Resolution--Read

There's a quote going around the internet by the writer Stephen King which states in essence as a writer you should be reading two pages for every one you write. Or some such thing as I'm drawing it from memory and when I researched it, couldn't find it. (Quotes on the internet are elusive things that appear and disappear like wisps of smoke. You never truly know if they are real, but the essence sticks with you because you thought it was cool.) I'm sure someone will correct me.
The point being that most writers begin as readers. As children we consume books like candy. I, like many other book lovers, wanted to read every book in the library. I wanted to explore every story, to live lives imagined and real. When I first started writing, I was reading up to six books a week. I couldn't get enough and I think that is one of the things that pushed me into writing my own.
But lately I've found myself reading less and less. For a couple of reasons, the first being that when I have spare time, I want to spend it writing. The next being that after fifteen years in the business, I find myself more and more discriminant in what I read. I think, as I've said before, I know too much about the book business and emotions, rejections, unrealistic expectations cloud my reading experience. But I've found the less I read, the more my writing suffers. Funny, that, but reading is important to writing.
So, my resolution for this year is to rediscover reading with abandon. I have to read for my Master's program, but my goal is to read more than that. My goal is to read all the books on my shelf, to read as many debut novels as possible, to read in as many genre's as possible. In essence, my one resolution this year is to read in hopes of finding the lost joy, the lost wonder and bring it back into my life. I hope you'll join me. My ninth book, and second romantic suspense, DREAM MAN is out this week. You could start with that. :)
Here's to reading, may it bring joy to your life. Cheers!