Merry Christmas!

I hope your holidays are filled with magic!

I saw fairies!

How cute are my cousins? They're also very cool. They came to a Tulsa book signing to help me. Max loved hanging out with them when they weren't working. They handed out bookmarks and talked to customers. Thanks to them, we sold out within two hours. Actually, customers were lined up for books after we ran out due to their cracker jack salesmanship. Check out how few books are left in the picture below.These two wore fairy wings. They all wore t-shirts. Get one of your own by clicking here.These guys are one of the reasons I'm looking forward to moving back to Oklahoma.

Journal: Find a word

This time of year is always chaotic. No matter how much we plan, it seems like the best stuff and most fun comes from unexpected places. So, it's a great time to have a little fun with your journal.

Journal: Grab a dictionary, magazine, or book. Open it randomly. Without looking, place your finger on the page. Next, write down the word to which your finger points. Repeat this at least five times. Now, create a story or poem using all those words. Enjoy creating order from the chaos!

Tulsa Book Signing Tonight!

Come see me in Tulsa tonight at the Barnes and Noble on 41st. The signing begins at 7:00. It's a great opportunity to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Glamour makes a great gift for the teen or tween in your life--or the gal of any age who likes fairies, glamour, and glitz.

Max may or may not be there. I was up with him all night. He alternated between shrieking and collapsing into my arms. We think that either his tummy hurt or his ears are messed up from the flight. It's so frightening. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he doesn't complain unless there's something to cry about. He seems a bit improved this morning, so I hope it's all over.

So, please come by and see me...and you might even get to meet Max.

Journal: The suitcase

Lots of bags are packed this time of year as people travel to see family and friends. I always glance at the room of unclaimed suitcases at the airport and wonder what happened to prevent their owners from collecting them. I wonder how they're managing without the things they felt were important enough to take with them on a journey--things that were too important to leave behind even for a short time. You can tell a lot about a person by looking at what is in a suitcase.

Journal: You've found a suitcase that includes the following items: a framed photograph, a scarf, a pair of sneakers, a walkie talkie, a box of cards, granola bars, and 12 pairs of socks. Write a character sketch of the person to whom this bag belongs. Show this character using the items. Don't forget to give your sketch a sense of completion. Make sure it has a beginning, middle, and end.

Glamour slumber party

The Pope County Library in Russellville, Arkansas, knows how to throw a party...a slumber party, that is.The youth are lucky to have Lauren Drittler as their enthusiastic young adult librarian.

Following a writing workshop, girls ages 10 and up hung out in the library in their jammies. I totally wish I'd brought mine. Believe me, if I'm invited to any other Glamour slumber parties, I'm wearing pajamas. Some of the girls had the most amazing slippers. Way fun.

The organizers did their homework. All of the activities were inspired by my novel Glamour. So, I started the evening by reading a story. Mine of course!

A fairy feast took my breath away.
In the center of the table stood a figurine of a girl looking down on four little fairies. Rita Chisum, who found it, thought that it was similar to Kat with the Fayes and Naturals. When I saw it, I thought They get my book. I was touched because I recognized it as inspired by a painting that I looked at on a daily basis as I wrote my book. The girls were in awe, too. The table was perfect. I overheard a few marvel at the sparkly mini cupcakes. The petits fours were adorable. Fruit and marshmallows and cheese abounded.
Plus, there was a chocolate fountain fit for a Faye Midsummer's Eve festival. Can you believe it? A chocolate fountain. It was so cleverly done and beautifully displayed. If you're ever in Russellville, you've got to check out Jan Townshend's Reflections tea room. If you do, you'll know what kind of delightful treats I'm talking about.

Because the moon and stars have so much to do with the story, Georgia Beavers gave an interactive astronomy presentation.

American Indian storytelling was a part of the evening, too. Below Jeannie Stone supervises a few of the girls as they make dreamcatchers.
And what slumber party is complete without a manicure? Terri Williamson joined the girls.
I met Jeannie Stone when I spoke at HAWK's writing conference last year. The weekend was her brain child, and she has lots of creative and energetic friends who care a lot about their community. Jeannie even thought of the tiniest detail. Check out the pins we're all wearing--they're fairies. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone. Thanks for the good times!

Terri Williamson, Rita Chisum, Lauren Drittler, moi, Jeannie Wichmann, Jan Townshend, Jeannie Stone.

Journal: Throw a party

When we packed to move to New Jersey for a year we didn't know we'd have a baby Max, so packing Christmas decorations wasn't a priority. Since every baby needs to enjoy lights during the season, the hubby and I took Max shopping for a tiny tree to decorate our tiny apartment. Some may say that it's a bit of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree--especially since I wrapped a scarf around the base--but I think it's just right. Considering we bought all the trimmings at a dollar store, I think it looks pretty snazzy, don't you? And Max loves the lights.
Tomorrow we're hosting an ornament exchange to kick off the holiday season. Many of our friends have had a happy year, and we want to be sure to remember it. By having a special ornament, we'll do just that each year. I have a holiday trivia game planned as well as a fun activity to swap the ornaments. Something tells me that some Guitar Hero may occur as well!

Journal: Write about a party. What kind of party is it? Who is invited? How do they interact? What is served? Parties are great settings for stories because you have potential for lots of conflict. Also, with so many people, the writer can evoke a variety of emotions: friendship, love, disgust, anger, embarrassment, etc. Believe me, I've attended parties where I witnessed all these and more!

Harwelden Mansion Book Signing

On November 20, I joined about 20 other Oklahoma authors at Harwelden Mansion in Tulsa for Oklahoma Ink's fourth annual book fair. Not only was the location beautiful, but also some proceeds went to a good cause. The money benefited the Tulsa Press Club's Scholarship Fund.

The evening was lovely. Friends came I'd not seen in ages, plus I got to make new friends. Lots of pictures were taken, but I've not seen them. (I've decided I'm not very photogenic and my pals just didn't want me to know.) The picture above was sent to me, and I had to post it. Aren't these girls beautiful...or should I say glamorous?

As I mentioned, other Oklahoma authors were there. Billie Letts, William Bernhardt, Teresa Miller and more sat at tables and signed books. I was honored to be in their midst.

But I felt COOL to be at the same event as Ally Carter. You know Ally Carter. She's the one who wrote I Could Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You. I've mentioned her books before as Hogwarts for spies. The National Spy Museum in Washington D.C. sells her books in the gift shop. Why? Because they're that cool.

And I got to meet her. And she bought Glamour. The latter, of course, completely increased her cool factor in my opinion. Most of all, she's a really nice lady. She seems like one of her characters you could pal around with...even though she just might know 120 ways to maim you with a paperback.

All in all, the Tulsa event was better than I expected.