Just Another Manic Monday

Pamela Tracy here, and what you see above is really a chalk drawing on the cement. An amazing artist in England, Julian Beever, create it. I like this one because of the suspense. How did he get up there? Who (or what) chased him? What happens when he falls? Will he be a victim and I'll have to come up with the killer and then someone who is in danger (maybe the man on the poles wife or girlfriend or maybe an innocent witness)? If he makes it down alive, will he be wounded? Chased?

This is why I love writing suspense: all the possibilities.

So, what do you think? Will he make it to the bottom of the pole?

Pamela Tracy's current release (this month!) is not a suspense, really, but there is a mystery... who took the money? Why was Joel framed? When he figures out the answer, will it cost him the woman he loves?

Buy the book and find out!

Let's Talk Books

My name is Pamela Tracy and I am a Bookaholic. Yes, I am one of the 75% of Americans who read a book last year. Twenty-five percent of Americans didn't. Me? I cannot imagine not hearing the call of hundreds of unread books calling to my from my overflowing stacks...

"Pam, come read me! It's my turn. I promise I'm a page-turner. Remember how excited you were when you found me on the shelf. Please come pick me. I'm gathering dust here!"

I am a statistic as far as being a part of the "I read" portion of the statistic, but then my habits go off the charts, and I'm pretty comfortable that if you're reading this blog, you're off the charts, too.

The average American reads 3 - 6 books a year.

The average adult reads about 300 words a minute, that's 5 words a second. So, reading a typical Harlequin books, say my August release, at 214 pages, takes three and 1/2 hours. If I were to only read 6 such books a year, I'd have spent roughly 21 hours reading.

Six books, in one year, equals 21 hours of reading.

The average American watched television 35 hours a week.

In February, I started keeping track of what I read. I wish I'd done this years ago before I had my son, so I could compare my reading to when I had reading time against having to carve out reading time.

Here's what I know. I don't read six books a year; I read six books a month. Most of them are longer than the Harlequins.

What about you? How many books a year, month, week, do you read?

Pamela Tracy's next Harlequin is an August release.