The National Sisters-in-Crime organization is running a "blog hop," meaning asking its writers to respond to particular questions on their blog posts. The question I chose to tackle:
I would have to admit that many of my own favorite crime writers are men as well. I find that odd myself, but the truth is that the writers I have read and enjoyed the most recently include Robert Crais, Stieg Larsson, Mark Mills, John Grisham, and William Kent Krueger. So what's the matter with me? Or does it so happen that these were just the authors I happened to pick up?
Here's another theory. Do I like reading male authors because their experience is different from my own? Yet somehow Krueger is able to capture his female characters--especially the mother. And Larsson is able to capture Lisbeth.
And now a final conundrum: I write a mystery series using a male protagonist, and I write in first-person. Lots of readers have asked why I do this. My response is that most mariachis are mostly men. When I play in a mariachi group, it's usually me and another four or five guys. I've spent so much time talking to male mariachi players that I think I know how they think. I hope my readers do not beg to differ!
So what's your opinion? How do you answer this question? Do most of the women readers often prefer women writers or vice versa or is there any rhyme or reason to it at all?!
Mystery lovers, join in the fun by adding to the conversation on your own blogs! www.sistersincrime.org/BlogHop
- If someone said "Nothing against women writers, but all of my favorite crime fiction authors happen to be men," how would you respond?
I would have to admit that many of my own favorite crime writers are men as well. I find that odd myself, but the truth is that the writers I have read and enjoyed the most recently include Robert Crais, Stieg Larsson, Mark Mills, John Grisham, and William Kent Krueger. So what's the matter with me? Or does it so happen that these were just the authors I happened to pick up?
Here's another theory. Do I like reading male authors because their experience is different from my own? Yet somehow Krueger is able to capture his female characters--especially the mother. And Larsson is able to capture Lisbeth.
And now a final conundrum: I write a mystery series using a male protagonist, and I write in first-person. Lots of readers have asked why I do this. My response is that most mariachis are mostly men. When I play in a mariachi group, it's usually me and another four or five guys. I've spent so much time talking to male mariachi players that I think I know how they think. I hope my readers do not beg to differ!
So what's your opinion? How do you answer this question? Do most of the women readers often prefer women writers or vice versa or is there any rhyme or reason to it at all?!
Mystery lovers, join in the fun by adding to the conversation on your own blogs! www.sistersincrime.org/BlogHop
Two readers happily reading about a male protagonist as written by a female author
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