Books, blogs, relaxation

It's so hard to keep on top of things sometimes - (oo, if you rearrange that sentence, it could be from one of my stories...)
I'm currently promoting A Clockwork Butterfly - my futuristic erotic romance - I'm doing a tour where you can win a copy so check out my blog to see the dates if you fancy doing that ;)
And the paperback will be coming out in November - so I still have to check over the files - just when I found a spare second to do that - another story came back with an urgent deadline...
I do love flying by the seat of my pants - thank goodness!

But I'm just wondering - how to people fit everything in? I'm sure my workload must appear minimal to many of my fellow writers but I am swamped! Oh dear, that reminds me, 2 story deadlines next week...

So with all this in mind - I've been thinking about holidays - how many of you truly relax on vacation? Does it take a while before you finally unwind enough to feel that you are 'away form it all'? - Like the day before you're due to come home again!
How about we all just stop for a month in the summer? 
What do you do to relax? (apart from snuggling up with a good Beachwalk Book ;D )

See you soon -

T x x

Scruffy books!

Argh - it's Tuesday! I almost forgot which day it was. Just in the nick of time - here's my thoughts for the week.

I was going to call this post 'dirty books' but that might have given the wrong impression...

I am a book batterer - that sounds just awful, but what I mean is, I love my books to look like they belong to me - or someone. I love them to look loved and worn and beat up. When I buy a new book, I try to be vigilant and use a pretty bookmark, but within the first sitting, it gets lost and I fold down a corner. I even write or draw on books sometimes.

Does that make you cringe? Do you like your books to be pristine?

I had a good think about where this comes from - I have friends who treat books as if they are sacred and to be kept in perfect condition. I don't borrow books from these people, you'll be glad to know! Then, I remembered at Sunday school when I was small, the teacher had a battered old bible with every margin and tiny space crammed in her handwriting. It was thick with her own thoughts, ideas and inspirations that she'd felt when reading the text. I remember running my fingers over the bumpy pen marks and feeling exhilarated that she'd owned this book so well.

I loved her bible.

And I love my books. Just because they are scruffy - they are definitely NOT neglected. They are much loved.

Believe it or not, I still read ebooks on my computer, I don't own an e-reader yet - maybe when they have a 'fold down corner' option and the casing takes biro!

I find it fascinating - how do you treat yours?

See you next week - if I don't get lost in time and space again...

T x x x