Writing What You Want to Read
by Aileen Harkwood
I’ve often wondered if any other writers out there write because they can’t find something to read. Please don’t get me wrong. I am NOT saying only I can write the stories and books that will please me. As my Idaho farm boy grandfather would have said as he snorted loudly. Pshaaww. The world is and always will be filled with authors with far more talent than I possess.
Though my reading tastes are pretty far ranging, I have days, however, where I’ll walk into a bookstore and nothing really shouts at me to pick it up. Or I’ll get on Amazon, with more books than any human will ever have time to read, flip through screen after screen of bestsellers or hidden gems, and though I want to hit that 1-Click buy button, something in me hesitates too long. Typically I end up with no book at all.
What I want in these vague, indecisive moments, what I’m craving, is a very specific type of book. It has to have all my favorite elements: heroes or heroines with some type of psychic ability, or a plot that’s strong on action and suspense in a setting that evokes a mysterious mood or dramatic atmosphere. It helps if there’s just enough of the fantastical to elevate the story out of the ordinary while still leaving it firmly grounded in the real world. Sex? Oh, I’ll take some. What straight woman doesn’t melt into a boneless heap watching Daniel Craig rise out of the ocean in Casino Royale wearing those amazing blue swim trunks?
My problem with looking for this very specific type of book is that I’ve usually read them all. I wish I could unread them and read them again, but what I really want is another. A new book.
That’s when I know it’s time to get back to work and write the book I want to read. Will it be perfect? (Pardon me, I just snorted, remarkably like my grandfather.) No, it won’t be perfect. Still, I can aspire to brilliant, can’t I? Every writer dreams of being so.
One thing writing such a book will do is satisfy my fantasies, and that’s satisfaction enough.
Aileen is the author the new release, Dangerous Dreams,
The Dreamrunners Society, Book One. 
To celebrate the release of Dangerous Dreams, Aileen is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and copies of her novel. If you would like to enter the giveaway, please enter the rafflecopter below.
Book Description:
Plagued by nightmares of terrorist bombings, Lara Freberg is a so-called Lost One, unaware of her psychic gift for literally being in two places at once. While her true body sleeps, her twin is helplessly drawn to scenes of unspeakable horror.
Kidnapped by a corrupt, CIA-like organization determined to exploit her abilities, Lara is given no choice. Cooperate or die. Until the midnight spying missions that make her the willing prisoner of an erotic stranger. Does she dare trust him with her warning of a future attack on American soil?
Jack Mayfield will never forgive himself for being too late to free Lara from the Greys, The Dreamrunners Society’s sworn enemies. An elite front line operative, Jack is able to find and save the Lost Ones no one else can. Nothing, however, can prepare him for the shock of losing the woman who holds the key to unlocking his war weary heart. Now Jack is in a race for her life. Lara’s dreaming half may be able to drive him wild with passion, but can he believe her when she says the Greys haven’t turned her against him and the Society?
It won’t be easy to rescue his one true love from certain death.
Genre: Paranormal/Romantic Suspense
ASIN: B00DGL0HBC
Number of pages: estimated 220 pages
Word Count: 65K
Dangerous Dreams can be found here on Amazon
About the Author:
Aileen Harkwood is a die hard fan of the mysteries, thrills and romances life has to offer 
and has wanted to write her own since she penned her first, safely-hidden-away-in-a-drawer-never-to-see-the-light-of-day novel in high school. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing, and resides in the Southern Rockies of the United States with her family, a Labrador with an extensive chew stick collection, and two cats named after birds.
Blog: http://aileenharkwood.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @AileenHarkwood
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5103686.Aileen_Harkwood
Looks fantastic, Jody! Thanks so much for hosting me. :-))
You’re always welcome here! Thanks for the great post 🙂