A Cozy Reading Nook Guest Post

Happy Friday/End of the World guys!  I don't know about you, but I am ready for a wee break (insofar as a few weeks of intense family visit time is 'a break', lol!).  Things have been super busy the last few weeks, especially considering I am retired! :)

A few weeks ago I was approached by a freelancer agent, who was wondering if I ever posted articles from other authors on Wicked & Weird.  I have done some guest-post-hosting, but never actually invited submission, so I thought - why not?  Heaven knows freelance writers could use a break now and then.  So here is the article I chose - all about setting up a cozy reading nook (a must-have in every home, as far as I am concerned!).  Let me know what you think of the whole concept of writer-submitted posts in the comments - I am curious as to your thoughts. :)

Whether reading a graphic novel, piece of fiction, cookbook, coffee table book, mystery, comedy, romance or poetry book, make your reading nook all your own. Here are some ideas to give your reading space character.

A Crime Fiction Cave

From Stieg Larsson's “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” to Dan Brown's “The Da Vinci Code,” crime novels are filled with mystery and intrigue to the extreme. These books offer a chance to travel through time and space to far away lands as one attempts to solve a crime before the book ends. How would the mystery lover like their reading nook to look and feel? An understair storage is a great location because it's dark, cozy, and mysterious. If you don't tell anyone about this hideaway, you can immerse yourself in all the guilty pleasure you can handle. Hang a framed photo of a weathered handwritten note with a bloodstain. The Shade Store's drapery will come in handy as you cloak a velvet curtain in the corner. Add some battery-operated flameless LED flickering candles to the space, and scare yourself at any noise coming from outside of your thriller sanctuary.

Your Fantasy Escape

Do you prefer misty mountains, fantastical forests, and epic adventures? Escape into an alternate universe as you channel C.S. Lewis and climb into your own wardrobe transformed into a reading nook? Or, better yet, grab a book and fly the coop as you head out the door to a secret location in a nearby park, garden, forest, mountainside or beach bluff to depart from your daily grind and get lost in a fantasy land of fairies, witches, knights, princesses, unicorns, and magic.
If daydreaming is more your style, consider adding dark greens and pastel pinks. Soft light can illuminate through flameless LED candles, twinkle lights, or by running a lamp with a colored bulb into the space. Be sure there is tulle draped from the ceiling to all walls. Add images of fairies and mysterious forests. A liquid motion water wave feature would add that extra touch of nature to your escape.

Science Fiction, Solar System

If Arthur C. Clarke's 2001— “A Space Odyssey,” George Orwell's “1984,” and Aldous Huxley's “Brave New World” float your boat, a Sci-Fi inspired space is in the stars for you. There are so many directions you can take for the futuristic reading nook. For example, deck it out with universe-inspired decor using a planet projector, glow in the dark stars, and colors that take you right off of this green earth and into the darkness of space. Or, consider a restoration decor that marries elements of the past with an imagined future of nautilus, time travel and space exploration that jump off the pages of your favorite literary masterpieces. Incorporate brass wall switches and exposed gear clocks. Mix leather with lace and velvet. Put weathered maps on the walls. Maybe even some aviator-style goggles, a pith helmet, and a corset. Who cares what the cat thinks.

Victoria James Daughter of a designer and home ec teacher, Victoria learned everything she would ever need to know about being a successful designer from her mother. Victoria loves passing her mother's secrets on to readers.