Stand-ing in Line

I have a TBR list that is yay long.

I had to put an unfinished Under The Rose to the side to get the third Del Rio Bay Clique book done.

Yeah, I'm one of those quirky writers that can't read in the genre I write when I'm in the middle of a project.

I'm behind on reading like you wouldn't believe.

And now, my TBR list will be even more behind. Because, yesterday, I received some mail.

Ordinarily, not a big deal.

I get mail everyday. Most of it sits on the corner of the kitchen island until I feel like going through it. When I go through it, more than half gets trashed while the other languishes until I feel like sorting bills.

Needless to say, to the hubster's dismay, there's always a messy pile of paper on the kitchen island.

Hey, he knew what he was getting when he married me. Domestivity ain't my thing.

Anyway, but in yesterday's mail came this very large package from Doubleday book club. Not just the regular Doubleday Book Club - but the Stephen King book club.

Yes, I'm such a King Geek that I signed up to get a book every six weeks. All books I've read, of course, but books I didn't have in my personal library already because I borrowed them from the public library.

All total, I think I'm to get about eight books. The rest I either had or didn't want (not a big fan of the Dark Tower series).

This month's King treat was The Stand. The uncut version.

Adding that it's the uncut version is important. Readers of King know that The Stand was already a hella long book. Well, the uncut version is hella, hella long!

This baby bears out at 1153 pages.

Yeah, you heard me right - one thousand, one hundred fifty-three pages!

Now, you've heard me complain about my book deadline. My lack of time to do much else beside work, write, promote and breathe. Oh and eat. I always find time to eat.

So if you're thinking - I know this chick is not going to take time to re-read this book.

Uhhh...yeah, I am.

I know, I know, how dare I re-read a book that has 400 additional pages than the original when I have a pile of very good books just waiting on me.

It could be my huge author crush on King.

It could be that The Stand, is just that good.

It could be I'm crazy.

Not doubting any of those things.

But mostly, it's that I'm near the point of burn out. Rising with the sun to write before getting Princess Bea ready for school and then myself off to work, can do that to a person.

Vacation is still two months away (I can't wait!) and May promises to be a month of non-stop promotion on the weekends.

I'm going to read The Stand, because reading adult fiction by my favorite authors relaxes me.

Yes, I'm so quirky that I can't even read new adult fiction when I'm in the middle of a deadline.

Look, it's a long story. But it has something to do with comfort zone. I want to turn my brain off over something that's vaguely familiar to me, even if it's only that I've been reading this particular author for years.

So I'm tackling The Stand, because it's the closest I'm going to get to taking time off while not giving up one single thing on my schedule. Because reading King doesn't make my mind wonder if things within (style or voice or writing devices) are things I should attempt to use to picque the interest of young readers.

Now, in all honesty, I may not finish The Stand.

Hell, I know I won't. Did I mention it's 1,153 pages long?

But for now, it's my mini-vacation from the world as I slug along polishing That's What's Up! for my eddy.

You know, only in P's world could reading a thousand page book be considered relaxation/vacation.