Holiday Gifts: Tees & Jewelry

Happy Holidays!

Today I'm featuring a couple of great T's for writers. The first is from my own shop The Write Way. It's in the iPod/Pad/gadget school of design thought. There are lots of other t-shirts for writers in the shop if this doesn't strike your fancy.

Details

The iWrite Tee Shirt is only $17.99 when purchased directly from my shop. Today, CafePress is giving a special Cyber Monday sale with $10.00 off orders totaling $50. or more. With so many great gifts and PR products for writers, finding other things to buy shouldn't be a problem.

The shirt shown is a woman's style, but, guys, there are shirts there for you too.

Second Gift Idea

I love Typewriter Key Jewelry. These Cuff Links are great and so is the $24.99 price tag.

QA Create has a great selection of beautiful earrings, rings, cuff links, and pendants designed to appeal to those who work with words. Old typewriter keys are getting harder to find. Better get yours now.

Takeaway Truth

Happy shopping!

Quotations

I've been publishing SlingWords since 2005. A few years into blogging, I started posting a Written Wisdom, usually on Sunday.

I've written well over 1,000 posts. Since 2008, 118 of these posts have been Written Wisdom, based on a wise or witty quotation.

Best of Written Wisdom

I decided to compile a "best of" from Written Wisdom using the SharedBook.com platform. This book of excerpts will be printed in softcover, and I'll give them as Christmas presents to certain family and friends who, I think, will appreciate them. (I may offer them for sale to anyone who wants one. I haven't decided yet whether I have the time to undertake that kind of retail project.)

No End In Sight

I'm not ending Written Wisdom. Indeed, I've updated the graphic that accompanies each post and plan to continue indefinitely.

Today, my theme is, appropriately, Quotations. I'm sharing what Quotation Anthologist Terri Guillemets, creator of the TheQuoteGarden.com, had to say about the subject: "Most collectors collect tangibles. As a quotation collector, I collect wisdom, life, invisible beauty, souls alive in ink."

Takeaway Truth

I'm also a collector of wisdom, life, invisible beauty, and souls -- all alive in ink, the old-fashioned liquid product and the new digital variety.

I'm a Beautiful Blogger

Back in the spring, I received an email from Randi Annette Shaw who writes for the love of Writing.

Randi was letting me know that SlingWords, this little adventure in writing that I publish, was selected as the winner of a Beautiful Blogger Award.

So why am I so late in bragging, uh, I mean, telling you about this lovely award? I guess because I received notification during one of my brief stays at home.

Late, Not Unappreciative

My mom had died in late January. I'd been traveling back and forth to the hospital all of January and sleeping on couches in the ICU waiting room. Then I spent the next few months mostly at her home with an occasional trip home to check on my family.

In other words, a lot of things fell through the cracks during that time. By the time I finished taking care of my mom's estate, it was time for my daughter's next orthopedic surgery. I won't continue in this sage lest you all begin playing the world's tiniest violin. Suffice it to say that this year was even harder than last year which was one of the worst of my life. Wow! Am I looking forward to 2011 and hoping that it will bring better times.

Memory Returns

Out of the blue, I suddenly remembered the Beautiful Blogger Award, returned to her site, and snagged the image to post here. You'll see it on the sidebar from now on. Again, Randi, thank you. I appreciate the recognition because I work hard at making this blog appealing in looks and content.

Takeaway Truth

Thoreau was right. Sometimes life really is too much for us, but, in the face of some events, simplify simply isn't the answer. Perhaps the only answer is to just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving, hoping that you're moving forward.

Review: In the Garden of Temptation

In the Garden of Temptation by Cynthia Wicklund
Kindle Edition: 448 KB
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
ISBN/ASIN: ASIN is B004A8ZT9A
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Language: English

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing author Cynthia Wicklund and subsequently reviewed her first published novel Lord of Always.

I bemoaned the fact that she didn't have another book coming out any time soon. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who wanted more from her, and as soon as possible! Cynthia listened to the pleas of her eager new fans and has made her books of The Garden Series available as eBooks.

Hard To Believe

Readers, you'll find it hard to believe, but these evocative, emotional romance novels made the rounds of editors and agents for years without capturing a contract. They came close many times, and Cynthia finaled in Romance Writers of America's annual Golden Heart contest for unpublished writers, but the end result was a stack of glowing rejection letters.

Strong Belief

However, writers sometimes believe so strongly in the worth of a story that they don't give up, and that's a very good thing for readers because In the Garden of Temptation is a gem worthy of a place on your keeper shelf.

Thankfully, eBook reader devices, like my Kindle on which I downloaded In the Garden of Temptation, Book 1 of The Garden Series, make the size of a keeper shelf immense. Let me tell you about this story.

No Spoilers

It's hard to tell what this story is about without revealing some neat twists, but I'll try.

Adam Stanford, Earl of Ashworth, is a man who is honorable and above reproach. He's always done the right thing. Then he meets the beautiful — and married — Lady Catherine Bourgeault, the beautiful, young wife of one of the most disreputable men in England.

Stunned by a passion and a love that no amount of conscience can deny, Catherine and Adam risk everything for a few moments of stolen bliss. Unknown to them, every event from their introduction to the consummation of their love has been orchestrated by Catherine's evil, demented husband for his own dark purpose.

When Baron Bourgeault finally springs his trap, Catherine is forced to break Adam's heart in order to save him. The baron whisks her away to his crumbling castle in the country. As he sinks deeper and deeper into his psychosis, Catherine knows that her life, and all she holds dear, may be forfeit unless the power of redeeming love can save her.

Charged Emotion

I read this book while I sat in the surgical waiting room last week. My daughter was having her third surgery in 18 months, and I was a basket case who could hardly take the slow movement of the hands of the clock. A two hour surgery turned into four and continued. If I hadn't had this book to read, I don't know what I'd have done. I can hardly believe that Catherine and Adam's emotional journey captured my attention sufficiently as to calm my nerves and give me brief respite from worry, but it did. I devoured the book.

Bottom Line

This is the second novel I've read by Cynthia Wicklund, and it's truly another winner. I can't recommend her books highly enough. She has a way with women characters and the knack for presenting them as likable and honorable even when they may not be engaged in honorable actions. I understand these women, and I like them.

Her talent with characters extends to men. In Lord of Always, she took an evil man and made him the kind of man we'd all want in our lives. In Temptation, she takes an honorable man and makes him behave dishonorably, but we don't care! We still like him. We understand how he is in the grip of a love he never expected to feel. We see his battle with his conscience. Despite what he does, he's heroic.

I'm off to purchase the next books in the series. Book 2 is In the Garden of Seduction, and Book 3 is In the Garden of Disgrace.

Of course, I'm going to buy the Kindle Editions, but you can get them in other formats or Kindle for other apps. By the way, if you want your own Kindle, just click here.

Takeaway Truth

Until next time, remember, a good book is a little vacation from the cares of life.

P. D. James & Detective Fiction

The other day I wrote about the latest Harris Poll on book buying statistics. That poll showed that mystery, crime, and thriller books were rising in popularity.

That reminded me of Talking About Detective Fiction by the talented P. D. James. If anyone knows something about the mystery genre, it's P. D. James.

Her book is a history of the detective fiction genre, and it's written in an easy conversational style. If you're into mysteries, this is a book you should read.

Detective Fiction Morphs

I like what she had to say: "What is surprising is not that the detective story has altered but that it has survived, and that what we have seen since the interwar years has been a development, not a rejection, followed by renewal."

She goes on to hold forth about the realism inherent in contemporary crime fiction, taking into account the scientific and technological advances that have changed the face of detection and therefore must change detective novels. Ms. James thinks that the increased emphasis on environment/setting in crime stories and a more explicit rendering of sexually-based scenes within the stories makes the novels closer to mainstream fiction.

Blending Genres

I think she's right. The lines between genres are blurring so that it's difficult to say this novel is a detective novel but this one over here is a mainstream (general fiction) title. Thirty years ago, writing a cross genre novel was the kiss of death. Only Dean Koontz consistently wrote these books that blended mystery, science fiction, thriller, and usually a strong romance element.

Anyone else did it at the risk of not selling the book. Conventional wisdom then said that booksellers simply didn't know where to stock books like this. Did they put it in general fiction, horror, science fiction, mystery, or what? Therefore, publishers didn't want to publish them because it would be hard to sell in sufficient quantities to make the project profitable.

Truth About Readers

Readers don't care so much about labels. They care about good books. They know what they like, and they're willing to pay good money for it when they find it. One good thing about doing online shopping is that a reader can search for the kind of book that rings her chimes by entering keywords that describe her interests.

Takeaway Truth

The ability to search by keywords may be one of the reasons why online book buying keeps growing.

3 Ways To Give Thanks

Today, across America, people gather with loved ones to feast and to give thanks. Admittedly, the giving thanks part seems to take a back seat to the feasting and football viewing.

Here are some tips that might help you restore the meaning of Thanksgiving: 3 Ways To Give Thanks.

1. Say thank you. Make a point to thank each person as they help with the day's festivities. I don't mean a quickly muttered, "Thanks." I mean to look them in the eye, touch their hand or their shoulder or hug them, and tell them why their presence in your home means so much to you today.

Then tell them, "Thank you, for being here, for helping, and for being in my life. You make me a happier person." Or words to that effect. You know what's in your heart so just speak from the heart.

2. Give thanks. Before everyone dives into the food at the big meal, tap your glass to get everyone's attention and announce that you want to give thanks aloud and offer the opportunity to everyone else to do the same. Say what you're thankful for and let each person have their say around the table.

3. Get a journal just for Thanksgiving. Ask each person to write a few words in the journal before they leave. Don't forget to ask the kids too. Even the tiniest tots know what made them happy, and their parents can write that for them.

Whether the remarks are a simple "Thanks for the food." or an essay on the closeness of family, you'll learn to treasure the journal if you make it an annual tradition. Each year you'll love looking back on feasts of the past, and your regular guests will enjoy seeing how they change through the years.

Takeaway Truth

I give thanks that so many of you read this blog. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Judge a Book By Its Cover Contest

I'm proud to be a member of the Houston Bay Area Chapter of Romance Writers of America, sponsors of an annual contest to recognize the best in book cover design.

The 2010 Judge a Book By Its Cover contest, commonly called JABBIC, is now open and ready for submissions.

What's different about this contest is that it's open to not only those published with traditional publishers but also to authors who are with small presses, or even self-published. Yes, there's a lot of good art out there on self-published books though some think that it's still heresy to say that aloud.

Details

JABBIC recognizes outstanding graphic design in that all-important first impression: the book cover.

Grand Prize: A full-page color ad in the April 2011 edition of Romance Writers Report, the official magazine of Romance Writers of America. The ad will feature the winners in all six categories. This is big! Full-page color ads aren't cheap, and they bring a lot of exposure to an author's book.

Winners will be announced on February 10, 2011.

Categories

The categories include:

Contemporary Series

Historical

Single Title

Romantic Suspense

Science Fiction/Fantasy/Paranormal

Sexiest Cover.

Here Come The Judge

The Judges are booksellers who know what good covers look like. This year, they are:

Borders Books

A Novel Place

Barbara's Books

Beth Anne's Book Corner

Ever After

Intrigue

Katy Budget Books

Jane's Paperback Swap'n'Shop

Murder One

The Island Bookstore

Rendezvous

Romance World

Temptation, the Romance Bookstore

Rosemary's Romance Books

More Info

To find out more information, visit Houston Bay Area RWA. The left sidebar contains a box with JABBIC links. To enter, simply browse to the JABBIC site. The entry system will walk you through the process of entering your contact and book information, paying, and uploading your cover electronically.

Takeaway Truth

If you think your book has a great cover, then enter JABBIC. You just might win recognition for your book and for the artist who did the cover.