Unplugged

As of late, my brain has been quite frazzled. Between the stresses of real life and the numerous deadlines I keep giving myself, I've been getting a bit mentally bogged down. To try and detox, I've started taking a few days (usually the weekend) to just unplug from everything.

I keep off the laptop as much as possible, with only the occasional checking of Facebook and email. Depending on the mood, I might play some video games but not a lot lately. Instead, I've been on the couch reading. I've had a growing list of books I've been dying to read, and didn't have the time with so much going on. Not any more!

It's actually quite a relief to step out of my world and step into someone else's. I don't have to worry about finding the next twist or ironing out plot holes. Instead, I'm swept away in a different sort of adventure. Most of the time, it actually gives me better ideas. I step away from the book with a refreshed mind and the ability to see how my own story needs to work out.

My last reads were "The Bullet Catcher's Daughter" by Rod Duncan and "The Constantine Affliction" by T. Aaron Payton. I highly recommend both of them. In a way, they were the perfect reads for my current shot story. I often play with Esther's struggles as a woman investigating crimes, and this story is meant to highlight even more. In these two books, the women combat this struggle by dressing up as men. Now, this never occurred to me before for Esther. I still don't want her to, even though she will later take up the scandalous practice of wearing trousers. I can't say more without spoilers, but let's just say Esther finds the whole idea of wearing a disguise exhausting.

On the other hand, Scarlet thinks it is incredibly wonderful to take on disguises. In "Our Fathers" she follows Colby to a seedy club dressed as a man. I'm certain she will do it again, as well as many other disguises.

I think I might come back with a more detailed review on my excitement about those two books. But for now, the Must has been awoken and needs to get working!