Chevy Stevens at home, with her dog Annie by her side.Duane Prentice
When I was growing up on a ranch on Vancouver Island my favourite place to read was in one of our sheds or the barn. I was usually avoiding my chores, so I'd tuck myself into a corner and disappear into one of my mom's Harlequin romances. When I wasn't hiding in one of the buildings, I'd curl up in the field or the woods, my back against a tree, a dog or cat for company. My tastes ran the gamut of romance, fantasy, and dark stuff like Stephen King and V.C. Andrews. Not much has changed.
I still like to hide when I read. But now it's in the bath at the end of the day with Annie sitting guard dog duty outside the door. Or I'll sprawl on the bed with her, my feet tucked against her warm belly. And my taste in reading material is still as eclectic. This summer I read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, a charming book written from the perspective of a dog, Mudbound by Hillary Jordan, an award winning story of prejudice in the Mississippi Delta, and Emily Giffin's latest, Heart of the Matter.
Right now I'm focused on revisions so I'm not doing any reading for pleasure, but I'll often spend the evening in front of the TV with a research book in my lap, reading and taking notes during the commercials. My dream is to have a home library one day: a comfy couch, rock fireplace, floor to ceiling wood shelves. Then I'll close the door, curl up on the couch, and disappear.
Chevy Stevens is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing, which will be published in over twenty countries and has been optioned for a movie.