News Flash: December 19, 2010

Contest Winner! Congrats to Florinda who won Léna Roy’s Edges!

From the 2011 Debs…

Though Deb Tawna has known since last spring that her debut novel is scheduled to hit shelves in August 2011, she finally has an official release date to circle on the calendar. Sourcebooks, Inc. will release MAKING WAVES on Tuesday, August 2, 2011. Let the countdown begin! Deb Tawna is also celebrating a fun interview series she just participated in at The Novel Road (where she was honored to be included in the same company as much cooler authors like Brian Haig, Robin Becker, Ken McClure, Kennedy Foster, Gary Corby, Sean Ferrell, Brian Russell, and Joan Wolf).

Hardcover copy of The Weird SistersDeb Eleanor got a lovely present in the mail this week – a hardcover copy of The Weird Sisters! We’re just about a month away from the release, and there’s lots of exciting news in the works, thanks to Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam’s incredible Publicity team.

Past Deb News…

Sarah Pekkanen’s Sarah Pekkanen's Skipping a beat upcoming SKIPPING A BEAT has been chosen as a Doubleday Book Club alternate pick! And the book just received a starred review from Library Journal, which states, “In this compelling and satisfying read, Pekkanen offers relatable characters that move you and an ending that surprises and pleases. Highly recommended.”

And Sarah’s original e-story will be available for download for 99 cents this Tuesday! It’s called ALL IS BRIGHT and it’s the story of a woman who goes home to Chicago for Christmas, and hears a voice from her past calling her name in the aisle of a grocery store. Sarah is holding a 5 Days of Christmas Celebration for anyone who buys the e-story – check her website for details, but her giveaway will include books, Godivas, and a Sony e-reader!


Friends of the Debs…

Past Deb Guest Molly Harper is doing a holiday giveaway with Friend of the Debs Jane Porter.  Check out the details on Molly’s blog, and visit her post on Jane’s blog.

A sweet essay in The Christian Science Monitor about recent Deb Guest Léna Roy and her grandmother (you might have heard of her – Madeline L’Engle).  Learn more about Léna and her debut YA novel, Edges, on her site!

Deb Dish — The Best and Worst Things About Winter Holidays.

Deb Elise

I am a huge dork for the winter holidays.  I’m Jewish and I celebrate Hanukkah, but what I really celebrate this time of year is the spirit behind all the winter holidays — a spirit of love, togetherness, giving, and renewal.  I’m crazy about the trappings of the holidays: the decorations, the songs, the luminaries along the streets, the cookies, the candles, the gatherings… to me they’re outward signs of the celebration of life and loved ones we should enjoy all year round.  Yes, even the giant plastic lawn snow globes — I want to see those specifically every day of the year.

Oh — the other thing I love is that we adopted our dog on Christmas Eve eight years ago, and every year the wonderful Bill Foundation sends him an anniversary card.  Seriously adorable.

Deb Eleanor

I hate the focus on shopping.  I loathe malls at the best of times, and while I’m all for holidays that give us a chance to share gifts as a token of what people in our lives mean to us, I am not sure that we always remember that’s the purpose when we’re standing in line at a big box store.

But…I love driving around at night and seeing the lights everywhere in Colorado.  Sure, there were lights up in Florida, but the days are not quite as short and the nights not as cold, so the impact of all the various festivals of lights that happen at this time of year was lessened.  I adore the hope that lit menorahs and Christmas trees and kinaras and Yule logs symbolize.

Deb Kim

The holiday break is hard for the kids – too much down time. They really need their routines from school. The best part? The joy of the holidays, I have a birthday on the 28th and it’s a warm happy time of year. And my house looks nice. I hate taking down the decorations in January.

Deb Sarah

Worst: Mailing packages. Ugh. Pardon me for sounding like Scrooge for a moment, but I dread the long lines at the Post Office (where my children inevitably misbehave), the scurrying around in the rain/snow trying to get every last present wrapped, boxed and shipped, and feeling so crazed. I’m not always this grumpy, but I have a baby due in 6 weeks, so schlepping packages with an enormous belly (and a 2 and 4 year old in tow) is a real challenge. Bah humbug!

Best: Christmas cookies and mulled wine–not that I can have any of the latter right now. Perhaps I can save some and smuggle into the delivery room after baby #3 is born?

Deb Tawna

Best: The fact that people in line at the post office try so very hard to be friendly in spite of the fact that they’re stressed. It’s worth waiting in line just to hear strangers offer each other stamps and wish each other a merry Christmas.

Worst: Presents. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I dislike both giving and receiving them. It’s always made me uncomfortable.


3 Replies to “News Flash: December 19, 2010”

  1. 12/23 is my favorite day of the year. Most everyone is happy and pleasant – regardless of whether they celebrate Christmas or not – it’s not quite the holiday yet – but has all of the excitement and anticipation. I like the anticipation better than Christmas morning itself.

  2. I’ll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)

Comments are closed.