Friday Reads 5.15.26
Let’s Keep The Drama In The Books, Shall We?
Welcome to another Friday! I hope your week has been wonderful.
I’ve been reading a galley of Ashley Audrain’s newest, THE THINGS YOU’LL NEVER KNOW, this week. I am madly in love. It’s the kind of superb high-concept story masquerading as a quiet family drama that is elevated by a conceit that isn’t entirely new, but is executed flawlessly.
Last week, I made the comment that I’ve forgotten how to write. This is a typical stage for me in every manuscript. Then I read a brilliant book by an author I admire, and I remember how to do it. That’s what this book by Audrain has done. She sparked something in me, and suddenly, I was able to figure out what story I was actually writing. I still have a long way to go, and my deadline is looming, though it’s fall, I know, is going to be here in a blink), but I like the path I’m on.
This is why reading is so incredibly vital to the creative process. If you want to be a writer, you have to read books. If you want to be an artist, you have to admire and study art. Pottery, archery, marathon running…I don’t care what your passion might be, if you want to excel at it, you need to do your homework. Subsume your passion. It’s the only path to genuine success.
I made another shift this week. There’s been a lot (a LOT) of medical drama in the family since the beginning of 2025. It’s been distracting, to say the least. I’ve made a decision to keep it out of these blogs, because it’s hitting broken record status, and with elderly parents, I doubt it’s going to change. But where to put it? Because these big and intense emotions have to go somewhere, and this is a record of my writing and creative life.
Enter morning pages. I’ve been cleaning my office in bits and pieces, readying the cabinets to become open shelves. I found my journal from my stint doing The Artist’s Way in 2011. I normally don’t revisit the past, because nothing can be done about it. But I opened it and started to read. I wasn’t in the greatest place creatively then, and wanted to deepen my work. So many of the issues I have now with the work were also evident back then. But I also read again and again how my focus was deepening, how the words were getting better, coming easier. I flicked forward, and sure enough, later in the notebook, I was writing again, with great abandon. I remember that time. I was deciding if I was going to continue writing at all. So glad I did.
I’m not in those straights now, but I do need some boosting, so I started morning pages the next day. And sure enough, only a week later, the words are coming again.
Moral of the story?
When you’re distracted and distraught, examining your feelings in a safe, private place works wonders. Mind dump, morning pages, blogging—whatever works, do it.
Back to Audrain’s book. (Look away, this isn’t a true spoiler because it’s in the cover copy, but I think going in blind is a lot of fun here)…
It’s a masterclass in structure. The story told by a wife and mother who dies in the second chapter, and she observes everything that happens next. The family finding her, the ambulance taking her body away. She has become a ghost in her life, and as the story unfolds, it is clear that she was already gone, even when she was alive.
Finding out why and how she died is the mystery driving the story; the rest—marriage, motherhood, friendship—is where Audrain excels. She unfolds the story carefully, slowly, purposefully, and while it is not a propulsive read, it’s a compulsive page-turner to find out what happened. It’s hard not to care about Fiona, even when she starts becoming…careless.
Definitely a winner.
I’m also reading a galley of THE PIRATE QUEEN by Ariel Lawhon, about which I will be waxing poetic closer to its release day. But feel free to preorder because you must read this one.
Liv Constantine has a new short story, THE REPLACEMENT, that’s a bonus to First Reads this month. I love a good short story, and Liv’s always a winner.
The May Newsletter will be out on Sunday, as I’m combining it with the fun news that Taylor Jackson #2, 14, is releasing on Tuesday! If you’re not on the list, do consider joining. There are always special surprises that don’t make it anywhere else.
OK, enough from me. How was your week? What wonderful books are you reading this weekend?
Glad you're on a better path with writing. I agree that reading is so important...no matter what you do for a living!
Aging parents are tough. I still have both of my parents and they live about 1 hour away, which is very helpful. I couldn't imagine navigating health issues for parents who dont live close by.
I finished OUR PERFECT STORM by Carley Fortune and it was wonderful. Once again, I want to check out Canada...where all of her books take place.
I'm almost done with REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt. I know I'm super late to the game on this one, but what a fantastic book. I'll have to watch it on Netflix now.
We're winding up graduation season for us. One more party to attend on Sat and then we're done. We didn't make it to all of them, but we did the best we could. My husband has a huge family and his niece's and nephew's kids are now graduating. We had 9 on his side of the family and 1 from my side.
One last note, the Univ of Nebraska Softball team made it to the NCAA tourney, so go lady Huskers!!
I'm glad your process still works and provided what you needed to keep going. It feels like it's always been that way for you because when you first started your author journey you were inspired by John Sanford/other writers. It's stressful to find the right author/story when you're on deadline and have such a heavy schedule, along with the ongoing parental health issues (so sorry!!!). I'm sure you were relieved it finally hit, but it just goes to show how important creative endeavors are to all of us, and why we should all keep going.
I'm reading THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans. It is a story told in letters written by the main character and the responses from other characters. It's about moving forward from a painful past and finding forgiveness.
I know I'm late to the party, but I wanted to thank you for your post on AI, and I agree with you. It should never be used to generate art, but I think Reese is right that we will be left behind if we don't embrace it, in whichever way seems ethical to you. That being said, I do think art will evolve to include it in a variety of ways. I feel big publishers are already using it more than we think/know. In addition, it is like every change in society like agricultural to industrial and so on that there will be good and bad things about it. I'm interested to see how the artificial intelligence era unfolds and fingers are crossed that we don't royally screw up things. Have a great weekend and may your fingers fly across the keyboard.