Happy Summer to you all! Now, just because the days are brighter and warmer, there is no reason to give up reading. Pack away your winter coats, not your books! Like to go to the beach? Then by all means, bring your book and read in the sun. Read by the poolside. Read, read, read!

Now if I can only replace the word “read” with “write” and follow my own advice. Truth be told, the summer is getting in the way of my writing projects. Not that it’s being replaced with torturous activities. Quite the contrary! Warmer weather has ignited in me an inclination toward physical, outdoor activity. Bike riding, tennis, jogging. It’s time to exercise and lose some of this fat. At the same time, much maintenance is required to keep up the ol’ backyard. Lawn mowing, hedge trimming, fountain-filling (just go with this last one, okay? Thanks!). All of this activity has rewards in both “the doing” and “the done.” Then there are the social and recreational events. I have family visiting from Europe. In a few days, we are going on a two week vacation. We’re gonna have us some fun!

So please forgive me if you don’t hear from me very much in the next several weeks. However, in addition to all these summer activities, I do have several author-like projects on the back-burners. The Fourth of July might be right around the corner, but it’s never too early to be thinking about Halloween! I’ve been thinkin’ up some nifty promotional ideas for my books Voices and The House Sitter I wanna’ crank these out at the end of summer, in preparation for the October frights! But as of right now, I’m still in the figurative drawing room, planning them out when I find the time. Also, I’ve been editing/rewriting a novel I had “completed” several years ago. As it turns out, it needed a lot of rework. Section by section, paragraph by paragraph, I am doing the necessary rewrites. It’s a daunting task but someone has to do it!  I still haven’t decided on a title, but for now I am calling it “The House of Haunted Light.”

And this brings this article to full circle. No matter how busy I am, no matter how much of my writing time is compromised, I ALWAYS find amble time for reading. Right now I am reading two books: a classic novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne (House of the Seven Gables) and an indie novel by horror author Michael Bray (Whisper: Whisper Trilogy Book 1). I read everywhere: inside our den, outside on the patio. On the train or at a performance (between breaks). If I can read while simultaneously enjoying the summer, so can you! And if you need help deciding what to read, I think I can recommend a book or two for ya!