Signs I'm reading a really good book

Once in a while, I'll read a book that really captivates me. There's something about these special books that make them more than just a good read. They tend to take over my life while I'm in the midst of reading them. How so? Here are five ways.

1. I don't want to pause in the middle of reading it, even to go to work or to sleep. I also consider missing my train stop during my work commute so that I can finish the chapter I'm on.
2. It's all I think about during the day. Even my mood in real life is determined by what's happening in the book.
3. I start looking for other books written by the author because I'm convinced that they're all going to be as awesome as the book I'm reading. I look up the author's website and stalk her/him on social media because I can't get enough.
4. I wish I had half of the writing talent that the author of the book has.
5. I don't want the book to end.

How about you? What is it like when you read an awesome book?

Working on two books at once

I've never been the type of writer who can work on more than one book at once. When I'm writing a novel, I'm usually so focused on it that I can't think of other novels for fear that it will pollute the one I'm working on. That changed recently when I stopped working on the YA fantasy series that occupied the first half of this year.

Last month, I started a new novel outside the YA genre. It's a thriller because thrillers are my second favorite genre after YA. I spent a couple of weeks coming up with the outline for my new book. The exercise re-ignited my writing passion, and I was eager to work on it. I wrote the first chapter, and writing became fun again.

Then the workload at my day job got out of hand. For two weeks, I had no time to write or to even think about writing. The thriller was in the back of my mind, but I had pushed it far enough back that it sat with the YA series I had abandoned. When I finally found a little bit of time to write again, to my surprise, I wanted to continue with the YA story instead. So I did. I didn't force myself to plow ahead with the thriller. I let my muse (or whatever it is that drives me to write) lead me back to the story that I thought I had left behind.

Now I'm going to work on both books at once. When I find the time to write, I'll let my inspiration dictate which story I want to work on. It'll take me longer to finish either story, but I'd rather continue making progress, albeit slow progress, on two stories at once than to not make any progress at all.