Every year, I join Rhonda Parrish’s Giftmas blog tour, a circle of authors sharing Christmas and other seasonal cheer to raise money for the Edmonton Food Bank. This year our theme is Connections — which, I’m not gonna lie, struck me as a tough theme in 2020.
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If you’ve been with me for a while, you know that Giftmas is when we raise funds for the Edmonton Food Bank. (No, I don’t live in Edmonton. No, I don’t even live in Canada. But look, Canada would help me out, too.) Giftmas is organized each year by Rhonda Parrish, my editor of many anthologies, and each year it’s a fun way to tour some writers’ sites, do good by putting food on the table, and win cool stuff.
There are three parts to this post: What’s in it for charity, what’s in it for you, and a tease for a Christmas gift from me.
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Spotted online:
If they don’t want a book, do they really deserve a gift at all?
Well, I’ll allow that other gifts can be nice, too, but this is a great time of year to introduce friends to your favorites and to find new favorites for yourself — particularly here in the northern hemisphere, where the days are short and cold and snuggling with a book and hot cocoa is the best adventure.
That’s why I’ve linked up with some colleagues to offer a dozen new fave-book opportunities, where you can browse for gifting (or yourself!) and maybe even win some goodies along the way.
I’m offering one winner a paperback of Shard & Shield, custom signed to the reader of your choice*, and to everyone I’m offering the ebook at a special discount of $0.99. Yes, you can give ebooks as gifts! But act quickly, because like all the deals on this tour, it will end soon.
Here’s the full blog-touring itinerary:
12/01/19
Yaasha Moriah – www.yaashamoriah.com
One paperback giveaway (US shipping only) + $.99 on all books
12/02/19
Verity A. Buchanan – www.verityabuchanan.com
One signed paperback giveaway + bookmark
12/03/19
Melissa Little – mllittleauthor.blogspot.com
One signed paperback giveaway + bookmark
12/04/19
J.D. Rempel – www.jdrempel.com
One personal signed hardback giveaway (US shipping only) + book swag
12/05/19
Claire Banschbach – www.clairembanschbach.com
Paperback giveaway (US only) The Wolf Prince x 1 – discounted ebooks for Adela’s Curse and The Rise of Aredor
12/06/19
Anne Wheeler – www.anne-wheeler.com
$0.99 on all books + 3 paperback giveaways of Asrian Skies
12/07/19
J.M. Hackman – https://jmhackman.com/
One signed paperback giveaway (Spark or Flare) (US shipping only) + related swag
12/08/19
Janeen Ippolito – https://www.janeenippolito.com/
Signed paperback giveaway (US only), super swag + sticker pack (anyone)
12/09/19
H. L. Burke – www.hlburkeauthor.com/blog
Paperback giveaway (US shipping only) Ultimate Nyssa Glass+Free ebook downloads for An Ordinary Knight and Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon
12/10/19
Laura VanArendonk Baugh – www.LauraVanArendonkBaugh.com
Paperback giveaway (single) plus discount on Shard & Shield
12/11/19
Hans Erdman – www.gewellynchronicles.com
6 giveaways of paperback Aerielands Christmas (US only) plus discount on all e-books
12/12/19
M. J. Padgett – www.mjpadgettbooks.com
Two free e-books (first in each series) plus one download code for a free holiday themed audio book
* I’m sorry, but this time it’s USA-only. I just shipped a prize pack overseas and the cost and shipping time was impressive, and the materials didn’t all arrive in pristine condition. I’d rather this potential gift be won by someone I’m reasonably sure can receive it sooner and intact for giving. International friends, you know I love you and usually include you, so I’m sorry for this exception.
Also, all custom inscriptions must be socially acceptable — but surely I don’t have anyone who would request otherwise. :)
“The Face of Herod.” That actually sounds like a title, doesn’t it? But I guess it would have to be a mystery, as we don’t have any idea what King Herod looked like.
Continue readingIn case you missed my previous post, this month a lot of authors are participating in the Giftmas 2018 blog tour to raise money for the Edmonton Food Bank. Our readers have been great; you can check our final stats over here.
Each day of the tour, an author has posted a free story to support the effort. But it’s possible that you didn’t get to them all, or that you hate reading on a blog instead of in your favorite ereader or on traditional wood pulp.
Well, Merry Christmas! Because today we have an anthology for you.
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It’s become something of a tradition to join editor and author Rhonda Parrish in her Giftmas blog tour to benefit the Edmonton Food Bank, and now we’re back again! I’m picking up the blog baton from author E.C. Bell. And this year we have something new and cool for you!
Every stop along the tour, starting December 1, will have a story or poem for you. It’s free — a gift, you might say. So you’ll have 24 free stories just for coming along with us.
Continue readingWe’ve just finished Thanksgiving here, complete with turkey and Beef Wellington and dinosaurs.
Thanksgiving is fundamentally about both gratitude and sharing. Frequently at the end of the year, I list some of my charities and invite readers to donate with me. We don’t talk amounts, there are no special prizes, it’s just me sharing some causes and the organizations I trust to do something about them. None of these links are connected to me, I get no kickback or prize for referrals or anything. This is just part of me thanking all of you for helping me to support these groups, who offer help to all in need regardless of identity, creed or worldview, etc.
So, in no particular order:
Continue readingFrom the iconic 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street to Clement Moore’s immortal poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” to Rise of the Guardians (with a great burly Santa) to Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (too awful even for my schlock-loving B-movie taste), Saint Nick has gotten a lot of attention. But there’s another figure who has been consistently overlooked, and it’s time she gets her due.
I mean Mrs. Claus, of course.
And so I am pleased to announce a new anthology of stories all about the lady behind the jolly old elf. Continue reading
