Christmas traditions have changed over the years. In the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations were rowdy and raucous, apparently lot like today’s Mardi Gras. From 1659 to 1681, Christmas was even outlawed in Boston. (Puritans were not fans of the celebration.) Christmas traditions themselves also changed over time, many finding their roots in ancient Pagan rituals.
Have you ever wondered what TV witch character you are most like? Do you think you’re a flame-haired Willow? Maybe you’re prudent Piper? Well, now you can find out. I love witches, obviously. I wrote a book about them (see The Travelers). Therefore, I was very happy to chance upon this test to discover which TV witch I am most like. (Spoiler: I’m Hilda!) It’s super quick and fun if you'd like to try it too. And, if you enjoyed that, maybe you want to find out what character from The Travelers you are most like? If so, I have another test for you!
Now, I may be wrong, but the preponderance of memes out there makes me think there is a certain stereotype about book clubs. In other words, people think book clubs are just filled with bored housewives who use the term "book club" as a code word for getting together to drink and gossip. Well, I'm here to set the record straight.
Buying gifts can be stressful. If you're like me you fret about giving people the perfect gift. I like my gifts to be meaningful. Honestly, if someone makes a wishlist that's the best. But, not everyone does and if it's a wishlist available to multiple people, then you risk giving duplicate gifts. So how do you pick the best gift for someone?
Today's T-shirt Tuesday is actually not inspired by one of my husband's t-shirts. However, he did buy it for my daughter because of her rather large obsession with unicorns. I'm pretty sure she doesn't actually think they're real. But, she may...and maybe she's not completely wrong...
First things first, if your very kind friend offers to throw you an amazing book signing party for your debut YA fantasy novel, The Travelers, and invites a bunch of local friends, their young adult kids (eg, your audience), and several local librarians, here are things you should NOT do. (Yes, I moronically did all these things!)
I've lived in 4 places in my life - Northern Virginia, central Virginia, NYC and NJ suburbs. So, essentially, I'm a North East kind of girl. That said, I've seen a lot of places in and outside the US. I've visited Australia, Spain, France, Ireland, Australia, Canada and Mexico. I also get to travel extensively in the US for work. In the last year, for some reason, Dallas is a hot spot for travel. I've gone there 5+ times in the last 12-ish months...
Once upon a time, before I’d even decided to try to publish my own book (The Travelers, Saguaro Books), I was unaware of the world of independent publishers. I didn’t read books by small presses and I definitely did not read anything self-published. I determined my reading list based friends' recommendations or reviews in large media outlets. (Don’t judge. I just didn’t know better at the time!) Until one day, a friend recommended that I read this new book “Lost Girl”...
So, I am new to the world of twitter, facebook and Instagram. I’d used social media in the past, but in very limited circles with very limited posting of my own. Now that I’ve published a book (The Travelers, Saguaro Books), my world has changed. It’s opened up to the wonders of social media and this thing called #Bookstagram. I’m obsessed. So, now, for my top 5 off the week!
K.L. Kranes 