Finding Something Friday: Name That (Christmas) Tune Finale

And now it's time to say goodbye to all our jolly tunes!

M-E-R (Arrrrgh, mateys! I'll miss you!)

R-R-Y (Why? Because I love you!)

C-H-R-I-STMAS!

(Yeah, today's verse is not one of my better efforts. But the pics are pretty awesome, right?)

Answers: Walking in a Winter Wonderland, Joy to the World, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Away in a Manger, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas! (And a happy new year!)

Name That (Christmas) Tune, Day 3

Yes, we're still having fun at the old Hall of Fame,

with our jolly and musical Christmas tune game!

Some of my friends have been oh-so-smart,

and deciphered the songs from my so-so art.

But today's little songs are really a doozy--

(I like that word 'cause it rhymes with jacuzzi.)

Answers: What Child Is This? and All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth

Name That (Christmas) Tune, Day Two

We're having some fun at the old Hall of Fame

with a jolly and musical Christmas word game!

Take a look at the cards I've posted today--

Can you guess the tune that each of 'em play?

So how did you do? Did you figure 'em out?

(There's more for tomorrow, so don't go and pout.)

Answers: Deck the Halls and Noel

Name that (Christmas) Tune

'Tis the week before Christmas at the old Hall of Fame,

And I found something fun, a jolly word game!

Take a look at the cards that I'm posting each day-

and see if you know the tune it will play.

The art's not so great, but y'all are great thinkers.

Now don't peek below, you bunch of old stinkers--

Until you've made a guess, or maybe a few.

And happy Christmas to all (and Hanukkah, too!)

(Answers: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow and O Christmas Tree)

Finding Something Friday on a Writer's Wish List

A big thanks to my writer friend, Sally Apokedak, who sent me this gem of a sweepstakes!

It's called a Writer's Wish List Sweepstakes and all you have to do to win is pick your favorites from the Gotham Writers' Workshop wish list and send in the entry form.

Yep, that's it. The whole shebang. And then, come January 17, one name will be picked at random for each of the items listed. That's like...let me go count. SIXTY-THREE CHANCES TO WIN!

Of course, it's possible that there will be 63,000 writers signing up for each of these swell gifts. I don't blame 'em. A few of these sparkly gifts are on my personal wish list addressed to the Beneficent Mr. Hall.

Uh-oh. What if I win something I already have? Well, I'll cross that sweepstakes bridge when I come to it. In the meantime, I think I see the Beneficent Mr. Hall trying to type with his fingers crossed.

Tooting My Horn Tuesday for 12 Days of Christmas Prayer

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from an Adams Media editor that one of my stories would be included in a project called 12 Days of Christmas Prayer. And today, I remembered to look for the e-book, and deck the Halls with boughs of holly! There was my story, appearing on the First Day of Christmas!

I love the story, "Advent at the Hall House." It originally appeared in a Cup of Comfort Book of Christmas Prayer. And that was swell, to have it published and sitting pretty on the shelves in big bookstores during the holidays. But that's not why I love that story so much.

I loved those days when the kids could barely read, and we gathered around the Advent wreath to share a few prayers, the kind of prayers that started out with a very holy, "Dear Jesus." But somehow ended with a discussion of dogs, or firetrucks or what Mommy shouldn't have said to that man in the grocery store. It's that kind of a story.

My, that was some Christmas praying. Anyway, I'm sure the rest of the stories are just as wonderful as "Advent at the Hall House." You can find the e-book here for just a few dollars. It seems like a reasonable price for 12 Days of Christmas Prayer.

'Tis the season, friends. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Finding Something Friday on a Book Giveaway! and Persistence

Let me start by saying I am persistent. Which sounds like a good quality, but the Beneficent Mr. Hall might beg to differ.

Anyway, I have been trying forEVER to somehow win Cheryl Klein's Second Sight. I've heard her speak several times, so I know her book on writing, revising and publishing books for children and young adults is awesome. I mean, I really want to win this book.

Now, of course, I could buy it. And dear readers, after MONTHS of not winning the book, followed by the birthday present of a lovely giftcard re: one of those big bookstores that shall remain nameless, I decided to buy the book. After all, technically, I was still winning the book.

So I ordered Second Sight. And just a week later, Second Sight arrived! Oh, frabjous joy! Except it was NOT Second Sight by Cheryl Klein. It was Second Sight by Amanda Quick (who I'm sure is a lovely person and it's probably a great book but it's not the totally awesome book I ordered.)

Thus began my two MONTH quest to get my money back and/or Second Sight by Cheryl Klein. On Wednesday, this Wednesday, I spent one hour and 23 minutes on the phone with said Big Bookstore and the manager was lovely and all but I still do not have my money and/or book. The gift certificate is "in the mail," she said. Uh-huh.

But yesterday, I found out that Cheryl Klein is giving away yet another copy of Second Sight! I'm pretty sure it's a sign and that my dogged persistence shall pay off.

(P.S. She also shares some excellent advice for writers and a chance to win Elizabeth Bunce's Star-crossed and Liar's Moon. Zip over for the hows and more here!)

A Strange Coincidence...Or Is It?

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned how I keep lists.

I make a Things To Do List for most every day. I make a list of Monthly Goals. And I have a list of every essay, poem, article or story I submit. At the end of each month, I update my list of submissions. Oftentimes, I'll go back over the months to see if I still have something out.

Such was the case with a couple stories I'd submitted to Uncle John's Flush Fiction. I was a little late organizing this month, but I got around to my list on Monday, and when I saw how long those stories had been sitting, I crossed them out, giving up on them.

The next day, the VERY next day, I received an acceptance from the Uncle John anthology. But the editor wanted only one of the stories, a funny, supernatural piece of flash fiction about a dog who dies--and comes back.

So now I'm just a little...what's the word? Oh, yeah. TOTALLY freaked out.

Sally the Crazy Dog

It's been a bit quiet around the Hall house the last few days...we had to say goodbye to Sally the Crazy Dog.

And as I stood at the sink, washing her bowl and dripping my sloppy tears into the soapy water, I thought, Good, old Sally. She was such a good dog.

So I started giggling, then laughing right out loud. Because Sally Hall was not such a good dog at all. There was a reason why we called her The Crazy Dog.

An Incomplete List of Stuff Sally Chewed, Scratched, or Otherwise Ruined:

*The Benficent Mr. Hall's prescription glasses

*My favorite (and only) really expensive sweater

*The cable line (twice)

*Three window glass panes (trying to get to lizards)

*The window sill (because sometimes, knocking out a pane isn't enough)

*Most of the carpet

See, Sally would dash from any wood or tile-covered floor in the house to a carpeted floor of the house when she needed to throw up. That's because Sally would also dash from anywhere in the house if anyone was eating anything. And because she could beat a toddler in persistent whining, she always got something to eat, whether she should have been eating it or not.

No, Sally the Crazy Dog was not such a good dog...but she was the best ever dog for the Halls. We'll miss her like crazy.