One of my life goals is to read all the "classics" of literature, so I mix those in between reading contemporary novels and non-fiction books. I think a little of all of them come through in my writing style.
"In the Sleep of Death" is historical fiction, set in 1886 St. Louis, which allowed me to blend in the styles of the authors I love from classical lit: L.M. Montgomery, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, George Eliot, etc.
Since it is fantasy, I threw in the humor of my favorite fantasy & sci-fi writers: Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Joe Abercrombie, Diana Wynn-Jones, Connie Willis, etc.
And because I love research, I spent countless hours studying Victorian America. The Pawnee Indian tribe is significant to my story and in learning about them I read several books of Indian songs. Several of my own "songs" are in this book, written in a style that I hope pays homage to the amazing imagery of the Native Americans.
Of course! They always say not to read your reviews, but who can resist? I have been living with these characters for years and now other people are actually reading about them AND wanting to talk about them? I'll read everything they have to say.
I know there are some very harsh reviewers out there. Fortunately, my initial reviews were positive.
This is another reason that I highly recommend that authors join a writing group. I have spent years getting feedback that is mostly constructive and sometimes harsh, and it has made me much more objective about my own writing. Now, I take every bit of feedback cheerfully and will be applying it toward my next book.
I'm the kid who always had her nose in a book. To this day, when I run into my elementary teachers, the two things they remember about me are A) I never talked - ever - and B) I was always reading. Crossing from one class to another, I'd bump into everything because I was reading as I walked, trying to get just a few more pages in before I had to put it away again.
I think when you're that wrapped up in fantasy worlds, it's very common to want to contribute to the world of books yourself. I wrote my first book in high school and since then there has never been a time that characters were not living in my head, begging to be put down on a page.
