My Name is Amy and I'm Addicted to Books...

It's said that the first step is admitting you have a problem. 

The problem is, I don't see addiction to books as a problem.

A couple weeks ago, in the midst of text block revisions and trying to work on the rough draft of the third book in the Black Horse Campground series, I suddenly realized that I had a lot of books that I hadn't read yet, not including about three that I promised to read and review.  I finished the corrections and sent them off and knew it would be a few days before I got them back to review... it was the perfect excuse to drop the pen (so to speak) and fling myself down on the couch and lose myself in stories that were written by someone else. I got the next round of text block back just as I was finishing "The Pawnbroker" by David and Aimee Thurlo and told myself that it was time to quit fooling around and get to work.

Then I received a package from amazon.com... three books I had pre-ordered and forgotten about.  And Mary Higgins Clark's new novel was released. My favorite author.

I promised myself I'd only read one chapter, AFTER I finished the text block corrections.  Or most of them.  Half of them.  Okay, I'd do them ALL after I read just one chapter. Or ten.

Deadlines are marvelous ways to get a writer's head out of someone else's book and back into their own.

Still, I have a lot of books I can't wait to read.  They sit on my desk, like the little next-door-neighbor kid who hangs around on the front porch while you're inside having dinner with your family.  Just waiting.

As I said last week, reading is a writer's first writing teacher.  I'd like to claim that the books I'm reading are all simply to improve my own writing, but the truth is, I read because I love to read.  I could live without TV or movies, music (maybe... my "70s Lite Rock" station on Pandora is my writing soundtrack), but going for a day without reading leaves me feeling like I haven't eaten and my refrigerator is empty. I know I'm not starving, but it sure feels like it.

And then I receive an e-mail from a dormant credit card account stating that I had $138.00 worth of points I could use at amazon.com.  Suddenly the 'fridge and the pantry are bursting at the seams and eight more books sit on my desk (plus six more on my Kindle... don't judge!) and I prepare to indulge in several hours of literary delight... after I make my word counts for the day.  Or half of them.  Hey, I can handle it.  I can quit anytime I want to....

 

So many books... so little time....