Final Read Thru

Going to spend the next five days reading "Shadows Over Summer House."

I'm trying not to see this as a chore, but as a pleasure. Just read, not really change anything unless it leaps out at me, try not to rush it, just try to get absorbed.

This is very hard for me. I've always had difficulty reading my own books.

When I used to pick up Star Axe or Snowcastles or Icetowers and read a page at random, all I could see were the things I did wrong.

I will say this--if I read a random page of "Snaked" or "Tuskers" or "Led to the Slaughter" or almost any of my modern books, I don't have that reaction. In fact, I often think, "Wow...I wrote that. That's pretty good. I don't remember writing that!"

But I don't believe I've ever sat down and read one of my books beginning to end after I was finished with the writing process.

Linda is reading the Tuskers series right now. Just started reading it, which is amazingly affirming.

This latest book came out the way it came out. I'm not going to argue with it. I'm going more and more with what comes natural and not second guessing it. Sometimes being intellectual about a story works, but just as often it doesn't.

I trust that it works.