We have a Winner!

...of the draw for an autographed copy of MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK.

and the winner is: Nina B.

Nina -- just drop me a quick email with your mailing address to contact@kcdyer.com and I'll get the book off to you asap.

Thanks to everyone who added their thoughts and comments to the blog this month. Hope you enjoyed the selection of seasonal suggestions!

The snow is falling soft and heavy outside and I am celebrating, because Winter Solstice is finally here -- the longest night of the year. Look for a special celebratory post tomorrow.

~kc

Final Seasonal Suggestion -- Courtesy of Miss 604

*


Miss 604, aka Rebecca Bollwitt, is a local blogger of long-standing renown. I read her posts daily to keep up on all things going on in and around the lower mainland -- or I have done since my buddy (and guru in all things internet-al) Dale McGladdery pointed me in her direction.



Today, in the spirit of the Advent Conspiracy, I was delighted to find a great selection of intangible gift suggestions for the season on Miss 604's blog. She's got a link to the BC SPCA (though you may have seen it here first!) but also a terrific list of choices, from adopting baby herons and whales -- to helping out human babies -- and more. Check out Miss 604's blog HERE.

So, here we are at last , in the final hectic week before Christmas. Much is happening in the literary world in and around this strange, frozen land we used to know as Vancouver, and the holidays beckon with twinkly lights and snowdrifts. As I type this, an injudiciously parked pick-up truck is deeply, and currently irretrievably, embedded in a snowbank at the bottom of my driveway.

(Perhaps a quick peek at said driveway is in order, to clarify why parking at the bottom under current weather conditions is not optional. This shot is of the bottom half, prior to the hairpin turn leading to the top half. BEFORE the snow.)

My guess is that truck recovery will require daylight, a bit of sturdy rope and some patience.

Truck adventures aside, this entry marks the last of my seasonal suggestions for the year. If you have any final ideas to add, make sure you pop your thoughts into the comments section below, in order to win a shot in the long-anticipated draw for an autographed copy of MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK. All comments from the month of December will be eligible, until the moment of the draw tomorrow -- after which all bets are off.

Back tomorrow with news of the truck -- and the name of the lucky winner.

~kc

*Socks, wearing her most festive expression, and clearly wishing joy to all.

Seasonal Suggestions for Teens -- December 6

Here we are..less than 20 days to Christmas. I still haven't started my shopping...have you?

My disorganized life aside, here's a seasonal suggestion for the writer in your life -- and it's linked to the post I made earlier today.






I have a bit of an issue about 'stuff' -- the conspicuous consumption with which we unthinking types fill our lives. I much prefer to share an experience with my friends and family -- and if you share that thought, than why not give the gift of writing...and reading?









Christianne's Lyceum is an amazing place. Run by the Energizer Bunny known to her loved ones as Christianne Hayward, the Lyceum is ground zero in Vancouver for reading, writing and love of books.


If you click through to her website, you'll find page after page of exciting options for book lovers and writers of all ages. Writers' workshops, Adult Meet-the-Author sessions, kids book clubs, open mic events -- if it has to do with the Arts in Vancouver, you can bet you'll be able to experience it at the Lyceum.

Last night Christianne was telling me about a new group for serious writers who are learning about Manga and graphic storytelling from the ground up. Just one of the myriad of choices open to you. What could be better than the gift of a workshop or event at the Lyceum?







I know it's on MY list!







~kc

Seasonal Suggestions for Teens -- December 2

But wait! I hear you cry. Teens don't read -- at least my teen doesn't! Give me another suggestion!



Here's the scoop. Even if your teen doesn't generally read for pleasure, they still read. They might read magazines or comic books or the backs of cereal boxes -- but they still read. And most of 'em need to read in school.








If you truly have a reluctant reader, why not make the experience less intimidating? Orca Books out of Victoria, BC has a great imprint for reluctant readers called Orca Soundings. These books are fast-paced, fun reads that are usually short and snappy.



My favourite Orca Soundings book these days is the last one I just read -- FIRST TIME, by Meg Tilly. It's the story of sixteen year old Haley and the issues and worries that surround growing up, hanging out with guys and making choices. And when her mother's new boyfriend starts making unwanted advances, Haley doesn't know which way to turn.

It's a great read -- sweet, funny and poignant. I highly recommend it!

You can CLICK HERE if you'd like to look at other books in the Orca Soundings Line.

And remember -- leave a comment if you'd like to add your own seasonal suggestion for your favourite teen. You could win an autographed copy of MS.ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK.

Happy holidays!

~kc

Seasonal Suggestions for Teens -- December 1

Ho ho ho




December is here, and with this change in the calendar comes the fear and loathing...of figuring out the perfect gift for your teenager.








Yep -- the hardest people to buy for, hands down. What do teens want, anyway? They HAVE everything.

But relax, gentle reader, and fear no more, for I am here to provide you with not one, not two, but a full month (well...24 days, anyway) of gift suggestions for the teens on your list -- and not one of my suggestions involves slipping them 20 bucks and a candy-cane in a brown paper envelope.

Contrary to popular opinion, teens DO have interests outside of mirrors and video games. Let's have a look, shall we?

Seasonal Suggestion #1: SISTER WIFE, an Orca Book written by Shelley Hrdlitschka.




Ideal Recipient: Hey -- for the man who has everything -- how about a new wife?

Actually, the ideal recipient of this wonderful novel would be anyone who is interested in a look inside a polygamous community. This novel could literally have been ripped from the headlines, as it examines the reality of turning 15 years old as experienced by a young girl in the fictional community of Unity.





The story unfolds within three different points of view -- through the eyes of Celeste, almost 15 and chafing under the restrictions of a religion that will not allow her to love someone her own age or of her own choosing; and of Nanette, Celeste's younger sister who longs for nothing more than motherhood as a sister wife, and finally through the voice of Taviana, an outsider who finds some solace in the bosom of the community.

Shelley Hrdlitschka weaves this tale with her usual skill -- with warmth and humour, and allows humanity to bloom in the most unexpected corners of the world she has built. It's an amazing read from an author who continues to surprise and entertain with every book she writes -- a fitting choice for our first seasonal suggestion.

And here's a little bonus -- if you'd like to make a Seasonal Suggestion of your own for Teens, go ahead and leave your ideas in the comments section. Any suggestion that I use for the blog will be rewarded by an autographed copy of MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK, my own contribution to the season for teens.

So enjoy these suggestions, add any of your own that you'd like to share, and...

Happy Holidays!

~kc