My Funny Christmas Moments...

Christmas is one of my most favorite times of the year. The season is full of sparkle, lights, magic, and the goodness of humankind. My grandmother Ruth loved the holiday season too, and as a little girl, I always spent Thanksgiving weekend with her to help her decorate, bake, and make Christmas candy.

I was the kid who stayed wide awake all night every Christmas Eve, and much to my parents' dismay, I was always up at four or five in the morning to open presents. One year when I was about four, I was so excited to see Santa. We waited in line for at least an hour at Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach. When it was my turn, fear took over, and I had a tearful outburst. I didn't get to give him my list. I fretted for days that he was going to skip our house that year. I was shocked and SO relieved on Christmas to find out he came through for me.

When I was almost five (and the only grandchild on all sides), I wanted a puppy. I got a sister that year. She came home on Christmas Eve, and things haven't been the same since. I'm just kidding, my sister is my best friend (but I was a tad disappointed that I didn't get the puppy and that she was too big for me to carry around like a doll.

This time of year is chaotic, but it's fun. Here are some of my humorous holiday moments.

I Have Proof - One year before my sister arrived, it snowed late on Christmas Eve. It rarely did that in Virginia Beach. I didn’t know which was more exciting, Christmas or snow. We opened the front door, and there were real, honest-to-goodness reindeer tracks on the front steps. I couldn’t believe it. I had proof. I saw them. That’s where the reindeer waited while Santa unloaded all of my loot.

I found out much later that my “reindeer” was the next-door neighbor’s German Shepherd JoJo.

What is That Smell? - One summer, I was driving back and forth from work, and I smelled this sickening citrus odor in my car. I checked my bags and the car. It kept getting worse, and I couldn’t find the source. When I couldn't stand it any longer, I pulled everything out of the car. Someone had given us a bag of potpourri the previous Christmas, and it had gotten stuck between the back seat and the trunk. It was ripe when I finally threw it out.

Invasion of the Short People - My husband volunteered to help the men’s club at church one year when they decided to sell wooden angels as a fundraiser. The angels were about four-feet tall with the name of the donor on the front. At Christmas time, they decorate the lawn of the church.

He cut about five of them and put them up against the wall in our garage. I went out to the garage in the dark and saw five figures lined up next to the wall. I got a start until I realized what they were. In the dark, it looked like a bunch of short people hiding in my garage.

The Terrible Christmas Cookies - One December after work, my husband met me in the garage. “These cookies are terrible,” he said munching on something hard.

“What cookies?” I asked as I tried to remember what kind I bought last time. He finished his snack and said, “These in the red bag.” They were the peanut butter dog treats my niece made for the pair of Jacks.

I Don’t Care About the *&^%* Carolers - One Christmas, I volunteered to bring four dozen cookies to the holiday party at work. Well, at my house, to get four dozen cookies that look good enough to share, I had to bake six or seven dozen. The malformed ones were for sampling, and the burnt ones went into the trash. About halfway though the baking, I had lost my holiday spirit and all desire for peace and goodwill.

My husband came bounding into the kitchen with the joyous news that we had holiday carolers outside. He wanted to know if we should take them some cookies. By then, the floor, dogs, and I were covered in flour and sugar. I gave him the look of death, and he slowly backed out of the kitchen.

What Happened to the Angel? - One year, my sister and I went over to my Grandmother Ruth’s house to help her decorate for Christmas. When we were unpacking decorations, we discovered a bald angel. Previously, she was a blonde. It seemed she fell off the tree last year, and Patton, the Boston Terrier ate her hair.

It's Awfully Humid in Here - My Grandmother Ruth always had candy at her house. She had an open dish in her living room for guests. During the holiday season, it was filled with all kinds of festive hard candy. I loved the assortment, but it was always stuck together. We had to break it off in chunks. Grandma always chalked it up to the heat and the humidity.

One day we discovered the truth about the sticky candy. We went in the living room, and Patton, her Boston Terrier, was standing in the chair licking the candy dish. I pass on the hard candy now.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I know there's a lot of activity, but try to squeeze in the moments to enjoy the magic and fun.

Holiday Time Management Ideas for Writers

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the December holiday season is fast approaching. It should be a time of celebration, but it's stressful when there are too many tasks and obligations. And somehow, my schedule always gets crazy in November and December.

Here are some ideas for managing to celebrate and still work on your writing and book marketing.

1. Create a bank of blog posts when you have extra time. That way, when you're in a crunch, you can use one that is already ready to go.

2. Schedule blog, Facebook, and Twitter posts in advance, especially for days you know you'll be busy.

3. Find an hour or two on your calendar and block it off as writing time. I cut TV/movie time when I need more writing or editing time.

4. Get up early (or stay up later) to write, blog, or post to social media. My house is really quiet in the morning, and I get a lot done before the family and guests are up and ready for breakfast.

5. Use your social media mobile apps. When you are standing in line, check your social media sites, respond to comments, or do a quick post or tweet. It's a great way to keep up with emails too.

6.Take pictures of the fun and festivities. They're great for sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest.

7. Use a calendar to keep up with the "must do's." Some electronic calendars (like Google) can be shared with others. There is also a variety of software out there to help manage tasks. Trello is a fun, easy one to use. You create electronic "cards" to manage projects or large efforts.

8. I try to get the holiday shopping done and wrapped early. It just takes some of the pressure off.

9. You can say no and not feel guilty. You don't have to participate in everything. I was asked to be a part of a cookie exchange one year. The idea is to bake one dozen cookies for every participant. I ended up baking ten dozen cookies. It's a nice idea, but I really didn't need the cookies I brought home. And it was more work and stress than value.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. With a little organization, it can be a fun season, and you can still have time to write and do your book promotions. Happy writing!

Happy Turkey Day!

I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with friends and family! We have a lot to be thankful for.

10 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Book Lover in Your Life

Thanksgiving is next week. Fall snuck up on me this year, but I'm going to do better with Christmas. My goal is to have everything purchased and wrapped by early December. Fingers crossed.  Here are my favorite sites for holiday ideas for the book lover in your life.

1. Café Press has a great selection of literary t's for men, women, and children. They also have ones for movies, TV shows, and pop culture icons.

2. Think Geek has great gadgets and gifts for Harry Potter and Star Wars' fans. It's also home base for gifts for any geek or nerd in your life.

3. The Library of Congress' gift shop has a wide array of book and book lover gifts.

4. Etsy is a great site for fun, literary and author gifts. I've purchased wine charms, bracelets, stickers, and bookmarks from a variety of vendors. I use them for giveaways. Type in "literary gifts," and you'll have your choice of hundreds of vendors.

5. UncommonGoods had lots of stocking stuffers for the reader or writer in your life. Type "reading gifts" in the search box.

6. GoneReading has a great collection of bookworm gifts. My favorite are the book plates. I'm going to have to put them on my list.

7. Shop PBS has some fun ideas. I need to order the Great Gatsby t-shirt and these Scrabble magnets.

8. Amazon has everything. I like the collection of infinity book scarves. I've seen these on Etsy and other sites too.

9. Storiarts has infinity scarves, decorative items, and these great writing gloves from a variety of books and authors.

10. The Writers' Store has gifts for writers, movie makers, and film buffs.

Best wishes with your holiday shopping. My hope is to get the tasky stuff done early, so I can enjoy the season. Wish me luck!

15 Things I Learned about Writing Short Stories from Art Taylor

I had the pleasure of hearing Art Taylor speak recently at our Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia meeting about crafting short stories. Here's what I learned.

1. Edgar Allan Poe is not only the father of the American mystery, but the father of the American short story.
2. For detective stories (whether it's a murder, caper, or puzzle), it all hinges on the clues.
3. Every word counts.
4. Character descriptions should be part of the single effect of the story.
5. The plot drives the detective story.
6. Think about what you can suggest without explicitly saying it.
7. Every story needs conflict. There should always be an escalation of conflict in the story.
8. Always up the ante. Shovel on more grief and conflict.
9. Check out he Art and Craft of Fiction by Michael Kardos and riting Fiction by Janet Burroway.
10. Narration is the stage direction and description is the scenery of the story.
11. Exposition is telling. It is a way to provide information, but it should be done in small bits. What does the reader need to know?
12. When you're revising your story, look at everything and ask, "Does this need to be here?"
13. Use jump cuts. (Jump the action to the next scene.) You don't have to describe every detail of every day.
14. Watch films and how the stories are plotted. This can help you with pacing your story.
15. Look at your draft. Can you cut the first and last paragraph? You should strive to start your story closer to the action.

18 Ways to Boost Your Creativity

I had the privilege of attending a Creative Thinking Workshop by Michelle James recently, and she had some great tips for recharging your daily routine and the ways you think about things. Here's what I learned...

1. Everyone is creative. Remember how creative you were at three or four?
2. The first rule of improve is to make everyone look good. It's good advice for interacting with others.
3. Learn something new. Try something new.
4. Deflection, jokes, and sarcasm shut down others' creativity.
5. Creativity is messy.
6. Work on your discovery skills. Look for new things. Go for a walk and look for something you haven't noticed before.
7. When you start to judge or evaluate something, it shuts down the creativity part. For writers, you need to just write. Do the editing/proofreading later.
8. Encourage different thinking in others and yourself.
9. Strive to make the impossible possible. Then make the possible look easy. Then make the easy look artful.
10. Google Brain Gym. There are a lot of exercises that you can do at your desk to stimulate creativity.
11. Keep your energy going.
12. Be present with what you're doing. Put down the phone and don't multi-task. Listen, contribute, and participate.
13. When you're brainstorming, use "yes, and." That gives you options and ideas. If you use "yes, but," you limit opportunities.
14. Have fun.
15. Ask yourself "how might I"?
16. Don't get too comfortable or complacent. Step out of your comfort zone.
17. Creative breakthroughs come at the edge of chaos.
18. Find a place where you can be creative.

27 Things I Learned about Writing at the James River Writers Conference

I had the pleasure of being a part of two panels at the recent James River Writers Conference. I also sat in on some other great sessions. Here's what I learned about writing...

1. Write first; edit later.
2. Practice. Practice. Practice. Keep writing - no matter what happens.
3. Your editorial voice and your writer voice have to be in harmony. It was recommended to just write during the first few drafts. Go back and fix things later.
4. Read your work out loud to find issues with your dialog and pacing.
5. You and your work are your brand.
6. Your brand is your promise to your readers. They expect a certain type and style of writing from you. That's why if you switch genres, many publishing houses want you to use a new name and develop a new brand.
7. Finding your own voice is key. It has to be your story.
8. Your job is the writing.
9. Know who your audience is.
10. You need to balance the creative and the business sides of your writing life.
11. Find your tribe - a group of authors who support each other.
12. Turn off the TV and write.
13. Writing should be your focus.
14. Take care of yourself.
15. If you're having trouble pacing your novel, take a screenwriting course or workshop. Screenwriting has a tight timeframe to work with, and pacing is key. It will also help with dialog.
16. Marketing and what's hot in the industry are lways changing. Do not write to what is currently in vogue. It will have changed by the time your work gets published.
17. Create a mailing list. This is the most valuable tool for an author.
18. Make sure that your blog is on your author website.
19. Be able to describe your book in an enticing way. Make sure you have practiced your elevator speech.
20. Publishing is a subjective industry.
21. While you're querying, make sure that you're working on your next book.
22. Make connections. They are important. Get to know bookstore owners, librarians, bloggers, and readers.
23. Market your book heavily during the presale period. Don't wait until its launch.
24. Don't over-extend yourself. Your job is to write. It's okay to say no.
25. Do your research.
26. Keep writing. Make sure that you're always working on your next book.
27. There is no magic secret to writing. You will know what works for you.

My Fan Girl Moment - I Met Nikki Giovanni

I had the pleasure this month to meet and hear Nikki Giovanni speak at the Library of Virginia's Literary Awards Luncheon. She received the well deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.

Nikki Giovanni is a Virginia and national treasure. Here's what I learned from her discussion.

• We all get old. Otherwise, we die young.
• Don't hold things in.
• Build a community. Relationships are important.
• She decided as a young girl to be happy. She controlled her outlook.
• She was friends with Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou. And her stories of friendship were priceless.
• She talked about her speeding tickets on I-81.
• Read something every day. (She likes the comic strip "Pickles.")
• You have to let people know you love them while you can.
• Keep writing!
• You have to write your story.