All week I've been looking forward to today, with this notion in my head of, "I have nothing to do but ..." well, as it turns out, lots of things. In this day and age of the hurry-up-get-it-done-yesterday, be-on-the-go-24/7, brainwashed mindset, I don't think I will live another day that I truly have nothing I have to do.*
My sometimes misguided, always optimistic brain finished the original thought above with "... work on the book." Reality finishes the thought with "... work on the book, clean up the kitchen, fold and put away the laundry, vacuum the living room, scoop the litter-boxes, and sort the mail, all before 2:00 p.m., because we have a wedding to attend this afternoon and a symphony concert this evening."
I do have a tendency to go at things in fits and spurts. For instance, I'm unloading the dishwasher between sentences as I write this post. There's an art to multitasking, although when both tasks require the utilization of one's hands, it becomes an exercise in tearing oneself away from the laptop and propelling said self to the dishwasher, and thinking about what pearls of wisdom one can share when next one sits.
Sheesh. Shakespeare much?
Kind words.
With the launch of No Evil Lost I did promise to share some of the nice things people are saying about the book. These quotes are on my website as well, along with additional information about me and my writing, so please feel free to peruse.
"Brooks' writing is as rich and eloquent as her plot is twisted. NO EVIL LOST is one heck of a debut. I couldn't put it down. Watch out, world. Jennifer Brooks is a wonderful new voice in romantic suspense." - J.T. Ellison, internationally bestselling author of EDGE OF BLACKI'm all aflutter.
"Jennifer Brooks' NO EVIL LOST is doubly dangerous: a shocking mystery cloaked in breathless, engaging prose. And just when you think you can't take another moment of the high-stakes tension, it becomes tender and sexy in all the right places. An unforgettable debut." - Laura Benedict, author of ISABELLA MOON and DEVIL'S OVEN
On the bookshelf.
I've fallen into the more than one book at a time trap again. I really need to stop doing that. I start reading a really good book, and then someone gives me another really good book and I start reading that, and I'm still reading the two really good books I started a couple of months ago ... currently on my nightstand sit the Coach Wooden book my mother gave to the WGH for his birthday last year that I snatched away from him; Sophie Littlefield's A Bad Day for Sorry; Elizabeth George's latest Inspector Lynley (Careless in Red), on loan from a friend; and J.T.'s current release, The Final Cut (co-written with Catherine Coulter). Sigh. So many books, so little time.
Wait, you mean I have to talk about myself?
I've had the great honor and privilege to be invited to participate, for the second time, on a panel at the fabulous Murder in the Magic City mystery fan conference in Birmingham, Alabama in February. What an exciting opportunity! I was hesitant to accept the invitation at first, honestly thinking I wouldn't qualify for a panel considering all of these events I've been to in the past have featured printed books. I learned from the conference coordinator that I will be one of two authors there who have released books in ebook format only. Yay! I've always thought I would have a hard time with self-promotion, talking about myself and my books. I found out when I did this back in 2005 (under my former pen-name) that it wasn't so bad. Readers are an incredible bunch of people. They want to know what makes us writers tick. They want to know how we do what we do, why we do what we do, and when we'll be doing more of it. (I've had no fewer than six people ask me in the last two weeks when the next book will be out.) The whole thing just pricks my heart. *wipes tear*
Out and about.
So this weekend is the 25th Annual Southern Festival of Books and dang if I don't have to miss it this year. (See comments above regarding wedding and concert.) I hope some of you are able to attend - it's a terrific venue for everything to do with the written word. Buy a book (or ten). Meet authors. Talk to like-minded individuals who love books as much as you do. Just go. For me.
Now that the kitchen is presentable, the first load of laundry is sloshing around in the washer, and this blog post is coming to a close, it's time to settle down to the only thing I really have to do today ... er, well, you know what I mean.
Read a book. It's good for you.
*I must interject at this point that when the WGH and I disappear for a week's vacation to celebrate our 25th anniversary in January, I do plan to "do nothing but ..." (read, watch movies, read, shoot billiards, relax, read, insert any leisurely activity you can think of here). So maybe I will live another day without something I have to do, after all.
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