A Very Merry Christmas

Just when I thought there were no surprises under the tree, for reasons unbeknownst to me, Amazon decided to ship GLORY BE  before Christmas. A week EARLY!


What a joy to hear from friends, family and even strangers, near and far.
Merry Christmas, everybody!


GLORY BE- From your UPS delivery trucks, all the way to...

Atlanta, sipping a glass of chardonnay with Christopher.
















Being watched over by a very busy Shelf Elf.

In a stocking- or two!

Under the Tree in New Jersey!

And being "re-read" by some Very Important People...

Shopping for Writers

 Sharing my favorite Gifts for Writers today.
 (Keep in mind that this blog is not written by a shopper, a crafter or even much of a cook these days.)

 If that last person on your shopping list falls into a category considered Creative--  Friend or Family-- check this out. 

Starting with one of my favorite things. Previously blogged about as Things I Love So Much.




This wristlet can be made in the image of almost anything. (Maybe not in time for Christmas, but think ahead!)



My friend Leslie also has one for her forthcoming book:



Both are from this website:


http://www.torynicole.com/wristlet.html

Neat, no?

 Or if you are really feeling generous and have something to celebrate, how about a CAKE made from the cover image of your/ your friend's book. Wow, will this ever impress!

(Yes, that's a cake. A delicious cake. Thanks again, Kate.)

How about this tee-shirt? All sorts of neat things in the Signals catalog. Click here for Writerly stuff.

And here I am, wearing mine, after a long morning of critiquing with some of my Writing Buddies at Panera. It was chilly in there. We worked hard. We deserve gifts. (Thanks, Henry and Celia!)



And last, if you really want to get creative. Here's my niece's take on the little red towels I tucked into her Christmas box:

Which is about how I was feeling when I sent off my last box of goodies into Santaland yesterday.

But of course, here's what I really and truly meant:

Happy reading/writing/shopping/ celebrating to all!

(Any other book or writer-related gift ideas? Leave me a message and I'll expand this post.)

Merry Christmas in Florida

Yes, we are walking around coatless and mittenless. There's no fireplace for stocking-hanging with care. But last night we walked along the waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg and the moon could take your breath away, low-hanging and orange. We saw the huge-- well not quite Rock Center or White House huge-- but a plenty big enough Christmas tree. There were ice skaters! (was that a plastic rink?) Holiday cheer to go all around!








 And today's paper announced we've been named (by whom? but it's true!) the Sunset Capital of  (what- World, Country, State?) Something good.
Beautiful sunsets trump snowstorms, I do believe.

As we strolled back to the car, we passed the new Chihuly gallery. Another fine reason to live in or visit Tampa Bay. 

Merry Christmas, good reading, happy cooking and eating, to all!
Check back for more great books, writing tips, and whatever else I can find to share with you in 2011.