About two weeks into December I made a decision. Or maybe I should say a commitment. I talked briefly about it on my podcast, Wildflowers Podcast: Books, Booze and Banter, with my fellow podcasters. I cannot say it was a New Year’s resolution because I began with that commitment in late 2025. For a novelist, it sounds foolish, but I decided that instead of working on the two works-in-progress I started last year, that I would keep them in limbo and instead spend that time reading other author’s books. (After reading Julia Park Tracey’s Whoa, Nelly and Silence: A Novel, I realized how much I enjoyed reading, especially when the writing is as delightful as Julia’s is, which made my decision easier.)
As I’d mentioned in the podcast, I have always felt a sense of guilt when I was reading, thinking I should be writing instead, even though I review books for my monthly About Books column for Rockville Centre Living Magazine. However, since I do have a novel coming out in September 2026 and will be busy promoting and touring for it and have two other complete albeit unpublished novels, I now give myself permission to dig into those hundreds of books I have on my shelves and nightstands. That may sound like an exaggeration, but having been in the publishing industry for over thirty years and collecting books I’d planned to read, but never got to, I hope this is the year that will change all that. Presently, I am reading Margaret Atwood: Book of Lives. A Memoir of Sorts.
I’m about a third of the way through this weighty treat, but without my commitment, I am sure I wouldn’t be so far along.
Okay, so before anyone gets the idea that reading will be taking up much of my time, in addition to promoting and touring, I do have my own business as a publishing consultant with numerous clients, am the content coordinator and writer for Rockville Centre Living Magazine, am a co-podcaster for the aforementioned Wildflowers Podcast: Books, Booze and Banter, a member of the Women’s National Book Association, and do a lot of dog sitting in my home. Oh, and of course, there’s Substack. So, it will be a matter of squeezing in reading instead of working on a novel. My only concern is will any of the characters in those works-in-progress begin to nudge me? It’s happened before in my past works. There was Laura in Of Little Faith who needed to express her opinions after her voice had been stifled by a strict mother’s religion. And then Vicky, who yearned to know why her mother walked out on her family when Vicky was just a small child in Without Grace. Of course, that mother shows up years later in Before She was A Finley, after nudging me with the simple comment, “They don’t know why I really left.” Therefore, my hope is that I can stay true to my commitment and keep those voices at bay, at least for this year and enjoy the pleasure of reading.
I’m with you on more reading. And thank you for the kind words. I read so much for work that it’s hard to find a pleasure reading outside of work. I read at least 200 book manuscripts in 2025, which left me time for maybe two novels outside of work. This year I’m determined to read at least one book per month. 12 for the year. Which is laughable in some ways but here we go. Good luck to you.