Happy Holidays! I made an animated gif for you.

At the Eddleman house, we are snuggling in for a warm Christmas Eve (and enjoying the white Christmas just outside!). Whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year, I hope it is the merriest!

Who would I be like?

I came across this poem that I wrote 7 years ago. I am not a poet by any stretch of the imagination, but this poem means a lot to me, so I thought I'd share.

When I think of Christ’s birth

In days long gone by

I wonder who I’d be like

If I had been nearby.

Would I be like the Innkeeper

So kindhearted and so good

That even though I didn’t have much

I’d still give all I could?

Would I be like the Shepherds

So humble and so mild

That the angels would come to me

to share news of the Christ child?

Would I be like the Wise Men

So dedicated and so meek?

That even though the way is long

It’s Christ I’ll always seek.

Or would I be like the travelers

So weary and unaware

Too distracted to know Christ is near...

Too busy to even care.

Christmas can get so hectic

While trying to make things great

This year I want to remember

That it’s for Him we celebrate.

I’ll remember with each gift I give

With every carol that I sing

With every star that I see

It’s about the birth of my King.

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope it's an absolutely wonderful one for you and yours.

Sky Jumpers AUDIO giveaway + holiday swag!

Guys, I haven't blogged in FIVE WEEKS. Far cry from the days when I posted every week day, no? NaNo and school visits and family and holidays bucked me off the blogging horse. And then the horse ran away. I just barely managed to coax the horse back so I could jump back on. Such a long break calls for a giveaway, doesn't it?

Let's do it!

At the same time that Sky Jumpers released from Random House, the audio book released from Listening Library. The girl who reads it, Abigail Revasch, is INCREDIBLE. I have absolutely loved listening to her. So I'm giving away a copy of it on CD! If you win, you can consider it an early present for whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year. Or you can give it to that special child (or teacher!) on your list.

Giveaway starts Monday, December 2 and runs until December 7. Open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How about one more giveaway? Are you thinking of giving Sky Jumpers away as a gift? If you are, email me at peggy @ peggyeddleman (dot) com with your mailing address, and I'll send you two free bookmarks (front and back pictured below) as well as a signed bookplate to include with your gift. Let me know in the email if you would like the bookplate personalized.

Happy holidays!

Mine, in pictures. How was yours?

This Thanksgiving week, I got to:

Go to two Thanksgiving dinners-- my family and my hubby's.

By TheKohser (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Spend all day long with my kiddos.

Saw this movie with my family:

And this movie with my oldest son:

Watched my sister get excited for her favorite "holiday"-- Black Friday, and wondered for the three billionth time how that could be someone's favorite holiday.

Got to hear funny conversations, like this one...

Son1: Did you bring home the cranberry cheese ball?
Son2: What? Cheese ball?
Mom: [Pulls out of fridge, shows Son2]
Son2: Oh! I thought that was ice cream! I was wondering why there were crackers by it...

Got an insane amount of revisions done on book 2.

This artwork is fully created by Aziz Natour. [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Put up my Christmas decorations.

And enjoyed being a mom.

How was your week?

A is for Authorly Abilities: Unfair Advantage on April First

Happy April Fool's Day, and happy first day of the A-Z Blogfest!

On this special day of fooling people, might I say that I'm SO VERY GLAD that I'm not good friends with a special effects make-up artist. I mean, can you even imagine how much of a freak-out factor they could create if they used their abilities on the unsuspecting that day? [Shivers at the thought of a "scary creature" hiding in my closet, one of my kids showing me a terrible "injury," or an awful "sickness."] I mean, seriously. Someone using those kinds of skillz to fool me could put me need of lifelong therapy.

As writers, we have just as powerful of a tool as their make-up kit: words. I mean what's our job description anyway? To make people believe something that isn't real. To create characters and convince people they are real. To create problems and situations and plots and convince people they really happened. Sometimes to even create a whole new world and convince people it is real.

We've had a lot of practice making people believe us.

Two years ago, I underestimated this power we wield, and wrote an April Fool's post on my personal blog about how my family and I were going to move 2,000 miles away. I put just the right amount of specific details mixed with fact to make it believable. I somehow managed to make my friends, neighbors, and family freak out, made my mom cry (although in all fairness, I told her it was a joke before she read it), and got 7 times the number of unique visitors to my blog that day than my previous record.

But it came with guilt. OH, THE GUILT! Apparently you shouldn't use the kinds of powers we have on the unsuspecting. (Although, incidentally, it did convince me that maybe I did actually have what it takes to write believably.) I don't know about you, but if my kid came home with a fake-but-looks-entirely-real bone sticking out of his/her arm from how he/she fell on the playground, I'd kinda sorta freak out.

So here is my warning to you. Practice responsible blogging, people. Lest the guilt consume you.

I made you something special

Because it's Valentine's Day, and because I love Valentines Day and I love you guys, I made you something! Something for the writer-you on this special day. But you've got to go to Sara's blog to get it. So click here: A Crowe's Nest

Quotes and Cookies: Circumstances

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them."

~George Bernard Shaw

Don't you love this quote? It says that no matter what, you can go out and accomplish whatever it is you want to accomplish! Nothing is insurmountable. Nothing is big enough or strong enough to hold you back forever. Finding or making the right circumstances might be hard... maybe even extremely so, but it can be done.

I'm not a champagne drinker, but these cookies kind of have a champagne-y feel to them. So, I raise my cookie in a toast! Here's to finding or creating the circumstances you need in 2012!

Photo credit and recipe link

Have an awesome and safe New Years, everyone! I'll see you bright and early in 2012.

Happy Holidays!

I love this time of year! My hubby has work off, my kids are out of school, and I'm off work (one of the perks of working at their school). The next few days are going to be full of family, games, the making of gingerbread houses, family parties, nativity reenacting, wrapping, a special dinner with the Christmas plates, and if my daughter gets her way and it actually snows, sledding. But before I go party like it's almost the end of 2011, I just wanted to wish you all---

So whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Solstice, I hope your next several days are filled with everything that makes you joyful, excited, and give you a feeling that all is right with the world.

I hope you all have an amazingly wonderful holiday season. See you guys next Wednesday!
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Christmas Wish List

Has you family been bugging you for ideas of what to get you for the holidays? Do you have writers on your list, and don't know what to get them? Never fear! I'm here to give you ideas!

First, one of my favorite ideas ever. For any shower brain stormers: Aqua Notes! It's a special kind of paper and a special kind of pencil that work IN WATER. Even under water! It's brilliant, I tell you.

This is a bookshelf. How's that for personality?!

Can't seem to stay away from books even when you go to bed? You can take the book with you, and snuggle up with it all night long.

You know how, when you are really in the writing zone, the hours just disappear and suddenly it's the middle of the night, or nap time for the little ones is over? And you just wish time would stop so you can keep going? Or are you fulfilling all of your other responsibilities and have a story churning so fiercely in your head that you can't stand the fact that you can't get away for a few minutes to get it on paper? Then you need a Time Turner!

Ever suffered from Writer's Block? This handy block has 786 ideas to jump-start your creativity. (Does it look like it weighs about a ton to anyone else?)

How would you like a life-sized sculpture in your house? This one was practically MADE for writers. Why? This cool guy is made from the parts of a typewriter! No joke. How cool is that?

So there's this guy who makes 3D sculptures out of books, and they are amazing! Click on this link to check out some of his masterpieces. They're brilliant!

This is a working computer. Placed inside an actual book. Incredible, right? If that doesn't make you feel like writing, I don't know what will.

Writers everywhere will be dying over these shoes! Oh, wait. Maybe not writer's everywhere.... Maybe just me. They're just so clever!

More writer's blocks! These have pictures or words on all sides. You can rearrange them in tons of different ways, and the ones showing can inspire vastly different stories!

Need a party dress? One that says "I love to read?" This one was made out of a book!

Looking for a handbag to go with the dress? These were each made out of actual book covers! Each one is unique. Kinda like that dress.

I saved this one for last, because it actually warms my heart. An "It takes a group to raise a writer" notebook. Doesn't it just get you *right* here?

What are you hoping to give or get this year? Any of these things strike your fancy? :)



P.S. Thank you so much Prerna Pickett! She blogs at Sands of Writing, and just awarded me the Blog on Fire award, and the One Lovely Blog Award. I'm so flattered, Prerna!

Evil Friday

It's wise to avoid black holes like your life depends on it.

When you are bad, you get black coal in your stocking.
The bad kid in the family is called the black sheep.

It's bad luck when a black cat crosses your path.

The stock market crashed on Black Monday.
The pot AND the kettle are black.

 A heart can be black.

Pitch is black.

Now, I don't think that black is evil. I actually rather like the color. I'm just pointing out that it's not a stretch to say that

Black Friday Is Evil.

I hate it for a mix of reasons ranging from sleep deprivation, to frustration, to unbelievably large crowds of sleep deprived, competitive, and often frustrated people. Plus, it's cold outside! If I go, I am reminded why I hate it so much. If I stay home, I am left feeling like I missed out on some really great deals.

Maybe my attitude comes from being burned for a few years in a row on this special day (burned... as in black... as in EVIL! I'm just sayin'. Logic wins here.)

But I know that not everyone feels the same.

It's my sister's second favorite day of the year. It should have federal holiday status in her mind. It should be on all the calendars you buy, and everyone should get the day off work to celebrate.

She loves the routine-breaking excitement of being out shopping at an hour she'd normally be sleeping. She loves hanging out with family, friends, and crowds much in the same way people love going to midnight showings. She loves coming home so early in the day with her arms laden with great deals. I think that when she goes shopping on Black Friday, the world turns green as summer for the day. The sky is filled with rainbows. Choirs of angels sing. The sun smiles down on her even when she starts shopping at an hour that is indisputably still the middle of the night.

So, where do you stand? Love it like a huge party, or hate it with a fiery passion?

Either way, happy official start to the Christmas season, everyone! (I'm feeling nice and rested. How about you?)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo Credit

I hope your day is full of                                                                        

Gratitude                 

Loved Ones

                     and Pie.

The Way We Are: Holiday Writing

Three things:

1. THANK YOU! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your kind words and excitement and happy dances and emails and tweets and blog posts about my book deal. Seriously, HUGE thank yous! I got choked up on every single comment. For the first time ever, I decided to do personalized thank yous by email. When I replied to your comments, it just listed your name in the to: field; not your email address. I know that not all of you have email tied to your Google account, but like the noob that I was, I figured if you didn't, I'd get a Hello! That wasn't a valid email address! message. I was probably 90% through thanking everyone, completely impressed by how many people had entered their email in their profile, when I realized that if I hovered over the name, it showed the email address. And TONS of the last 10% had the email listed as noreply-comment@blogger.com. Doh! So if you commented on my post on Monday and didn't get an email from me, it's off floating in cyberspace. Please accept my apologies and an extremely heartfelt thank you.

2. I'm going to do a question & answer / parts of my story thing on Monday. I'm a little weirded out writing a post about me, unless I know it's going to help you. And honestly, I don't know what to tell. Help a girl out? If you have anything specific you want me to share-- like how things worked, or what a certain part of the process is like-- or if there are any questions you have that I might be able to answer, please email me. peggyeddleman [at] gmail [dot] com. Thanks, guys!

3. Okay, the ACTUAL POST! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in US. And then of course we have lots of holidays coming up in December. (< tangent > Oh my gosh. I am SO EXCITED! < /tangent >) So my question is:

Do you see a holiday as a time you can get in more writing time,

or as a time to take a break from it?

For me: Actually, it switches. Sometimes it's driving me nuts that I haven't gotten enough writing time in, and I'll decide to put more focus into that. Sometimes it's the house that's driving me nuts, and I'll decide to put more focus into that. A lot of times, all I really want to do is spend the time doing fun stuff with my family, so I put more focus into that. Which is sort of how it is every single day. I answer the things calling the loudest. And wow. That was a completely vague answer. What kind of an example am I?! Okay, I'm going to make a graph right now. It's going to have an "It makes no difference" option. I guess my answer falls into that category. :)

So what category does yours fall into?

The MOST IMPRESSIVE story idea EVER!

Laying in bed while my rested brain ran fast,
An entire plot formed, without being asked!

Two armies face off as they stand toe to toe
One is intimidating; the other decidedly less so
Both sides are determined to take home the prize
They glance at their resources and let out battle cries

A ghost steps forward, covered in a white sheet
A man-sized bag of jelly beans knows he might be beat
The ghost’s smugness changes when the first foam bean flew
And he realizes his non-corporealness just wasn’t true

A witch steps out next, with warts and a green face
A sumo wrestler lumbers away when she gives chase
When she stabs her broom in his back, things go amiss
His massive girth deflates as air escapes with a hiss.

Dracula steps forward with blood dried on his chin
Faces Justin Bieber; his pointy teeth show through his grin
Mouth to neck, an anguished “Plastic teeth can’t cut!” Dracula cries
A flip of JB’s hair and baby, baby, baby, Dracula got it in the eyes

Classic scaries and dress-up cleverness both collide,
On a battlefield where simple props can turn the tide...

*Stretch. Yawn. Smack, smack.*

Huh.

Okay... it’s entirely possible that plotting just isn’t sane
On Halloween morning, with a post-sugar high brain.

Happy Halloween!                         

P.S. If you would like to join us for NaNoReviMo (where we REVISE for the month of November instead of draft) and you haven't already "signed up," go on over to the Revising? post and let me know.

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day, everyone! Whether on this Labor Day your labors are writing-related, friends & family-related, yardwork-related, project-related, housekeeping-related, or rest-from-your-labors-related, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy F6 on the Fourth!

Fun
Food

Family

Friends

Fireworks

FREEDOM!

  

6 Fs on the fourth!
Gosh, I love Independence Day.
And I love my country.
And I am so grateful to all those who have kept us free in the past, and those who keep us free today. Thank you, thank you!!


I was going to leave you with a picture of some fantastic fireworks, but instead I'm going to show you something EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE. Isn't this seriuosly the coolest Fourth of July cake you've EVER seen?

http://secretlifeofachefswife.com/anthologie/desserts/the-coolest-fourth-of-july-cake-ive-ever-seen

Happy Independence Day, everyone!! I hope your day totally rocks.
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