Everyone needs to do it sometimes. I should have done it a little sooner this year, although I did it a little too much when I was in college. We all need to play hooky and today is my day to do it.

But, hooky isn’t the same when you are an adult. You have to be responsible about it and call in. In my case, you also have to prepare lesson plans. A small price to pay for sleeping in and being able walk Luke without fear of running late.  This morning’s walk was wonderful.  I pushed myself to go farther than I have in a while. It felt terrific. Absolutely terrific.

Everyone should do it, play hooky that is, although leisurely morning walks are also nice.  And you should do it before you really need to do it. Before your body makes you do it or your co-workers beg you to do it.

I won’t be sitting around all day playing on the internet or watching movies.  Don’t get me wrong, there will be some time wasted today.  It is a necessity of playing hooky.  Mostly, I will be going down my to-do list taking time to do everything right and not rushing which really stresses me out.  Stressing myself out has been the key to me falling behind in almost every area of my life. Except for loving on Luke, the cats and my characters.

Two new stories have been banging around  in my head and it turns out that they are the same story.  Now, I just have to loop them together or just wait for them to do themselves. I am pretty sure I am going for the latter. One because they seem to be looping back into one of my novel projects (This Dragon Friday) and because it is just easier to let them go where they want and not force them.   Not sure when they will be ready for a preview by readers, but they are progressing.

Reading Time

This is also a day for me to get back to reading just for fun.

Victoria Laurie writes some of my favorite brain candy.  For the last couple of nights, I have curled up with this book.  I love how the protagonist, Abby, can’t seem to keep herself out of trouble even while nursing a broke pelvis.  In short, she is my kind of girl.  I am looking forward to spending some real quality time with her, today. This is the tenth book in the series. The eleventh is already out which will make it easier on me after I plow through it. And I will.  Laurie, like Laurel K. Hamilton, makes books that I love and that suck me in.

The action is swift and writing is witty.  It really is a series to check out.  You can find her books online at Amazon or at your local bookstore.  I picked mine up at the grocery store.

The next item on the reading list is Amulet: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibusihi.   A graphic novel series that my students turned me on to a couple of years ago.  I ended up buying the first four books in rapid succession more for myself than them.  Come to think of it both these series I started reading because of my students.   Thanks, kids.

The Amulet series revolves around a young girl named Emily who moves with her family into the abandoned house of her great-grandfather following the death of her father in a car accident.  The house is rumored to be haunted, but financial pressures make it the only option for the family.  As they clean the house, they find a mysterious door which unbeknownst to them is the entrance to an alternative Earth.  It may have remained closed but as the family was sleeping creatures entered the house and kidnap Karen, Emily’s mother.   The kids do what any kid would do and set off to rescue their mother.   Classic archetypes mix well with the art to draw you in the story and the world.

Once there the family fights to be reunited in a world where magic and airships. I hated putting down the first four and can’t wait to dive into this one as well.  It is a good thing for me that the next book is already out and pay day is around the corner.

Amulet is also available at Amazon or your local comic book store.  I picked mine up at Coliseum of Comics at my local mall. I really prefer to read graphic novels versus comics, not because I am a snob but because they are easily for me to keep up with. This past Free Comic Book day may change that as I am really digging the New 52 – Futures End that I picked up.  I really want to know where the story began and where it is going.

Hope you all have a great day and don’t forget to play hooky at least once a year.

Love,

Lu

A happy writer after Free Comic Book Day as predicted, she is addicted.