I read tons. Mostly in my own genre which I consider to be more mainstream and women's fiction. But because I'm involved with a private, online writing group, I now read thrillers and fantasy.
I write under two pen names. JJ Adams writes noir gritty mysteries and Myah Lin writes literary fiction.
Recently, I've been stretching my writing muscles into fantastical yet realistic tales.
My writing has been influenced by such greats as Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare and Sir Anthony Conan Doyle. And, I believe my involvement in the theatre has helped incredibly with character development in writing.
I teach writing through workshops at libraries and at writing conferences where I meet many emergent writers. So, I read a lot of new work as well which is wonderful and exciting for me.