I was trying to remember the last time that I read a book I couldn’t put down. It was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and I read it in 2010 while on vacation in Hawaii. I also remember that I later read a review that claimed “Dragon Tattoo” was poorly written. Did I notice that? Honestly, no. I was so wrapped up in the story I wouldn’t have noticed a misspelled word, a run-on sentence, or any other sort of error, if there was one. Which begs the question (at least for me), Is it better to write a novel that the reader can’t put down, though the grammar might be less than perfect? Or is it better to produce a well-written, respected, intelligent story, one that garners praise from critics but fails to capture a large audience of readers? I don’t know the answer. All I know is that I have to write what comes to me naturally and, in the process, produce the best work that I can–something that makes me proud. Authors can’t choose their readers; readers choose authors.