Happy New Years!

Did you have a good Christmas? Looking forward to a happy new year? Time for resolutions already?

It always comes up every year, time to make some new year’s resolutions. Some people don’t believe in them and others take it pretty seriously. Like most folks, I suppose I’m somewhere in between. It never hurts to try and improve ourselves even if perfection is a longshot.

So what are some of your new year’s resolutions? Did you succeed in fulfilling last year’s resolutions? In what ways do you think that this year will turn out different or the same?

Merry Christmas!!!

Remember that Christmas feeling when you were a kid? The presents under the tree? The not being at school?

Well, it’s nearly here again, and I’d just like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanza! Hope all is well with you in this holiday season, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. I suppose what I like most about this time of year is how people make an effort to be nice to each other and try to be the good-hearted type of people we’d like to be year round.

So, how do you celebrate the holidays? Do you have any special traditions this time of year?

Happy Holidays!

Somebody That I Used To Know

Ever get a great new song stuck in your head? Humming it everywhere you go? And it’s got a cool video to boot?

I know this is probably old news to folks in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, but in the States this song by singer/songwriter Gotye (featuring Kimbra) is starting to get a lot of airplay. If you don’t know what I’m talking about (or even if you do) check out Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” The song is spectacular and although the video starts off a bit odd, trust me it gets a whole lot better.

What songs are buzzing through your head this week (probably Christmas ones I’m guessing)? What are some of your favorite contemporary music artists? And how do you feel songwriting compares and contrasts with other forms of authorship, such as poetry, novels, and plays?    

How Has the Internet Altered Your Reading Habits?

Ordering lots of gifts online this year for Christmas? Maybe even purchasing a Nook or Kindle? Or perhaps you already found a favorite book online and just peruse it on your computer in PDF?

I especially love reading during this time of year and although I often prefer a good library book or even the occasional store bought paperback I find myself reading more and more content online. No need for an encyclopedia when I’ve got Wikipedia, and Amazon.com lets me read the first pages of so many books that I can decide what I want to read long before I go to the store. In places like Japan short “cell phone” stories have gotten so popular that lots of people read these on their way to work.

So how has the internet changed the way you read? Have you formed new reading habits you didn’t have before? Or perhaps you like to keep a mix of older hardbacks alongside your new tablet on your shelves at home?

Crazy Swamped

Hey fellow bloggers, I know I’ve been largely MIA online lately, and a bunch of you have very caringly stopped by my blog and asked how I’ve been. The short of it is I’m super swamped at work lately and my days at Facebook have been so long that I literally have at least a few days a week where all I do is work, sleep, and maybe eat. Needless to say it’s not very productive to generating a routine or blogging. Or having a personal life for that matter.

But I really want to get back in the swing of things and start stopping by your blogs again as well as post some more intriguing topics on my own site. I honestly don’t know when my work life will return to normalcy, but it may take a while. Nonetheless, keep an eye out for me as I have certainly not forgotten about any of you and I very much long to get back into the blogosphere in full swing once my crazy work schedule settles down a bit.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Holiday Stories

Would it still be the holidays without Scrooge and Rudolf? What’s in a story about a Grinch or a kid with a BB gun that seems so appealing during Christmastime? And how does It’s a Wonderful Life keep us coming back for more every year even though we all know exactly how it will end and begin?

We finally put up our fresh, green Christmas tree and have all our lights up, and sure enough the holiday movies are on T.V. I’m surprised (pleasantly so) that Harry Potter films have become a fixture of the holidays as well now too. Between familiar songs, movies, and books it all adds to the warmth of the holiday season.

So what are some of your favorite holiday stories? What movies, songs, or books do you enjoy sharing with family and friends every holiday season? Do you find yourself enjoying these familiar stories anew or do you also associate it with pleasant memories of Christmases past?  

Feeling A Bit Spotty

I seem to have contracted the plague (a.k.a. the cold) over the Thanksgiving break and so my responses online may be a bit spotty this week. Apologies ahead of time for any radio silence, but I’ll still be checking out all your cool blogs when I can. Happy Monday;)

Agent Request for Exclusive

It feels good when an agent expresses interest in your work. Even better when multiple agents start wanting to read your manuscript. But what happens when they start requesting exclusive reads of your book?

I’ve recently been blessed with the “problem” of having multiple agents requesting extensive partial or full versions of my manuscript The Long Defeat. I already have three agents currently reading it on a non-exclusive basis, but yesterday a fourth agent requested the entire manuscript on an exclusive basis for the next six to eight weeks. Obviously, I very much would like to honor this request, but the fact that my book is already circulating in the hands of other agents at the moment complicates things a bit.  

To my fellow authors who have some experience in submitting queries and manuscripts to agents: Have you come across this conundrum before? If so, how did you find the most professional and polite, yet expedient way of negotiating a compromise? I have every intention of honoring my obligations, but I can’t grant an exclusive read until the three other agents have had a chance to finish reading my book. Nonetheless, I’m very enthusiastic about the interest agents are expressing for my novel, and I appreciate all the good karma points and encouragement several of you have been sending my way lately. Thanks!