OF MOST READ AUTHORS AND LOOKING AHEAD TO MY FAVORITES LISTS AT THE END OF THE YEAR

Favorite novels, each representing a different author. Not all the authors mentioned below are repre-sented here, nor are all the authors of above books mentioned below. List of titles and authors below.

 It's been a couple of years since I updated my list of most read fiction authors. Well, I found the list I started two years ago (which is one reason I didn't update it), so I'll do that.Allow me, though, to mention one of my favorite lists and how it's progressing. I'm speaking of my favorite songs list, which was the top 15 (in my opinion) the first year I did it ('22), and 20 each the following three years. Both last year and now this year, I have been setting aside new songs I like, and then trim it down. As of this moment, do you know how many songs are on that list? 22. So it will be a fun challenge putting it together. (BTW, I mentioned that I'm going to start cutting off the entries the beginning of December.)

Back to the novels. I currently have 36 authors on that list, and there's a few that I haven't tracked yet. But in the past two years, you know how many I have read books by? Twelve. True, I may have read multiple books by some authors - one jumped up nine spots, for example. But several seem to have hit a spot and stayed there. 

One factor is that I read a lot of Love Inspired Suspense, or more accurately, a few of the authors. This includes the multi-author K-9 series, so there's a group of authors who are basically guaranteed moving up a spot each year. One author, though, who moved up for the first time... oh, you'll hear about it soon. 

I'm debating raising the minimum on the lists from 5 to 10. Currently, I have 26 authors that have passed the 5 mark. But I only have 10 over 10, so I'll keep up what I'm doing. (In perspective, ten years ago, there were only 9 that hit the minimum of 5 and 5 of those had at least 10.) If there's much movement, I might raise it next year. We'll see.

One last comment. You may have noticed that I seem to read more women writers than men. True. Out of the 36 writers on my list, the ladies outnumber the gentlemen by 2 to 1 (24 compared to 12). But I learned in "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Christian Fiction" by Ron Benrey that the vast majority of writers and readers of Christian Fiction are female.  

Okay, now with the list. I debated started at the top, because there are more suprises at the bottom, but I'll make it a countdown nontheless. So, you ready?

Tied for 22nd, 5 novels read: Maggie Black, Valarie Hansen, Dana Mentink, Frank Peretti, and Amy Wallace. The last two mentioned have been there a while, but Dana joined this group last year and Maggie and Valarie this year.

Tied for 17th, 6 novels read: Jackie Castle, Julianna Deering, Sandra Orchard, Ellery Queen, and Laura Scott. Laura is new to this spot, the others have been there awhile.

Tied for 14th, 7 novels read: John Otte, Janet Sketchley, and Jill Williamson. All these haven't moved.

Tied for 11th, 8 novels read: Sharon Dunn, Stephen King, and Terri Reed. This summer will mark the 40th year since I've read any King. 

10th, 11 novels read: Ian Fleming. The last Fleming novel I read was probably in '76 or so, until last year when I read "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." 

9th, 13 novels read: James Blish. I read a couple of his short stories a couple of years ago, but no new complete books, which consists of the first Star Trek novel and 12 collections of TOS novelizations.

Tied for 7th, 14 novels read: Kerry Nietz and Randy Singer. This tie will be broken this year.

Tied for 5th, 15 novels read: Allistair MacLean and Jessica Patch. MacLean, Blish, and Singer have all been in this 13-15 territory, with MacLean being the first to hit 15 in 2017. 

In 4th place with 19 novels read is Jodie Bailey. I discovered her in 2019, and she's been racing up the list.

3rd place? Nancy Mehl, with 21 novels read. 

And in 1st place? Agatha Christie, with 23 novels read. She has been towards the top for decades, hitting first place around 2011, where she sat at the pinnacle...

Except she's currently in a tie for 1st place. Dame Agatha is sharing the spot with another mystery author: Donna Fletcher Crow has reached the same goal. Now the question is if Donna's going to continue being at the top, or if I'll go on a Christie reading binge, as has happened a few times in my life.

Let me close by giving you the list of the novels on my shelf above, left to write:

• "The Clocks" by Agatha Christie. 
• "Where Eagles Dare" by Allistair MacLean. 
• "Ransomed Dreams" by Amy Wallace.
• "An Unholy Communion" by Donna Fletcher Crow.
• "Missing Mabel" by Nancy Mehl.
• "Undercover Colorado Conspiracy" by Jodie Bailey.
• "Dangerous Obsession" by Jessica R. Patch.
• "The Judge" (formerly titled "The Cross-Examination of Oliver Finney") by Randy Singer.
• "Judge" by R. J. Larson (pen-name for Kacy Barnett-Gramckow)
• "Amish Vampires in Space" by Kerry Nietz.
• "Numb" by John Otte (pronounced Ah-tee).
• "The Methuselah Project" by Rick Barry.
• "Daughter of Light" by Morgan L. Busse (pronounced Bus-see).
• "Ablaze" by Jackie Castle.
• "Burn" by J.M. Hackman.
• "The New Recruit" by Jill Williamson.
• "Heaven's Prey" by Janet Sketchley.
• "Big Bluff" by Jackie Zack.
• "Seeking the Truth" by Terri Reed..
• "Wilderness Defender" by Maggie K. Black. 

You know, I might do a series of my favorite authors, and maybe follow that with my favorite musicians. If I'm really bored, I might go to favorite actors/actresses, favorite athletes, and favorite politicians... okay, I won't go that far.

INTERVIEW WITH NOVELIST JESSICA PATCH

Courtesy of Emily Shuff Photography, LLC

What two things do YA baseball novelist John R. Cooper, suspense author Allistair MacLean, and Queen of Crime Agatha Christie have in common?

1. They are on my list of favorite authors.
2. They passed away before I had a chance to interview them.

My other favorite authors weren't so lucky. Or is a better way to put it that I've been blessed to interview my writing heroes, and as a result I've had many enjoyable interviews either on this interview or ones with Hoosier Ink (blog page for ACFW Indiana Chapter) and Sleuths and Suspects.

 I can give you a list, and if you ask nicely I will, but I'd like to get to the point you've probably figured out: Today I'm sharing an interview with one of those writing heroines: Jessica Patch. I discovered her when I started reading Love Inspired Suspense (along with Jodie Bailey, who's also on the list). You may remember my drawing of my 20 favorite characters? In that collection was Wilder Flynn, the hero of the first Jessica Patch novel I read, Deadly Obsession. I've read all three of her Cold Case Investigators this year, and have a few more on my list. 

JR: Welcome to Friends of the Prophets blog! I'll start with the basics: How did you come to Christ, and when did you get interested in writing?

JP: I was raised in a Christian home and gave my life to Jesus at age 10. I’ve always loved writing but pursued it professionally in 2008.

JR: Would you like to tell us about your new release Her Darkest Secret? What inspired the story? Or is this a dark secret?

JP: This book follows a fictional FBI team, the Strange Crimes Unit as they track down a Memphis serial killer who is staging his victims in nursery rhyme poses. I think my grandma inspired it with her many nursery rhymes she used to tell me as a child. I just tweaked them a little. 😀

JR: I'll admit - the cover of Cold Case Killer Profile makes this California/Arizona boy homesick. Anything you'd like to say about that novel and the Quantico Profilers? How does Her Darkest Secret differ genre-wise from the Love Inspired Suspense stories you've written?

JP: I love writing about the FBI heroes who profile. It’s fun series with older characters. Her Darkest Secret is a psychological thriller and Love Inspired Suspense are well…suspenses. Less gritty and complex as a trade length book.

JR: Are you more of a plotter or a blank pager? Related - when you start a series, how much do you know about the later stories?

JP: I have to be plotter since my Publisher requires full synopses for each book!  I know enough to write a back cover blurb which isn’t a lot. 😀

JR: I've noticed a section on your web-site about speaking, as well as a recent pod-cast on setting with Lisa Harris. What are your favorite parts about writing? And what advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

JP: I speak often at women’s conferences and events. I really can’t pick a favorite part since I love it all. Be disciplined and write daily! 

JR: Thank you very much for your time. How can we keep up with what you're writing next? And what does the coming year look like writing and otherwise?

JP: You can sign up on my webpage for my Patched In Newsletter which you receive monthly. The coming year is busy busy with writing new books and releasing them!

BOOK REVIEW: ARCTIC CHRISTMAS AMBUSH

 

A witness to her mentor's murder and her Alaska State Trooper ex-boyfriend are snowed in a lodge with several guests and the killer, not to mention a batch of sled dogs along with an adorable runt of a puppy. If you think this would be an exciting romantic suspense, you would be correct.

Shane and Kara are well developed and interesting characters, and you have twists and turns in this story that will keep you guessing. This story reminded me of the style of one of my favorite authors, Allistair MacLean; being a story of being trapped by winter weather by not-so-nice people might have something to do with that.

This is an ideal story to read in the extended Christmas season - meaning anytime within six months of Christmas time.

WHICH NOVELISTS HAVE I READ THE MOST NOVELS BY? AND IS THAT LIST CHANGING?

Courtesy of ereaderlove.com via Sharon Kirk Clifton

I have been comparing how my list of authors I've read the most have changed over the years. 

NOTE - I did not say my favorite authors. I may have read more novels by an author I really like than one I absolutely love, for various reasons - primarily, because the one I like has written more novels than the one I love.

Let me start with 1978, when I left Cottonwood and started Bible College. At that point, the novelists I read the most looked like this:

1. James Blish - 11 books. 
2. Ian Fleming - 10.
3. Agatha Christie - 5.
4. Ellery Queen - 5.
5. John R. Cooper - 4. 

What did that list tell about me? Well, for one, I got in binges. My interest in Baseball got me hooked on John R. Cooper's Mel Martin YA series. After seeing James Bond movies, I read Ian Fleming. Following the '74 version of "Murder On The Orient Express," I started reading Agatha Christie (and Ellery Queen benefitted from that interest in mysteries). Most of the books I've read by Blish were his novelizations of the episodes of Star Trek The Original Series; the only Blish novel I read was titled "Spock Must Die" (the first ST novel).

Now, let me fast forward twenty plus years to '00. This period of time had two phases - a lot of novels read between '81 and '86, and not much reading done afterwards. Here's what my list looked like at that point:

1. James Blish - 13.
   
2. Agatha Christie - 12
3. Ian Fleming - 10
4. Stephen King - 8
5. Allistair MacLean - 7

I debated on leaving it with the top 5, or including those who I've read more than five novels by, and I decided at this phase to do the former. I did read a 6th Ellery Queen novel, which left him in 6th place.  You'll notice Agatha Christie jumped up on the list, as well as the entrance of Stephen King and Allistair MacLean. 

I previously mentioned comparing the lists of '86 and '00 (which is the one I'm using). There are only two differences. First, in '86 MacLean would have been tied for fifth with Queen at six novels apiece. A co-worker brought in an audio version of a MacLean novel, and I'm counting that on my list. The other was that in '00, my two favorite authors would be MacLean and Frank Peretti, who was lower on the list because I didn't read as many of his novels.

Three items of note took place by '10: I started reading more books (fiction and non-fiction), I started writing my novel, and I discovered Amazon and learned of new authors that way. As a result, here's how the list changed:

1. James Blish -13
2. Agatha Christie - 12
3. Allistair MacLean - 11
4. Ian Fleming - 10
5. Stephen King - 8
6. Randy Singer - 8

You may notice that the top five names were the same, with MacLean jumping up two spots from 5th to 3rd. Likewise, you'll see that MacLean was the only one of the five to increase, giving you a hint that some writers I used to read a lot of I wasn't reading as much. (One of them would have a resurgance - you can guess which one if you wish.)

But then in sixth place (technically, tied for fifth) is a new name. Randy Singer took over Peretti's place as my favorite author (MacLean remained in second). I also started reading more books by women. Amy Wallace had a trilogy I absolutely loved.

I mentioned I had wrote my novel. You may know that I attempted to self-publish and the company went belly-up in spectacular fashion (it's collapse was on the front page of the Indianapolis Star and reported on the TV broadcasts). This led me to get involved with the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), which not only helped in my writing but also got me hooked on more authors. 

In 2013, I took part of a challenge from author Janalyn Voigt, set a goal to read 20 books (both fiction and non-fiction) and succeeded. The next year, I went on a rampage and read 29 novels (not counting non-fiction books). I haven't matched that since, though I do read about 25 novels a year. 

Previously, I've done looks at every ten years - this time, I'll only move ahead five years to 2015. And presto:

1. Agatha Christie 17
2. James Blish 13
3. Allistair MacLean 13
4. Randy Singer 13
5. Ian Fleming 10

Not very over-whelming, is it? True, Agatha Christie and Randy Singer added five books each to their total. 

However, I've been adding other authors to the list. At that time, I considered five novels to be the Hall of Fame pre-requisite. At 2015, besides Stephen King and Ellery Queen were Frank Peretti and Amy Wallace. But other authors were knocking at the door, with Donna Fletcher Crow, Julianna Deering (aka DeAnna Dodson), and Nancy Mehl joining in the list. 

So let me expand past the top five on the list at this moment in 2021:

1. Agatha Christie - 23
2. Donna Fletcher Crow - 15
3. Allistair MacLean - 15
4. Nancy Mehl - 15
5. Randy Singer - 14
6. James Blish - 13
7. Ian Fleming - 10
8. Kerry Nietz - 9
9. Stephen King - 8
10. Jill Williamson - 7

Tied for 11th place at 6 each: Jackie Castle, Julianna Deering, Sandra Orchard, John Otte, and Ellery Queen.

Tied for 16th place at 5 each: Jodie Bailey, Frank Peretti, and Amy Wallace.  

Again, does this mean that Agatha Christie is my favorite author? No. I could pick on several authors on this list (and some not on the list, such as J.P. Leck), but I'll choose John Otte. I like John Otte better than Agatha Christie. But John Otte's bibliography is half of the Miss Marple series, which is a third of the Hercule Poirot collection. (And yes, Christie has a lot of stories that are neither Marple or Poirot.) Otte needs to go on a tear for me to read as many of his books to catch up with Dame Agatha.

Which authors have you read the most by? Are the authors you read the most by the same as your favorite authors?