The leaves, they are a changin'

The signs that a new school year are about to start are ubiquitous. From the ‘back to school sale’ signs in every store (even the dollar stores!) to the emergence of big yellow busses, the coming of school is as inexorable as the coming of autumn. Life settles into a decidedly different pattern in September (or August for those of you who start earlier than we do in New York). And since both my husband and I are teachers (he teaches college, I teach high school), and we have two teenagers in a different high school than I teach in, we live and breathe by the school calendars of three different schools.

For me, the ten months that comprise the school calendar are ten months of Mommy-taxi, ten months of writing when the time allows, ten months of hitting the ground running in the morning and not stopping till I fall into bed at night. What’s funny is that I find myself more productive as a writer during the school year than during the summer. My son runs cross-country, so I take him to practice, then sit in the car and write. A full hour of uninterrupted time…no phone, no interruptions…just me and my laptop. My husband loves that I volunteer to run the kids hither and yon because that means quiet time for him at home. Works for everyone!

I also find more time to read during the school year than I do in the summer. In the summer, I’m too busy gardening, going on vacation, or playing on the computer (my big vice! I LOVE Second Life and can be found there waaaay too often!). But in the autumn, the garden is put to bed and thoughts of next year’s vacation are still a ways off. The computer, however, is still a constant weakness . But for some reason, as the leaves turn colors and fall, the books come off the TBR pile and into my hands. Just something about curling up on a beautiful fall day and immersing myself in a good romance or fantasy or science fiction, or non-fiction historical (what can I say? I have eclectic tastes!).

So what about you? What time of the year is your favorite time to pull those books off the pile? And if you’re a year-round reader…do you have any particular genre that go with any particular season?

And as always...play safe!
Diana