Holiday Anthology Debut

Please join me in welcoming the holiday anthology, A World of Joy, into this world! Twenty-two stories of yuletide cheer for you to enjoy for free!

My story in this collection is called "Axe Man." I've never written a "holiday" story before, so I dug around in my own life experience and the resulting story is based not-very-loosely on my husband and me. It shows our situation accurate in everything except the fine details, and I hope it communicates the depth of our love for each other. What could be more appropriate for the holidays?

The plot centers around our longing for stability after these years of moving every six months. And yes, it features a visit from a certain Christmas eve traveler! I hope my take on St. Nicholas is unconventional and surprising without subtracting from the spirit of joy he imparts.

So anyway, if you'd like to read a slightly fantastical story about two tired people in love, you can do it for free with a download of A World of Joy. It will soon be available in all the ebook stores you can imagine.

In December, I'll be featuring short interviews with six of the other authors of the varied stories in this exciting anthology. Be sure to tune in!

November Recap

In November, I've done a few things, including:

I met my NaNoWriMo challenge goal and wrote 25,000 words for Waterfire, Part II of the Providence Trilogy Awash in Talent, converting it officially into a novella. More on that later!

I cut more than 2,000 words from my epic Seven Noble Knights (while keeping the old copy just in case) as well as cutting a few words from the title. I sent out a few query letters, got a few rejections, and a few leads.

I edited and copyedited and proofread my story, "Axe Man," for the anthology A World of Joy (debuting soon!).

Rare photo of a male Javan rhino. IRF

My husband and I decided to celebrate the holidays by giving. We chose to donate to the International Rhino Foundation because of all the organizations we looked into, the money seemed to go the farthest with them. It is my fond hope that our small amount of cash will make a difference in the lives of the most endangered, largest land mammals on Earth, Javan rhinoceroses. We also decided to "adopt" a Sumatran rhino through the World Wildlife Fund because we couldn't resist the swag! Merry Christmas and prosperous 2014!

Yours truly with WWF Adoption swag, an
achingly cute (and hairy) Sumatran rhino plush. We'll put
him back in the bag to open on Christmas.

In other rhino-related news, I wrote five pieces of flash fiction in October, in honor of the five surviving species of rhinoceros, and submitted them to an anthology after polishing them in November. My husband loves these little vignettes and I hope at least one of them is accepted. They will be added to the Rhinoceros Dreams omnibus in the future.

I haven't moved yet, so that's still hanging over me like the Sword of Damocles. There was a lot going on at Loose Leaves, too, enough for a full time job!

For the month of December, this blog will be celebrating books! I'll have interviews with six of the authors from the new free holiday anthology, A World of Joy, and at the end of the month, for the third year, the annual Knauss Awards.

In December, I'll also be taking a course in writing magical realism. I'll be sure to let you know how that went in January. Thanks for stopping by — see you again soon!

Cover Reveal: A World of Joy

Happy 11/12/13!

It's my pleasure to reveal the cover for a yuletide anthology I'm going to have a story in. This lovely, cheery cover was designed by Lauren Jolles of Filmchild Creations at Deviant Art.

Many authors from the Authors Social Media Support Group — which has become so much more than that — have gotten together to bring you family-friendly, holiday-themed stories (to reiterate, one of them is mine!) for absolutely no cash. That's right, hours of seasonal entertainment for free.

The World of Joy Anthology will debut on November 29. I'll be sure to include links for you to download. I'll tell you all about the strong sentiments behind my story then, too, and in December, I'll have interviews with a few of the other authors. Be sure to stop by for a warm, friendly experience in all the cold weather.