Guest Blogger Nalini Singh

Nalini Singh has traveled as far afield as the deserts of China and the temples of Japan. However, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her the most. Currently writing the next book in her bestselling Psy/Changeling series—about a psychic race with no emotions, and the sensual changelings who challenge their perfect Silence—she can be found via her website: www.nalinisingh.com/ or hanging out at her blog: www.nalinisingh.blogspot.com.

Her newest release is CARESSED BY ICE, which comes out today!



Y'all give a big playground welcome to Nalini Singh!

Loving to Read

I love to read. I truly, deeply love to read. In the movie Sabrina, the heroine says that her father became a chauffeur so he’d have more time to read. That’s one of my favorite lines in the movie—because I understand that kind of love for the written word. As a child living on a tiny dot of an island in the Pacific, one of the highlights of my week was the book bus. I used to eye the adult side of that bus covetously—I really wanted to read those books with no pictures in them!

These days, I have lots and lots and lots of books. There are books on the shelves, stacked on the floor, propped on my desk, tucked in my bag...so many books everywhere. I love the feeling of just looking around, figuring out what I’m in the mood for and diving in. I always feel like a child let loose in a candy store.

My reading choices fluctuate with my mood, but this year, for the first time, I’ve started keeping a record of what I’m reading, and that’s turned into fascinating reading on its own. For example, there’s a section of the list that’s all rereads, one after the other. I went through a patch where only the tried and true worked. That pattern broke after I read a new-to-me author.

I’ve also noticed that I’m reading a whole bunch of debut authors. Some of this is because people I know have had their first books come out, but a lot of it is curiosity. As a reader, I want to try things, want to make up my own mind—especially about books that get a lot of buzz (negative or positive).

I think, as writers, reading is built into our genes. It’s the rare writer who doesn’t also read thousands of books over their lifetime. Personally, I think reading is necessary. Not just in terms of ‘work’, to keep up with what’s happening in your genre, but because it serves to pamper the creative side of the brain. Think of it as a treat for the mind.

Which recent books proved to be delicious treats for you? Are there any that you’re anticipating with bated breath? And just because I’m the curious type, how many books do you think you read over the course of a year?

Everyone who comments goes into a draw to win a signed copy of either Slave to Sensation or Visions of Heat, the first books in my Psy/Changeling series. (If you’d prefer one of my Sil Desire books, let me know.) And talking about prizes, I have this competition running on my blog where you can go into the draw to win a $50 Amazon voucher. It closes Sunday, so enter before it’s too late.


P.S. from PC: Sometime on Monday, the Writing Playground blog passed the 60k mark for blog visitors! SQUEEEE!!!