Elizabeth asked Abigail Roux:

Hi! Thank you so much for answering all these awesome questions you rock! I was just wondering what are your favorite book genres are and do you read m/m books?

Abigail Roux My favorite types of books are adventure/mysteries that have a historical element. Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt series introduced me to that kind of entertainment in high school, and I've loved them ever since.

I don't read m/m books and I never have, in order to protect myself from unconsciously copying plots, themes, or styles of other writers in the genre. I've always been sort of a sponge, especially when it comes to narrative style, and if I'm reading while I'm also writing I will sometimes notice myself mimicking the style of the books I'm reading. It was especially obvious during one of my re-reads of the Amelia Peabody series. I realized that my characters suddenly spoke as if they were Victorian era adventurers, and I had to halt everything and walk away because I felt ridiculous.

It would be especially harmful if I were to accidentally copy the voice of someone writing m/m books alongside me, and so I make sure that will never happen. It's the reason you'll not see me talking about my peers or giving books recs.

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