I don’t know about you, but one of the first things I do when I visit someone’s house is look on their bookshelf (assuming they have one) and see what titles are there. I usually checked their CDs and DVDs as well.

When I’m doing this, I don’t think I’m doing it to judge that individual, more to understand their character and what interests them. Certainly, I always look for titles I’m familiar with, maybe ones that are on my bookshelf too. That, if nothing else, will mean we have something in common, some ground where we can meet.

It’s always a wonderful thing to find someone who likes the same books as you. These days, there a many online sites dedicated to books generally, not to mention individual books. I have made some great friends through some of these sites. In fact, The Heir was published because of five women I met through our mutual love of the Twilight series. I knew these women liked fantasy romance (obviously), so when I was writing The Heir I hesitantly gave them some chapters to read. Their enthusiasm led to them encouraging me to try and get it published, something I’m not sure would have happened otherwise.

There’s nothing like bonding over a book, whether it be an idea presented in a non-fiction, or a history presented in a biography, or an enjoyable story experienced in a novel.  It can lead to lifelong friendships.