Yes, Virginia, There Is Another Holiday Post--With Pictures

'Tis the season to be stressing, fa la la la la la la la,
Baking with my head is messing, fa la la la la la la la...



That's what I brought home from Costco in anticipation of my annual baking marathon. It's 1:30 a.m., and I have miles of brownies to bake before I sleep. (Yes, I use a mix. Don't judge me.) That doesn't count the cleaning and the decorating (done, at last) or the cards (don't remind me) or the book signing (more later) or the out-of-town guests (whee!)
Which brings me to the point of today's blog. Holidays are hard. They come with a load of emotional freight and outsized expectations that can all too easily overwhelm you. That's why, in the middle of giving to others, you need to give a little to yourself, too.




With everything else on the agenda, I'd be the last person to tell anyone to decorate anything. But if you're like me and have this overwhelming urge to turn the house, apartment, barn or loft upside down once a year, pull out the stuff that gives you joy. For me, it's a mass of wax angels, reindeer and a Bavarian music box bought in Germany when I was very small. When I was eleven, I thought the richly gowned figures were the most beautiful things in the whole world. I still do.




Get together with the people you love. As the season's short days remind us, we're no more than candles in the greater dark--quick burning and all too easily extinguished.
If the stars line up for a splurge, take advantage of it. An unexpected chance to take high tea at the Willard Hotel sent Ellen Byerrum, the ever stylish author of the Crimes of Fashion mysteries (shown here lifting a glass to the holidays), and I scurrying into Washington, D.C. on the coldest day of the year. It was well worth the chill, taking the edge off deadlines and pre-release jitters (Shot Through Velvet, her latest Crime of Fashion novel, debuts in February 2011) and jumpstarting our holiday spirit. (With tea! With tea! That glass was just for show. Honest!)
But the occasion doesn't have to be extravagant. I've already made a date with the spouse for our annual in-home viewing of the Alastair Sim version of A Christmas Carol (sometimes called Scrooge), simply the best version of the story--possibly the best version of any Dickens story--ever. And we can watch it wearing fuzzy slippers. (Or we could if we owned any--there are some crimes of fashion I just won't commit.)




It wouldn't hurt to take a page from our pets either. Indulge your inner feline with a nap in a favorite spot, sleep late or spend a few minutes hidden away with a book. Put on the dog with a big goofy smile, lolling tongue optional.
In short, be kind to yourself and follow your bliss whenever and wherever you're able.




And if your bliss happens to be books and you're in the neighborhood of the Borders in Bowie, MD, from 7-9 p.m. tonight, I'll be signing with five wonderful authors:

- Rising romantic suspense star Jeanne Adams,

- Bestselling science fiction and fantasy writer Catherine Asaro,

- Break-out historical romance author Grace Burrowes,

- Award-winning children's author Deborah Da Costa, and

- Three time Nebula Award nominee and veteran SF short story writer Bud Sparhawk.


If that weren't enough to make your Saturday, Catherine will be singing, as well as signing, with keyboardist Don Wolcott providing back up. Hope to see you there. After all, 'tis the season for commerce, too.

Wherever you are and whatever you do between now and January 1, I hope the days find you happy in the company of those you love. May 2011 be healthy, joyful and prosperous, and bless us, everyone.

The Worst Question to Ask a Writer

Maybe I’m weird…

[You, in the back, I heard that, and I know where you live.]

…but I don’t have too much trouble with the three questions all writers claim to hate. They’re so easy to answer.

Where do you get your ideas?
Everybody says Walmart, but I prefer the Dollar Store. I’m cheap that way. Besides, the Dollar Store has plastic pirate pistols that make real sounds. (Ooooh, the shiny…)

Why won’t you write the book if I tell you my idea?
Because I like my Dollar Store ideas better. They’ve got pirate pistols. (See above.)

Why won’t you help critique my book?
You bought your ideas at Walmart. It’s a brand loyalty thing. (Really, it’s all about the pistols.)

No, the one that chills me to my marrow is quite different:

I want to buy a book as a Christmas present for a friend who reads a lot of [insert genre here]. What would you recommend?

Insert horrified silence here.

Um, what kind of books does the friend like? Should I mention that I read all over the map, so my depth of knowledge is rather thin? It’s embarrassing but true that there are too many books and far too little time. There’s never enough time. When I was still commuting (gotta love public transit) I used to power through two or three books a week, but even then, there still wasn’t enough time. Wonderful, fabulous books are being written and published every day in all formats. Nobody can possibly read them all.

Then there’s the fact that my brain usually takes a hike when someone pops a question that requires a laundry list. It’s like staring into the headlights of an oncoming car doing seventy MPH that wasn’t there a second ago. I freeze. All my long-term memory leaks out of my ears, and I find myself babbling the same bestsellers everybody’s complaining about.

Fortunately, these days, our social networks come to the rescue. When I got hit with the Big Question this year, I immediately called on my various friend lists and came up with a respectable list, which included all the authors I should’ve, would’ve wanted to mention.

The funny thing is, I have a whole list of books I’d love to push on people. The problem is finding the right people to harass into—er, introduce to the splendors of the titles in question. For some reason, I never remember to check our literary compatibility quotient before commiting to a friendship or relationship. It doesn’t seem to affect my friends or loved ones, but my books look so lonely sitting there by themselves, like the shy kids at the high school dance. Doesn’t anybody know they’re the ones who always grow up to be movie stars?

How about you? Are there books in your library you’d really love to share—if only you could find the right person to love them? Don’t be shy. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.

Well, since this is my blog, I’ll show you a few of mine anyway, four of my favorite oldies:

A matched set of Rafael Sabatini’s Scaramouche and Anne Rice’s Cry to Heaven—the greatest 18th century swashbucklers ever written, both turning on the question: “Who’s your daddy?” You want to know where George Lucas really stole all the best bits in The Empire Strikes Back, forget The Hero With a Thousand Faces, read Sabatini. And I’m sorry, much as I love Lois McMaster Bujold, Lupe dy Cazaril can’t hold a candle to Tonio Treschi. (Miles Vorkosigan is another matter. ;-))

Speaking of galley slaves (Lupe), I’d like to suggest an alternative view from Judith Merkle Riley’s The Oracle Glass. This slipstream fantasy romance, set amid the splendor and squalor of the Sun King’s France, ranks as one of my all-time favorite books. You want an unlikely, flawed and ultimately fabulous heroine? She’s in there. You want a dark hero dragged through hell? Oh boy, is he in there. And better yet, he’s a writer, too.

Finally, a book I have forced on people time and time again over the years: Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb. I don’t know if Sharyn still has (as she used to claim) a price on her head in Federation Credits, but if she does, everybody who ever set a book at a genre lit convention should all chip in together and pay it. She’s the mother of us all. And you’d better be nice to your mother on the holidays. You never know the kind of stories she’s going to tell.

And the pistols would work with every one of them. I really love it when a blog comes together.

Happy holidays!

Jean Marie

The Perfect Christmas Present...

This is a tough holiday shopping season. With the evening news reporting depressing news, it makes it hard to consider buying gifts. It makes us all more conservative with our spending.

But, it’s still Christmas and I have a suggestion. Don’t know what to get that special someone? BOOKS!

Yep. Books.

And if you’re feeling especially generous this year, you might want to look at those glossy big ticket items associated with them – Ereaders. Both Sony and Amazon have very nice readers worth a look if you’re in the market for one.

The great thing about Books as gifts is that there’s something out there for everyone. There’s men’s fiction and women’s fiction, nonfiction, and children’s picture books and chapter books. If you’re not sure what to get? Try a giftcard to your favorite retailer – or an ebookstore. There are more than just Sony and Amazon ebookstores, too. *coughSamhaincough*

And the best part? It won’t break the bank and provide hours of entertainment.

I know, I hear the grumbling. I’m an author, so of course I’ll say buy books. But you know something?

Before I was an author, I was a reader. My husband bought me my first electronic reader in 2001. Between you and me, I think it was his way of escaping the inevitable hours of waiting while I browsed the bookstore. My Gemstar meant he could stay home and watch television while I browsed the bookstore from the comfort of the couch…and he didn’t have to cringe at the cashier while he paid the bill. When the Sony Reader first hit the market, he somehow managed to find one after trying to order from Sony and told the best they could hope for was Valentine delivery instead of Christmas.

I don’t know how he found it, but I cried when I opened it because I was so excited. And if he wants to make me smile, he’ll slip a Sony Connect Store gift card into a card and mail it to me.

Why? Because giving me books means he knows me…and loves me enough to indulge my hobby. But more than that, he knows that a book is an evening of escapism from the trials of motherhood, career, and the general chaos that stresses us all out every day. It’s his way of saying that he wants me to take a moment to myself because he knows it’s those private moments to regroup that make me a better wife and mother.

So, consider adding the bookstore to your last minute shopping stops. Someone on your list might be hoping that you’ll think of it…

Books Are The Best Gifts

It's the giftiest season of the year and you've got a long list of people to treat. Some of them you know well. Some you don't know well at all, but for whatever reason, you have some obligation to purchase them a gift. So what do you do?

Giftcards are small and convenient, yes, but they can be impersonal. Electronics are expensive, household items can send the wrong message (you need to cook more! your house is ugly!), and holiday themed items can only be used once a year. Clothing in general is dicey, and holiday sweaters in particular are best suited for ugly sweater parties. Food items are perishable. Except for fruit cakes, but chances are if you give somebody a fruit cake, you're gonna get it regifted to you next year. In the exact same condition as when you gifted it in the first place.

What about books? They're portable, economically feasible, varied, multipurpose, and there's one to fulfill anyone's interest. Even nonreaders (gasp!) might enjoy certain how-to volumes, magazines or coffee table type photo books. Plus, the purchase of books as gifts keeps the publishing industry, and authors like us, in business.

Just think of it. One trip to one bookstore (or online bookstore), and all your gift shopping could be OVER. Oh, the pleasure!

So what books do you want as gifts this holiday season? What are some great book gifts you've given in the past to people you knew really well or didn't know that well? What are some books you might have been given (or given) that really missed the mark?

Tell us all about your book gifting experiences and wishes in the comments! And don't forget, anyone who comments on this blog until December 21st is entered in our Cool Yule contest to win FREE BOOKS!

Jody W.
http://www.jodywallace.com
A SPELL FOR SUSANNAH--In Paper, Samhain Publishing
LIAM'S GOLD--In Electrons, Samhain Publishing

PS: If you must buy a giftcard, make it a bookstore giftcard!

Holiday Giveaways

As you may know, our mutual publisher, Samhain, is currently running a number of contests--books, goodies, even a Kindle or two. At the newsletter, the Samhellion, they're giving away a ton of free holiday themed short fiction.

What you don't know (because we just decided) is that we are going to do some holiday gifting here at Beyond the Veil, too!



Check back here tomorrow, Wednesday the 10th, for details. Cool stuff awaits you!

Jody W.
http://www.jodywallace.com
A SPELL FOR SUSANNAH--In Paper, Samhain Publishing
LIAM'S GOLD--In Electrons, Samhain Publishing

Recycled Posts

Since something terrific happened this week, I'm going to recycle this post from my own blog, earlier this week. Two posts, actually, but the first is a Public Service Annoucement:

There's a movement circulating 'round the web to help out the economy, bookstores, authors, and people buy encouraging them to buy books as gifts for the holidays. I can't find the original link, but I'm sure you've already heard about it.

Buying books is ALWAYS a good thing.

*You support authors - and we need all the support we can get!

*You support bookstores - and with the economy, they need all the help they can get too.

*Books don't expire, can be used again and again, and are pretty inexpensive, gift-wise.

*Most books are cheaper than a movie ticket (unless you're buying the fancy-schmancy hardcovers), and are portable entertainment.

* When you give a book, you're promoting literacy.

So, this holiday season....GIVE BOOKS! (I have some suggestions if you need them...)

ETA: Wait...found it! Here's the blog: Buy Books for the Holidays!

Now for my other recycled post:

Today, while not a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (whoa, I am spending far too much time in elementary school) was not the best day ever.

Then I got home and THE BOX was waiting. I was hoping it'd be in time for Philcon. And it is:

Yes, it IS a box of real live copies of The Crown of Zeus. Ain't they purty? Yes, they are, even on the back:

Yessss......love the books, so pretty and shiny.

And the product in proper usage:

Wow, I hardly remember how funny that part is! Go me! The Crown of Zeus in paperback is up for pre-order on Amazon now, and will officially launch on Dec. 29! (If you happen to be at Philcon next weekend, you'll be able to snag an early copy - autographed! Makes a terrific gift!)