Reading Matters

For some women (and men), their passion is shoes, for some men (and women) their passion is cars. My passion is for books - the more the merrier! Never for me the problem of coming home and having to hide footwear in the back of the wardrobe, oh no, just discreetly add another volume to the teetering pile and, as long as I've recycled the bag, no-one is any the wiser.

My not-so-secret love of books leads naturally enough to thoughts of reading; hiding under the duvet with the torch so as not to wake my long suffering husband, snatching a few minutes before going to work, whilst cooking the dinner, washing up, ironing...you get the idea. I read a lot, but what about what I read? Have my tastes changed over the years?

At university my reading matter was largely dictated by the syllabus and for a good while after I stayed true to form, but not so now. These day I push my horizon a little wider, dipping in and out of a variety of genres and being prepared to have a look at something different or challenging.

Being adventurous in your reading habits does, I think, make you a more accomplished writer. It opens your eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. Last week, for example, I wrote and submitted a piece of sci-fi flash fiction to Shortbread  - it was something I wouldn't have dreamt of writing a few months ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

One genre I still haven't cracked however, is crime and for that I have found the perfect indie author to help break my duck. Keri Beevis has been extremely supportive in helping me along the indie publishing road and her novel, Dead Letter Day, (published by Rethink Press), looks like the perfect book to ease myself into a whole new reading experience. I'll let you know how I find it!

H-J