I have been asked what I read while I am writing…if, because I am writing a mystery series, do I read other mystery writers? The answer is yes and no. I love a range of mystery/thriller writers (Louise Penny and Elizabeth George are two of my favorites) and really love nothing better than hunkering down with one of them. But not while I am writing a mystery! While I am writing a mystery, I prefer to read either non-fiction or books not in my genre. Right now I am reading a biography on Meryl Streep and just finished an introduction to basic physics. While both of them keep my mind engaged—and help to fill me up with words, words, words!—they do not distract from the plot construction, scene description, or character development of my current writing project. But I do like to keep expanding my vocabulary so reading in a variety of genres helps. However, it fascinates me when something I’ve read—like the basics of Einstein’s theory of relativity or the details of Meryl Streep’s journey to a magnificent acting career connect in some unpredictable way to the process of my protagonist solving a murder! Go figure…