Author Kendra Leigh Castle - Day 2!

Author Kendra Leigh Castle is back to share more about the books she loves and second day on the island!


Kendra writes: It’s my second day on the island, and I’m busy lounging in a hammock and sipping yet another margarita. Okay, and trying not to think about the guyliner-wearing pirate who went streaking around the island last night. Not that the view was bad, mind you. But the rum’s gone, and I really don’t want to have the “Why is the rum gone?” discussion again when he wakes up. My own little entourage of heroes is still passed out in the hut. Of course, that’s what I get for creating so many men who are basically nocturnal. The werewolves will be out eventually, though the brothers MacInnes, Gideon and Gabriel, did some serious damage to themselves last night when we all decided to play poker. I think my dragon-shifter, Lucien, got a black eye out of the deal once they figured out he’d been cheating, and I had a hell of a time convincing Bastian, who also happens to be an ice mage, that drowning him was not an acceptable option. They all have heroines waiting for them on distant shores who would like it if they didn’t kill one another, and my husband is going to be pretty pissed off if I wind up in jail as an accessory to murder. I’ll never understand how we all ended up dancing around that bonfire. Well, except that someone convinced me to unearth the rum that Ms Moonlight and I had so cleverly buried. Hmm.

Anyway, for right now, I’m just going to enjoy the sun, the warm breeze, and the five favorite books I was told I could bring to entertain myself with. Though it was hard to choose, I thought I’d share what I brought:

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen-
I know, this is so boring of me, right? Almost everyone loves this book. Still, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it was a favorite. I never, ever get tired of watching Lizzie bring the proud and adorably clueless Mr. Darcy to heel. Possibly the most well-matched couple in the history of romance, and the end of the book, in which we learn what happens to Jane and Lizzie after marriage in some small way, is a treat that the movies really should have incorporated.

The Prize by Julie Garwood-
Julie Garwood is the reason I write romance. That is not an exaggeration. I started getting into my mom’s Garwood collection when I was in, like, sixth grade, and ever since then her charming, quick-witted, and inevitably clumsy heroines have been my idea of the ideal heroine. Likewise, her gruff Alpha Male heroes who hide hearts of gold formed the basis for how I think about and create my own heroes. The best Julie Garwood books make you go “Awwww” and tug your heartstrings, but they also make you laugh. To me, The Prize is pitch perfect, the story of a Saxon noblewoman who has to deal with the fact that her home has been given to a Norman baron. I love the scene where the king lets Nicholaa pick her own husband, and the increasing expression of horror on Royce’s face as he realizes where she’s heading.

The Stand by Stephen King-
No, it’s not romantic. But about once a year, I sit down and re-read what I consider King’s finest work (and I like a lot of his books). It’s post-apocalyptic, frightening as hell, and moves me on levels that most writing just can’t reach. Makes his charcters really live and breathe to the reader is Stephen King’s special gift. I know that they’re fictional, and yet I have never stopped wondering what happened to Frannie, Stu, Tom Cullen and the rest after the book’s haunting close.

Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey-
It’s old now, but I still love this book (and its Fabio-tastic, 80s purple eyeshadow explosion of a cover). It’s in a place of honor on my keeper shelf because it’s the first romance I read that really pushed the boundaries of what I’d come to expect in the genre. I was usually reading about lords and ladies, or cowboys, or even sheiks or Vikings. Very cool, but grounded at least a little in history. Then came this amazing book in which the heroine was a kick-ass futuristic Earthling and the hero was the ruler of a bunch of sexy alien barbarians. Once I’d read it, I wanted MORE. The next book, Keeper of the Heart, was just as awesome, but this book, I am convinced, made me a paranormal romance writer. And every time I read it, I still think that Tedra and Challen rule.

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman-
Okay, this is a little bit of a cheat, because it’s one story, one graphic novel, separated into volumes. That’s because it was actually a comic back in the early 90s, though when I used to think “comic” I’d think of Superman or something, not this surreal, fascinating journey with the family that is the Endless: Desire, Death, Delerium, Despair, the wayward brother Chaos, and most of all, Morpheus, the King of Dreams.

These are my picks for the island…now let’s hear about yours! What book would you bring?