Reading and Writing

From the time I was a child, I’ve been a voracious reader. I’d read anywhere, anytime. Never would I leave the house without a book in my purse. First thing in the morning and last thing at night, I’d have my nose in a book.

Of course, life has a way of getting in the way of passions. Work, kids, and household chores tended to interfere with my reading time somewhat, but that didn’t stop me from plowing through several books a month.

…until I became an author. I don’t know exactly why, but when I’m in the middle of working on a novel, my inclination to read diminishes, if not disappears entirely. I theorize that it’s because my brain is so wrapped up in the characters I’m writing about that it can’t spend time on other characters. Or perhaps it’s because all my energy is spent on writing so there is little left for reading. Maybe working through a plot of my own makes me not want to be influenced by another’s ideas. Whatever the reason(s), the number of books I’ve read in the past few years is small. (But I did publish three!)

Currently I’m in a bit of a hiatus from writing. The manuscript for my second women’s fiction novel was completed weeks ago. Book 3 of the Lucy Arlington mysteries is with the publisher. And while I  have another novel started, I’ve not been inclined to work on it.

But guess what? I am reading voraciously. I’ve polished off three and half books in a week! So I guess I have to be content with reading between writing. And maybe my novels will be richer for it.