Time off means time to read

My latest work-in-progress is off to my first editor, so I'm enjoying a brief respite from writing. I'm not one of those writers who believes you absolutely must write every day. Breaks are important, too.

Time off means I can catch up on my ever-growing reading list. I read fiction all the time, but much slower while I'm writing and editing. Given some idle time, I can get lost in reading and zip through books.

Currently, I'm reading MR. MERCEDES by Stephen King, which won the Best Novel Edgar this year. Before that, I polished off Lou Berney's THE LONG AND FARAWAY GONE. Up next is DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY by Tom Bouman, which won the Best First Novel Edgar, then TRUTH BE TOLD by Hank Phillipi Ryan, which won a whole slew of awards. Also, the brand-new novel from Duane Swierczynski, CANARY.

As you can see from that list, I try to read the big award winners and the cutting-edge stuff in crime fiction. Keeping up with your genre is part of the work of being an author. Fortunately, crime fiction is my favorite, so keeping up is a pleasure.

All of those books, by the way, are from the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County library system, which has an excellent online system for putting "holds" on books. I read on my Kindle when I travel, but I still read paper books at home.

Aside from reading, I've also been working around the house and helping my wife with her vegetable garden. Watching the NBA playoffs. Listening to a lot of music. Napping. Recharging my batteries.

Soon, I'll be busy doing lots of publicity for DUKE CITY DESPERADO, my third novel written as Max Austin. The crime novel, about two chumps who try to rob a drive-thru bank, comes out June 9. Only $2.99 as an e-book original from Random House/Alibi.

And my editor will return my latest manuscript, all covered in red ink. And I'll get back to work.