The previous two weeks have been literally spent with books. Immediately after my son leaves for school, I begin editing Spirit and continue throughout the day until he comes home. That’s an average of seven hours, Monday through Friday, reading my own words. The dinner hours become a whirlwind of homework, food prep/eating/cleanup, and a nervous scramble to complete tasks I’ve neglected during the day. It’s a time I look forward to because of its simplicity. After scrutinizing sentences, correcting grammar, re-writing dialogue, and internally berating my creative ability, I find it oddly comforting to fold laundry, sign permission slips, and jot a grocery list. Our family then settles in for the evening which often entails a show (iCarly and anything sports-related seem to be must-see-TV in the opinions of my husband and son), or we play a game. But it typically serves as time for my son to wind down from the day, my husband to escape in his hobby, and me to indulge in reading the work of someone other than myself.
And so it has come to be that I have spent these frigid Midwestern nights reading two books in addition to my own: one from a fellow indie author and the other from multiple authors. Now, it might appear that reading two books simultaneously (I constantly switched from one to the other) would be counter-intuitive, but in this case it made perfect sense. You see, I was reading a historical fiction set in AD 42 and present time while also reading The Bible. Yes, I said it. THE BIBLE. My decision to re-visit its tales, parables, and Psalms was purely based on research. I admit there were parts I skimmed, particularly the portions heavy in redundancy, but I scoured every book of the Old and New Testament, reading, studying, and bookmarking passages along the way.
Now, I realize a strange thing has occurred. The three books are all inter-related. The indie author wove a tale of mystery regarding the crucifixion. My book, Spirit, deals with belief systems and the foundations of personal faith. And The Bible? Well, it’s the ultimate resource for all that and so much more! In truth, I’ve come away from these weeks with a renewed sense of purpose. The pure pleasure of reading these texts reminded me that sometimes a story must simply be told, and told well. And that is precisely what I intend to do as I continue my work on Spirit.
LaPalm Books 