My Seven Sins In A Book

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories with a romantic soul.

The older I've got and the longer I've been published, I find myself less and less forgiving when it comes to what I read. I'm picky on my genres and my authors, and with so many hundreds of new books published every day, there are several guaranteed ways a new-to-me author will get put on my do-not-read list.

1. Grammar and spelling mistakes. This is my number one bugbear, and one I don't understand when at the very least an author could use spellcheck. A tweet or a post I will forgive a typo or three, but if they consistently have errors and/or that extends to the blurb/opening pages of a book, then nope. You've already lost me.

2. Headhopping. One of my sins when I first started out in publishing, and now something that drives me completely bonkers when reading. Having said that, one of my most favourite authors did this in some of her earlier books, and while it annoyed me I loved the characters and worlds enough to push through it. So this one is not a deal breaker if I love other elements of the story.

3. Alpha a-holes. If the lead male (or female, or alien, or whatever the main protag might be) doesn't treat others with some measure of respect, or learn to do so quite early on in the book, I'm done. I don't find it hot or cool or impressive for a hero or heroine. I also don't like any abusive relationships that form the main romance - I want the abuser dumped or reformed PDQ if I'm going to keep reading. By the end of the book is too late.

4. Inconsistencies. As an author, I know we've all done it. Plot holes, changing details like eye colour, rules of magic or science etc that get broken or altered to fit the story. An editor can usually fix those but sometimes the odd one still slips through. Again, not a deal breaker but do it too often and I lose all believability in the world you've created.

5. Not a sin, exactly, but I find it awkward if any of the romantic characters share a name with my children. This was especially true of a book where the main romantic lead pair were both named after two of my children - totally not the author's fault but eww.

6. Dubious consent/forced seduction. Nope. Nu uh. Eww. Anything where either partner is in any way coerced is a big no for me.

7. Lack of emotional impact. One reason I prefer SFR over straight SF is the extra dimension the romance gives the story. SF can be a bit dry but SFR goes indepth into the character's emotional growth and development as much as the tech and worldbuilding that I love in SF. So if it isn't there in a book claiming to be a romance (or lacking anything it claims to be in terms of genre), the author will probably not be a future autobuy.