Grandma and the Prince - part 2

The second installment in the saga of my grandmother and the Indian prince can be found here. I hope you'll stop by and take a look.

With our usual great timing, the Husband and I have managed to come down with something that's a cross between the Colds from Hell and a low-grade flu. I must say our red noses could give Rudolph a run for his money!

Wherever you are, whatever you celebrate I hope you have the merriest, happiest, most joyous ever!

I Was a One-Legged Swedish Coalminer

Got your attention, didn't I? If you want to read about my adventures in past-life regression, visit me at Novel Talk's blog.

See you there!

And one more thing . . .

Because when all is said and done, the gifts we remember are the handmade treasures and the books.

But Roy Blount, president of the Authors Guild, says it better than I can:

Holiday Message from Roy Blount Jr.: Buy Books From Your Local Bookstore, Now

December 11, 2008.

I've been talking to booksellers lately who report that times are hard. And local booksellers aren't known for vast reserves of capital, so a serious dip in sales can be devastating. Booksellers don't lose enough money, however, to receive congressional attention. A government bailout isn't in the cards.We don't want bookstores to die. Authors need them, and so do neighborhoods.

So let's mount a book-buying splurge. Get your friends together, go to your local bookstore and have a book-buying party. Buy the rest of your Christmas presents, but that's just for starters. Clear out the mysteries, wrap up the histories, beam up the science fiction! Round up the westerns, go crazy for self-help, say yes to the university press books! Get a load of those coffee-table books, fatten up on slim volumes of verse, and take a chance on romance!

There will be birthdays in the next twelve months; books keep well; they're easy to wrap: buy those books now. Buy replacements for any books looking raggedy on your shelves. Stockpile children's books as gifts for friends who look like they may eventually give birth. Hold off on the flat-screen TV and the GPS (they'll be cheaper after Christmas) and buy many, many books.

Then tell the grateful booksellers, who by this time will be hanging onto your legs begging you to stay and live with their cat in the stockroom: "Got to move on, folks. Got some books to write now. You see...we're the Authors Guild."

Enjoy the holidays.
Roy Blount Jr. President Authors Guild

Books Make Great Gifts!

Better than chocolate! Better than a new pair of PJs! Better than just about anything!