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What Kind of Reader Are You?

I’ve always loved jigsaw puzzles. When I was a child, our family would set a puzzle up on the dining room table, and everyone would work on it—sometimes together, sometimes separately—until the picture that matched the cover of the box started to form from all the pieces.

I still love jigsaw puzzles, although now I usually do them on my iPad by myself, with a timer ticking off the seconds and minutes. The experience is not quite the same, but it’s still a jigsaw puzzle, and my brain is still working to sort the colors and shapes, so it’s all good.

One of the important messages reinforced by jigsaw puzzles is that every piece is important. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a border piece (the easiest to put together), a “button,” or a “hole,” a blue sky piece or a brown earth piece. Every piece contributes to the whole, and the picture can’t be complete without every one. *

I feel the same way about my readers. Whether you are male or female, young or young at heart, American or foreigner; whether you prefer hardbacks, paperbacks, or ebooks; whether you love my children’s book, standalone mysteries, or series mysteries—you are an important part of this journey, and I can’t imagine it without you.

I may have known you all my life, or I may have just met you this week, but if you’re reading this message, you are part of the whole.

Today’s preoccupation with data gives me an inkling about who purchases my books. The information is useful to a degree, but not essential.

Way more important to me than any demographic data is attitudinal data that comes from you as a reader, a human being, a friend. That’s why I ask your opinions about titles and covers and book descriptions. It’s why I ask you for your honest ratings and reviews. How you react to a plot twist or how you feel about a character provides important feedback to me as I continue to learn and grow as a writer.

The feedback doesn’t always have to be positive, either. Constructive criticism is always as welcome as high praise. I’m not so unrealistic to imagine that every reader is going to love every character or plot or every story or book I write.

What’s essential to me is that you’ve shown up. Your piece is on the table, ready to be touched and turned, ready to be fit into the beautiful puzzle that is a story’s journey. Whether you’re a big piece or a small piece, just don’t be a missing piece.

*If you adore jigsaw puzzles as I do, you may love my friend Laurel McHargue’s co-written book, Peace by Piece. Check it out here.

April is going to be a fun and busy month with four book clubs, three blogposts, and an ArtWalk appearance at the MOD the evening of April 27. Please join us for any of these that fit your circumstances, and if you want me to add another event to the mix, we still have some open dates.

April is also Archie’s birthday month, so have a good thought for the little guy as he turns ten on the 26^th.

Remember, autographed books make the best gifts, and you can purchase all my books on my website https://saralynrichard.com or directly through me by return email.

Until next month, thank you for being an essential part of the journey, and wishing you much love,

Saralyn

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