Netflix – Ruff Drafts

As a writer who also works full-time as a librarian and is married with a soon-to-be-teen daughter, each minute of my day is precious. However, I also realize the importance of taking a break to wind down. Recently, I started to watch shows on Netflix and other stations with my husband. It was great to be able to view them every night instead of waiting each week and then until the following season to continue the series, but I had no idea how addictive this type of binge watching could be.

Since I prefer shows based on books and also enjoy mystery and murder with a touch of romance, we started with Bones, the series about the forensic anthropologist and FBI agent that’s based on the novels by Kathy Reichs. We watched 2 to 3 shows a night and finished all 11 seasons way before the anticipated 12th season was scheduled to be aired. By that time, we’d moved on to Castle, close to my heart because it featured a mystery author and a homicide detective. Based on books by the actual Richard Castle, a pseudonym for an unknown author who is not the actor, we enjoyed these shows very much. I found some episodes funny especially the paranormal ones, but I also enjoyed the dramatic action scenes and the cameo appearances by James Patterson, Michael Connelly, and other well-known actors during the poker games. My husband also related to Castle’s relationship with his teen daughter since we have a 12-year old daughter. I even got him a pajama set for Valentine’s Day with Castle’s “ruggedly handsome” slogan.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first two shows we tried, we were worried we wouldn’t be able to find something else after they were finished. However, three is definitely a charm because we gave Dexter a go. Even though it seemed different from the others, starring a serial killer who murders killers, it turned out to be an incredible show mixing dark elements with humor and containing emotionally gripping scenes, as well. It was based on the books by Jeff Lindsay.

Now that we’ve mastered binge watching, it’s hard to watch one show a week. We started watching Emerald City and The Catch, but both are new series. We either have to view them once a week or wait until a season has passed to binge watch them. We also checked out Limitless and was pleased to see that it featured our favorite actress, Jennifer Carpenter, who played Dexter’s sister but then was sad to learn the show was canceled after just one season.

Although my husband claims I may be getting ideas for my next novel from the mystery-themed shows we watch, I’m still concerned that I’m wasting time I could be writing, exercising, or sleeping. However, I still make time for those activities.

What about you? Is there a series you enjoy binge watching? One you would recommend to others? Comment with your suggestions. I’d love to hear them.

This week’s blog challenge is about A Day in My Life. Sophia Valentine of Lifestyle and Literature created this challenge (see graphic for topics and dates if you have a blog and would like to participate. If you’re a reader, I’m sure you’ll enjoy learning about some of the great participating authors).

My day usually begins at 5 a.m. when I wake up, feed my cats, and make coffee for my husband in that order. Then I check my computer for emails, Facebook messages, and my handy Google calendar, so I know what else is on the agenda for that day. I spend the next hour writing and eating breakfast which is usually a high fiber cereal with bananas or blueberries and coffee with skim milk. At 6 a.m., after my husband is out of the shower, I wake up my 6th-grade daughter who takes an hour dressing and using the bathroom. While she is getting ready, I put one of my Leslie Sansone walk-at-home DVD’s into my computer and exercise for a half hour. I then make breakfast for my daughter who, like my husband, grabs something quick because they are both running late all the time.

When everyone is gone, I shower and dress for work. I like to get there at 8:30 even though I start at 9. I work at my local library as a librarian. The best part of my job is ordering the new fiction and mystery books, but it’s also the hardest because I want to read them all and don’t have the time. I also enjoy helping people find new books and authors. I’ve been writing and editing the library’s monthly staff picks newsletter for the last three years.

I work at the library from 9 to 5 four days a week and from 1 to 9 once a week. I also work two Saturdays a month. When I work a Saturday, I usually get a Friday off. On my days off and on weekends, I try to catch up on household chores and social media/writing. But if my daughter is home, too, I try to spend time with her. She’s at the age where she’d rather be with her friends than her mother, so I usually take her out somewhere with a friend. Last weekend, we went to Old Westbury Gardens, a place she particularly likes, as she’s into nature. However, it was so hot that both she and her friend wanted to leave before we were there long. A week ago, my daughter unexpectedly asked me to read a book with her. We used to read together all the time when she was younger but, as she started getting more homework and I became involved in writing, there was less time for us to do so. The book she chose, The Bad Unicorn, is one of those pre-teen dramatic works with a mysterious ancient codex and a seventh-grade hero. I had to admit I found some of the parts funny, and she laughed through a lot of it, too. Despite its crazy plot, the book was written on a level that would help increase a middle-schooler’s vocabulary, and I was glad it was something we could share.

This weekend, I’m headed to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut for MASE (Mystic Author Signing Event) where I’ll be meeting authors and readers and signing both of my books, A Stone’s Throw and Cloudy Rainbow. My husband is coming along, so we’ll also try to fit in some much-needed together time. Most of the time we’re both too busy with our jobs and daughter. The single exception is the one night a week, usually on a weekend I’m not working, that we watch a movie or TV show together on Netflix while our daughter plays virtual games on her computer with her friends.