Archive for January, 2011

Stop two on the blog tour!

 

The Girl in the Gatehouse

By Julie Klassen

Historical Fiction / Inspirational

Release Date: January 2011

Synopsis:

Mariah Aubrey lives in seclusion with her secrets.
Will an ambitious captain uncover her identity… and her hidden past?

GirlintheGatehouse_4colorCover.indd Banished from the only home she’s ever known, Mariah Aubrey hides herself away in an abandoned gatehouse on a distant relative’s estate. There she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how—by writing novels in secret.

When Captain Matthew Bryant leases the estate, he is intrigued by the beautiful girl in the gatehouse. But there are many things he doesn’t know about this beguiling outcast. Will he risk his plans—and his heart—for a woman shadowed by scandal?

Intriguing, mysterious, and romantic, The Girl in the Gatehouse takes readers inside the life of a secret authoress at a time when novel-writing was considered improper for ladies and the smallest hint of impropriety could change a woman’s life forever.

My Thoughts:

Last January, I reviewed Klassen’s 2010 release, The Silent Governess. I didn’t have many good things to say about it, and I wanted to slap the main character. As you might expect, I went into this one with a bit of trepidation and a sprinkle of hope.

And you know what? I liked it. The Girl in the Gatehouse wasn’t as clever or surprising as, say, Lady of Milkweed Manor, but it was a refreshing story with realistic characters and a plot that moves along at a good pace. 

Apparently this novel was heavily influenced by Jane Austen’s work (the author’s note at the end explains exactly how), and as someone who’s never read Austen before, I was surprised at how much I liked this book and am now wondering if I need to get off my high horse and read some of Jane’s work. Argh! And I resisted for so long!

Ah, but back to this book. Unlike in her previous offering, I found the main character for this book to be much stronger, even though her off-screen impropriety was much more severe than Klassen’s other heroines.

There were moments when the story dragged, or when I thought a subplot was getting a bit messy, but I wonder if that might have been due to personal taste—I’ll be the first to admit I’m unfamiliar with the conventions in ‘Jane Austen period’ (Regency) lit.

On the whole, I thought the author skillfully evoked the atmosphere of the historical period she was writing in, and I didn’t mind the characters or the plot. In fact, I’d recommend the book to fans of period historicals and Jane Austen readers.

The inspirational element of the book is very minor, and fits in with the period atmosphere, when majority of people were still attending church and claimed to believe in God. Discussion of God flows naturally from the text, and doesn’t overwhelm the story or even jump out in a way that would make you point and say “Christian fiction!!!”. It’s subtle enough to blend in, as you’d expect from a historical in any genre.

If Austen/Regency is your thing, give this one a shot! (And I’ll give Austen a shot… *sigh*… I suppose it’s about time…) :)

Want More?

Here’s a Q & A with the author! –> Questions with Julie Klassen on her latest release

Read an excerpt from the novel! –> Excerpt from ‘The Girl in the Gatehouse’

About the Author

Klassen_Julie_0 Julie Klassen is a fiction editor with a background in advertising. She has worked in Christian publishing for more than twelve years, in both marketing and editorial capacities. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She enjoys travel, research, books, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends.

Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit www.julieklassen.com

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

30
Jan

January Blog Tour: ‘The Damascus Way’

   Posted by: Faith    in Rye Thoughts

That’s right… it’s blog tour time with Graf-Martin and Baker books! New year, new books, more thoughts about the direction CBA publishers are taking.

For those of you who are new to the blog (*waves* hello!), at the end of (almost) every month, I review a book or two published by Baker Books, from either their Revell or Bethany House lines. Fiction and non-fiction are both game.

If you’re not into CBA or inspirational books, skip these next few reviews. If you’re curious, or want to hear what’s passing for historical fiction in the Christian Booksellers Association these days, stick around! You may get a different perspective on the market.

And without further ado, I have two books for you this month! One I liked, one… not so much. We’ll do “not so much” today and save the best for last.

 

The Damascus Way (Acts of Faith, Book 3)

by Davis Bunn & Jannette Oke

Historical Fiction / Inspirational

Release Date: January 2011

Synopsis:

The fledgling church is being scattered by persecution.
It is spearheaded by a fanatical young Pharisee who does not realize he is unwittingly aiding a divine mandate to spread the truth "unto the ends of the earth…"

DamascusWay_coverTP.inddYoung Julia has everything money can buy—except for acceptance by either Gentiles or Judeans in Tiberias. When she discovers the secret her beloved Greek father has kept all these years, she is devastated. Julia and her Hebrew mother are indeed less than second-class citizens. Her future is dark with clouds of uncertainty.

Jacob, Abigail’s brother, is now a young man attempting to find his own place among the community of believers. Does it mean trading away the exhilaration and adventure of his current profession as a caravan guard? Hired by Julia’s father to protect a wealthy merchant’s caravans on the secretive "Frankincense Trail," Jacob also reluctantly takes on the perilous responsibility of passing letters and messages between communities of believers now dispersed across the land. He is alarmed to discover that Julia, hardly more than a girl, is also a courier. Can their initial mistrust be put aside to accomplish their mission?

An earthshaking encounter on the way to Damascus has repercussions far beyond the lives of Julia and Jacob.

My Thoughts:

I’m not going to say a whole lot about this book because—I’ll be completely honest here—I didn’t finish it. It wasn’t badly written, and in fact both these authors are greatly experienced writers who are experts in their own genres.

However, I was bored out of my skull.

I simply think I was the wrong audience for this one. I hesitate to give it a bad review—in fact, I don’t think it deserves a bad review—because I think it’s a book that would be perfect for the audience it was written for.

And who is that? Church library readers or readers of inspirational fiction who want more Christian content than plot.

I read nearly half the book, and had yet to feel that there was a plot worth caring about. Some of the characters were interesting, but even then, I had difficulty believing that every single person, in every single scenario, would want to talk about their religious beliefs. Hmm. Not entirely realistic. While I understand that the time period of this book was a time of serious religious reform and uprising in the area, does that mean it was all anyone talked about?

I don’t think so.

I also didn’t feel really involved with the story, in the sense that I didn’t feel pulled into the setting and time period the way I like to be in a historical… particularly one set in the Near East, which I’ve studied.

On their own, both these authors have had great success and are fortunate enough to have huge fan bases. Janette Oke in particular has been writing for decades. Both these authors know how to write, so I wonder why this book wasn’t nearly as accessible as their other volumes? Particularly when they had such an engaging time period to work with. I know they’ve collaborated together on a number of series, so they must have a good readership for their combined efforts if they’re still writing together.

Like I said, it’s not badly written. I just don’t think I was the right audience. In fact, I think it would be a great book in the right hands, for the right person. Leave it in the church libraries, or give a copy to your Grandmother! She’ll love it, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. :)

About the Authors

Bunn_Davis Davis Bunn is an award-winning novelist whose audience spans reading genres from high drama and action thrillers to heartwarming relationship stories, in both contemporary and historical settings. He and his wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write. Visit Davis’ Web site atwww.davisbunn.com.

Oke_JanetteJanette Oke (pronounced "oak") pioneered inspirational fiction and is the leading author in the category today. Love Co mes Softly, her first novel, has sold over one million copies. Janette is now the bestselling author of over 70 books, 32 of which have been translated into fourteen languages. Her books have sold over 22 million copies.

Janette receives fan mail from all over the world and answers each letter personally. She received the 1992 President’s Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for her significant contribution to Christian fiction, the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award and has been awarded the Gold Medallion Award for fiction. Janette and her husband, Edward, have four grown children and enjoy their many grandchildren. They make their home in Canada.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

28
Jan

Notebooks & Willow Trees

   Posted by: Faith    in Rye Thoughts

I read a blog post on MFA Confidential the other day about notebooks. The post was entitled: “Does Anyone Use a Notebook Anymore?”, and detailed the blogger’s concern over whether she had become too dependent on her computer…but also commenting on how antiquated the notion of writing in a notebook is. notebooks

One friend of the blogger told her: “What was good enough for Shakespeare should be good enough for you,” to which she replies that if Shakespeare had toilets available over chamber pots, he’d most likely have used that instead – same idea as laptop vs. notebook use.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I bristled a little at her comments about writing in a notebook being ‘Elizabethan’ or ‘totally anachronistic’. At one point in the blog post, she mentions that maybe there’s some kind of communion between the brain/hand & pen/paper that doesn’t happen when you’re typing on a computer.

I’d be inclined to agree with that! While it’s no longer practical to write entire novels in longhand (though I know a number of people who have), I use pen & paper to write many of my short stories. I find that the physical act of writing is somehow cathartic, and allows me to put my thoughts down much more freely than when I’m typing at a computer. I censor myself more on the computer. I get caught up ‘researching’ and avoid writing at all.

With a pen & notebook in hand, there’s nothing to do but write!

I also do all my round-one revisions in longhand. Sometimes that means re-writing nearly the entire manuscript in between the lines of the first draft. However, that physical act of crossing out, changing, moving things around keeps my mind focused on what I’m doing.

Planning, plotting – all longhand in a notebook.

Character descriptions / world maps – all longhand in a notebook.

Wouldn't you love to sit here and just write? For me, the physical process of creating something is what gives the notebook approach its power. And judging by the comments on that blog post, there’s plenty of other writers out there that feel the same way!

So, for Ms. Morrison who wondered, “who among us has every actually written anything under a willow tree?”

I have. And I’ve written on a bench, on the grass, in the house, with a mouse…oh wait, sorry, wrong train of thought. But you get the idea. :)

 

How about you? Notebook? Laptop? Indoor writing? Outside (preferably when it’s not snowing or raining, that is)? Do you find writing longhand ‘Elizabethan’ or freeing?

24
Jan

Looking for a Muse Booster?

   Posted by: Faith    in Rye Thoughts

It’s (sort-of) the start of a new year, and as inspiring as that is, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all those stories we’ve been working on will magically come together and the characters will start behaving the way they should.

So, why not re-inspire your Muse with a workshop or two?

Now, I’ll give a little disclaimer here: I love learning. I’m listing these workshops for you because I suspect you might like learning too, not because I’m getting any kickbacks for mentioning them (I wish!).

If I don’t have one listed here that you’re planning on taking, let us know about it!

Or maybe there’s something completely different that you wish someone would hold a workshop on, but you can never seem to find… I’ll keep my eyes open for it! :)

 

Upcoming February Workshops

Storytelling and Folktales

January 31st-February 27th – Instructor: Masha Holl

Held by: Black Diamond RWA (RWA Chapter)

Cost: $25.00 (non-members)

 

Running in the Dark: Organic Structure for Character-Driven Stories

January 31st-February 6th – Instructor: Jody Henley

Held by: SavvyAuthors

Cost: $20.00 (Basic Members; free Basic membership)

 

The Language of Liars

January 31st-February 27th – Instructor: Lucinda Schroeder

Held by: SavvyAuthors

Cost: $25.00 (Basic Members; free Basic membership)

 

Short Story, Big Impact: Taking the Short Story Road to Success

January 31st-February 25th – Instructor: Anna Hackett

Held by: Colorado Romance Writers (RWA Chapter)

Cost: $25.00 (non-members)

 

Writing for Young Adults

January 31st-February 27th – Instructor: Genie Davis

Held by: SavvyAuthors

Cost: $25.00 (Basic Members; free Basic membership)

 

Business on a Shoestring: Dealing with the Business Part of the Writing Business

February 1st-28th – Instructor: Dr. L. Pepper Norris

Held by: Celtic Hearts Romance Writers (RWA Chapter)

Cost: $20.00 (non-members)

 

Mind Your MANerisms (How to Make Your Heroes Behave Like REAL Men)

February 1st-15th – Instructor: Dr. Stuart

Held by: Celtic Hearts Romance Writers (RWA Chapter)

Cost: $20.00 (non-members)

 

Developing Historical Character Sketches

February 7th-18th – Instructor: Kimberly Killion

Held by: Hearts Through History (RWA Chapter)

Cost: $20.00 (non-members)

 

Cracking the Romance Code

February 7th-27th – Instructor: Kimberly Llewellyn

Held by: Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter (RWA Chapter)

Cost: $25.00 (non-members)

 

Spilling the Beans: Secrets, Lies, and Backstory

February 7th-March 6th – Instructor: Lynn Kerstan

Held by: SavvyAuthors

Cost: $25.00 (Basic Members; free Basic membership)

 

Secrets of the Prolific: How to Overcome Procrastination, Perfectionism and Writer’s Block

February 7th-March 6th – Instructor: Hilary Rettig

Held by: SavvyAuthors

Cost: $30.00 (Basic Members; free Basic membership)

 

Writing Kick Butt Action Adventure

February 14th-March 13th – Instructor: Linnea Sinclair

Held by: SavvyAuthors

Cost: $25.00 (Basic Members; free Basic membership)

 

All About Agents

February 14th-27th – Instructor: Kara Lennox

Held by: From the Heart (RWA Chapter)

Cost: $20.00 (non-members)

 

The Plotting Wheel

February 28th-March 27th – Instructors: Sue Viders & Becky Martinez

Held by: Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter (RWA Chapter)

Cost: $25.00 (non-members)

 

…now, go ye forth and learn!!!

20
Jan

Book Review: ‘Tyger Tyger’

   Posted by: Faith    in Tasty Tomes

Tyger Tyger

by Kersten Hamilton

YA Fantasy

Release Date: October 2010

Synopsis (from Amazon.ca):

tyger tyger Teagan Wylltson’s best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures–goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty–are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn’t worried. Her life isn’t in danger. In fact, it’s perfect. She’s on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She’s focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn’s a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he’s crazy or he’s been haunting Abby’s dreams, because he’s talking about goblins, too…and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby’s right. The goblins are coming.

My Thoughts:

I wanted to love this book… I mean really love it. I thought a book about goblins sounded unique, and might present a fascinating, new spin on things…

Turns out that goblins are just fey by a different name. Turns out the author relies very heavily on exposition (let’s call it what it is: infodump) in the first section of the novel, which nearly caused me to walk away from it.

Now, it’s not all bad. In fact, once the second half of the book begins — three months after the first half — the action and characterization pick up in a significant way, and the story pulls you in because Things Are Happening. But by this point, we’ve lost the ability to make a meaningful connection to the main character. It doesn’t help that the tragedy at the end of part one is glossed over, with part two picking up months afterward, because that means we lose that connection with character and story that comes through a tragic event.

I like trees.There are also little things that bothered me about the story: Why do we spend so much time with Teagan at the chimp enclosure where she works? She’s going to need sign language later, yes, so it’s important that we know that, but the time spent here is disproportionate to the information’s role in the rest of the book. I also wasn’t overly fond of Teagan’s best friend Abby, who seemed to be nothing more than a character of convenience. She’s never in any real danger, and all her scenes could have been filled with walk-on characters instead. Also, she spends far too much time in ‘disbelief’ of what’s happening, considering she was the one who had the prophetic dreams about Teagan being in danger in the first place!

 

The dialogue also becomes awkward at times, and the author seemed to overuse dialogue rather than allow much real characterization (or, as I’ve said, emotional connection to the story) to develop. Teagan, unfortunately, was the blandest of all, and she seems overshadowed by the other characters in the second half of the book — she’s just along for the ride, while everyone else has cool powers or abilities that actually solve their problems. Remind me why she’s the main character again?

All told, the story itself is decent, and the continuing action in the second half of the novel was what kept me reading. I liked Hamilton’s dedication to Irish mythology and, for the most part, her use of the correct types of Irish fey (uh, I mean goblins) since there are notable differences between the fey of England, Ireland, Scotland, and so on. For that reason, I’d recommend the book if you like books about fey or Irish mythology, but it’s not going to be a great read for someone who needs solid characterization to get into the story. That said, I did read it in one sitting (after getting through the first section), so it was entertaining enough to hold my interest all the way through!

I also really liked that the romance didn’t dominate the story, and — believe it or not — seemed more realistic than a lot of romance in YA. In this case, it started with a significant attraction and then cooled off a bit as they got to know each other… rather well done, I thought.

On the whole, I’d say I liked it. Not loved, as I’d hoped, but liked enough to read the next one if it happened to wander across my path someday.

Final Note: This review may come off as negative, but I hope it doesn’t discourage you from reading the book if you’re interested in it! I did enjoy it… it just had a few bumps and flaws along the way.

Kersten-Hamilton

About the Author

Kersten Hamilton is the author of several picture books and many middle grade novels. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and this is her first novel for young adults. Visit her website at www.kerstenhamilton.com. <—Visit her website! She has a really cute bio. :)

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley and Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

13
Jan

When Your Character Eats Porridge

   Posted by: Faith    in Rye Thoughts

Ever been writing something and discovered that… well… your characters aren’t exactly doing what you want them to? In fact, they’ve stopped running around and solving their conflicts and falling in love and saving the world and are instead, perhaps, standing around discussing the weather, or the irrefutable health benefits of cinnamon, or even—perish the thought—are simply enjoying a bowl of their favorite sugary breakfast cereal?

You’re not the only one. (And not that there’s anything wrong with sugary breakfast cereal.)

Oooh lockers and homework... thrilling, no? ...that's what I figured... In the WIP I worked on during November, I realized about halfway through that my characters were standing around in front of lockers, talking about homework. It occurred to me that this was incredibly boring—if I’m bored writing it, you’re definitely going to be bored reading it—so I had one character punch another character in the face for no particular reason (though I sorted that out later).

Voila, action! Problem solved, and the story got moving again! (Albeit illogically at first, but it all came together in the end.)

And isn’t it wonderful to know that this phenomenon isn’t limited to those of us without agents / book contracts / novels on the NY Times Bestseller list?

A quotation from ridiculously amazing author Neil Gaiman’s blog post on December 31st, 2010:

“And also, please wish me luck with this short story I’m writing. I’m up to page 19 and nothing’s happened yet. Right now, they’re eating porridge. In my head, by this point in the story everyone was going to be terrified, and strange oogly things would be happening to all the villagers. Porridge!”

Would you like some porridge? Ahh… doesn’t that just make you feel so much better about getting stuck? You have years and years of plot holes, sluggish characters, and seemingly insurmountable writing blocks to look forward through, regardless of your publication status!

 

Seriously, though… it just goes to show that writers, at no matter what point of the journey they may be on, can commiserate together over things that those who don’t write would just shake their heads at and say “so make them do something, already!”

How little they know… (also, I now want a bowl of oatmeal/porridge. With honey. And almonds. And those oddly delicious golden raisins…).

When was the last time your characters participated in an equivalent activity to eating porridge? Or talking about homework? And how FRELLING EXCITED are you that you share writing woes with Neil Gaiman?!

(Kinda makes you want to force your characters to eat porridge. Just a little.)

(Or maybe Fruity Pebbles instead, just to change it up a bit.)

10
Jan

Contest Winners REVEALED!

   Posted by: Faith    in Rye Thoughts

I think you’ve waited long enough for this, so without further ado, here are the WINNERS from the Christmas Giveaway/100 Followers contests!

First, the winner of a copy of Rosy Thornton’s Tapestry of Love is…

*drum roll*drum-roll

Su

Congratulations, Su!

 

And second, the winner of the Writing Prize Pack is…

*second drum roll*drum-roll

Jessica

Congratulations, Jessica!

For the curious, I gave each entry a number, and then used random.org to generate the winning numbers. Yay! Winners! Happy times!

I will send each of the winners an email to them know (in case they don’t see it here), and you’ll have 72 hours to reply… or else I’ll draw another name! *dun dun duuuuuun*

Congratulations again to the winners, and thank you all for entering!!! There will be more contests in the upcoming months (w00t) so stay tuned for those.

Also, I’m going to do my best to get back to posting regularly, starting this week. My goodness it’s hard to get going again after the holidays! For me, the hardest part has been finding the motivation to write, post, or research… I just want to sit on the couch and read! And I’m pretty sure I’ve gained the ability to completely tune out my alarm clock in the mornings.

What has been your biggest challenge in getting back to work? Or were you able to jump back in at full swing? (In which case, what are your secrets?!?)

4
Jan

Book Review: ‘A Crooked Kind of Perfect’

   Posted by: Faith    in Rye Thoughts

A Crooked Kind of Perfect

by Linda Urban

Middle Grade Contemporary

Release Date: September 2007

crookedimage

Synopsis (from the Book Depository):

Ten-year-old Zoe Elias dreams of playing a baby grand piano at Carnegie Hall. But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe’s dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ versions of old TV theme songs just isn’t the same as mastering Beethoven on the piano.

And the organ isn’t the only part of Zoe’s life that’s off-kilter, what with Mum constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house, and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day. Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds that life is full of surprises – and that perfection may be even better when it’s just a little off centre.

My Thoughts:

Zoe is a 10-year-old girl who dreams of one day playing the piano at Carnegie Hall… but when her father comes home with a strange organ instead of a baby grand, Zoe’s dreams fall flat.
But rather than indulge their daughter and take it back, they make a deal with her to pay for lessons. She may be learning organ versions of old TV hits, but it’s still something! Meanwhile, her mother is a workaholic and never at home, and her father has severe agoraphobia and is terrified to leave the house (and spends his time at home getting diplomas from all those strange study-at-home courses you see advertised in magazines and on TV).

So, things are far from perfect. But what I love, love, love about this novel is — even as strange as the characters seem — the parents are real, make logical choices, and their daughter is a good kid who has clearly been raised right. Instead of taking the organ back, or Zoe raising a tantrum about it, they find a solution as a family. Zoe’s parents also remind her that she wanted lessons and needs to practice because of it, and Zoe recognizes her parents’ authority, even when she doesn’t want to do what they say.

In other words, we have a real family here that clearly loves each other. The parents aren’t perfect, but they’re trying, and how often do we see that in children’s books these days? I also thought the idea of an agoraphobic parent was highly unique, as I’ve never seen that concept brought into a novel before. In fact, Zoe’s father was one of the best (ie. unique, funny, and real) characters I’ve ever met in a novel… he’s one of those characters that will pop into your head and make you smile long after you’ve finished the book.

And even better? The voice is perfect. I felt like I was reading something in a 10-year-old’s voice, and not once did it seem to venture into ‘older’ territory. Very well done.

I picked this book up on a whim at a Scholastic warehouse sale (I think it was $3), and didn’t know what to expect. After reading it, I think this may be one of my favorite children’s books, not just of 2010, but ever. I wrote an email to the author to thank her for such a unique and wonderful story, and I hope to buy more copies to give away to my friends’ children once they’re a bit older. I hope to see more from this author in the future!

lindaurban About the Author

Linda Urban has a lovely (& lengthy!) bio on her website, which I encourage you to head over and read! The gist of it is: Linda wrote a lot, then kept writing, and wrote some more. Despite many rejections, eventually someone thought they’d like to publish one of her books. She said “yes, please do”, so they did!

1
Jan

And Then It Was 2011…

   Posted by: Faith    in Everything Else

Happy New Year, friends!fireworks

Ah, yes… the inaugural post of 2011… I feel I should provide you with some words of wisdom, or some deep insight gained from moments of reflection upon the past year, or perhaps some resolution drawn from a yearning for–

Aww, forget it. Technically, I’m still on vacation for one more day. :)

I hope you all had wonderful Christmases / holidays / New Year celebrations, full of food, friends, and great books (and maybe some relaxation? maybe?).

I’ll also admit that I didn’t get around to posting my final Christmas Giveaway, which I’d planned for December 24th (genius, I know). I neglected to consider that the majority of people in the writing & book blog circle don’t post for the two final weeks of the year… so I’m going to save that one for later this month.

That said, because I didn’t put the final contest up, I’m going to keep entries open for the other two until Jan. 5th, so head over and enter if you haven’t had a chance to yet!

Giveaway #1: Rosy Thornton’s ‘Tapestry of Love’

Giveaway #2: Writing Prize Pack

So… enjoy the first weekend of 2011.

Here’s to a great new year of writing & reading!