Reading, Writing, & Writers

Once upon a time, I was a one-book-at-a-time reader. Now, I am a multi-tasking multiple books reader.

Currently, I have 4 books I'm reading. One is a book on social media, and it's in the car. I read aloud as my husband and I travel to and from our house in the Hill Country. The other three are novels.

Flee by Joe Konrath and Ann Voss Peterson that goes on sale April 29. I've just about chewed my fingernails down to the quick on that roller coaster and will be reviewing it on Amazon as soon as I finish this blog post.

To Be Read

In the interest of disclosure, the authors of the next two books are friends. I'm lucky that they're also good writers so I don't have to make excuses after reading their books when they ask me what I thought. Of course, since they're friends, they know better than to ask. Ah, it's a tricky thing to be friends with fellow writers.

Real friends who are writers don't put you on the spot that way because they know that not all books will be home runs. Pro writers wait for you to comment about their books. If you say nothing, they understand that it just wasn't your cup of tea. If you offer praise or publicly post a review, then they know that you really did like it.

So I'm liking these next two books, and I'm almost finished with them and will post reviews when I do. Book 3 of The Garden Series, In the Garden of Disgrace, a regency romance by Cynthia Wicklund. Love the heroine Jilly, and the rake who gets what's coming to him.

Designing Woman, a contemporary romantic comedy, by Elaine Raco Chase. Some scenes in this one are laugh-out-loud funny. When I grow up, I want to be the self-assured kind of heroine Elaine writes.

Not Enough Time

Between writing and life itself, there just isn't enough time to read. That's my constant complaint, and I'm voicing it again because I still haven't had time to read Live Wire by Harlan Coben, a book for which I waited impatiently because it's the latest in the Myron Bolitar novels. I adore Myron, Wyn, Esperanza, and all the other familiar characters and have introduced my husband, my daughter, and her boyfriend to these books. Live Wire is the 10th in the series.

I came across a post on my other blog that I'd written about Mr. Coben. Inspired by an interview he did with Authors Guild, Mr. Coben held forth on what is needed to make a person a writer.


There are 3 things that make a person a writer: Inspiration, perspiration and desperation. I'm on page 40 of the next book; Myron hasn't shown up yet. But you never know. That's the beauty of getting paid to make stuff up for a living.

So say we all, Mr. Coben.

Takeaway Truth

All of us who write for a living, and the smaller group of writers who can make a living by making stuff up, will attest to the fact that this can be the best job in the whole world.