To read or not to read may seem like a strange question for an author. Of course I should read! I’ve loved reading my whole life.

But if you’re an avid reader turned writer, you know there are lots of things that get in the way of your first love. Like the need to write, and once you get published, the need to market. As a busy parent who was squeezing writing into nooks and crannies of time, I was reading much less than I did as a kid. When I started graduate school at Vermont College of Fine Arts, one of the requirements each month was to read 10-15 books each month. Best. Homework. Ever. Something about making it a requirement added the gravitas I needed to bring myself back to the page with no pen or keyboard attached.

After publishing two books, I’m about two months from the release date of my third, The Minor Rescue, coming out May 6, 2025.

I’m in the throes of marketing, a busy season, but I’m determined to make it fun, and to not give up reading. I made marketing a game, melting wax for seals on invites that went to hundreds of potential Gravitas agents. I call it Operation Mobilize, a coordinated effort to get The Minor Rescue into the hands of kids with the help of friends who want to play my game, and help the cause. (It’s not too late if you want to join! Sign up here.)

Marketing also means securing blurbs. I can be a big, stressful ask. I reached out to Anne Bustard, Carolyn Leiloglou, Mari Mancusi, Susan Fletcher and Varsha Bajaj, accomplished writers I admire, and they all said yes! Phew. And wow!

How can I pay them back? And how can I keep reading in such a busy season? The two questions may seem unrelated, but I realized they aren’t. Each day I’ll dedicate time to reading their work. As in block off an hour or two on the calendar. And then I’ll share what I love about it. I’ll fight stress by sitting down with good books, doing nothing more than something I love. Reading. And talking about what I’m reading. I’ll be doing that over on my substack where I also post monthly themed picture book reviews. If it’s for kids, and I love it, you’ll hear about it there. You can read about Anne Bustard’s book Far Out! here and subscribe to see the review for each of my blurbing authors.

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