Page by Paige

http://elizabethwrites.com/blog/2009/12/forget-perfect-and-embrace-all-things.php

This year, Jill, who runs Reading is Bliss, asked me to write a guest blog about the holidays and I was more than happy to do so.

You can read about what I love--and don't love-- about the holidays, and what I think is the most important thing to celebrate here.

And of course, although most of the blogs are pretty quiet, there's still a few links worth sharing:

Nathan Bransford is wondering how you start a new writing project--at over 150 comments, there's a lot to read here! (And I don't know about you, but I love reading about how other people write)

Pimp My Novel has a guest blog from Randy Susan Meyers about Books on Writing--I like how it's divided into two sections, Before (for when you are writing) and After (for when you are trying to sell your book)

And okay, I know this is pretty shameless, but Kate and Will from Perfect You were named the Number One Couple over at Not Enough Bookshelves!! -- After looking at all the other amazing couples listed, not only am I'm honored to be part of the list, I'm blown away that Kate and Will came in first! (And very grateful to Alexa for the honor!)

Oh! And today is the last day to get yourself a free book...

http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-holidays-from-tka.html

The Knight Agency will be closed from Monday, December 21st until Monday, January 4th, 2010.* We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday! See you in the New Year!!!

http://elizabethwrites.com/blog/2009/12/snow.php

We had our first snow of the year, and I guess Mother Nature wanted to make up for those 70 degree days we were having in November because WOW! We got about twenty inches in a day, which is (I think) a record-breaker. (And if nothing else, it looked beautiful)

I love snow, but today we're entering into the one part of snow I don't like, and that's the part where patches of it have turned to ice and you have to be extra super careful walking. As someone who is, shall we say, less than naturally graceful, I do not handle walking on slippery surfaces with ease. (Unless the ability to fall down A LOT counts as ease!)

So cross your fingers for me as I head out to take the dog to the vet today for a checkup, and I have some links to share:

The Intern on the weirdness that is book promotion

Nathan Bransford offers a look back at the year in publishing

Kristin Nelson does her yearly statistics roundup--For a look at her previous roundups, just check out my December archives for the past few years. (This year's numbers are, once again, just staggering--38,000 queries, and 6 new clients (!!))

A great post that suggests writers embrace use of "enthusiasm" rather than "disipline" when it comes to writing--"If you aren’t excited about what you’re writing how in the heck can you expect anyone else to be?...That isn’t to say being excited about your stories will mean you’ll never have another bad writing day. It doesn’t mean writing won’t ever be hard. I guarantee it will be. But at least you’ll be working hard because you want to be–not because discipline shamed you into it. Not because guilt told you to write or else. As writers, we understand the power of words. So why in the world do we constantly impose negative ones on this creative thing we’re supposed to love? Enough, I say. Starting today, focus on how to be more enthusiastic about your writing."

Editorial Anonymous with some sage advice on new vs. experienced agents

Justine Musk on procrastination -- The first one is my favorite. It sounds easy but it can actually be really, really hard.

A great little post about the unexpected perks of being an author

Confused by trends in books sales? Confused about sales of your own books? Don't worry, you aren't alone. No one seems to really know

I'm thrilled to say that both Something, Maybe (don't forget that you--yes, YOU!--get a free book for buying this!) and Love You Hate You Miss You are nominees for the Children's Book Council Award, and if you wanted to, you could vote for them, or any of the other amazing books, listed here

And! I was so surprised when I found out that Stealing Heaven is one of the nominees for the 2010-2011 Missouri Association of School Librarians Gateway Award, I actually wrote to the librarian who sent me the note about the nomination and told her I was sure she'd made a mistake. But I was wrong (no shock there, right?) and Stealing Heaven is a nominee--along with so many other WOW! books that I'm still surprised--and very honored) to be on the list. (Thank you, Missouri!!!)

http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-week-grand-finale-featuring.html

UPDATE: The winner of AN ENCHANTED SEASON, GLASS HOUSES and THE DEAD GIRLS' DANCE 2-in-1 book, DARKNESS CALLS and ARTHAS is Carol (posted under "Anonymous" at 3:31am). Please send your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net. If the prize is not claimed in two weeks, another winner will be selected.

Also, we're happy to announce the winner of our week-long scavenger hunt -- Elie!!! She will receive a MEGA prize pack of TKA books, along with some special holiday treats. Thanks to everyone who participated!!!!

We're finishing off Christmas Week in style with a grand finale post featuring four of TKA's NYT bestselling authors! These lovely ladies answered a fun holiday Q&A post and are each giving away a book! Leave a comment to be entered in the random drawing for all four titles: AN ENCHANTED SEASON by Nalini Singh, et al., a 2-in-1 trade paperback of GLASS HOUSES and THE DEAD GIRLS' DANCE by Rachel Caine DARKNESS CALLS by Marjorie M. Liu, and ARTHAS, A World of Warcraft Novel by Christie Golden.*** The winner will be announced Monday afternoon (12/21/09).

Don't forget our scavenger hunt question! Collect all 5 answers and enter to win a Christmas stocking filled with oodles of books and holiday treats! Last question at the end of the post.

MARJORIE: Oh, man! I can't just name one! A Wonderful Life, Holiday Inn, Babes in Toyland, The Bishop's Wife, Holiday Affair, Die Hard, and A Smoky Mountain Christmas (video below). And, of course, anything to do with the Nutcracker.

NALINI: The Princess Bride. It's not technically a holiday movie, but it always used to be on T.V. during Christmas time when I was younger, and it really fits - it's funny, romantic, and it leaves you sighing with happiness.

RACHEL: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. LOVE that story, and the movie too. It's always been my favorite.

CHRISTIE: The Bishop's Wife, the original with Cary Grant and David Niven. I like it because while its sweet, it's not saccharine, and come on...Cary Grant as an angel? How can that miss? I also am very fond of Rudolph and The Little Drummer Boy.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED CHILDHOOD MEMORY OF THE HOLIDAYS?

MARJORIE: I have so many. We lived in the Pacific Northwest, and my dad and I would go fishing or down to the docks to throw in nets for crabs (for Christmas dinner) and then my mom and I would bake all kinds of pies and cookies. We also had fun making ornaments, and searching for THE PERFECT TREE. Easier said than done! The house was always full of Christmas music -- still is, this time of year.

NALINI: For me, it's all about family, about being able to spend time laughing, eating and relaxing with those I love. Those are the best memories.

RACHEL: My mother made me a totally fantastic red Victorian dress for Christmas -- floor length, with about 5 yards of fabric in the skirt. I just loved that dress. It made the holiday feel so wonderfully traditional and festive.

CHRISTIE: Waking up early with my father and having to WAIT while my older siblings and mom woke up on Christmas Day! Hard as it was at the time, in retrospect, those are very dear moments spent with my father in a very quiet space.

WHAT WAS THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED? THE WORST?

MARJORIE: Just being with family was always a wonderful gift.

NALINI: Ooooh, hard question. One Christmas present I received a long time ago that I still have is a giant stuffed bear that's bigger than my cousin's five-year-old. I loved him when I got him, and I love him still :-) As for the worst...we won't mention those ;-) It is the season of goodwill after all!

RACHEL: Best: a professional quality clarinet (I was planning on being a professional musician before I turned author!). Worst: um, not to throw my husband under the bus, but there was this Lionel train ...

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS:

White lights or multi-colored?

MARJORIE: Either one. I love lights.

NALINI: White.

RACHEL: White!

Real tree or plastic?

MARJORIE: I prefer real, but once the trees dry and the needles drop -- and it all becomes a fire trap -- I begin to prefer plastic!

NALINI: Plastic. (Actually, the best word would be fibre-optic *grin*)

RACHEL: Fake all the way. BUT NICE. And not prelit, because that's totally cheating.

CHRISTIE: Depends--if it's classy, plastic is convenient...real, though, smells sooo good.

Love to gift wrap or where’s the gift bag?

MARJORIE: Depends on the gift!

NALINI: Gift wrap.

RACHEL: Depends on the gift. I don't mind the easy to wrap ones, but if it's odd sized, gimme the bag!

CHRISTIE: Gift bag!

Gifts: Surprise you or best to just ask what you want?

MARJORIE: I love a good surprise.

NALINI: Torn, I'm torn! Both.

RACHEL: I'm easy. :)

CHRISTIE: Ask what I want through the year and then surprise me. :D

The day after Christmas: Ready to shop to you drop or avoiding all streets that lead to the mall.

MAJORIE: I don't do a whole lot of shopping, so I'm the kind who definitely stays at home, eating leftovers in my pajamas, and reading a good book.

NALINI: Avoid, avoid, avoid!

RACHEL: I curl up and watch movies all day. It's the best day off EVER.

CHRISTIE: Avoid like mad. This is the time to stay home, eat leftovers, and enjoy your gifts and family.

CHRISTMAS WEEK CONTESTS: Remember, there are TWO ways to win! Today's prize is AN ENCHANTED SEASON by Nalini Singh, et al., a 2-in-1 trade paperback of GLASS HOUSES and THE DEAD GIRLS' DANCE by Rachel Caine, and DARKNESS CALLS by Marjorie M. Liu! The winner will be announced Monday afternoon (12/21/09).

Also, at the bottom of each post there is a scavenger hunt question. The answer can be located somewhere on the authors' websites. Send in all 5 correct answers* to the scavenger hunt questions, and you will be entered in a drawing to win a TKA Surprise Christmas Stocking filled with books and holiday treats!!!

SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTION (5 of 5): Which one of the authors above (Nalini, Rachel or Marjorie) once wrote under the pen name Julie Fortune? Visit www.NaliniSingh.com, www.RachelCaine.com and www.MarjorieMLiu.com to find the answer! ***Christie Golden was a late addition to this post, therefore she's not an "official" part of the scavenger hunt. However, please DO visit her awesome website, www.ChristieGolden.com for information on her awesome sci-fi, fantasy and horror novels!!

*Please note, that the correct answers to the scavenger hunt questions must be sent in at one time. You must collect all 5 answers and send them in one email. Entries for the scavenger hunt will be accepted from Friday, December 18th thru Sunday, December 20th at midnight. The winner will be announed on this blog Monday, December 21st, 2009. If you have any questions about this contest, please contact contests(AT)knightagency.net.

http://elizabethwrites.com/blog/2009/12/well-winter-is-finally-here.php

Winter--the actual cold weather and not seventy degrees passing itself as "winter" because there's a little breeze--has arrived. And I love it!

Also, and in completely unrelated news, my husband is now addicted to popchips, those potato chips that are air-popped. I don't know what it is about them, but last night he ate his third bag in three days (!) and then asked me if I wanted to go to the grocery store.

So he wanted to to the grocery store, right? Big deal.

Oh no, my friends. This is *unprecedented* as my husband does not like to go anywhere after work, especially since Call of Duty 6/Modern Warfare 2 came out. (I have to say, one of the many trailers for that game is pretty mesmerizing, and I can't be the only person who feels that way because the song that's used in it, which is about seven years old, is in the top 100 singles on iTunes these days (number 42 as of this morning))

So anyway, I will be stocking up on popchips when we go grocery shopping this weekend. (He keeps trying to get me to try them but I'm not giving up my Fritos for some chip. I don't care how great it is. Nothing beats Fritos. Nothing!)

Moving on to links:

Agent Jessica Faust on a question from a writer whose novel has been praised by a critically acclaimed author, but who has yet to get an offer of representation from an agent -- Interesting and eye-opening, and I take her point about the power of blurbs, even as I have to say I do think they can make a difference. (I'm still thankful every day for the amazing blurb that super awesome Sarah Dessen gave Something, Maybe--and yes, the thing where if you buy a copy of it you get a FREE book is still going on!

Agent Kristin Nelson is still answering reader questions -- I was especially interested in her thoughts on Kirkus shutting down.

A writer with a full-time job wants to hear from other writers who do the same thing--Writing while working full-time is something I did for a while, though admittedly I wasn't actively pursuing publication for 99% of that time, and I think that if you are, or if you're trying to write a book that's already under contract and do all the stuff that comes with it plus work full-time, that's a lot to handle! (I think there is a huge difference between just writing and then writing and the publication process, which involves not just more writing/rewriting but also publicity and so on)

An interesting post about writing speed, which I hadn't thought about before, but okay, people can write 1500 words an hour for hours on a daily basis????? Wow. I'm mostly posting this because I love this line from the post so much: "Keep writing, write well. It's not a race. Do this for yourself."

Justine Musk on inspiriation--and Britney Spears

Agent/Author Nathan Bransford on writing contests

More answers to reader questions from Kristin Nelson, but what really grabbed me from this particular blog entry was her link to mega-agent Richard Curtis' post about ebook rights

Laredo, Texas could soon be the largest city in America with no bookstores

Tess Gerritsen on the writing process

Not at all writing or publishing related, but with eight million plus views, and hello, Matt Damon!, take a minute and check this out

http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-week-guest-blog-and-giveaway_17.html

As I sit here trying to come up with a brilliant blog entry, I could use a couple Christmas miracles right now. Number one would be that I actually get the blog entry written before it needs to be posted. Number two would be that my house would miraculously decorate itself. Am I the only one in the world with a naked Christmas tree and zero decorations on display? I shouldn’t be concerned—I have at least another week before Christmas, right? Then there’s the pile of presents to wrap. And the cookies and banana nut bread and bran muffin mix I wanted to make. There’s a ton of stuff hanging over my head right now.

But as I think about it, that’s the kind of stuff that doesn’t really matter in the long run. Christmas isn’t about decorations or presents or bran muffins. It’s about miracles—and one miracle in particular that happened in the little town of Bethlehem many years ago when a baby with the name of Immanuel (God with us) came on the scene. That was the first Christmas miracle, and God has been doing Christmas miracles ever since.

The dictionary describes a miracle as “an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.” I describe a miracle as “a big wow.” “Wow” is about the only thing I can say when something that doesn’t seem possible in the physical realm happens.

I work full-time with bestselling author Cecil (Cec) Murphey as his manager and personal assistant. He and author Marley Gibson joined forces to work on a wonderful book project called CHRISTMAS MIRACLES, published by St. Martin’s Press. It was already in its third printing before it released on October 13. I did a lot of behind-the-scenes work on the book. I’ve handled much of the publicity for it. I’ve worked very closely with the 44 contributors. And, because I’ve personally experienced many “wow moments,” I was able to contribute two of my own stories: “Poinsettias from God” and “It Took a Miracle.”

The book has 48 real-life stories of everyday people who have experienced life-changing moments of hope, comfort, and transformation. Some of the stories involve God’s perfect timing. Others showcase God’s provision or loving care at a difficult time. Some make the reader smile. Others bring tears to the eyes. They all serve as reminders that God still does miracles TODAY. They serve as reminders that GOD IS WITH US. That’s an encouraging message.

As I’ve corresponded with the contributors, I’ve learned of a few heartwarming stories that have happened because of the book.

The contributor copies of the book were a bit late arriving because of going into the third printing. Here’s what one contributor said: “I couldn't wait, so I ran to Barnes and Noble and picked up a copy of CHRISTMAS MIRACLES. It's beautiful! My friend and I were perusing it when a homeless man asked us about it. Long story short, God used that wonderful little book to bring a lot of hope and encouragement to him. It really was transforming for him. He went from very discouraged and depressed to eyes brimming with tears and filled with hope. He even started talking about his lost dreams and who God had created him to be.”

In a note I received this week, another contributor mentioned that she had a couple of memorable experiences because of the book. Her story, “Sean’s Question,” is the last story in the book. It’s about losing a child and how God touched her during that time. She said, “I happened to be sitting next to a man in a public place who had lost a child. I knew that this person had struggled with anger and other emotions due to the circumstances of the loss. Because someone talked about the book and he overheard, we were able to have a conversation about our common experience. I told him about sharing my story in the book and gave him a CHRISTMAS MIRACLES postcard. A week later I received a phone call from him at work, and he told me that he had gone out and bought the book after we talked, and that he had read my story and some of the other stories in the book. He said he didn't think it was a coincidence that our paths had crossed and that we had talked. He wanted me to know how much he appreciated it. He seemed very touched by the book.”

Isn’t that just like God? He does miracles around the book about miracles!

Are you longing for a touch of the miraculous in your life right now? I’m not talking about the finish-the-blog-entry type of miracle or the getting-the-house-decorated miracle. Maybe you’re discouraged because of circumstances beyond your control. Maybe you’re wondering how you’ll make it through the next few weeks. Maybe you’ve run out of hope. I want to encourage you to remember that God is with you. He’s still in the miracle business. And Christmas is the perfect time to let God show you Himself in a fresh and new way.

May your eyes and heart be open to the miracles God wants to do on your behalf, and may your days be filled with joy, peace, and hope in abundance.

Merry Christmas!

BTW—You’re invited to join us for lots of CHRISTMAS MIRACLES talk tonight in the TKA chat room. Cec, Marley, and many of the contributors will be there. We’d love to “meet” you.

CHRISTMAS WEEK CONTESTS: Remember, there are TWO ways to win! Each day this week (December 14th - 18th) a guest blogger will give away a signed book to one person randomly chosen from the comment section. Today's prize is CHRISTMAS MIRACLES by Cecil Murphey and Marley Gibson! Check back in this post tomorrow morning to find out if you are the winner!

Also, at the bottom of each post there is a scavenger hunt question. The answer can be located somewhere on the author's website. Send in all 5 correct answers* to the scavenger hunt questions, and you will be entered in a drawing to win a TKA Surprise Christmas Stocking filled with books and holiday treats!!!

SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTION (4 of 5): Which one of the CHRISTMAS MIRACLES authors (Cec or Marley) once worked as an elementary school teacher? Visit www.ChristmasMiraclesBook.com to find the answer!

*Please note, that the correct answers to the scavenger hunt questions must be sent in at one time. You must collect all 5 answers and send them in one email. Entries for the scavenger hunt will be accepted from Friday, December 18th thru Sunday, December 20th at midnight. The winner will be announed on this blog Monday, December 21st, 2009. If you have any questions about this contest, please contact contests(AT)knightagency.net.

http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-week-guest-blog-and-giveaway_16.html

Also, at the bottom of each post there is a scavenger hunt question. The answer can be located somewhere on the author's website. Send in all 5 correct answers* to the scavenger hunt questions, and you will be entered in a drawing to win a TKA Surprise Christmas Stocking filled with books and holiday treats!!!


SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTION (3 of 5): Which one of Michelle's 2009 releases features Mitchell Brody as the main character? Visit www.MichelleCelmer.com to find the answer!


*Please note, that the correct answers to the scavenger hunt questions must be sent in at one time. You must collect all 5 answers and send them in one email. Entries for the scavenger hunt will be accepted from Friday, December 18th thru Sunday, December 20th at midnight. The winner will be announed on this blog Monday, December 21st, 2009. If you have any questions about this contest, please contact contests(AT)knightagency.net.

http://elizabethwrites.com/blog/2009/12/i-guess-i-meant-speeding-up.php

Wow, was I wrong about industry blogs slowing down, as is witnessed by today's load of links.

Also, don't forget that you've got a little over a week left to get your holiday gift!!

The promised links:

Agent Kristin Nelson on the latest publishing dust-up plus more answers to reader questions (and the questions are really good!)

Jessica Faust on needing/having different agents for different genres

Guy Gavriel Kay talks about how book reviewing has changed (Yay for bloggers!!)

Rachel Aaron has a really lovely post up about the ever-changing nature of writing -- "Books are like forests. When seen from the road or on maps they appear contained, green blocks squeezed in between fields, but when you’re lost in one and the sun is sinking, nothing feels larger or more overwhelming. This is how I feel sometimes when I write: lost in something that looked so sure and easy, fumbling, feeling like I’m going the right way but never sure."

Great post by Will Hindmarch on Worrying Out Of Order -- "spend so much time reading about the future of media, about the death of publishing and the fate of authors, about what the writer’s career may look like in the next few years, that I’ve forgotten where I have the most control over my fate: at the keyboard."

Booksquare on what will save publishing

http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2009/12/its-almost-party-time.html

Where: TKA Chat Room

When:Thursday, December 17th @ 9pm ET

How To Chat: (1) Click on this link:

http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=115545 (2) Enter a username and password (any combination) (3) Click Login

*The winner of the first chapter critique will not be able to submit their work for the one week turnaround until after our holiday break (we need rest too!). So, anytime after January 4th, 2010 this prize can be redeemed. If you have questions about this contest or chat, please email info(AT)knightagency.net.

http://rejecter.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-stand-corrected.html

My boss has informed me that she really likes getting cards in the mail. My previous boss was the one who didn't care for them. So, take that into account. It couldn't hurt, but again, it's not expected. But it's nice.

http://elizabethwrites.com/blog/2009/12/morningsurgh.php

Lately (okay, for the past two days), I've been getting up when my husband does, which is extremely, mind-numbingly early, in an attempt to get myself to exercise because I have been slacking very badly on that as of late.

I have to say, being so sleepy is rather helpful--it's like I'm too tired to protest, so I just exercise to get it over with. (I still don't know how people love exercise, but maybe that will kick in at some point???)

On the minus side of this equation, getting up so early means I'm super tired and yawning non-stop by nine p.m. Which, even for me, the queen of uncool, is pretty darn uncool! Next thing you know, I'll be going to bed at seven, getting up at three a.m.---nope. Won't go down that road. (I don't want to get up at three in the morning!!!)

Since it's the holiday season, the blogs are slowing down a bit, but there's still stuff to share:

Editorial Ass on losing an author to another house -- I don't think I've ever seen an editor talk about this before, and it's a very interesting post!

Agent Jessica Faust on negotiating advances -- Thoughtful post, and interesting comments too.

Agent and soon-to-be-author Nathan Bransford on the continuing problems of publishers and their problems finding sure-fire bestsellers -- "...from a publisher's perspective, they're often willing to pay big advances because their profits hinge on a relatively small number of hits and bestsellers. Thus the authors/celebrities who can reliably deliver an audience become hugely valuable. If a publisher doesn't pay a healthy advance they risk losing their bread-and-butter authors and the most promising new projects to their competitors.

From an agent's and author's perspective, there's not always a strong incentive to move away from traditional advance/royalties either, simply because it's often appealing to bank the guaranteed money and head for the desert.

In economics they call this the Winner's Curse, which is the theory that when you don't know what an object is truly worth (e.g. how many copies a book will actually sell) the winner of an auction will tend to overpay relative to the actual value of the object. The theory goes that someone who wins an auction is often worse off than if they hadn't bid at all."

Finally, as it is the holiday season, and this, quite frankly, looks amazing--if I could eat chocolate, I'd be making a batch today--Triple Chocolate Cookies n’ Cream Peppermint Bark

http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-week-guest-blog-and-giveaway_15.html

It’s that magical time of the year again! This past Friday marked the first night of Chanukah, and since I was a kid I’ve had eight nights of latke-eating, dreidl-spinning, chocolate-nomming, and present-opening – and, best of all, candle-lighting. I’ve always loved the candles the best, always and forever.
However, the Chanukah presents I got as a kid did not inspire shock and awe – Chanukah is traditionally a minor holiday in the Jewish calendar. One year I got a peanut – a peanut! It was part of a biology kit where you could sprout the peanut and see the root growth or something – I never learned the details because, I am sorry to say, I ate it.


Another year I got Mexican jumping beans, and I had the sense to at least not eat them. But they were dud beans and didn’t even wiggle. A sad, sad little present, that one…

But I honestly didn’t really care, because for me Chanukah has always been all about the lights. Chanukah is about the victory of a tiny, fragile flame over the forces that seek to snuff it out.


It is therefore the perfect holiday for writers, no matter what their background – our dreams are sparks, and writing itself is a way of shining light into the world. The best presents I’ve ever gotten were in the spirit of that little flame shining in the night.


My sixth grade teacher, Mr. Brady, once gave me a magical Chanukah present – he disguised it as a prize for my writing, and it was one of the most wonderful presents I’ve ever received. He gave me the book BLACK BEAUTY, and called my parents in to the school to tell them I was a born writer. He was the first person to insist I was meant to be a writer, and to this day I am in Mr. Brady’s debt.


That gift has stayed with me forever, not only the book itself, but the generous, loving spirit of its giver, my teacher. My passion for writing was a fitful little ember in those days, and Mr. Brady gave me the gift of seeing that light in me, and encouraging it to shine.

If you have a writer in your life, the best present you could give them is one that fans the flame inside of them to write. Time to write, books, chocolate…anything that celebrates that light’s desire to dance.

I want to pass on that giving spirit. I have a special present for you – a contest! One person will win a copy of the newly-released MAMMOTH BOOK OF TIME-TRAVEL ROMANCE, with not eight, or even twelve, but over *twenty* stories of love, powerful enough to defy time and space. I have a story in this collection, “The Walled Garden,” that considers the precious gifts we sometimes give each other without realizing. May you be inspired by these stories to write your own…


All you have to do to win is share in the comments – if you are a writer, what are you hoping to get this holiday season? Or, what was the best present you ever got? Think of it as a public service – there are only four days of Chanukah left, but there’s still plenty of time to get these presents, for yourself or from somebody you love… If you are all out of ideas, just leave a comment and we’ll throw your name in the magic hat.

Thank you for sharing your ideas, and may your holidays be filled with generosity, warmth, laughter, and light!

http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-week-guest-blog-and-giveaway.html

UPDATE: The winner of a signed copy of FLESH AND SPIRIT by Carol Berg is Sandy Shin! Congrats! Please send your physical address to contests(AT)knightagency.net.

First a little bit of introduction, and then onto Carol Berg's awesome post! This week we're celebrating the holidays with a line-up of guest bloggers, including Carol, Michele Lang, Michelle Celmer, Twila Belk and a very special mega-blog on Friday featuring New York TImes bestselling authors Marjorie M. Liu, Rachel Caine, Christie Golden and Nalini Singh! As part of the celebration ALL of the authors are giving away signed copies of their books and TKA is hosting a special scavenger hunt!

http://elizabethwrites.com/blog/2009/12/burnt.php

I did something so stupid this weekend--I was out, and someone sneezed on me (for real. This guy just turns and wham! achoos right in my face) and so I went and washed my face and then decided to put some hand sanitizer on my hands for good measure.

Well, you know how I have that big snake ring on the middle finger of my right hand? Some hand sanitizer got stuck in it and it burned my skin! It hurt so much and the worst part is, my finger looks--well, it looks like it got burnt. Badly. (Blisters and everything!) So now I can't wear the ring until my finger gets better and I miss it!!

Also, I had no idea hand sanitizer could be so--well, burny! (I know it isn't a word, but it should be.) At least I know better now, right?

Moving on, I have some links to share:

Agent Jessica Faust wants to know what conferences you think are worth attending--this is one of those blog entries where the interesting stuff is all in the comments. I like seeing what conferences people feel are "must-attends"

Justine Musk has a little more to say about building an author platform, this time about catching a reader's attention and she's got a post up about writing fast as well.

In Justine's blog post about writing fast, she linked to this blog post, which I'm 99.9% sure I've linked to before, if only because reading it made me think "Wow!"--Jeff Vandermeer's How To Write A Novel In Two Months -- it's an older post, but a really great one, especially if you want to see how writers can--and do--write books very quickly.

PS Don't forget you've still got time to get a free book!