Summer Reading

One of my favorite aspects of summer has become the summer reading list. I know, I know, as a kid the thought of summer reading lists would make me roll my eyes and shake my fists at the sky. "Why, oh why, do I have to read over the summer?" I would ask petulantly.

But, just like naps, summer reading switched from a punishment to a reward somewhere along the line. And I'm fortunate enough that my youngest kiddo started out thinking of it as a challenge. For the last couple of years he finds these lists and challenges himself to read all the books on the list.

Last year he read the entire Bluebonnet Books list. This year it's the Lone Star reading list. I think part of the reason I love him reading these lists is because inevitably I read the books as well. His reading level is about two or three grade levels above his actual grade level so I read the books to see if he'll be able to emotionally handle the subject matter. If there are areas I think that will trouble him, I make a note to talk to him about them when he gets there. There has yet to be a book I've refused to allow him to read.

But he's not the only one who benefits from this arrangement. I don't hide the fact that I'm an avid romance reader. I joke that I write so I can have money to buy more books. But I do enjoy other genres of literature as well. I'm not as deeply invested in them as I am romance, however. So it's hard for me to decide what to buy in the other genres. The lists give me a starting point. There are times I love the book and decided to continue on with the series and/or author, but other times I'm not so crazy about it so I move on to the next one on the list.

The first book of this summer was Undertow by Michael Buckley. And, I have to say, I loved it! I read it in one day and can't wait to read the second book in the series. So this summer's reading list has started off with a bang for me.

What about you? Do you have any books you're looking forward to reading this summer?

How I write

I get asked all the time how I produce so much writing. Some even going so far as to call me a machine. I can assure you, I'm not.  But I do keep myself on a constant schedule as long as life permits it. 

Truthfully, since we just recently moved houses I've been completely off kilter but right now I'm going to write about what happens on what I think of as average days.

I saw an interview once with Jerry Seinfeld. He talked about how his career changed when he made comedy his job, treated it like a person handles a career and not as a hobby he was trying on the side.  That was when his career took off.

The day I decided I wanted writing to be what I did for a living, I threw myself into it.  Of course other things--family, friends, house--can get in the way but writing has to be something I do all the time.  If I could, I would write from 8 AM til 5 PM breaking for meals.  I don't always get that but I do get to write every day for part of the day.

Other things have to be fitted into this, too. Promoting, editing, and organization play their role.  But they don't count for actual writing time. 

I keep a list I call my WRITNG list. Its a working list that I can alter if need be but I try not.  As soon as I finish a Work In Progress I look at the list to see what I'll be doing next. That's how I keep myself going.

I think that list plus writing every day is why I have been able to produce a large number of stories.

Hope you're all well.

RR