Merry Christmas and A Great New Year!

This will be my last post of 2005 as I take off time to be with my family through New Years. I will begin posting again on Tuesday, January 3.

BGs, I want to send you the warmest Christmas wishes in blogdom. You certainly deserve them. You all have hung out with me this year through all kinds of things. We've gone from the erudite (craft of fiction talk) to the ridiculous (drugs 'n' dentists, now there's a match). For months you followed me through my Never Ending Saga about my journey toward publication, until one day it finally become the Now Ended Saga. Who'd ever have guessed it would go on some, what was it, 60-some posts? Maybe more. Hmm. Wish I could put that word count toward the book I'm writing.

You have blessed me and encouraged me, and I've loved reading your feedback and comments. Those of you who've never commented, thanks to you, too, for taking the time to stop by regularly. This blog is read by authors who are unpublished to those who are multi-published, and by agents and editors. An interesting community of people and opinions. And I'm thankful for every one of you.

I pray for you and your families this season to experience the joy of having each other, and to experience renewed amazement and wonderment at the birth of Jesus. As for the new year, I would pray for us all to pursue a closer walk with our Savior.

Throughout next year I hope you'll tell me of topics you'd like to discuss. I want this blog to continue to be entertaining to readers and helpful to those writing their own fiction.

I have some great things to look forward to in 2006. As you know, two more novels of mine will release. Web of Lies is coming real soon now. And Violet Dawn will release in August. Violet Dawn was my first novel to be written while this blog was going on. Some of you even gave me ideas for some of the secondary characters' idiosyncracies. (Those of you who did are, of course, in the book's acknowledgments.)

In a few months the marketing will gear up for Violet Dawn and the whole Kanner Lake series. As an addition to Zondervan's marketing campaign, I came up with my own unique ideas for marketing the series, which Z has now approved. There are details to be worked out. When all details are in place, I will tell you the plans. In fact, you BGs will be the first to know. The plans are going to be a lot of fun and innovative. And they're going to involve as many of you as would like to participate. There will be incentives for those of you who do. (BGs will get first dibs at filling the slots of participation before the opportunity is extended to anyone else.) For those of you who don't want to participate, it will be a kick just to watch what happens. Nothin' like puttin' the process out there for everybody to see. Y'all might see the ideas fall flat, or you might witness the whole process taking off like a rocket. I'd prefer the latter, but no doubt the path to the former would still be entertaining.

So here's to 2006. Hope you'll stick with me. Y'all have been a joy and a delight, and great encouragement to this cabinet-kickin' author.

A wonderful, big, warm Merry Christmas to you all!

Please feel free to post your season's greetings to the rest of the BGs.