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As an author and reader, books have always been a part of my Christmas celebration ~ giving books as gifts, writing books with a holiday theme, enjoying quiet time with a new book, splurging on books with gift cards, reading traditional holiday stories to my children.
Want to add books to your holiday traditions? Here are six ideas.
Build a child’s library by gifting them with classics as Christmas gifts. You can start with Dr. Seuss and, as they mature, add favorites like Harry Potter.
Celebrate Jolabokaflod. “Christmas Book Flood” is an Icelandic tradition of gifting books to each other and spending the evening reading.
Acknowledge booksellers and librarians during the holidays. Thank those who serve readers and authors with home-baked goodies or a financial donation.
Add books to your holiday decor. Whether it’s a stack of Christmas-themed romance novels or beautifully illustrated children’s stories, books on display encourage people to slow down and enjoy the written word.
Trade favorites with your book bestie. Share a favorite book you’ve discovered by gifting a copy to your best friend and have her do the same for you.
Go Christmas shopping…at the bookstore. In addition to books, you can find bookish gadgets, merchandise, and other nifty items. If you have children or grandchildren, make this outing something special ~ lunch, shopping for gifts, and, of course, a book for them as well.
What is your favorite bookish holiday tradition?
The annual Passport to Romance reader appreciation event hosted by the Greater Seattle RWA chapter will be October 14, 2017, from 6-8 p.m. at the Bellevue Westin.
This event is free and open to the public. Authors from all romance genres will be on hand to mix and mingle with readers and stuff their goodie bags with swag and giveaways. Readers can also meet some of the industries most popular — and hottest! — cover models!
Check this list of participating authors to see which of your favorites will be there.
Unfortunately, I won’t be attending this year, but I am a proud sponsor of Passport to Romance! I hope you’ll attend and post some pictures with your favorite Seattle romance authors!
Orcas Island is the largest of the San Juan Islands, which are located north of Seattle. It is a charming mix of nature and villages, arts and outdoors.
I love escaping to Orcas Island for a time-out. I’m able to rest, relax, enjoy nature and nurture my creativity. My words are always inspired when written on Orcas Island.
One of my favorite places to visit is Doe Bay Winery.
This is the wonderful view from the island.
Every day on my morning hike there was a new message found in the woods.
This weekend I’ll be attending a Master Class presented by New York literary agent Donald Maass called “Swept Away: Writing Enthralling Fiction.” This event is part of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Summer Conference, being held July 20-23, 2017, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Seattle.
I have nine books books published and am working on my tenth. I’ve been to a lot of conferences and workshops. Some people might wonder why I keep enrolling in classes when I have the basics down.
That’s a good question and hopefully I can provide a good answer.
Writing, like many skills, isn’t something you perfect overnight or by your tenth book. There are nuances to the craft that reveal themselves as writers gain experiences, learn from mistakes, tackle new writing challenges and venture into new genres.
Think of a classically trained chef. His education begins with the basics. As he refines those skills, he learns new techniques and adds those to his repertoire. Over time, after cooking thousands of dishes (some of which were total flops), the chef might rise to the top of his field. But even once this achievement has been reached, the chef will continue to experiment and study and create new ways to prepare food.
That’s what conferences and workshops do for writers. Even the bestselling authors go through this process. They may not sign up for classes, but many work and collaborate with trusted author friends or maybe an editor to keep improving their craft.
I’m excited about the knowledge I’ll gain at this weekend’s master class. One day you’ll get to enjoy the benefits of my continuing education.
Does your career require continuing education? What kinds of lessons or workshops to you enjoy most?
Last weekend I attended the Readers & Writers Seattle event. As always, the best part of the event was meeting readers in person. Okay, I lied. The ripped cover models were the best part of the event. If you’ve ever attended a book signing or reader event featuring cover models, you’ll just nod and agree. If you haven’t….find one to attend ASAP!
Of course I was so busy enjoying the eye candy that I forgot to get photos with them. I did, however, get pictures with some of my reader and writer friends.
Readers Pamela, Tam and Kathy.
Seattle authors Jami Davenport, Darlene Panzera and me (Jacki Delecki).
Friend and reader, Cynthia
Some of the readers created “memory books” with a page dedicated to each author. They collect autographs and it was an honor to sign my page in this reader’s book.
Here’s a group photo taken at the event. FYI, tickets for 2018 are already on sale!
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