Saturday, December 21, 2013

Celebrating the Season

No lack of snow this Christmas. Not one but two winter storms hitting Ottawa this weekend and this the busiest travel weekend of the year. Today is the first official day of winter although it has felt like winter for the entire month of December.

I've started to receive e-mail notices from Dundurn as they get ready to work on the sequel to Cold Mourning, which is due out March 1, 2014. Butterfly Kills is the working title of the second Stonechild and Rouleau mystery. I've been asked for cover ideas and been assigned my editor - Jennifer McNight, who worked with me on Cold Mourning. This one won't be released until 2015 so you can see how far ahead this process begins. I'm currently working away on book three in the series and cracked 20,000 words this week. Each book is very different in shape and plot, and each one has its challenges in bringing the plot together. I realize that writing to a formula might be easier in the long run, but I enjoy the challenge of changing things up. I also like creating characters, such as Kala Stonechild, and following their lives through several books. I have settled on just writing for the adult market now rather than flipping between young adult and adult. It's better for marketing to keep one target audience although even at that, I've got the two series going: one for adult literacy and  the second for the mainstream adult audience.

So today, I'm off to the stores along Wellington Street for some food items as I prepare to start a bit of Christmas baking. I'll be hosting Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners. For me, the best part of the holiday season is serving up a special evening - a fire, music on the stereo, wine and good meal with family and friends. There's a warm feeling that comes this time of year as we all take a break from the cold and darkness of winter to gather and celebrate our lives. People also rally to help others this season, recognizing that not everyone is in a good place and may need a helping hand or not to be forgotten.

My daughters will be sleeping over on Christmas Eve along with a friend whose parents are away for the holiday. We'll also have my daughter's dog George, which last year ate left-over bacon Christmas morning, then promptly threw it up next to the Christmas tree. No bacon for you this year, George.

What a face. (Okay, maybe just one little piece.)
 
I wish each of you a wonderful, peaceful holiday with special moments to warm your heart. Sleep in, eat too much, get into the egg nog . . . be sure enjoy the spirit of the season no matter where you are or how you celebrate.
 
Let's all raise our glasses to each other this Christmas and wish for peace and understanding.

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