It’s nearly Christmas so I’ll wish everyone a happy holiday, whichever one you celebrate! I hope your holidays are healthy & happy and that your New Year is the same.
Hard to believe another year’s almost gone!
I’ll be spending Christmas Day at my sister’s with her and her son and her dog. Then, there will be a big rush to try to finish several stories before the end of the year. New Year’s will be spent with friends (we celebrate Friendsmas instead of trying to juggle all the holidays with family and such). We’ll have fun and games and stocking stuffers and probably too much food.
In January, I’ve been asked to give a talk to a retirement community about the Sisters in Crime anthology (Carolina Crimes). I’m trying to come up with good topics to talk about. Thinking about tying in my story to the 1930s, which is the time period of the crime I wrote about. Or maybe a “where writers get their ideas” talk… At any rate, it’s good to get some speaking engagements! I may see if the other local author wants to join me.
Hoping you all have a Happy Holiday Season, whichever holidays you celebrate, and a Happy New Year!
It’s that time of the year again – time to pick the perfect gift for your favorite writer or reader. Here are a baker’s dozen ideas for you and your loved one.
Who could resist a pair of Library Socks from Out of Print? Keep your writer’s or reader’s feet warm in style with these socks, printed to resemble a library book’s check-out page. They come in a variety of colors, too.
What reader doesn’t need a Personal Library Kit? They can keep track of the books they’ve loaned out and make sure those come back to them in a timely manner. Feel like a librarian with this loaner kit.
Does your reader stay up late reading? Maybe they need this Just One More Chapter Pillow to class up their sofa or favorite reading chair.
This Book Stack Tote Bag will be the envy of every writer or reader who sees it. A brightly-colored stack of well-known books decorates the front of this generous tote bag. Your loved one can use it at the library, the bookstore, or even at the beach!
If you’ve got a little more money, you might think about a Little Free Library Kit for your writer or reader. Comes with everything you need to set up your own Little Free Library – just put it together!
What writer or reader doesn’t love a good hot cuppa? With these NovelTea Book Tins your loved one will have an adorable book tin after the tea is all gone, so they can store their important writing or reading supplies!
Want something really original? Try this Writers vs. Writers Insult Chart – Famous, sharp-tongued literary lights point their poison pens at each other in this snarky chart of great writer-vs-writer put-downs. The jabs span the centuries and include Jane Austen (“You have delighted us long enough”), Shakespeare (“Away, thou issue of a mangy dog!”), Noel Coward (“He is completely unspoiled by failure.”) and many more, arranged by theme.
Help get your writer or reader organized with this Magnetic Notebook & Calendar Kit – it comes with removable “magnetic” pages your loved one can arrange to suit their purpose.
You can find a good bit of nice jewelry for your writer or reader. This Typewriter Key Necklace will be a hit, while hinting at your loved one’s writing career.
Or this one is nice as well – either way, your writer or reader will be happy.
You can’t go wrong with a good Lap Desk! This one has a built-in mouse pad, wrist pad, and holders for a tablet or phone.
And if you’re spending a little more on your writer, you can always gift them a Masterclass submission. They have a whole section for writers, with authors like Neil Gaiman, James Patterson, Margaret Atwood, Dan Brown, and Judy Blume. And, of course, there are tons of other classes your writer might enjoy, like how to play an electric guitar or how to negotiate a hostage situation or how to make a good cocktail.
For that holiday bling, why not give your writer a Swarovski Pen inset with crystals? Impress those readers at their next book signing, or inspire them while they’re working on their journal.
And then there’s the ever-popular liquid spirits! Try a bottle of Writer’s Tears whiskey for the discriminating author.
My alter-ego EJ Murray is hosting a book launch party in Greenville, SC this coming Saturday (October 8) from 2:00 to 4:00 pm! Come by for cake, snacks, wine (and other drinks), and a chance to get your book signed by two of the authors!
And a happy and healthy New Year!
Kye was starting in on him again. Chance tried to rein in his temper and not snap, but his partner was trying his patience.
“Forget it, old man. I had this hat since we met. I ain’t getting rid of it.”
“That’s my point. That thing’s as old as Devon Day and the Sweetwater Kid. And it’s not like either of us could afford a good hat back then.”
“This was the first hat I ever bought. It’s fine.”
Kye looked at Chance from the corner of his eyes. “You know, an outlaw who can’t even afford a decent hat’s not gonna get much respect.”
Chance narrowed his eyes. “You’re getting on my last nerve, partner.”
“Just try this on and look in the mirror.”
Chance put hands on hips. “Partner, that is a black hat. I am naturally dark-complexioned. People with dark hair and eyes need a light colored hat to play up their color. This is a well known fact in the fashion world.”
“Humor me.”
Chance snatched the hat from Kye’s hands. He glared at it. What the hell was so wrong with his comfortable old brown hat anyhow? So it had a couple of threadbare spots … maybe a little torn place or two. And there was that bullet hole from when Kye was target shooting. He turned the new hat in his hands.
It was stylish, no question about that. The band was brown leather, with random silver designs fastened onto it. They kinda reminded him of suits in a deck of cards. The only problem was the damn color.
He glanced back at his partner. Kye crossed his arms and tilted his head. Chance rolled his eyes. He clapped the hat onto his head and stomped over to the store’s mirror.
“Now, young fella, that there hat looks fine on you.” The shopkeeper, alert to a possible sale, followed him across the floor. Of course, he might just suspect the two of them of plotting to steal something.
Chance ignored the man and stared at his reflection through narrowed eyes. Just as he’d thought, he looked — Chance widened his eyes and took another look. Actually, he looked pretty damn good in black.
Here’s a short snippet from the latest story, which will be featured in our Western Fictioneers anthology this Fall.
Devon Day and the Sweetwater Kid were on the way back from a very successful banking transaction — that is, Chance Knight and his partner Kye Devon were headed to the Inter-Ocean Hotel in Denver. Dev and Sweet had, with their usual panache, vanished like the puff of smoke from a gunshot after the robbery.
The only problem, in Chance’s opinion, was that there was no train service to Nevadaville. Thus, to reach the bank, they’d been forced to utilize this inferior mode of travel — and after most of a day, the stagecoach was starting to wear on Chance. Not to mention the condition of his rear end on the hard seat. Their driver seemed to go out of his way to hit every hole in what passed for a road in the benighted wilderness.
As they stopped in yet another mountain hamlet, he took the opportunity to stretch his legs, leaving his snoring partner inside the stage with their unremarkable canvas bag as his pillow. Maybe a cup of coffee would settle Chance’s stomach. He stepped up to the door of the tiny cafe next to the stage stop, just in time to open it for the Classy Lady inside.
He put on a Suave Face and gave her a little bow as he held the door for her. Fine shoes, the latest fashion in skirts (emerald green velvet with gold trim), topped with a sensible traveling hat over expensively-coiffured auburn locks. The Lady was Classy all right.
Chance had never met a woman who wasn’t lovely. Sometimes you had to look a bit harder, but they all had that certain something. This Lady though … big green eyes, flawless complexion, a delicate chin and a mouth that needed kissing often. He felt a genuine smile stretch his own lips.
“Good afternoon, ma’am,” he murmured as she passed. She smiled down at him, but said nothing.
Chance noted with interest that she headed for the very door though which he’d exited. Was their little party to be enlarged by one? One such would certainly make the time pass more quickly.
If you’re a writer, you’re a reader. And readers explore their libraries.
Here are some of my favorite memories of my childhood library. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but whenever we went for groceries, we stopped at the library to drop off what we’d read that week and pick up something new (or beloved re-reads).
I still love the smell of an old library — the sharp tang of old pages bound between real leather. I love the silence, the solitude of searching the tall shelves for that special book. I love seeing all the books stacked up together, worlds yet to be entered, words yet to be read.
I remember the moment I’d read all of the children’s section … well, all I wanted to read, that is … and wandered over into the adult section hunting for something interesting. The poor librarian, assuming I’d gotten lost, gently steered me back into the children’s wing. I had to argue to convince the lady I meant business, but I came home with what I believe was a couple of horse stories and maybe a Nancy Drew mystery or something similar. I did go through my horse phase about that time, so Billy and Blaze shifted smoothly into The Black Stallion.
I remember the many happy hours spent reading in libraries while waiting for Mom to shop or work on her own assignments in the adult section (she put herself through college after we were in school and out of her hair during the day). Nothing except the soft buzz of fluorescent lights as you quietly turned page after page, forgetting the time as you swung through the jungle with Tarzan or searched for the criminals with The Three Investigators.
What are your favorite library memories?
