One (Month) Is Never Enough: Read A Romance Month
… And not enough time. (Image by Stewart Butterfield)
By Alexa Day
Read a Romance Month started on Friday, and I’m already kicking myself for joining the fun a few days late. What is wrong with me? Would it really kill me to be on time for something once in my life? Do I get something out of playing catch-up?
I know. If all that self-flagellation worked, I’d stop being late for things, right? Yeah, no such luck.
Worse, I can’t read a romance this month. Not even one. I’m editing my work in progress right now and trying to make two submission calls for short stories, and I hate to read inside the genre if I’m working. (I need to be positive that the only voices I’m hearing belong to me.) So it looks like I won’t get to tackle the more pleasant questions, like how many romances I could actually read in a month if I really applied myself.
Instead, I’m checking out the blog posts. Loads of romance writers are talking about how they discovered the genre. It reminds me of those superhero origin stories, you know? I love hearing about where people were in their lives and what else they were reading before they came to romance. With three posts a day, it looks like I might get a bit of a binge after all.
But the best part so far is getting recommendations, especially for the older books. Working like this has me a little burned out on new books. I’m overwhelmed with all the choices lately. I needed a word from the wise to guide my hand to some of the classic romances already hiding out on my shelves. So far, I’ve been encouraged to put my copy of Jennifer Crusie’s Faking It back near the top of the TBR list, next to Ashes in the Wind, the Kathleen Woodiwiss novel Joey Hill recommended at Romanticon a while back. You know, for once I’m able to read romance again.
That day’s coming. I feel it.
In the meantime, between my day job and my life’s work, I get to read about the things that inspire the writers who inspire me. Read A Romance Month still has power to make this writer’s life a brighter one, even if I don’t get to read another romance for weeks.
It’s always a good month to be following Lady Smut. We’ve got the good stuff year round.
