If I had a magic reading wand

How’s that for a subject line. I love to read. I don’t have as much time for reading as much as I’d like, but it made me think. If I had a magic reading wand what reading problem would I solve.

The obvious one is having more time to read, but that’s too simple in my book. What do I really want my magic wand to do?

I want books that excite me, that make me want to read. I want to wave that wand and it curates all the subjects I like to read about and gives me the best ones to read.

What about you? What do you want your magic reading want to do?

What is Unique about my books

That’s a question I get sometimes and it’s taken me a while to figure it out. I do write contemporary erotic romance, usually with BDSM in them. I like spicy books and my writing reflects that. I also have varying forms of BDSM in them.

Now one thing is my books are all about consent, that is a must for me. The unique aspect of my books, to me, is found family. I have some semblance of found family in my books. It could be the found family in a BDSM club, found family in a business, found family of friends, or even just that one best friend that becomes your family.

Family is more than blood.

Do you like books with found family in them?

Behind the Scenes

I have a home office where I write. It’s a nice room, I have a bed for my dogs in it. They curl up and sleep a lot of the time. If I’m on a zoom meeting they want to be seen on camera and beg for me to pick them up.

What most people don’t see is when I’m completely involved in a book, and that means writing or editing everything else gets ignored (not the dogs.) I let mail pile up and have to remember to pay bills. I toss stuff on my desk to look at later, and if I get a delivery that box stays in the entryway until I finish the book. Unless it’s something I need right away.

At the end of 2023 I took some time and cleaned my office. Six and half hours to clean off my desk, a side desk, the top of my file cabinet, and the file cabinet itself. I had stuff in my file cabinet from 2019. I still have no idea why. I don’t need it. So now I have it on my schedule at the end of each year to clean out the file cabinet and get rid of anything I don’t need.

How often do you clean out an office or a desk or a file cabinet or someplace where you toss stuff?

US Tax Day

Well, today is the day almost every US citizen hates. Tax day.

It also happens to be my birthday. We have a joke in my family that my dad ran down the hospital hallway after I was born yelling: “I have another deduction.”

We have to file our income taxes by midnight tonight. Yes, you can apply for an extension, but that date will still come soon enough.

It takes me about four hours to do my taxes every year, mainly because I have my writing business along with my personal taxes. It’s always a chore, but I work hard at making sure my taxes and done and filed by the end of March.

How about you? When do you file your taxes?

Things out of my control

Being an author there are just some things out of your control. The big one for me is getting readers to buy my books.

I’m not good as selling my books or myself as an author. I’m a pretty quiet person. While I have been learning at reader events to be more outgoing and chatting, it’s still difficult for me. I see other authors who are so good at getting readers to their tables and buying their books or they’re so good at social media.

This is out of my control in some ways. Yes, I’m learning to be more chatting at events, and even on social media, but I can’t make anyone buy my books. Maybe my books aren’t for you, or you don’t like the subject matter. And that’s perfectly fine. I know my books are not for everyone

Books are one of those subjective things, and I’ve learned to accept it’s out of my control.