Contact

Sunday, February 21, 2010

A serious reading glut

Two weeks back I came down with a nasty cold, that settled in my chest and pretty much wiped me out for a couple of days. Since I'd given up television back last fall, and didn't have the energy to write, I picked up a book that had been sitting on my TBR shelf and started reading it between bouts of sleeping. It was Susan Elizabeth Phillips Natural Born Charmer and it was absolutely, freakingly fantastic. In fact, it was so good it started me on a reading glut like I haven't been on in years.

Now that, is the power of a good book.

I haven't read much during the past few years. I got out of the habit I suppose, actually forgot how much I used to love reading. Somehow, when I started writing the focus shifted, and reading took a back seat--and eventually it dried up completely.

But all it takes is one good book to make you want to read another. In this case, immediately after reading Natural Born Charmer, I read Match Me If You Can. Another fantastic book, but then I don't think I've ever read a book of SEP's that I haven't loved.

After finishing these two books I went down to Hastings and dropped close to thirty bucks on books. . . keep in mind that I haven't spent that much money on books in close to five years. Among the books that I picked up was Midnight Kiss...the first in Lara Aidan's Midnight Breed series featuring hot vampires.

Well, you know I've never been a big Vamp fan. The only reason I picked this book up was because a friend had mentioned it and I was curious. But by now I was seriously glutting on everything, and after reading the first book in the series I picked up the next three and from there I had the startling revelation that yeah-- I did kinda love vamps. It's all that alpha warrior--male on male bonding. lol It's an instant hook, you know? And if you are looking for Alpha Vampire warriors with lots of male on male bonding--well I knew from the buzz on the internet that there was another series out there that was consider a class act. So there went another trip to Hastings where I picked up JR Ward's Dark Lover. The first book in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

All I can say is OMG!!! I started that book last night about nine pm and finished it around 4:30 this morning. About 4:35 am this morning I went online and order every single last book in that series. Yes, I am that hooked.

All in all, during the past two weeks-- I've read twelve books. That's more books than I've read in three years. And I've come to another startling revelation. Reading, serious ramps up my creativity. Since I started this reading glut, I've had more ideas for books than I've had in years. I've started day dreaming books in the car, while falling asleep, while out on my walk. This is startling, since I haven't day dreamed in years. I’ve also started craving music, which is another strange side-effect, but there you have it.

The downside is that with all the reading, I haven't gotten the writing in. Not like I should anyway. I did finish one chapter last week, but it’s not a chapter from the book I should be working on—which is the one I'm revising. It's a totally new book, one that smacked me upside the head like a twenty-pound brick last week.

The problem is that I start reading just before bed, and end up staying up until 2: 00 to 3:00 am in the morning. Which means no 4:00 am writing, which is when I’ve been getting the majority of my words in. And then by nighttime I am so tired from the four or so hours of sleep the night before that I don't even try to write. I go to bed early instead..and tell myself I'll read for a hour and then turn out the light. Only that hour turns into three and before I know it its 3:00 am in the morning again. I'm guessing I've been averaging about 4-5 hours of sleep a night for the last two weeks.

Since I apparently have no self control, I can’t allow myself to read on week days anymore. Only weekends. And only after the writing is in. If next weekend follows this weekend’s path, I will be turning into a vampire Friday night and reading all night than napping through the day. But boy is it worth it. Even strung out on lack of sleep, my creativity has never been so strong..and the words flow thick and furious when I sit down at the computer.

And it’s all thanks to Susan Elizabeth Phillips and her Natural Born Charmer.

6 comments:

  1. regarding J.R. Ward... my friends and I call her books literary crack. They are so amazing and addicting!

    Oh, and if Zane spouted from your reading spree, you definitely need to do it more! He's sensational!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Literary crack is an excellent description. I can't believe I haven't read her before. On the otherhand I've got hours and hours of enjoyment ahead of me. *G*

    And I'm not sure where Zane came from. He just kind of sprung fully formed onto the page. I'm sure this reading glut inspired him, lord knows I haven't had the interest in writing that kind of a hero in years. But he's not really like the heroes in the books I've been reading. I mean he is to the extent that he is extremely alpha and very territorial, but he's not trying to avoid the relationship with the heroine-- instead he goes afer her like a guided missle. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love, love, love SEP's writing. She's the best. And I love it when I get into the reading gluts. It's been awhile since that happened to me. I'll have to read J.R. Ward's book.

    I think your hero going after the heroine like a guided missile is great! I hope so. In my current book, my hero knows before the heroine that he loves her. She's the one with the emotional hang-ups.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Edie, Ilove, love, love SEP too. She hands down one of my top three favorite authors. I've never been disappointed in anything she's read. I still haven't read her last two books. I've got them on order, just waiting for them to arrive.

    It's nice to switch things up sometimes, isn't it. Have the hero the one fighting for the relationship and the heroine trying to pull away.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How funny - I've been re-reading some of my SEP books, too! And Jennifer Crusie. I rarely re-read books, but I'd read so many duds that I had to read something I KNEW I would love.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Caryn,
    So sorry I'm responding weeks late, I'm afraid I actually forgot I had this blog.

    But I hear you on the rereading, there are a couple of authors I comfort reread. SEP is one, another is Julie Garwood and Linda Howard. I think JR Ward will be joining this list as well.

    ReplyDelete