What I Did on My Vacation  
(and book giveaway winner)

    Sounds like the school assignment we always got after Winter Break, right?

    Well, I went to visit my family in Boston and we continued our holiday tradition of spending four days over Christmas in New Hampshire. It was slightly different this year as my oldest nephew was missing. Don't feel too bad for him; he was on a trip in Israel for almost 3 weeks! He'll be back this week with tales to tell, I'm sure.

     We had a cold (-4 degrees Christmas Eve) and somewhat snowy day or two that you can see here. 

Not a fault line crack; it's the creek through the property!

We ate dinner Christmas Eve with my nephew's friend and his family in a charming, quaintly decorated New England cottage with antique furniture, old-fashioned floral wallpaper, floor vents in the creaky, hardwood floors, and a dining table smack in the middle of the small kitchen (complete with a cupboard that had hammered tin inset panels in the doors). No pictures, unfortunately. I'd never met these folks before and thought it might seem a little creepy to start taking pictures of their house! 

     The drive to their house took us on isolated roads and we saw some of these signs!  Dusk is feeding time, I'm told, for moose. We were driving at dusk. Yeah, I hear some of you going "big deal, the moose is probably more afraid of you and won't come near you."      Oh how wrong you are!

     Last fall, my family was in New Hampshire, traveling on similar roads, at a similar time. Without warning a HUGE female moose came running across the road (even girl moose don't want to miss feeding time) right in front of their car. So close that she left moose mud- at least they think it was mud- on the bumper and hood. Thank goodness they were only going about 40-45 mph and were able to stop. But it scared the bajeebees out of EVERYONE. [And although no one admits it, I'm betting there was some extra laundry to do that night, if you get my drift.] 

For many of us this picture to the right comes to mind  when one says "moose".                

The reality is more like this one on the left and between 10-15 feet tall. So next time you're in moose country, remember WE are the visitors there and you need to brake for moose!  

                            *drum roll*

The winner of Untraceable by S.R. Johannes is..........

Jenelle R !!        
Congrats to you. Please email me your snailmail address so I can get this fabulous book into your hands.  kidlitgail at gmail dot com         

                    Where Have I Been? 
              (And a Giveaway) (Oh, and a writing contest)

      The last time I posted, it was November. Now it's almost no longer December! Where have I been? Here's the list:
 
* in Boston for a week over Thanksgiving
* taxing my brain all November thinking up picture book ideas for the Picture Book Idea Month challenge (30 ideas in 30 days.Yeah... I Did It. Go girl!)
* Working hard to help out the Foundation Fighting Blindness, my favorite charity, with several events, like the monthly support group I help lead.

Okay Gail, so whatcha been doing most of December???????

Um....... reading......writing.......making jewelry for Chanukah presents. Playing hookey [sorry!]

      One of the books I've been reading is a fabulous book by a wonderful writer buddy. You might know her..Shelli Johannes-Wells (writing as S.R. Johannes)
Her debut novel, called Untraceable. It's an awesome read and tough to put down. Here's the description:
         Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him.
         One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father. Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder.
         And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

Intriguing, right? Well, hold on because here's where the GIVEAWAY comes in. I bought 2 copies of Untraceable, one for me and one for YOU. Or maybe you over there reading on your iPad. Anyway, you have until midnight on January 1st to enter. The winner will be announced on January 2nd.

RULES:
*You must be a signed-up follower of this blog to enter.
*Leave a comment on this blog post, with your email address  for a chance to win.
*Tweet about this giveaway (send me a link), one chance.

*FB shout-out about the giveaway (send me a link) is another opportunity.

* Give me a shout-out on your blog, another chance. (send me a link)

Are you with me so far? You're up to 4 possible chances.

*Get someone new to become a follower and get 2 bonus chances (be sure to tell me their name or have them mention your name in the comment left.)

How can you resist? Six possible chances to win this exciting new book.

Ready, set, go social media this giveaway! Good luck!

Now for the writing contest. 

Children's book author, Susanna Leonard Hill has a holiday writing contest. Either write a poem, based on Twas the Night Before Christmas or a story of 350 words or less. This only goes until Thursday, December 22nd so think and write fast. Your entry needs to be posted on your own blog, or if you don't have a blog, it needs to be pasted into the comments on her blog post. You might win a $15 Amazon gift card or the 2012 Children's Writers and Illustrators Market book. I actual found out about this contest on a blog written by a 12 year old boy. He wrote an entry and man, he will be hard to beat! Your poem/story can be about any winter holiday, or just wintry. If you're curious for all the details, click here

      So without further ado, here's my entry. Disclaimer: I'm not that good at poetry. Or rhyming. Especially long, rhyming poems with many stanzas. Okay, now here's my entry, for real.

Chanukah Nights

by Gail Handler

Twas the week before Chanukah

Mama said, "Kenahora!

I forgot to buy candles

to fill the menorah!"

"Oh where should I go

to buy Chanukah lights,

Forty-four are needed

for all the eight nights."

"To Publix? Or Target?

To WalMart? Online?

Oh, the synagogue gift shop

might work out just fine."

"Now I need to buy presents

Some big and some small,

But this time of year

I won't go to a Mall."

"So it's shopping online

for everyone in our group,

Web sites will gift wrap

So children can't snoop."

Fast forward eight days

Chanukah has arrived

with the out-of-town relatives

(we hope we'll survive.)

Sing songs, play some dreidel

Watch candles burn bright 

Jewish children get presents,

Spread over eight nights.

Chanukah lasts a whole week

filled with fun, food, and joy

Like potato pancakes and applesauce

or jelly donuts, oh boy!

So Happy Chanukah friends

spelled with one "k" not two

And if you're not Jewish

then Merry Christmas to you!

             Holiday Overload

     Here's hoping everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with family and/or friends! If your family is like mine, there's an overload of yummy food and leftovers for several days.

     And the shopping overload begins today. Personally, I stay away from the malls until after January 1st! But I LOVE to shop at my local independent stores.To me, that feels like a way to help our economy.

        I was thrilled to see television advertising Small Business Saturday. Tomorrow, if you plan to do any shopping, please go to a small business and help them out. It could be in your neighborhood, it could be a shop you've seen and always wanted to check out. You can even make a purchase via the Internet because small businesses have web sites too, you know!


      So, while you're feeling thankful for all the joy and bounty in your life, bring some of that joy to others and "shop small" tomorrow! 

And enjoy yourself some football while you're at it.... Go Blue! [University of Michigan Wolverines]

               Veteran's Day

      This coming weekend is Veteran's Day weekend. With the United States' presence in Iraq and Afganistan, soldiers and veterans are frequently in the news and should be in our thoughts and prayers.


Parade Magazine last Sunday had a wonderful article sharing ways anyone can help a veteran; things you can do all year long. I will list a few of them, but I'd encourage you to follow the link and read the article yourself.

1.  Volunteer transportation to medical appointments.
 Disabled American Veterans (DAV) needs volunteers to drive a van of vets to VA medical facilities. Want more info? Go to www.dav.org/volunteers

2. Offer foster care for a pet.
Why not offer to take in a cat or dog for a deployed soldier or wounded one still on duty who's receiving medical treatment. Contact  www.guardianangelsforsoldierspet.com  for more info.

3. Old cell phone, good use.
Instead of tossing an old cell phone, why not give it to Cell Phones For Soldiers. For each donated phone, the organization will pay for an hour of talk time for troops overseas. Contact:  www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com


The next one is my favorite!

4. Cut coupons.
Did you know that military families are allowed to use coupons for 6 months past the expiration date? Neither did I! That's fantastic and such an easy way to help out. From now on, all my expired coupons AND the ones in the paper I don't use are going to this site: www.coupsfortroops.com

       In addition to these ways to help out veterans (and our deployed troops) please forward the following web site to any veteran you know. The restaurants and companies listed  provide a free  or discounted meal on a specific day during this Veteran's weekend. Check them carefully and you might get free food all weekend long!

http://themilitarywallet.com/veterans-day-free-meals-and-discounts

      So to our troops and veterans: Thank you for your service, your bravery, your courage, and your dedication to the security of our country and others. While we salute you this coming weekend, you deserve our praise and respect all year long.

                                         

   

                   Blog Awareness



         If you've been a part of the blogosphere any time in the past few years, you are most certainly familiar with 
Shelli Johannes-Wells's blog Market My Words. Between marketing strategies, writing tips [now including self-publishing an eBook], book reviews, and interviews Shelli finds time to offer giveaways. BOOK giveaways. Who doesn't love free books??!

        Currently Shelli is preparing to give away a bunch of MG and YA books. I repeat....who doesn't love free books?

All you need to do is comment on her blog, leave your own blog address and your email address. Then share the blog-love on your blog so others can join in.

         What a fabulous way to discover bloggers you don't know. And maybe find a few more followers. I signed up on 20 new blogs.  Woo Hoo!                                      

                                          Write, Write, Write

        I can't believe I haven't written a post in so long! No, that's not true, I CAN believe it! 


First I was in Boston for two weeks. Four days after I returned, I went to a SCBWI conference for my region in Birmingham, AL and had to prepare a manuscript to take along for the all day picture book intensive. 

Photo from SCBWI-LA, 2010

Lisa Yee

        Went to some amazing classes and heard some fabulous authors: Lin Oliver (co-founder of SCBWI and co-author of the Hank Zipzer series with Henry Winkler), Lisa Yee (author of Millicent Min, Girl Genius and her latest, Warp Speed), Lola Schaefer (author of Just One Bite and a bazillion more picture books. She spoke about writing narrative nonfiction picture books  and she taught the all day PB intensive).   

                                                                                                             
       Of course, returning from the conference, I was filled with writing ideas and have been working on those. And suddenly, It's the end of October!

                                                                                                   
    Many writers like to participate in the November NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month) where you try to write at least 1,000 words per day so you have a first draft of a novel by the end of the month. That's a b-i-i-i-i-g challenge. A big challenge I'm not ready to take yet! However, there's a smaller challenge I'm willing to try for November. 

      Author/writer/blogger  Tara Lazar heads up the PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) in which writers create at least one idea  for a picture book story every day in November. No one says they have to be good ideas, just brainstorm away! When you're done, there's hopefully a few potential manuscripts waiting to be written. I joined this a few years ago but quite frankly, I was only half-heartedly trying. This year, I'm all in.
Like all interesting competitions (hey, we're competing against ourselves betting we can -or maybe cannot- do it), there are PRIZES!!! Autographed picture books, original art work, free manuscript critiques, just to mention a few.

    So who's with me on this? What have we got to lose, a few minutes each day? Shoot, I waste more time staring at the computer or TV. We do have a lot to gain, though. And you never know...this might be the idea that gets published. Go to Tara's web site by November 3rd to register. 

On your mark, get set, go  write!                                                 

            Calling in the New Year 

 This week brings me to a journey.
 
      I'm off to the Boston area to celebrate the Jewish High Holidays (better known as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)  with my family. 

      Rosh Hashanah, for those not familiar, is the Jewish New Year. Yom Kippur is also known as the Day of Atonement and requires a 24 hour fast- no food, no drink, not even water. Seriously. They mean business.

       For almost 30 years I traveled first to Michigan, then when the fam moved, to Massachusetts twice within two weeks. Sounds crazy, right? 
       While I was teaching, I had to fly back to Georgia for the 10 days between the holidays. (Who knew the school system wouldn't view economizing on flying as a legitimate use of personal days!) Yeah, they did give us three personal days per year- which I promptly had to use for the High Holidays in September- but they drew the line at taking a week of extra days just for convenience.

       When I retired six years ago, I decided I would  go and stay for the whole two weeks; no more double flights for the holidays. My mom was thrilled; not sure if my sister and family were as thrilled, but they were/are tolerant. LOL

       The two weeks have provided a different sort of journey as well. It pulls me out of my everyday environment with all my "stuff" around, both physical and emotional,  and places me elsewhere with just  whatever I can bring. That means thinking through what writing I want to work on, which books to read,  and which beading projects to work on. After I've culled through all of it, I have to see what will fit into one suitcase, keeping in mind I also need two weeks of clothing including "nice outfits" for synagogue (which I will attend four times).                                                            

       Thinking about which clothes, books, and projects to bring is not the only thinking that goes on. We are told as children- and it's a theme of the holidays- that the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a time to think about and 'fess up to any wrongdoings from the year (okay, they're technically called "sins" which is fine for grownups but a little over the top, in my opinion, for kids) and then make amends. No, it's not a 12-step kind of program, but the goal's the same. Admit to your mistakes, then apologize to the wronged person and make amends in any way necessary. That's legal. And not committing another "sin!"

 So here's my official pronouncement.....
to you and you, oh and you over there too.... if I've said anything or done something that upset you or angered you, or hurt your feelings, I sincerely apologize for it. As for the amends part, we'll have to  work that out when I get back into town!


      Wishing all my Jewish friends, family, neighbors, and acquaintances a Shanah Tovah, a happy and healthy new year, and an easy fast. Not sure if I'll get out a post in the next 2 weeks, but check back just in case.