HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

My readers all celebrate in a wild variety of ways--different holidays, different traditions. I imagine that my characters would all have their own unique observances as well:


 I know Aura, Nell, and Grace (from A BLUE SO DARK) would all be headed to a warm, sunny Florida Christmas, Aura and Grace with fresh sketch pads in their bags, ready to challenge each other to a sunrise drawing competition...



 Chelsea and Clint (of the PLAYING HURT series) are gearing up for their own first Christmas together, at the quaint snow-blanketed Lake of the Woods resort. Their guests are few this time of year, so Clint and Chelsea have plenty of time to spend together--Clint's introducing Chelsea to ice fishing, and Chelsea's challenging Clint to finally give her yoga a try. Romantic nights are spent in front of a roaring fire in the main lodge...


  Claire and her father (from FERAL) will have a quiet celebration in Chicago, now that Dr. Cain is back from his sabbatical at the university. Rachelle, Claire's best friend, will stop by to exchange gifts with Clair and to share some holiday treats. Rich will be on his way from Peculiar to spend New Year's Eve with Claire as well...


 Auggie and Gus (from THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY) are of course making each other creative gifts--no store-bought goodies for these two. And they're also in the midst of making Chuck, their minister, a fantastic new angel sculpture for the rebuilt community church...



 Innis (the Pekingese in FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS) is taking Mable and Jason on snowy walks through Central Park, merrily wagging his tail as Mable and Jason reach for each other's hands. They pause, letting fellow New Yorkers scratch Innis's head or compliment his new red and green sweater. And they all take time to marvel at the famed Fifth Avenue front window store displays...


 Natalie (from COME DECEMBER) is excitedly preparing her apartment to welcome the staff of Channel 27 News for an early, non-formal chili feast and gift exchange--mostly, she's preparing to spend the holiday with a new special someone...

At Casa Schindler, the celebration will include plenty of gifts and good food and usually a movie marathon (not to mention a dog walk or two).

...And of course, no holiday is complete without a few pics of family trees and goofy shots in fake beards and silly sweaters!

Check out the small tree leaning against the wall, to the right of the large one. It belongs to my dog Jake. Ya know--because ALL dogs deserve their own trees. 

Happy holidays, all!

GOOD NEWS: THE JUNCTION & MARK TWAIN AWARD + COME DECEMBER AMAZON BESTSELLER

Some truly exciting things happened this past week:

First, I received word that THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY is now a finalist for the Mark Twain Readers Award. (I loved casting my vote for the Mark Twain Award when I was in school. It's really cool to know that my book is now in the pool of works for students to vote on in the 2016-2017 school year.)

Also, my short story "Come December" hit the #1 bestselling slots in two separate Amazon categories: single author short stories, and thirty-minute literature.

It's gearing up to be a great holiday, indeed...

COVER REVEAL FOR CONTINUING SERIES OF STAND-ALONE SHORT READS: JANUARY THAW

Have you read "Come December," my free holiday short story?

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be releasing one short story per month throughout 2016. Each story will be a stand-alone, but will also be loosely connected (with all the threads weaving together for the final story in December of 2016).



I'm currently working on the next story in the series, titled "January Thaw," and am revealing the cover here for the first time:

The sweet romance of "Come December" will be present here--as will Natalie and her own love interest. But we'll also have two new characters who will be the central focus of "January Thaw."

I'm anxious to tell you more! For now, though, I'm off to get the story down on the page (er, screen)...

CLASSROOM VISITS + WRITING CHALLENGE FOR STUDENTS

I've been having a ton of fun incorporating video content into classrooms lately. I had an incredible Skype with Ms. Angel's class in Willard:

I also put together this short video for Ms. Brown's class in Halfway. It concludes as I turn the tables and ask students a question of my own; feel free to play it for your young readers and take part in my writing challenge!

A BLUE SO DARK - THE RUSSIAN EDITION!

This morning, I got a lovely early Christmas present: the Russian edition of A BLUE SO DARK (published by Ripol)!

The more I look at it, the more I dig that cover: Aura's wearing her hoodie and drawing in her sketchbook, Nell's behind her camera, Grace, Janny, and Ethan are on the beach, Jeremy's even front and center with his skateboard...Love it.