 It is December and we are into the holiday season! Thanksgiving was wonderful and now my family and I will look forward to sharing new Christmas events which I’m confident will translate into new holiday memories. This time around, we Quills would like to share with you, our best holiday gifts for readers and/or writers. One or more of us may offer suggestions for both!  P.S. Broaddus, author of A Hero’s Curse has some ideas for you. So, Parker, take it away! You're a reader. You have friends who are readers. You have family who are readers. As Christmas comes galloping toward us, you've finally cast your thoughts toward that annual tradition of giving a gift that says you know and appreciate them, even if they are often lost in other worlds. But what to give? Here are some ideas I've found that made me laugh and snort my eggnog ~ with a couple of them making it to my shopping cart. First up, for your reader who is also the coffee drinking family member. Here's a way to honor that love, while still subtly saying, "You've ignored the rest of us for too long. . ."  Thank you, Parker! Next up is Robin Lythgoe. I'm anxious to learn more, Robin. What have you got for me? Bookish gift ideas are nice to have any time of the year, right? We all know people who love to read and write, and there are many gifting occasions throughout the year. But it's December already, and although we have the same twelve months every year in which to prepare ourselves, we're running behind again. And if you are one of those Miracle Early Shoppers, you're probably still looking for a few last minute ideas for stockings, or office parties, or . . . all that jazz. So put on your party hats, queue up the holiday tunes, and let's do this!  I couldn't help but chuckle when I read Parker's opening. Then I got to Robin's and laughed out loud. Why? Because she mentioned early shopping. I find the concept more than a little amusing. You see, I tried that early shopping routine some years back. I discovered it wasn't for me. Here are my reasons: (1) I buy things I like so well and am so excited about that I give them to the person right away, thereby leaving myself in the position of having to shop again for the actual holiday; (2) I buy things I like so well, I keep them (and yes, that leaves me having to shop again); and (3) I just keep buying things! I never seem to think it's enough, I forget what I already have, and really, let's be honest: the gift-giving impulse builds as the holiday approaches.
With that, needless to say, I did not buy early this year. And now I'm up against the clock, as I lost the last week with my husband in an ICU unit in an area hospital. Fortunately, things are looking up and he is now home. So . . . I now turn my attention to gift-giving. Of course, it goes without saying that some of the most perfect gift ideas for the readers on your list, are the books we three Quills have penned. You might even get some good holiday pricing on them. But before I share more ideas for those readers, let's chat about the writers on your list. A few years back, I started using a new service, called “Bublish.” While Bublish offers a beginner-level service for authors for no fee, there is also an option for a service with added features. Bublish is unique in that it gives authors an opportunity to share excerpts from their works along with their thoughts, purposes, memories, and more, with readers. With each post—which can be daily, weekly, or otherwise—the author takes an excerpt from her work and adds commentary about it. Here are a few examples of things I’ve done: Unexpected Events – This Book bubble discusses how I created suspense in the opening scene of Oathtaker. Scent – Here I mention the importance of scent in my stories. An oft-forgotten sense for authors, it is "key" in The Oathtaker Series. In fact, the gift of smell is so important to the storyline, that I did another Bubble on the subject in this one, entitled Fragrance. Yet another is found in a Bubble I entitled Signs and Scents. Research is a subject I addressed so as to share a part of my writing process and some tools I use—including Visual Thesaurus—which, incidentally, would make another great gift for the author on your list. (And, lucky you, it is quite inexpensive!) Doorways is a Bubble I published to discuss the literary device of inviting the reader to wonder what is behind that next door, or down that next path, or around that next corner . . . For more of these, I invite you to follow me on Bublish. Oh yes, that brings up another great feature of Bublish. It provides a means for authors to stay in touch with readers on a regular basis! As to readers—well, suffice it to say that Bublish would be a great gift for them, as well. That said, the service is entirely free for all readers. All they have to do is sign up. But you could lead them that way! For the reader on your list who already has everything—and, yes, we all have someone on our list like that—I suggest you provide a gift of books to a local shelter. You might arrange with the entity in advance to provide for their specific needs. Alternatively, you could provide a gift certificate for books so that they may choose whatever works they most need. For the reader on your list who doesn’t already have everything—(which covers more people, don’t you agree?), how about some classics with some crazy-beautiful book spines? Like this Jane Austen set. Or check out Juniper Books. Too rich for your blood? Yes, mine too. So, how about some fun stationery, including gift wrapping paper. Here’s one of my favorites from Ideal Book Shelf. I know I’d love to receive this either as a gift or as the wrapping for something more, and especially, if that "something more" is a book! How about you? What is on your holiday list?
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