Great Gifts for the Holidays

Writers on the Move is made up of authors. And as such, we have books that will make great gifts for other writers, friends, family, and children.

Please take a moment to check out the great titles below!

WALKING THROUGH WALLS
 
A middle grade fantasy set in ancient China: Wang is 12-years-old and wants to be rich and powerful by becoming an Eternal. Little does he know that working in the wheat fields with his father is a piece-of-cake compared to the grueling apprenticeship he signs up for with the mystical Eternals.

Author: Karen Cioffi
Get your copy at: https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Through-Walls-Karen-Cioffi/dp/0982659474

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FINICKY FLAMINGO

Franky the Finicky Flamingo is a handsome flamingo who seems to be a picky eater until he finds the food that is just right for him.

Author: Wanda Luthman
Get your copy at: https://www.amazon.com/Franky-Finicky-Flamingo-Wanda-Luthman-ebook/dp/B076BT4SXF/ref=sr_1_1


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THE FRUGAL EDITOR: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation
and Ensure Success

Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors: From your query letter to final manuscript to the marketing of your new bestseller. From the HowToDoItFrugallySeries of books for writers

Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Get your copy at: http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor

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WRITE ON BLOGGING: 51 Tips to Create, Write & Promote Your Blog

Are you ready to start your new blog? Do you want to re-invigorate your old one? Write On Blogging has everything you need to know to visualize and build your blog, plan and write content, and promote your posts. Filled with simple tips, writing exercises, and tons of resources, this book is a road map on how to take what you are passionate about and develop your expertise through your blog.

Author: Debra Eckerling
Get your copy at: https://www.amazon.com/Write-Blogging-Tips-Create-Promote-ebook/dp/B01MSP9HTN

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A CHRISTMAS KISS

Sarah Langley likes to plan parties but when her uptight boss insists she keep things simple, her job, and her love life are on the line.

Author: Suzanne Lieurance
Get your copy at: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Kiss-Suzanne-Lieurance-ebook/dp/B077WXQCQM

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PEPPER'S SPECIAL SECRET

A picture book: Pepper has a secret that makes her different. This cute story helps children to understand what it feels like to be different. Discussion
questions and activities help parents and teachers share the concept of
being different.

Author: Terri Forehand
Get your copy at: https://www.penitpublications.com/product-page/pepper-s-secret-by-terri-forehand

Hope you found something you like!

Karen

The Perfect Gift for Authors is Free!

By Carolyn Howard Johnson     The Perfect (Very Frugal!) Gift for Authors Books. Or course you knew I’d say that. We all owe a debt to the publishing industry and its sidekick, the indies. And probably most of us single out at least a couple of people on our holiday lists to give a book to. But how many of us have an author on our holiday list? Isn’t there something you could give an author—even one you don’t know personally? Even if you have a serious holiday budget you must stick to. The holidays are a time to let your spirit of giving overcome any reticence you may have about contacting a favorite author. I promise you, there is no gift greater for authors than hearing from a reader. Well, OK. There is one. That is when a reader writes a review for a book without being prompted to do so. So drop a note to an author, or write a review of that author’s book and post it on a blog or on one of the online bookstores. It’s free and it’s a full-of-love gift. And here are the easy to do steps to make sure your author gets full benefit of your generous (yes, it is!) gift! Write your review. Write your review. Google your author’s name and go to his or her Web site. You should find a contact feature, perhaps on the About the Author page. Copy your review and then paste it into an e-mail with a quick personal message to the author. Alternatively, you could post your review on your blog. If you do, let your author know with a thank you note and then use that same link to promote your post on Twitter, Facebook, and any other social networks you belong to. Once you have done this, it becomes easy. If you can, do it one more time with another author, preferably one who writes in a different genre. You have plenty of time before the big December rush! If giving a review doesn’t get you into the holiday spirit, maybe this will: You are contributing to an industry that provides you with something you love—books! ------ Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Now in its second edition,  Bookbaby calls her The Frugal Book Promoter a classic.  She is also the author of a novel and several books of poetry including her most recent, Imperfect Echoes. Her agent is shopping her memoir and second novel.  She admits to carrying a pen and notebook wherever she goes and to preferring reading a good newspaper to watching the news.

Gifts for Writers

It’s time for my annual gift list for writers.  If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping consider one of the gifts below.

1. An online writer’s workshop from Writer’s Digest -- Writer’s digest offers affordable online writing workshops.  These workshops are taught by experts in the field and cover a wide range of topics (e.g. memoir writing, blogging, query letters).
2. Books – A perfect gift for any writer.
3. A subscription to writer’s magazine -- I have a digital subscription to Poets and Writers for only$2.50 per issue.
4. 365 Affirmations for the Writer by Jane Hertenstein – A kindle book chocked full of inspiration for any writer.
5. The 2015 Writer’s Market – If you know a writer getting ready to submit their work, the Writer's Market is an invaluable tool.  This compilation of information about publishers is a perennial on my annual gift list.
6. A Journal – Even if the writer you know generally works on a computer, give them a journal and they are sure to write in it.   Check out Cafepress.com for a wide selection of journals.
7.  Scrivener - A great application for managing complex writing projects or keeping track of the research for that next project.

     All writers need readers.  So, here’s a few of the books I’m giving this holiday season.

                              Picture Book:  Before You Came by Patricia MacLachlan Charest

Middle Grade:  Bird by Crystal Chan

YA:  Pig Park by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez

Cross over:  Where’d You Go, Bernadatte,by Maria Semple

Non-Fiction:  Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

      Do you have any favorite gifts for writers?  What books are you giving this holiday season?

Mary Jo Guglielmo is writer and intuitive life coach. For more information check out:

http://DoNorth.biz/events.htm

http://facebook.com/DoNorth.biz  

Finish Your Last Minute Holiday Shopping with Books

Are you still trying to finish your Holiday shopping?  Books are the perfect present for young and old and can easily be purchased without the hassle of the crowds.  Here is a list of books I’m giving this year, as well as, two that were on my wish list.

For the Writer:

• Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott -- An inspirational book for any writer.

  

• Freeze Frame: How To Write Flash Memoir [Kindle Edition] by Jane Hertenstein  -- This is a must read for anyone interested in writing memoirs or flash fiction.  Great exercises and resources are included.

• The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard-Johnson --This is the perfect gift for someone out there marketing their book or still writing it! 

• Writing It Right!  by Sandy Asher -- This book is a must for any writer in the middle of the revision process.

 

For the Adult Reader:

• Sublime Planet [Kindle Edition] by Magdalena Ball, Carolyn Howard-Johnson -- This is a beautiful book from their poetry celebration series. A great read for for any nature lover or occupant of Mother Earth.

For the Tweens:

• The Smell of Old Lady Perfume by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez --- Combing the struggles of coming of age, with loss and cultural assimilation the author provides a engaging story that will connect with all readers. Martinez’s lyrical writing makes this story a great read for tweens and their families.

For the Younger Child:

• A Troop is a Group of Monkeys by Julie Foster Hedlund.  This book app is fun and educational. Children will learn the collective nouns for a group of animals, and if you are like me….you will learn the names of a few groups too!

•  Seeds of Change, Planting a Path to Peace by Jen Cullerton Johnson -- Through her poetic text Johnson weaves the story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai.  The batik style illustrations combined with Johnson’s powerful story make this a wonderful gift for any child.

I love giving books…getting books…and sharing some of my favorites.  What some of your favorite books to give?

Mary Jo Guglielmo is writer and intuitive life life coach. For more information check out  www.donorth.biz   or folllow her at:

http://theadvantagepoint.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/do_north

http://facebook.com/DoNorth.biz  

Inexpensive Gift Ideas for the Literate Dad

Are you floundering over what to buy for dad this year?  I always buy books for my father (my mother too) - and this year is no exception.  Just knowing that I can pick something that fits his taste, and at the same time provides him with much needed relaxation, pleasure and intellectual stimulation is enough incentive for me to keep getting the same type of gift each year.  If you're wondering what to buy, books are great gift ideas and personalising your choice to your dad's taste is really thoughtful. 

If Dad isn't a big reader, then nonfiction is a pretty safe bet. You can buy manuals, guides or coffee-table books on almost any topic.  Biographies of people Dad admires or people from historical periods that Dad is interested in are also good.  If in doubt, go for award winners.  This year's National Book Critic winner for biography was Robert Caro's The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson.  This year's Pulitzer Prize winner The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss.  I think either of those would be a hit with most fathers - even those who don't normally hunker down with a book.   

For fathers who enjoy reading, you could do worse than picking an award winner in whatever genre they like.  for example, I got my own dad, a sci fi fan, the novel 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson.  The book won the 2012 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the plot summary sounds like it's just up his alley (normally I pre-read the books I send him, but haven't read any sci fi this year). Why not tuck in (perhaps instead of a card), a poetry chapbook as well to really stimulate Dad's literary imagination.  Imagining the Future: Ruminations on Fathers and Other Masculine Apparitions is the book of poetry I co-authored with Carolyn  Howard Johnson and can be either purchased as a super-inexpensive e-greeting card or sent as attractive paperback. To get you in the mood, here's a poem from the collection:

Horizon Scanning

Your eyes squint at glare

wavering between dreams

imaginary lines

or clear delineations

from this point

it’s not possible to judge

take a stand from your degraded platform

speaker’s corner cardboard soapbox

microwave radiation

blocking your ears

you can shout your head off

until everyone gathers

it won’t change reality

or will it?

28 billion light years

one edge to the other

there you are

explorer without a map

scratching your head

the horizon problem flakes those broad shoulders

Atlas in messy hair

and bell bottoms

every mystery you solve

invokes another.