Enjoy the Holiday Season. I am.

Feliz Navidad

Happy Holidays

Noel, Noel

y

Feliz cumpeanos

[if your birthday is close to the holiday season]

   My Christmas baking for the family is done. All we have to do is mail the bags & other incidental presents. Then, I'm kicking back and relaxing until after the New Year. So this is my last blog of the year. I wish you and yours the best of times however you remember the return of Light to the world ... which shows my northern hemisphere bias as well as the Christian background I grew up in.

   While waiting for the koulouradia to bake, I found myself rereading Charlaine Harris' Lily Bard series, one of my favorites. Yeah, the Sookie vampire/fae books aren't my favorites among her books -- though I've read all of that series and kept many. How many? I don't know, but I have some decisions to make about keepers if I ever do get around to cleaning my bookshelves like my son and I have planned over the holidays.

  Back to Lily Bard. The series shows all of Harris' craft skills, especially her creating many well-rounded secondary characters who add complimentary threads to the plot lines. Harris has the small town bit down pat, especially how even casual meetings can influence events. At the same time, she shows an admirable ability to keep her focus on the plotlines of her books. The result is a rich story that doesn't meander into cul-de-sacs or leave dangling ends.

  Like courageous tough women recovering from catastrophe?
  Lily Bard's your woman. Highly recommended.

~~#~~

   Don't plan on doing much writing over the holidays. Just a revision of Taking Vengeance. Even decided to get a new cover. We're still working on it. In the first draft, the bottom half was filled with a cloudy pink mist. While it looked pretty with the dark blue, pink? For a battle scene??????

   On the orangish the second draft. The font's still iffy since it doesn't reduce well. When reduced to a thumbnail, the font of the cover was blurred when test-posted on Twitter. Here it looks clear. Seems like you need to test how your cover reduces in several places before you make your final decisions.

   My reaction to the new cover in process. I love the stern expression on Mariah. Compare the old blue one. Think the new one's a great improvement.

   Other news, Night for the Gargoyles is still ranking above ten in free teen fantasy short reads on Amazon. It's gotta sink soon, but must say I'm enjoying the ego boost. Still, it makes me wonder about their algorithms. It really doesn't take many downloads to get a high ranking. Guess Amazon has created so many categories so authors can brag about their best selling status. Only this is one of my free offerings. You can find Gargoyles here and on my website. Incidently, the story could use a few reviews ... if anyone has any spare time. The price is right.

     Hear That Damn Owl will probably be published sometime before Christmas. It's another dark fantasy, but not about Christmas. There is some bad language in it so it won't be a teen story. Again, it'll be a freebie. Anyone who wants an early free copy can get a PDF copy by emailing mkkaytheod-at-yahoo-com -- when it's ready.

   My big promotional bit will come next February for The Ghostcrow. I'll begin sending queries to reviewers soon. My goal is to send five a night. Just thinking about it make me laugh at myself.

Whatever,

Enjoy whatever holiday you celebrate at the end of the year.
If you're lucky, you'll find lots of excuses to have fun.
Enjoy!