Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Relax...


I'm normal like most people so I need to take breaks from my writing routine to take care of myself.

I garden. I don't have much space to do it, since I live in an apartment, but we're on the ground floor, which gives me an advantage in that I get to use the soil right outside our windows. I plant in pots so I may bring the plants in during the fall and winter so they survive all year round. Currently, I'm growing bay, sage, basil, pineapple sage, an avocado tree, peppers, Chinese melons, oregano, rosemary, thyme, chamomile, and cilantro. So far, everything is alive. I haven't killed anything yet.

I also live near the ocean, so when the weather permits I walk on the beach. Beach walking clears my head. I run plot scenes through my mind until they work. As I walk through the water, I can feel tension leave my body and my blood pressure drops because I'm so relaxed.

I enjoy reading, especially if I don't have to write a review. I like horror and adventure mostly, and I fill my days with books by Edward Lee, Clive Cussler, Shirley Jackson, Richard Matheson, James Rollins, and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Right now I'm reading fantasy - Roger Zelazny's "Amber" chronicles. I'm currently on the first book, "Nine Princes In Amber".

When I'm not doing any of the above, I watch movies, especially horror movies. It's hard to find a good horror movie these days. Most are boring CGI gore fests with cheap shots tossed in to make you jump in your seat, but they aren't all that scary. The last movie I watched was "The Brotherhood Of The Wolf". I like foreign horror movies best of all.

Those are the four main things I do to relax. What about you? What do you like to do in your spare time to replenish your batteries?

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E. A. Black

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