The Man Who Lived in my Basement and a Plea for Help.

Dickens On Main, Boerne, TX

May, a month known for its busyness, is hurtling along at break-neck speeds, but before its gone for good and the kiddos are home for the summer, I wanted to share a couple things and ask for your help. First, if you’ve ever get spooked when you’re home alone, you’ll hate my real life tale of the man who lived in my basement. It’s here, if you’re brave enough to read it: The Barn Door. Be warned, you may get the heebie-jeebies…I know I did.

Second, if you’re a teen looking for that first summer job or your second or maybe your third, check out some interesting facts about teen unemployment: Proof, See The Evidence. And if you’re a teen writer (really any writer under 20), it’s coming…NextGenWriters Annual Conference 2012! August 2 and 3. More information and a list of presenters will be posted in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, check out the awesome writing advice shared by some of my favorite authors and editors: NextGenWriters.

Now for some fun news. Along with the December release of the second book in the Adventures of Ally and Cory series (the first book, The Wishing RingThe Wishing Ring, is available in ebook format with print release pending), I’ll be joining two other authors in the release of a Christmas Novella collection yet to be titled. I’m working on the project now and am about half-way through the story. What a challenge. Yes it’s a young adult story, but it’s a romance AND it takes place in a bakery. Um, I don’t typically write romance (ask Lisa Lickel, co-author of A Summer in OakvilleA Summer in Oakville). AND I don’t cook. Oooh, I love a challenge.

Here’s where you come in. We need a name for the book. They are contemporary stories set in Boerne, TX during their annual Dickens Event (a holiday tradition of literary proportions). If it helps, the tale I’m writing is a modern-day David Copperfield meets the Cake Boss. What do you think? What would you name this Christmas Novella Collection?