Allie Boniface's Blog, page 49

Friday Fun Facts: Merry (Almost) Christmas!

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"



Merry Christmas, everyone! Blessings to you and your family!!

Writers' Wednesday: Murder New York Style

Today, in the true manner of Writers' Wednesday, I'd like to give a shout-out to the 22 authors of the recently-released anthology Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices. If you can't tell by the title (or the cover!), it's a collection of mystery/crime short stories, all written by members of the New York chapter of Sisters in Crime. And all the stories are set in or around New York City.

I had the pleasure of attending a reading this past Monday, and the 4 authors who were there offered great insight regarding their inspirations, their writing process, and the stories themselves. It was great to hear them read and great to be around fellow writers. (Although one of the audience questions was "Since you write about murders, and people always say to write about what you know, have any of you ever experienced a murder?")

Crickets...

But beyond that, it was a lovely evening, and though I don't normally read this genre, from the taste I got Monday night, I'm really looking forward to checking out these stories. Are you a fan of crime fiction? You might want to give this anthology a try! (Best part about short stories: less time to read all the way through one, which is great for this time of year when free time seems to be at a premium)

Monday Mentionables: Two Chances to Win Today!

Less than a week until Christmas...are you ready??

Well, in case you're still looking for gifts - for yourself, that is - today you have not one but TWO chances to win one!

Over at The Romance Studio, my contemporary romance novel Summer's Song is being featured as part of the Book-a-Day Giveaway, and all you have to do is enter your email address for a chance to win!

Then, I'm also guest blogging at The Long and the Short of It (10 am EST) as part of their "Stuff Your Stockings With Books" holiday contest - there are tons of books and gift certificates to be won, and every comment earns you another chance!
So...join me at one (or both) sites today, and wish yourself an early Merry Christmas!

Friday Fun Facts: Visit Me!!

Hi everyone! Come over to Janet Walters' blog and visit me! Yesterday I blogged about my writing style and strategies, plus I celebrated my birthday :) I'd love to hear from you!

Oh, and happy weekend too!

Writers' Wednesday: What's in a Name??

Okay writers, let me ask you: how do you choose your characters' names? Do they just come to you? Do you have a resource book you use? Do you page through the phone book? (Do you still own a phone book?) Do you wander around graveyards and look at tombstones for inspiration (no joke, I have a friend who's a playwright and he does just that). There was a great article in Writer's Digest about the importance of names, and a few points are worth mentioning:

~Some names resonate as "miniature poems" : Holly Golightly, Atticus Finch, Scarlett O'Hara
~Some names are ironic: give a clumsy, awkward guy a name like Powers or Strong
~Some names are symblic: John Singer, a deaf-mute who's a prophet in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (but don't go too far! Avoid giving your hero the initials J.C.)
~Some names tap into connotative suggestions: Draco Malfoy (taken from root words suggesting dragon and malice)

Having said all that, I need a strong last name for my current hero. His first name is Lucas - he's about 6'7", beefy, ex-football player, and he's pretty introverted. The story takes place in a small New England town, and his family has lived there for three generations. Any ideas?

Monday Mentionables: Dealing with Rejection

Happy Monday everyone! Remember, every comment on a blog post this month earns you a chance to win my "Keeping Warm in Winter" prize package!

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about dealing with rejection. I think some people are under the impression that once you publish, you never have to worry about rejection again. All your book ideas and proposals will find a contract, and your editor will love everything you submit.

Wrong.

First off, authors change editors and publishers A LOT. This means that you'll have different people buying your books, and if they like your style/ideas/genres, great. If they don't, well...not so great. Take it from me: this has happened a couple of times. And going from working with an editor who knows and likes your writing to submitting to an unknown commodity (especially as industry trends change) can be challenging and disheartening.

Best-selling authors talk about this in the current issue of Romance Writers Report. Their advice: have a routine to deal with rejection. Whether that includes a hot bath, a glass of wine, or calling a friend to vent, make sure you have a way to soothe your ego.

Then, try not to take it personally. The market changes. Sales change. Editors change. This is a business, and you are part of that business. Look at the market, your writing, and current hot genres and decide whether you want to change, shift, or keep on doing what you're doing (all valid choices, by the way).

Finally, realize that there's a certain freedom in rejection. Yes, freedom. You don't have a deadline hanging over your head. You don't have hours of promotion and social interaction to keep up with. What you do have is the time to play around with your writing, your ideas, maybe even the crazy notion for a brand new story that you never had the time or courage to try out before. Now you do.

Rejection happens, even to published authors. And rejection hurts. But it can also be empowering. Keep that in mind, and forge onward.

Friday Fun Facts: Three Random Websites

Hello everyone! Happy Friday!! Today I wanted to share with you 3 completely random and unrelated but also otherwise cool (in my opinion) websites. Check 'em out:

For Writers: Writer's Digest Successful Queries - For anyone who's struggled with writing ther perfect query letter to nab that perfect agent, this blog post is full of query letters that worked, along with detailed commentary from agents about why they did. This is an author's must-have resource link!

For Shoppers: I loved this link, posted today on MSN, about how to shop for the holidays with less stress. Sadly, Christmas time has become such a rush of materialism for so many people - even in this economy, which is tough to believe. So this list of ways to bring happiness to those on your list for less $$ and less hassle was perfect. Best tip: On December 16, 2011, over 100 online retailers will be offering free shipping! Now that's reason enough to check this article - and mark your calendars!

For Everyone: www.age-me.com is a fascinating website that allows you to take a picture of yourself and age it - 5, 10, 20 years into the future - and add the effects of weight gain, sun exposure, and more. I actually read about it in a magazine at the eye doctor's office earlier this week, in an article about planning for retirement. The claim was that if you're young, it's hard to picture yourself at retirement age, so it's harder to save for it. Anyway, I thought it was a cool (though a little scary, to be honest) way to see how you might look after years of sunning yourself poolside with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other...or not. I haven't tried it yet (it costs $4), but I might this weekend. Just to see. You know, for research or something like that...

Happy Weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: Holiday Stories

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Remember, every blog comment between now and the end of the month earns you another chance to win the "Keeping Warm in Winter" prize package! Today I wanted to share with you a couple of books links:

First, one of my fellow romance authors, Diane Craver, has a wonderful holiday story called A Christmas Gift (and don't you just love the cover??). Why not try out a new author and new story this holiday season?




Second, one of my publishers, The Wild Rose Press, is giving away free books right now - all you have to do is head on over to their website and see what's new today.

And speaking of which, do you have any favorite holiday stories? I do love Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," both the written and the multiple movie versions. Do you have a particular story that puts you in the holiday mood?

Monday Mentionables: Holiday Traditions

Happy Monday everyone! (Remember, every comment during the whole month of December earns you another chance to win my "Keeping Warm in Winter" gift package!)

Over the weekend, we celebrated an early Christmas with my side of the family in the town of Skaneatles, New York - which was extra-charming because every weekend in December, the village rewinds to Charles Dickens' times, and wandering Victorians carol and re-enact scenes from "A Christmas Carol" and generally remind you of a much simpler time. My favorite photo:



The woman's sign says "Where there's drink, there's always danger!" (Of course, I think to keep warm in Victorian England a lot of people drank a lot of liquor, but at least there were a few teetotalers like these women around to post warnings!)

Anyway, we had a great time, and now that our house is mostly decorated for the holidays, I'm feeling in the mood! We'll probably get our tree this-coming weekend, though it seems like a lot of people already have theirs up. What about you? If you have a Christmas tree, do you put it up at the same time every year? And when is that? Do you have a tradition for putting it up and taking it down?

Friday Fun Facts: Favorite Holiday Songs?

OK folks, now that it's officially December, my month-long Keeping Warm in Winter blog giveaway contest is open! All month long, every time you comment, you'll earn a chance to win:

~Signed copy of my novel Summer's Song
~Signed copy of debut author Liz Matis's steamy novel Love by Design
~Warm woolly socks
~Gourmet hot cocoa
~And a few other surprises tucked inside!

Unfortunately, due to shipping costs, the winner must be a US resident.

So, to set the holiday mood, let's talk about holiday music. What are some of your favorites? I love many of the traditional Christmas carols, especially "Silent Night" and "Whose Child Is This," but when it comes to contemporary, these are 2 of my favorites:










So, what about you?