I am thrilled that two of my novellas, “The Blueberry Swirl Waltz” and “A Song For Another Day” each came in first in their categories in the NEST (National Excellence In Story Telling) contest. “The Blueberry Swirl Waltz” won the short historical category (it takes place in 1951). “A Song For Another Day” won the short contemporary category. Both of these books are also finalists in the Colorado Romance Writers Beverley contest. Unfortunately, they are in the same category (novella) and are against each other with two other books. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that one of them wins, although I love them both for different reasons. (See some of my previous blogs to learn about the inspiration for these books).
Perhaps you’ll add one or both of these novellas to your summer reading list. I absolutely love summer, especially those days when I can go to the beach to read uninterrupted. Whether you’re a beach lover, pool dweller, lakeside relaxer, or couch recliner, if you’re like me you have a long TBR (to be read) list for your summer reading.
Which brings me to the question: Why is “summer reading” a thing? There’s no “autumn reading” or “spring reading” (although we do it). I just read an article that summer reading emerged in the US in the mid-1800s for several reasons: the developing middle class, innovations in book publishing, a growing population of readers (many of them women), and those in the middle class being able to take a summer vacation. Reading lists started appearing in newspapers and summer reading became a thing.
So there you have it. Happy reading!
