I get a questions about my reference library. (OK, so it's more along the lines of "where the heck did you come up with that?") So here's a list of almost every title on my bookshelf.
By category and in no particular order, with links:
BOOKS I COULD NOT WRITE WITHOUT
(Seriously, I use these nearly every time I start a new story.)
Screenwriting Tricks for Authors and Screenwriters by Alexandra Sokoloff
The Complete Writers Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami Cowden, Carolyn LeFever and Sue Viders
And as I write the Mystic Bayou series, the two following books have been absolutely invaluable:
Monsters You Should Know by Emma Sancartier
The Mythical Creatures Bible by Brenda Rosen
WRITING CRAFT
Before anyone thinks I’m all fancy and cerebral, a good number of these were textbooks for my master’s of fine arts program.
The Writers Workshop by Alan Zeigler
Released into Language by Wendy Bishop
Writers Guide to Character Traits by Linda Edelstein
The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Peglisi
20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald Tobias
How to Write a Selling Screenplay by Christopher Keane
Lew Hunter’s Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter
Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies by Leslie Wainger
I KNOW, it sounds funny for a professional author with ten years experience to have a “For Dummies” book, but I bought this waaay back before I even wrote my first (never to see the light of day) romance novel. It WAS a valuable source of information and I consider it a sort of good luck charm. It’s moved with me four times now. And so it deserves a spot on the shelf.
Teach Yourself: Writing a Romantic Novel by Donna Baker
Writers Workshop of Horror by Michael Knost
Adventures in Screen Trade by William Goldman
The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King
SUPERNATURAL STUFF
10,000 Ghost Stories by Lisa K. Webster and Jason Hook
Black Cats and Evil Eyes by Chloe Rhodes
A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other
Subversive Spirits by Carol K. Mack and Dinah Mack
Wicca: A Guide for The Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
To Ride a Silver Broomstick by Silver RavenWolf
The Complete Book of Spells, Curses and Magical Recipes by Leonard R.N. Ashley
Giants, Monsters and Legends by Carol Rose
The Penguin Book of Witches by Katherine Howe
Don’t Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth Davis
Wisconsin's Most Haunted by Craig Nehrin
HISTORY
How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History by Eric Durschmied
History’s Greatest Decisions by Bill Price
History’s Greatest Blunders by Ian Whitelaw
History’s Greatest Deceptions by Eric Chaline
The Forgotten History of America by Cormac O’Brien
RANDOM STUFF
Young Witches and Warlocks by Isaac Asimov and Others
This was one of my favorite library books to check out when I was a kid. It took me years to track down a copy online. It's the perfect mix of fantasy and sci-fi.
Forbidden Knowledge: 101 Things NOT Everyone Should Know How to Do by Michael Powell
Forbidden Knowledge Sex: 101 Sensual Acts NOT Everyone Should Know How to Do by Claire Bailey
YES, I did think I was buying one and ended up with the other. I won't tell you which is which.
101 Ways to Kill a Zombie by Rob Pearlman
How to Survive a Sharknado by Andrew Shaffer
If you knew my editor, you would know why this is funny.
Gypsy Law: Romani Tradition and Culture by Walter Weyrauch
World Mythology in Bite Sized Chunks by Mark Daniels
Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by WB Yeats
Greek Legends and Stories by MV Seton-Williams
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
Myths and Legends by Jake Jackson
Myth and Legends by Phillip Wilkinson
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Mythology by Arthur Cotterell
Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen
Sacred Crystals by Hazel Raven
I will admit. I bought it because the cover was pretty. But it’s been very useful, particularly since I started writing the Sorcery and Society series.
Mackinac Island: Three Hundred Fifty Years of History by Robert Benjamin
Haunts of Mackinac by Todd Clement
The Illustrate History of Weaponry by Chuck Wills
BECAUSE I CAN
Time Life Mysteries of the Unexplained
Time Life Mysteries of the Past
Time-Life Bizarre Phenomena
The Time-Life books I couldn't find online. I inherited them from my grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa were THE MOST sensible people I've ever known. I asked Grandma once if she believed in ghosts and she said, "If I can't see it, it's not there." I have no idea why they had three Time-Life books on supernatural and bizarre phenomena. I can only imagine they bought a bunch of Civil War documentaries and the weird books were a free gift. Either way, as a kid, I would park in a corner at every family gathering and DEVOUR these books. They're probably the place my interest in the absolutely weird started. I don't necessarily use them often, but I'm so grateful to have them.
Weird Michigan by Linda S. Godfrey
Weird Kentucky by Jeffrey Scott Holland
CLASSICS
Books I think any author should have on hand. Also, I'm mildly obsessed with Jane Austen... And I don't know want to list the many editions of Pride and Prejudice I own... including a graphic novel version.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Grimm’s Complete Fairy tales
Edgar Allen Poe Complete Tales and Poems
Jane Eyre
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
Mansfield Park
Emma
Dante’s Inferno
Dracula
The Bible (NIV Version)
Because it’s not a bad idea to have a Bible around. Also, you don’t want to misquote the Bible.
(I swear I tried to spell every title and author name correctly, but if I made mistakes, please forgive me.)