[F]oto (er... video, that is) Friday

I'm sorry this is so dark! And please forgive me where I talked in circles; it was unscripted.

Kim Michele Richardson is a dear heart with a special spirit, all of which becomes clear as you read The Unbreakable Child.

To find out more about Kimmi or the book, visit her author's website or her blog.

Behold: Books!

My mom got me Stephen King's On Writing for Christmas, and I can't tell you how much I'm loving this book. I'm halfway through, and the paperback already has pen marks and a dog ear or two. (I do plan to share some amazing nuggets from King, most likely in tomorrow's post.) My mom also gave me (Mom, you rawk!) a gift card to Amazon... with which I pre-ordered my very own copy of Kimmi's The Unbreakable Child. Though I know its content may be difficult to read (check the link for details), I can't wait to hold her story in my hands - all while supporting a writing buddy. The bad news is, I have to wait until April for shipment...

My sister gave me Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel. I haven't cracked the cover on that one yet but, given his success as a literary agent, I expect it to be great. High hopes, my friends! My sister also gave me (Jill, you rawk!) a gift card to Starbucks, where I can go sit with any one of these books, and lose myself amongst fine coffee smells and that coffeehouse vibe. You know the one I mean. It's like creativity oozes out of those places.

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Then of course there's the one *ahem* I got myself for Christmas, Writer's Workshop in a Book. And see, I'm pretty good at this, I also bought myself two new journals (remember my fetish?) during after-Christmas sales. The larger drew me in with its colors, even though the binding was torn. But I gladly paid the super-clearance price, slapped some scrapbooking paper over the spine, and embellished the front cover with five simple letters: w.r.i.t.e. The other is gorgeous brown leather, with roses embossed on a portion of it. This is one of those I may never actually write in, because its beauty would be marred by my sloppy handwriting...

What about you? Did you get amazing goodies for Christmas? Something that encourages your pasttime or passion?

[My apologies... there was an issue with the formatting of this post, and when I tried to fix it I encountered a publishing snafu. I think it's fixed now; sorry for the errors.]

Tuesday's Stuff and Things

LOVE this picture!

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I spent a large part of yesterday priming and painting our loft. It looks so great, and I'm pretty sure our carpet will be laid come Saturday... which means I could move in to and decorate both my bedroom AND my writing/reading nook by this time next week. I've been waiting for this for a long time and I can't wait!

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Last week I decided I wasn't happy with my start on Novel 2. A (big) aspect of the plot was leaving me unenthused, and I couldn't stop drawing parallels between the main character and someone I know in real life - which wasn't a good thing. I spent the weekend debating whether I needed to toss it out completely or set it aside for awhile, but ultimately decided the root story is one that needs telling (in short, a man's faith is tested when his world is turned upside-down). So I made a fat tweak, got some great input from misterwrites, and am prepared to get some work done this week. Wahoo.

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Last Tuesday the newspaper in which my humor column appears came in the mail. But yet my column was nowhere to be found. I'm near certain it was an oversight, but I can't be sure because my editor has yet to respond to my inquiry. Normally I'd be quick to let assumptions carry me away, but she frequently travels for her job and can't check in, so I'm trying to be patient. I'd sure like to know where my column is, though...

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I've started my Christmas list, which includes a flash drive and several books, including Kimmi's debut, The Unbreakable Child. You can preorder it if you like... just follow one of the links on her blog. Best of luck with everything Kimmi!

What's goin' on your Christmas list this year?

Anything happening for you this fine Tuesday?