In today’s economy, with so many people being out of work, you would think the entertainment industry would suffer the most.  After all, people are concentrating on paying bills and putting food on the table.  However, I have not seen a decline in traffic at the movie theaters, malls or bookstores.  If anything, the lines at the bookstore have been longer than ever!  It takes twice as long to get through the mall parking lot …

So why does entertainment still seem to be doing okay?  Easy… in order to survive during depressing times where money is running thin, jobs are scarce, and people are stressed to the max, the easiest way to kick back and relax is with a good book or a movie.  The best thing about malls?  You can walk around them and feel like you’re getting out and doing something without actually buying anything (well, maybe a cookie and a coke at the food court).

As an author, there is one change that I have noticed…  my paperback sales have been down, but my e-book sales have gone through the roof.  Does it have to with cost?  The price of gas?  Or did everyone just happen to get an e-reader for Christmas?

Either way, the book business seems to still be doing well, despite the recession.

While my passion is writing, I still have a day job to pay the bills.  Let’s face it, you don’t write novels to make money, you write novels because you have to!  I digress…  the point is, my day job isn’t all that stable at the moment. I’ve noticed that as my stress level increases, the more I want to purchase books and movies.  It’s nice to escape from reality for a while and submerge myself in a world where werewolves, vampires and fairies run rampant.

What about you?  Are you reading or watching more movies these days?