Author Kicks

Do you ever get on those? You know what I'm talking about. You read a book by a certain author, especially one in a series, and then you can't get through that series fast enough. If you're lucky, it's a series that's already been completely released and you can buy up all the books at once and read through them without having to wait for the next one to come out.

I'm on one of those kicks now with Brenda Novak and her The Last Stand series. I. LOVE. THIS. SERIES. Everything about it is great. The characters - Kick-ass heroines and Holy-hotness to-die-for heroes. It's a romantic suspense series consisting of 6 books. I'm on book 4 right now.

There's something about Brenda's RS books that hook me from the get-go and I just need to keep reading. You know it's a great book when you don't go to bed that night because you stay up all night reading. That's how this series is. It hooked me from the beginning and now I'm whipping through the whole series.

Another series that I can't get enough of is J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Unfortunately with that one, I need to wait a year between each book. Not that I want her to stop writing them. Hell no, the books are fantastic. I just hate the wait.

So I can't be the only one who gets on these kicks. What are some of your favorite authors/series?

TBR Pile - How Big is too Big...

...or is there even such a thing as a too big TBR pile?

As a writer, I read. A LOT. I've always got a few books going at once and at least one craft book as well. My TBR (To Be Read) pile is ginormous! Even though I'm always reading, the pile doesn't get any smaller. I continuously get more books. Whether I buy them at the store, pick them up from chapter meetings, get them from conferences I attend, from author and non-author friends, the pile is always growing.

Currently, I have a room that just holds books. It's filled with bookshelves and they are loaded up two or three books deep on each shelf. And each one is filled to beyond capacity. I've got other bookcases throughout the house that are filled the same way. I've got piles on my desk and beside my bed and currently I've got huge stacks of books on the floor in my bedroom.

Books are my addiction. Some women shoe shop. I book shop. And much to my husband's chagrin, I love it.

It's a good thing my husband and I are almost empty-nesters. I'm going to need those extra rooms to store more books.

After I read a book, I will donate it...most of the time. Sometimes the book goes on my keeper shelf, which is actually shelves now. Some I just can't bear to give away. They're my favorites. Ones that I will go back and look at certain paragraphs and characters again and again. I don't reread books, but I do study the ones that are my favorites. It's all part of the learning process.

How about you? Do you have a TBR pile that is threatening to take over your house?

My Poor Neglected Blog

Those who know me are not surprised that when visiting my blog, the updates are far and few between. My biggest reasoning for this is that I really don't think I have anything interesting to say. I read plenty of blogs and the writer's are always so insightful, helpful and just plain ol' funny. I'm in awe at how they can update their blogs multiple times a week and I never get tired of reading them.

I was a bit embarrassed when a fellow writer mentioned she had visited my blog. Especially when I realized I hadn't updated it in almost a year.

So this is my putting it out there in the universe for everyone to know. I will no longer neglect my blog. I have no idea what I'm going to write about. I'll have to figure that out as I go along. But I will.

Until next time...