I hear a good deal (and am very glad to hear) what readers want from a book. No let's ask: what does the author want from her/his readers? I can only answer for myself: First, I want the reader to take his time. There are some things you can't rush through. The purpose of a good book is not to get done with it. I hope my readers are sorry when it comes to an end. One doesn't "read" a good book; one FEELS it. If an author sheds tears as he writes, the reader does him an injustice to scan his creation or speed-read it. If you haven't been moved by Zan and Dael's story, maybe you haven't really read it.
Second, I want my reader to be free of false expectations. Kentucky fried chicken tastes funny to somebody who is expecting a plate of jellybeans. And there are some people who never eat anything but jellybeans. Allan Richard Shickman does not sugar-coat truth. He tries to show the world as it is, not as we might wish it were. He does not tell readers only what they want to hear. He refuses to delight the reader with false and unreal fantasies.
Allan does not think it is enough for a book to be entertaining. He would rather it be harrowing, enriching, and moving. Because it is not about what happens to the hero or heroine; it is about what happens to YOU.
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