consider this piece a little bit of guess work. Since I am an author and not really a psychoanalyst, you'll have to allow me some space to perhaps not nail everything on the head... (ooh, what a thought).

Okay, here goes.

Mystery: I am starting with mystery readers because, yes, I have just finished my first cozy mystery and through the process I learned a few things about myself that I've passed on to my characters.

If you like figuring things out and hate people telling you what to do, you may be a mystery reader. Mystery readers love to sort things out, usually on their own, and they like to talk about who might be the mystery killer even before the book is finished. This holds true with movies. A mystery reader will sit there on the couch and discuss with his/her family how the movie is going to end and all of the nitty- gritty parts in-between, even if their family doesn't want to hear it. They usually don't.

Romance: I have always figured that romance readers simply don't get much romance in their own life so they're in search of what they term 'the real thing.' Either that or  they can never get enough and love the fact that all the men in the romance books have flat stomachs, bulging muscles and plenty of time to really know what they're thinking and act accordingly. You know what that means. Flowers. Cleaning the kitchen without being asked, etc.

Historical: Historical readers would love to live in an era different than their own, possibly an era that carries with it simplicity and less stress; one where they can be rich or enjoy life without having to deal with modern technology and all that goes with it. A historical reader is not  only a reader of the past, they read the past to better improve their future. They may even like genealogy or writing in their journal.

Paranormal: Books in the paranormal arena get a kick out of ghosts living with regular people, and strange unearthly stuff making a part of an average person's day. Except most paranormal readers like stuff like the afterlife, the dead arising, people from other planets coming to visit, and that sort of stuff.  It's all about the strange and wonderful, making their own lives that much more interesting.

Children's Books (This includes picture, middle reader and young adult novels): Folks who enjoy children's books are usually taking their own journey into the past. They like the simple joy of childhood and may abhor the stark realities of adulthood. And although more and more authors are placing stark realties such as divorce, abuse and other societal ills in their latest works, a children's book reader is usually guarded when it comes to language and adult plots. They can have fun reading without too many surprises.

Now, I realize there are more genres than flavors of ice-cream so this list isn't all-inclusive, but I wanted to mention the most common genres I've come across (at least in my life, and perhaps you'll now have a little knowldege about me). I realize you might like straight fiction, westerns or even horror, and while I could say something about horror readers, I'll just leave here with this:

Have you ever considered what Stephen King would do with his life if he didn't write horror novels? I'm not insinuating anything, I'm just making an observation.

 About Kathryn E. Jones

Kathryn has been a published writer since 1987.  She has published various newspaper stories, magazine articles, essays and short stories for teens and adults.  She is the author of: “A River of Stones,” a young adult fiction novel dealing with divorce published in 2002, and “Conquering your Goliaths—A Parable of the Five Stones,” a Christian novel published in January of 2012. One of her newest creations, a “Conquering your Goliaths—Guidebook,” was published in February of 2012. “Scrambled,” published in September 2012, is her first cozy mystery.

Kathryn graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Mass Communication and a minor in Creative Writing. Her studies included work in creative writing, public relations and journalism. Recently, she has opened the doors to Idea Creations Press, a publishing services company that caters to writers and their writing, publishing and marketing needs.

Scrambled:

Buy the Book: Amazon, 
Add it to your TBR Shelf on Goodreads

Synopsis borrowed from Amazon:

What happens to an unhappy woman who leaves her husband only to discover that she may have just made a terrible mistake? So horrible, her choice threatens to end her very life?

Susan believes that the grass is greener on the other side. Not that her current life is bad, necessarily; it's just boring and lifeless, kind of like the old matted rug on her dining room floor. Susan thinks her marriage has just grown - well, old. Her husband, Bob, has gained tremendous weight and continues to gain, and his health suffers. She must work at a job she hates full-time to provide the little sustenance they have. He, on the other hand, works very little (because of his health) and prefers spending his days watching television or surfing the Internet. Besides, there's her problem of not getting pregnant that can't help but contribute to his unhappiness.

Can Susan continue to live her life at the hotel knowing that she might be killed herself or imprisoned for life? Will she be able to find the real murderer with the help of the eccentric Ms. Martha Boaz?

Sounds intriguing doesn't it? I'll be reviewing Scrambled sometime in the next few months. I want to say a big thank you to Kathryn for sharing her thoughts with us today!

Kathryn has very generously offered one lucky reader the chance to win a paperback copy of Scrambled.

Rules for this giveaway:

The giveaway runs from September 6th-September 20th at midnight EST
The prize is 1 paperback copy of Scrambled by Kathryn Jones.

There is only one entry for this giveaway (don't worry it's an EASY one!) You must leave a comment on the blog post, (you  can say anything you'd like!) then click the corresponding rafflecopter button and you're entered to win!- No comment-no entry.

This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only (sorry International readers!)

PLEASE use the rafflecopter and please DO NOT leave your contact information in the blog post comment.

The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond, otherwise another winner will be chosen. 

 The author, not Melissa's Midnight Musings, will be responsible for shipment of the prize to the winner.

Enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway