Today I get to welcome a wonderful writer to the blog. You’ll love her tips on how to treasure books moment-by-moment.
Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town populated with more cows than people. Taking the words and stories God has placed on her heart and putting them on paper is one of her passions in life. Casey is a member of ACFW and an assistant to the ACFW Carol Awards. You can connect with her through her personal blog,Writing for Christ and her writing related group blog, The Writer’s Alley.
1) Take that can’t-put-it-down-title to the office. I mean, you’re given so many ten minutes breaks in a day, right? And how many of us actually cash in those sweet moments? I say, ignore the patrons and the phone and your work and just pull out that book and sneak a few pages. I’m sure your boss will understand. After all, it will contribute to your overall mental health.
2) Buy take out. Who needs a home-cooked meal and table time talk anyway? When the heroine is dangling out the side of the building (thank you very much, Jordyn Redwood!) do you really expect dinner to hit the table at 6:30 sharp? I say pizza is a great idea.
3) Your kids (or siblings) need to learn responsibility don’t they? They need to learn how to fold the towels and put the dishes away just like you had to pay your dues. That hero won’t kiss the heroine on his own after all.
4) When you live in the city those stop lights can drag on forever. Can I get an amen? Keep your latest novel acquisition in your consul next the CDs and coffee cup. You can always rely on the other drivers to notify you when the light changes.
5) Conversation is waaaay overrated. Your husband/kids/family can take notes and pass them over the pages if they really want to reach you, but really, unless someone is dying, there isn’t need to interrupt novel progress.
6) I’m sure your blog followers and Facebook friends and Twitter tweeps will understand if your posts are slightly more silent. Then again, you could always give them the play by play of the book, because everyone loves a good spoiler alert!
7) Those books on your shelf won’t read themselves! This is the perfect, and doesn’t-prompt-an-argument, response to anyone who says that you read too much. Really, anyone who would dare make such a comment should be stricken from your friend list immediately.
8) The latest arrival of the next release from your favorite bestselling author is reason enough to put all 7 excuses above into play. After all, you never know when their next title might be your new fan-favorite.
9) You don’t want your TBR stack to fall over do you?? That would ruin the spines, not to mention bending some pages and that is tantamount to book murder!
10) When someone asks what your book budget is and how can you afford that on your salary, just remind them that they could have your awesome life of being a professional book discover-er. Because you never know when you’ll be invited to share your favorite titles and you’ll want as thorough a list as possible to present.
What book did you finish this year that you’d add to your MUST RECOMMEND list? I’d love to swap favorites. You never know, I (or you) might find your new can’t-live-without-it novel. =)
Shelli Littleton says
Love this, Casey. Yeah … when you want to read a really good book … everyone, move over. :) Life will not cease to exist if we get our book read … fix a pb&j!! :)