OWFI (Oklahoma Writers Federation held in Oklahoma City May 2nd & 3rd)

Can't believe the conference has come and gone. I believe each year gets better and better. 

I had the great privilege to work with Shelley Pagach at the registration table this year. Greeting everyone as they check in has become one of my favorite parts of the conference. And Shelley had everything in order and easy to find. The bookstore was available during the entirety of the conference. I brought three titles.

I counted forty-two classes. I attended nine of them. What were some of the subjects? Poetry, short-story- horror and otherwise, narrative non-fiction, serial fiction, villains, and YA fiction. There were also sessions on book launches, pitching, indie publishing, hustling, and marketing your books. AI got some equal time. Substack, Facebook, more than I can list. (Or that you'd want to read.) I had my favorites, but I am not going to pick favorites. (LOL)

The Friday night banquet was a great deal of fun. I didn't participate in the Noir Year Mayhem Masquerade-Costume Contest, but there were alot of others who did. It was terrific to watch. Some were very clever, like Sam (real Spade), and the chalk line body. 

Jim Butcher's (author of the Dresden Files) Keynote address was entertaining as well as enlightening. How to Fail at Writing included his anecdotes about learning the writing craft from a very dedicated teacher (when he finally chose to follow her advice.) Working nine years before success and a determination that would not allow him to quit. Of course, the moral of the story is that the way you fail at writing is to quit. I actually won one of his books in a drawing!!  

Saturday's banquet included a very good dinner and the awards ceremony. We all waited anxiously for the names to be called. I was happy to place with three of my stories, Fox Haven, Dream Weaver, and Children of Kepler, all in various unpublished categories. 

The whole event was glorious!

 Oh, My Poor Neglected Blog!

Here I go again! My poor neglected blog. Three months gone by and one of those months saw a new book in my stable--From the Sea, to the Stars- Moon Crusher 3. I really am proud that there are three Moon Crusher books right now. I am working with my new critique group on Moon Crusher 4. 

And I have a new Zorro book coming out. It has a name, it has an introduction, and it has three stories, two of which tell how Diego grew into the person who would become Zorro. It's currently titled, Becoming Zorro. Hopefully it will be out in a couple of months. Can't wait. 

 

In the meantime, I have had to build a new website, (with BookBub), a new email letter landing page, move my domain, find someone to handle my new email address, so forth and so on. At times my poor brain wanted to explode. 

Anyway, two manuscripts are being readied to submit to a publisher soon. Exciting! I also have several other drafts that need attention. Not sure how quickly that will happen. 

This was short but sweet. Hope you enjoyed it!

Are You Ready for the New Year?

 Which one? This month there are two new years. We already celebrated one but the next one is on January 29th. For those of you who haven't already guessed, it's Chinese or Lunar New Year. This holiday is celebrated all over the world, including in the United States. 

When I was teaching in my library classes, I loved doing Chinese New Year with my third grade classes. I began by reading Lion Dancer; Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year.  Then I would die a sheet red, the kids would make their own Chinese lion or dragon masks. Large ones were painted and glittered to go with the sheets. Drums were made from coffee cans, painted with colorful designs. I also went down to the Asian markets in Chattanooga and bought chopsticks to give to the kids. (I was in a couple of schools that didn't have a huge number of students). Then we would parade through the halls banging on our drums with the Chinese lions following. 

This is the year of the snake. The Chinese Zodiac is twelve years long, with each year represented by a different animal. The festivities usually last fifteen or sixteen days, during which time, families clean their homes to invite good spirits and good luck. On the first day everyone in the family wears new clothes. There are red envelopes with money or gifts, as red is a good luck color. Families get together to enjoy meals, remember their ancestors, and attend parades and fireworks shows. 

Do you have New Year's celebrations near where you live? If you do, you should attend some of the festivities. 

Guest Blogger Author Christina Rost on Character Building

(Christina Rost is an award winning author of two exciting novels containing multi-dimensional and realistic characters. Find out more about her and her books at: https://www.christinarostauthor.com )

Imagine a world with no people? There would be no depth, drama, or heart. 

While people bring character to the world, characters bring the heart and soul to every novel. Compelling characters permit readers to connect with the story, move the plot, and evoke emotions. 

I draw my character inspiration from many sources. 

One source I use is mood boards. I’ll use pictures of people, clothing styles, and even house settings to formulate my character. 

Dialogue is another tool I used to create characters. I start with either the inner dialogue of the main character or dialogue between several characters within the story. After I have this dialogue in my head, I begin to form their world. I ask myself questions like: Where do they live? What are they wearing? What is their speech like? What are their preferences? 

My process often involves writing a scene with a character before I determine too many of their physical attributes. I may take a different approach than other authors. For my style of writing, it helps to define some portions of the inner character before I determine how they dress, the style of their hair, eye color, or hair color. 

As the story develops, other characters help point out physical attributes as well. While I write from one character’s point of view, this perspective highlights the other character’s flaws, or noticeable physical attributes. 

After I’ve written several scenes, I print off a character bio sheet and record who my character is from the outside. Character development takes time. I often need several drafts before I know my characters well enough to know minor details like their coffee order, what car they drive, or if they have any allergies. 

Utilizing the meaning of colors is an additional way to add another dimension to my characters. For example, different shades of green can be associated with money, or villainy, while a forest green might evoke emotions connected with nature. It’s important not to go overboard with colors in writing, but using hints of color meaning is a fun way to carry a thread of personality throughout the entirety of a story. 

Generating characters for my stories is an exploratory process. Much like peeling back layers of an onion. Which is why I also like to spend time with my characters, interviewing them to learn more about what makes them tick. 

During these interview times, I ask questions like: Where did you grow up? What was your childhood like? What are your aspirations? Do you prefer to do things alone or in a group? What are your fears? What is holding you back from taking a step forward with your career or in a relationship? Do you have a childhood friend you keep in contact with? Do you have any siblings? What are the traumas in your life that affect your everyday decisions? 

Have you ever considered that a character needs a multidimensional personality to keep the story alive and active? 

Another way I attempt to discover my character’s personality is to take a personality test as if I was them. There are many tests available, such as the True Colors model or the Enneagram test, but I prefer the 16 Personalities test. These tests are beneficial to uncover more layers in my character’s lifestyle and how they’d interact with other characters in the story. 

As the final layer of their personality, I often look at choosing a particular name for my character. I attempt to find a name that will highlight their character or maybe give a clue to their part in the story. If I’m writing a hero, I’ll find a strong name, or to add a twist I’ll use a complete opposite meaning to show a glimpse of where the character arc might be going. If the main character’s name means weakness but he overcomes something and becomes the hero, that dynamic can add another layer to the story. 

Designing an interesting plot is rewarding, but creating characters is my favorite creative outlet. I hope with each story I leave my readers feeling connected to the character long after they’ve read the last page.

(Christina Rost is an award-winning author, mother to three amazing children, and is married to her high school sweetheart. While she currently resides in Oklahoma City, she’s lived all over the US, a few years in the UK, and loves to travel. When she isn’t spending time with her family or writing you’ll find her chatting over coffee and perusing antique stores for tattered books.)

        Social Links:

www.christinarostauthor.com

www.facebook.com/christinarostfiction

www.instagram.com/christinarostfiction

www.pinterest.com/writergirl2020 

News from Too Long Ago

 Yikes!  

I have neglected my poor blog! So much has happened since my last entry into the blog scene. First of all, my third Moon Crusher book, From the Sea to the Stars has a publication date of January 14th, 2025. I am excited for that. 

There is still time to get a free ARC copy of From the Sea to the Stars from BookSprout! Grab a copy today!

https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/188694/from-the-sea-to-the-stars

And secondly, the second Moon Crusher book, Planet of Outcasts won gold at the Florida Writers Royal Palm Literary Awards for young adult unpublished book last October, (it was unpublished when I sent it in.) That was also exciting. 

Grab your copy today from Amazon. 

Or from Smashwords. (Half price until the end of December.)

This fall I won several awards in the Oklahoma City Writers contest. One was a flash fiction (first), another was an essay, a poem, and an inspirational memoir/story. 

I am working on a middle grade cat story (a new kitty) and accompanying pictures. It's titled, Kai and the Nasty Neighbor. I have set a goal for publication date in September. Fingers crossed. 

 

That's enough for now. My next blog will be from award winning author- Christina Rost. And it won't be six month. January, I promise. 

Falling Off the Rails

 Whoops! 

Up until last fall, I would faithfully tap out several pages of a new story every day. I set goals on Nanowrimo, even when it wasn't a Camp Nano or the big Nano in November. I usually made those goals, too. About 30,000 or more words a month. I guess that's why I have five Moon Crusher novels, several stand alone novels and a few other similar projects. 

Cover reveal for Moon Crusher 3 

Then came the time I had to spend more time getting those drafts edited, critiqued, and for some, formatted. I self published Voyage of the Sea Dragon, and I am still proud of that venture. However, I jumped off the tracks big time. Almost all of the last six months has been revolving around editing. Of course, if I want to publish all of the stories I have written in the past couple of decades, I need to do that, but I also have found out just how hard it is to get back into writing. I don't have all the ideas I once had. 

 Very frustrating! (Pixabay)

There has to be a happy medium somewhere. I did have an idea for a sixth Moon Crusher. Now I need to sit down and begin writing. Let Diego Perez explore the universe again with his friends. Maybe find another human...

 AI generated, Pixabay 

I also can't stop editing, either. As I sit here I counted at least 7 novels I have drafted. A couple of them need so much revision, I don't know if they will ever make it to the light of day. But I need to try. 

Time management.... 

Tell me what you do when you get stuck. It doesn't have to be writing, it can be any project. What works for you when you just can't finish (or start) another project? Let me know!

susan@bookscape.net

 Exciting News: Pre-order Available for "Planet of Outcasts, Moon Crusher 2"!

I am thrilled to announce that my new book, "Planet of Outcasts, Moon Crusher 2," is set to be released on May 6th! Even better news: the eBook version is available for pre-order right now!

For those of you who followed the journey of Diego Perez in the first award-winning installment, Moon Crusher, you'll be eager to dive back into his world. Let me give you a glimpse of what's in store.

Diego's adventures continue as he deals with the challenges of his new life. In "Planet of Outcasts, Moon Crusher 2," we find Diego, now 15 years old, grappling with the aftermath of being kidnapped by reptilian aliens known as Seressin. Despite earning his freedom and even rising in rank under the alien commander, Ziron, Diego's journey is far from over.

This time, Diego's vacation to his friend's planet, Grrlock, takes a sinister turn when he and his companions are abducted by toad-like Resh warriors. Forced into an assassination team, Diego faces an impossible dilemma: he must thwart the Resh's plans to kill Commander Ziron, as well as the high commander of the entire Seressin Empire. However, Diego is unable to convey crucial information to his leader. He finds himself in a race against time to prevent a catastrophic event.

"Planet of Outcasts, Moon Crusher 2" is packed with action, suspense, and unexpected twists. 

I cannot wait for you to join Diego on this next chapter of his adventure. Don't miss your chance to pre-order the eBook now and be among the first to embark on this thrilling ride! Planet of Outcasts will be available in paperback and hardback, and is available as an audiobook from Google Play. You can get an ebook copy right now from Booksprout, as well. 

Ebook link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D112NK18

Audiobook link: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details?id=AQAAAEBSgy7DbM

Booksprout: https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/160515/planet-of-outcasts

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. You are all awesome!

   While still basking in the accomplishment of self-publishing Voyage of the Sea Dragon, I am preparing a new book for middle school readers. Kai and the Nasty Neighbor is about a Siamese cat who feels the wrongness of a human trapping and poisoning animals.  Kai takes the lead in rallying neighborhood animals to thwart the nasty neighbor's harmful traps and set an imprisoned cat free. It's a tale of bravery, friendship, and the power of standing up for what's right. 

I hope to get the book ready for publication around the middle of this year. Of course, I wanted Sea Dragon ready for publication last fall, but it didn't quite make it. This book has the added complication of added illustrations. I have begun about a half dozen. Kai, of course, several of her friends and allies, as well as the poor kitty in the trap. They are in their beginning stages, but hopefully I'll have a few ready in my next blog installment. 

 The rat is an AI generated facsimile that I will use to make a drawing. 

To kick off this exciting journey, I've come up with a special campaign name that captures the essence of Kai's mission and invites you to be a part of her first adventure: 🐾 Introducing "Paws for Justice" 🐾 I hope you join me to spread awareness about Kai's quest and the importance of protecting our animal friends. Each one of us can make a positive impact in our community and stand against any form of harm to our beloved pets. The last few paragraphs were included in my email newsletter, along with the first draft of my cover. I am hoping that Kai and the Nasty Neighbor is only the beginning of Kai's adventures. Also, Kai and the Nasty Neighbor is loosely based on actual events. Not that I had a cat that did these things, but that I knew a neighbor who did nasty things.    Let me know what you think of the cover. If you have any ideas for it, pass them along!  And by the way, If you haven't grabbed your copy of Voyage of the Sea Dragon; Into the Dream World, it's still in Kindle Unlimited. Eventually I am going to take it out of the KU so I can make it available on Smashwords and other ebook platforms. I hope to make it available in hardback as well.  Happy Spring!!

The Twelve Days (so to speak) of Self Publishing

On the first day of self-publishing I planned a date for publication.  (Presumably with plenty of time...)

On the second day of self-publishing, I formatted my manuscript (which had gone through at least a dozen edits from one person to another. 

On the third day of self-publishing, I collaborated with a designer to beef up my cover. 

On the fourth day of self-publishing, I changed my word.doc to an ePub. On Calibre...

Five rejections and counting!! 

On the sixth day of self-publication, I submitted my manuscript to Kindle Direct Publishing. (Refer to five.) 

On the seventh day of self-publication, I delayed my Kindle release.                   

e-book cover

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

On the eighth day of self-publication, my book cover came back to me from Ingram (too narrow!!)

On the eighth day of self-publication, the revised cover was resubmitted to IngramSpark. 

On the ninth day of self-publication, my eBook came out on Kindle. (on the original date--horrors!) 

On the tenth day of self-publication, I downloaded the Kindle Create app and then loaded my word.doc on the app.

On the tenth day of self-publication, I went through the e-proof from Ingram and realized the font was wrong.

On the eleventh day of self-publication, I realized Palatino Linotype would increase the page numbers and mess with the cover. 

On the twelfth day of self-publication, I redid the cover to fit the pages. 

  

 The redone print cover. 

[Obviously in self-publications there are more than twelve days. I am currently waiting for the next e-proof manuscript from Ingram Spark, so I can approve it and then order a copy of the book. 

In KDP, I am waiting for the updated e-book manuscript to replace the icky one.]

Definitely, if this had been the launch of a real submarine, it would have slid off the ramp and sunk to the ocean floor.  

Fingers crossed. 

Happy Moon Crusher Day!

Moon Crusher Day! I am declaring Moon Crusher Day! Since I am declaring it, it’s not any particular day, (although today is as good a time as any). It’s a celebration of my book Moon Crusher. Why am I in such a great mood?

First of all, a little background. Moon Crusher is my award winning book about a fourteen-year-old boy from 1829 Mexican California who is abducted by aliens and made a slave on a huge starship. He must learn the language, the customs, how to serve his reptilian masters, and how to fight with weapons of unimaginable power. He must show his loyalty, his bravery, and his ability to adapt, all the while trying to earn his freedom. Moon Crusher won a bronze Royal Palm Literary Award from Florida Writers, a first place in juvenile literature from Oklahoma Writers Federation, and recently received a five star award from Literary Titan. So why the special day of celebration? Moon Crusher has gone international! Thanks to Francisco Silva, Moon Crusher is in Portuguese, Lua Eterna; Os Herdeiros do Universo! (Eternal Moon; Heirs of the Universe.) It’s a beautiful volume and I am so elated that it was considered good enough to have life in Portugal and Brazil.

I am also celebrating a new look for the original Moon Crusher! My publisher, Karen Fuller, has created an amazing new cover. It’s stunning! (Not that the first one wasn’t great, this one is greater!)

And to seal the deal? Moon Crusher 2 will be coming out in the near future. I don’t know how near or far yet, but it’s coming! So celebrate Moon Crusher either in English or Portuguese and keep checking my site for updates on the sequel to Moon Crusher!

Thar She Blows! The adventures of a landlubber trying to launch a submarine.

I have planned for the publication of Voyage of the Sea Dragon for months, even years. This publication is going to be different. I have learned enough over the years that I was going to whiz though the Nanowrimo and then the critique group and then some light editing. Lest I get cocky, let me back up and hitch to the reality. Yes I did quickly write the rough draft during Nano months, adapting a little of the fan fiction I had written over the years and blending it with new materials, fresh characters, and different settings. The whole thing ended up being about 120,000 words, give or take. It would be a two book 'series.' And, yes, I still fully planned on self-publishing it. Hopefully, the right way this time. (The other way was when I had possession of the manuscript to My House of Dreams and only knew enough to take what I had and put it into an Amazon template. I wasn't able to fix the size of the font. I also had to have someone take the old ISBN number off the original cover so Amazon could slap theirs on it. Then it languished on Kindle Unlimited for over a decade. It had needed a make over. ) No, this new book was going to be done right. I figured out a little formatting, but knew I'd need help. (Thanks to all of you offering help.) I messed around with a cover and was told I had a winner. Wow! I think it will still need some tweeking to make sure it will be as nice on the finished product as it was in my computer file. More suggestions as I went along. One of my book critiquing partners was so masterful about seeing where detail needed to be added or clarifying characteristics of the character and the setting. So I had inserted chapters, lots of inserted chapters. There were so many that I ended up renumbering the chapters. I certainly hope I don't have two chapter thirty-fours!

So when I finished all of that, I thought it was a simple matter to take the individual chapters of the novel and put them together into a 6 X 9 format. It was fairly easy, but that was also when I noticed that the manuscript needed more work. The editor was heading out of town, so I sent it out anyway. The editor later contacted me and pointed out the obvious. She was nice about it, though.

So, while I know Sea Dragon is going to be published, I need to remember some rules. 1. Be patient. While it's good to come up with a publication date and shoot for it, there are times when you need to admit you need more time. 2. Be patient, things happen for a purpose. Perhaps this time it was to understand that I am still learning and will continue to learn. 3. There is no such thing as a perfect manuscript and mine is very far from perfect. 4. Listen to your editor. 5. Be patient.

So with that said, I'll be patient.

Summer Adventures

June was a very busy month for me. Maybe I'm making excuses for not posting last month, maybe I just want to pass along some of the enjoyment my family and I had. 

My husband, Dan, and I went to the Oklahoma Salt Plains to dig for crystals in June with our daughter and her family. It was a bit cool, but that worked out fine. It was a bit wet and Dan found one of the deep dig holes. He had to go through a bucket of sand in the car to find his crystals because the wind was a bit cold with wet clothes! We were all dirty, but that was all right, too. We have lots of little crystals to show for our effort. 

Salt Plains- Selenite crystals

Later in the month, our son and his family drove down to visit with us. Five days just weren't enough, but we packed all we could get into those five days. Most of the time the kids wanted to swim, so we did Pelican Bay and the rest of the time they swam at the hotel pool. 

Pelican Bay (Edmond)

They wanted to see a movie together so we did that. (Spiderman Multiverse) I'm still trying to understand that one. We also went to Eichen's and Kingfisher, but that was the farthest we went out of OKC. We enjoyed both. How can you go wrong with fried chicken and fried okra, then putting the grandkids into an old-fashioned jail? 

Eischen's (Okarche)

In Jail (Kingfisher)

There was Pop's, an arcade, and fun and games at our daughter's house. As I said, the five days went by too fast. 

Enjoying a soda at Pop's

Fun at the arcade

I haven't had another book published. I have to get on the stick if my new novel, Voyage of the Sea Dragon; Into the Dream World, is to be published this fall.   

Anyway, that's my excuse for having fun this summer and I'm sticking to it!

Billy Bob Flybottom

Fun's the Thing!

 I will probably overuse the word- AMAZING! What am I referring to? I am talking about my recent weekend and the two days I spent at the OWFI conference. (For the uninitiated...) This is a writers' conference held annually in Oklahoma City for writers throughout the state (there are even writers from out of state.) 

Even though I was also running a book selling table and despite volunteering to help out with registration (it was wonderful working with Shelley Pagach.) I had more time to go to sessions this year. First, the time of the sessions was shortened just a little so that gave attendees time to visit the book store, check out the donated baskets, and just visit with other authors. The sessions themselves were wonderful. I only wish they could have been video'd so I could revisit, or see some coinciding with equally valuable sessions. 

Since I do have a little violence in some of my science fiction books as well as my adventure/historical books, I attended Tao Wong's discussion of martials arts in writing. Sword fights are hard to write, as is most fighting, and this session helped me to determine some rules about this kind of action. There was a great session about SEO's (Search Engine Optimization) and how they work by Marisa Mohi. Rob Roensch talked about flash memoirs--creating a moment and then building on it. Social Media Marketing by J Hall really added a new spin on putting your books out there, or rather creating a relationship with our fans and followers. 

I must say, I had never heard a speaker who made so many mistakes come out in such good shape. Grady Hendrix was so enjoyable as he let each of us know just what boners could be made in the writing journey. It was good to laugh at the mistakes mirroring my own, and good to know others have gone through the same thing. I attended his session the next day. 

There were sessions about book covers from Sylvia Frost, small presses from Casie Dodd, character motivation using something called Enneagram with Claire Taylor, and creating a calendar for my work

process that helps me do a better job in my writing with Marisa Mohi. I have already been doing that, but this helped to pinpoint improvements I needed. There were so many fun sessions that I could have gone to if I could have cloned myself. 

I had checked out the baskets donated for Basket Wars and bid on a couple. I won a basket! It had some great stuff in it. Can't wait to try the Oklahoma barbecue sauce, the beans, and the corn bread. Yum! 

Even the OWFI board meeting was interesting and Nick Lyon kept it short. Finally, came the Awards Banquet. It was a nice dinner, but the real prize was hearing the winners of the writing contest. So many great stories and novels that earned awards. I felt blessed to be among those.  

 

Shelley White getting her award for her 1st place script.

Needless to say, I'll be going next year! It was an amazing weekend!

March is Spring; Trying a New Thing!

 Here in Oklahoma March has no clue if it's winter, spring, summer, or fall. Earlier this week, it got up to almost 80 degrees, (early summer), then it dropped to below freezing, (winter). West Oklahoma got a layer (briefly) of snow! Today it reached the fifties in the morning and then it rained, while a cold front blew in and it's going to get down to the twenties tonight. 

Even the cedar pollen doesn't know what to do. And this is spring break for most of the kids around here. Oh, well. 

Since the weather has decided to do different things, I decided to try different things, too. I have been working on a science fiction novel set in the ocean. I decided I was going to try my hand at self-publication of this one and post teasers ahead of time. That meant I needed a cover, a blurb, and whatever one does to promote a new book. I tried several things with my cover creator from Book Brush, using pictures from Pixabay and a friend with Photoshop. (I didn't want the fisherman with the whales. Wouldn't work!) The friend took out the fisherman, I took out the background on the whale and duplicated it with Book Brush, and then played around. For Photoshop people, we're talking about at least four layers. 

I bounced it off of several people, making changes and bouncing again. Let me know what you think. 

Me? Consistent? Whoops!

I noticed last year that I had consistently written a blog post every month until October. I did a September post and then a December one. And this will be my first blog of 2023. 

Okay, a one sentence excuse. It's hard to think about doing blogs when at least one person in the family is sick.  

Anyway, it's a new year. Time to be optimistic. And I am going to be optimistic. I am still writing. I submitted things to several contests after fixing mistakes from previous contests. You see, if we're progressing, no matter how slow, we are doing better. I pulled out several kid's short stories I wrote a long time ago, and as I was making edits and corrections, I realized they would be perfect as children's books. Wow! One started life as a magazine submission that sat on the shelf for almost twenty years. Another started as a flash fiction based on a critique group prompt. (I actually have several of those.) There was another magazine submission with a history of rejections. (It won a prize last fall.) Memories of my childhood, a memory of my college days. I doubt those would be kid's books, but who knows? It was so nice to get them out and dust them off and let others read them, critique them, and help me make them better. 

And lest I forget, my first book also got a dusting off. My Zorro publisher republished My House of Dreams with a new cover, a new back cover blurb, and new formatting after I gave it some fresh editing. It's amazing what a facelift can do! I'm grateful. 

What are you optimistic about or grateful for? Let me know....

 

Happy Holidays and Keep Reading....

 

When one says something like Happy Holidays during the late fall/early winter months, they aren’t just talking about Christmas, which undoubtedly is the biggest winter holiday. Still, according to webholidays.com, there are a good many others.  

 St. Nicholas (Ukrainian stamp)

I love finding out new things so I continued reading. Did you know Santa Claus has his own day? Well, actually St. Nicholas does (Sinterklaas). Now while the modern day Santa Claus derived from St. Nicholas, the celebration on December 5^th and 6^th celebrates the saint, or the Bishop who gave gifts to the poor way back in the third century. Even his sometimes companion, Krampus, (who gives naughty children the reward for their poor choices) has his own holiday!

 Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

December 8^th is Bodhi Day in Japan. The holiday celebrates the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). His enlightenment came after giving away his wealth and meditating—a lot of it. Part of the celebration includes meditating and doing kind acts for others.

I didn’t know that Christmas is celebrated in some parts of the world on January 7th. In Ethiopia, Christians follow the old (Julian) calendar which puts Christmas two weeks later than the December 25th celebration. Christmas, or Ganna, is a more solemn event, where the people wear white clothes, attend mass, and then play a hockey-like game. Kids might receive a small gift.

 Knud Lavard

The Scandinavians end the Christmas season with a holiday called St. Knut’s Day. On this festive day, the Christmas tree is “plundered” of all its decorations, including the cookies (which can be eaten, if one is brave enough after all that time), and then the tree is removed from the house. There are festivities with friends and family.

Amazing what one can discover by reading. Nowadays, it’s easy to find information on the internet (and yes, most wiki’s do have correct info), but I still find a great deal of information by reading books and magazines. I could even tell you about the time I entered a story into a contest and got flak about the outlandishness of the subject matter. The information came from a National Geographic.

Even fiction books have taught me  as I follow the protagonists through their adventures. In other words, reading has enlarged my world. How about this year making a resolution to do more reading.

So, happy holidays and keep on reading!