Advent Calendar Day 1

Happy December!

Only 24 shopping days left before You Know What! And that means...it's time again for the Josh Lanyon Advent Calendar. ;-)

To my own surprise, the "Advent Calendar" has become an annual tradition on the blog, During the month of December I try to post something of interest every day. Sometimes it's just a nice photograph, sometimes it's a giveaway, sometimes it's a holiday coda.

A coda, for those of you joining us for the first time, is "an ending part of a piece of music or a work of literature or drama that is separate from the earlier parts." The fact that the coda is separate from earlier parts of the story is what makes it different from, say, an epilogue wherein all the story parts are pulled together and we have a final last word on what it all meant.

So in this case, the codas are all bits and bobs from my existing stories -- in some cases they're bridges to new stories and in other cases they are a final glimpse of the characters. Sometimes they are really short -- just a couple of lines. Sometimes they're an actual vignette. I plan to do about six codas this year, maybe more depending on the time factor. But you're in luck because very talented reader-friends have pitched in with their own offerings, so we really do have some pretty cool things for you. And I'm not going to spoil any of our surprises. You'll have to show up and find out what's new each day.

Why do I do the Advent Calendar? It's just a way of thanking you all for your kindness and support during the year. Yes, you buy the books because you like the stories, but there are lots of stories and lots of authors out there, so I appreciate the fact that so often you choose Josh Lanyon stories. Thank you very sincerely. I truly hope you enjoy this year's calendar.