The Dreaded Post

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Yes, the Dreaded Post. Because the publication of Chasing Monsters is YET AGAIN postponed.
I wanted to have it out before Christmas, and not just because I wanted the sales.  I wanted to have a contest with swag and everything. I have waited long enough to bring this novel to light, to fulfill a promise I made. Sigh...

As usual, life has happened. Heather Savage has been hard at work on edits, and Createspace has accepted our weirdness and italics. Now we just need to add acknowledgments and the all important, ESSENTIAL dedication....which is actually only a few sentences long.

I haven't seen my cover yet, because my artist is EXTREMELY busy, and not feeling so great. I'm lucky she agreed to do a cover at all.

I'm shooting for February. Sorry.

In the meantime, here's what's new. I've finished the rough draft for 'Elaina's Fate', and I'm closing in on the end of 'Her True Name:Volume Two' which takes place in the Funnel Beaker period of Scandinavia. Lots of edits in my new year.

In the meantime, I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, however you celebrate <3.

Merry Christmas...or whatever. :)

Illustration by: suphakit73@FreeDigitalPhotos. net

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, Felice Navidad or however you prefer to express your year end celebrations. I don't care how you say it, but I wish you all warm hugs, happiness and the company of those you love this season.

Our Christmas will be quiet, but extended. Christmas Eve and Christmas day will mean only myself, my husband, my sister and the cats. And that's just fine.

But this Saturday, we cross the street to our friends, the Raju's. They do sweet things for us all the time...like using their Bobcat to plow our driveway. And Tara makes the very BEST rice pudding...just for me. They have nooooo idea how much we appreciate them. And they have no idea that we bought small thank you gifts...NOT Christmas presents, right?

Uncle Arnie will show up for a Christmas drink...We don't know when, but it won't be on Tuesday or Wednesday because as much as he loves us, he hates Christmas fanfare more.

Our best friend Darci is going home for the first time in years, so our dinner and gift exchange will have to wait.

We're expecting friends travelling from British Columbia and The North West Territories, but again, we don't know when. It's a LONG drive for Colleen from the island and a LONG flight from up north for Doug.

This just in...Roxy is coming over Christmas Eve! Yaaaay!

Christmases around here have long become less about the actual day with the gifts and food and more about the time spent with those we care about.

I'm pretty excited. And I hope you are too. I'm hoping your holidays are filled with happiness and love.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas 'Gifts'...

You know when you're a kid? And a cool Christmas seems to hinge on that one great gift that you've always wanted?

I begged, I PLEADED  for three years. There was nothing I wanted more than a Fisher-Price Castle. I whined and yowled. I was sick of getting homemade mittens and wind-up bath toys from 'Robinson's' for Christmas. The good stuff came from a favorite uncle, who often bought us dolls and craft kits. Knowing what I know now, I'm sure my parents couldn't afford it. Looking back, I still cringe and feel like a spoiled brat for being ungrateful for mitten and scarf sets.

When I finally got the much desired castle for Christmas, I promised myself I would never EVER let it go. Here it is...And it isn't leaving my home until someone peels it from my cold, dead digits. I got it when I was 8 years old...I'm almost 42 years old now.

I still have the people and furniture tucked away in a box

I had intended to write this blog about toys, and all the joy they bring. But sometimes 'joyful' isn't the word some people use to describe the holidays. I know people who aren't going to get much of anything this Christmas. Some are just trying to survive. No turkey, no chocolate, no toys. Sometimes no family.

Remember those less fortunate this season. There's Santa's Anonymous, Food Banks, and the Christmas Bureau. I've just learned about 'Tender Hearts' in Stony Plain, Alberta. Perhaps there are other legitimate organizations in your local area.  Please give if you are able. No one should suffer a crappy Christmas. No child should endure empty stomachs. Their parents should not feel shame. No one should be all alone.

Besides, it feels good to do it. Who knows? Maybe you will be able to help provide a decent dinner for a family. Maybe you'll reaffirm to a child that they were good and that Santa found them after all. Perhaps you'll bring happiness where there wasn't any. Believe me, it's the best Christmas rush you'll get this year.

Almost Finished!

I made this ornament with my husband and best friend yesterday.

I LOVE Christmas. I do as much of it as humanly possible, except for all the cookies. I don't bake and I don't need any help getting fatter. And I don't sing Christmas carols. I do Ashley Simpson lipsynching if required to participate. Nyah :P

It is November 28th, and almost all my shopping is done. I need a few stocking stuffers and another elusively cool gift for my beloved troll that has no true hobbies other than video games. (No. I do NOT buy his video games. I never get it right.) Feel free to hate me now.

I decorated my house on the 19th of November and found that I was actually LATE in certain circles. I normally send out my Christmas cards (I know what a dying tradition that truly is.) on December 1st. I've already started sending a bunch out, but since half my card-worthy friends are either American or Overseas, I've had to hustle my tuckus on that too!

No matter how far ahead I think I am, the farther behind I get! It certainly doesn't help to do the annual Santa's Anonymous shop, but we aren't dropping that from our schedule. It's too much clean fun, too important a cause.

This year we are doing our Sort-of Annual Christmas party. I mean Sort-of-Annual, because although we've done others, this will be two years in a row. And that's two days from now. I'm using recipes from Pinterest and Company's Coming books. This should be FUN! And wipe-out scary! I hope our guests don't mind being Guinea Pigs for us...

Don't worry, I get it. It's not about the food, or booze or gifts. It IS, however, about all the good smooshy feelings you get in the dead of winter. I LIKE eating and drinking with good friends. I LOVE finding the perfect gift. I like making my home look like the Christmas tree barfed all over the house...including the kitchen and bathroom. I like the special dinners and the treats. I love to wrap presents, even when Freya decides she has to kill the wrapping paper.

I like the spirit, the generosity that happens when those who have enough give to those who don't. It isn't all about the materialism. It's about JOY whatever that means to you.

Any traditions you'd like to share?

An Early Contest

Cover by Terra Weston-Koster

I almost got caught with my pants down. You'll notice my last two posts were interviews? Jay Mims and Loush O'Raven were so awesome that I almost didn't have to do any work!

So this week I had nothing prepared, nothing interesting to say. I forgot I had to do anything. Whoops! But wait...

I checked my calendar and sure enough, I found an escape route.

CHRISTMAS CONTEST!!

I was planning one anyway. I got a few printed copies and a tiny bit of swag left. They'll make some pretty decent prizes.

Too early you say? I disagree. Is there someone on your list who might like a personally autographed copy of Aphrodite's War? If you win, there's still plenty of time for me to send it to you before the Christmas rush. (And I don't trust the Canadian Postal Service to bring it in time otherwise.) Or if you're keeping it for yourself, is there anything better than curling up with a good book in the stolen moments when family isn't making you crazy?

Here are the prizes:

Prize #1...Personally autographed copy of Aphrodite's War, a notebook featuring the cover for Aphrodite's War and a magnetic calendar.

Prize#2...Personally autographed copy of Aphrodite's war, an Aphrodite's War keychain, and magnetic calendar.

Prize #3...Personally autographed copy of Aphrodite's war and a magnetic calendar.

As always, promotion is the name of the game, and every post counts as an entry. I want to see Twitter and Facebook and Goodreads ALIVE with mentions of Aphrodite's War with my name tagged on. But there's new ways to enter.You can join my new Street Team "Milward's Minions". Or send your friends to my "Donna Milward, Author" page. Make sure your friends tell me who sent them ;)

I'll announce the winners on November 21st. Have fun with it, and I'll be looking for you all. <3 Thank you very much.

Christmas Contest!

I love this time of year. People I love have birthdays. (Happy Birthday to my sister Jody Lean and my friend Roxy Lebeau!) Plus it's time for Christmas shopping, and I like to get a half decent start. I'd tell you what I'm getting my loved ones, but some of them actually read this blog ;)

Which brings me to this picture. In order to celebrate the season and the fact that Thoeba has been out for six months, I'm giving away these three metal mugs with three e-book copies of Thoeba. You can't see it, but my signature is on the sides!

See...if I start a little early, the winners can give Thoeba AND/OR one of these lovely travel mugs to someone for Christmas...or treat yourself, of course.

The contest goes for a week, as usual. I'll announce three winners on the 30th. Here's the drill...You know when I ask you guys to post and tweet your hearts out? Same thing...I want to see Thoeba's name everywhere! Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, it's all good. Retweet the blog, or post a review, whatever your fancy.

But here's something else...I want to promote some very talented friends as well, who could give you MORE ideas for Christmas. Each time you tweet, post, blog any of the people or sites you found here, add a hashtag for #Thoeba or mention this blog otherwise. (i.e.- earthtothoeba was right...Jessica Frost rocks!) Or if that feels to much like advertising, use my name. (i.e.-I LOVE the Rocky Mountain Soap Company. Thanks for the heads up, Donna Milward.) You get the picture. This is just so I can see who is endorsing my friends because of this blog, and it counts as two entries. Trust me...these people are worth checking out!

First, meet COLLEEN SUNDBY at www.sundby-art-and-tile.com  To say that Colleen is creative is like saying, "Yeah...Michaelangelo paints." She's the person who made these great mugs for me, and besides crafting cool custom tiles, (by hand) and personalized gifts, she also makes gorgeous jewelry with natural stones. (See the above agate necklace she gave me.)

Also check out REBECCA BARTLETT's site at www.etsy.com/shop/MedievalMandrel This bracelet and necklace are the pieces I own. She started making chainmail to keep her hands occupied when she quit smoking. As you can see, she's an expert now. The photos on the site are better. Go look and see what she can do with pop-tabs.

Like Pottery? Go to Potterycove at http://30kellys.blogspot.com and visit KELLY MOEN.I've known Kelly for many years, and I'm really proud of his work. This is just a sample of the stunning stuff he does.

Of course there is a loooong list of books that would make great purchases for Christmas. At www.staccatopublishing.com we have HEATHER SAVAGE, JAY MIMS (The Five Santas would be perfect for Christmas) and JACINTA MAREE with more authors coming.

Got a teen reader on your list? Go to www.meggjensen.com to get a copy of Anathema from MEGG JENSEN. I've read it. It's a beautifully written original fantasy that's not to be missed.

For those who like it spicy, try JESSICA FROST erotica (Siren Publishing) and DEANNA WADSWORTH (Decadent Publishing) man on man erotica. Both can be found at Bookstrand.com

For intense poetry, no one does it better than JESSICA BELL. (www.jessicabellauthor.com) Her latest is called 'Fabric' and it's nominated for a Goodreads award.

If I forgot you, please feel free to advertise your novel in my comment section. Support your independent and small published authors!!

Here's a new twist on a gift idea I just learned about. If you go to compassion.com or oxfam.ca there are a multitude of truly helpful ways to give. These sites are designed to purchase necessary items overseas, such as mosquito nets and textbooks. You can donate these things in the name of your loved ones.  I wish I'd heard of this earlier!

And normally I wouldn't push a franchise, but I just wanted to tell you about my new favorite store...The ROCKY MOUNTAIN SOAP COMPANY. You can find them in Alberta--Edmonton, Calgary, Canmore, and Banff. In British Columbia--Victoria, Vancouver, Whistler and also Winnipeg, Manitoba. If you don't live near any of these cities, there's always on-line ordering.

Their products are handmade and environmentally friendly. They are comparably priced with Bodyshop and use no chemicals. Not to mention, every time I walk in there, they give me a free soap sample, and often my purchases lead to little gifts, like mini body butter sticks and lip balm...for being a good customer.

So Happy Shopping! I hope this list helps you find something for your family and friends, and don't forget to enter the contest!