What could be a better Christmas present than a contract for your debut novel? If you went anywhere near Facebook over the weekend, you were probably unable to avoid the wave of joy (and dare I say it, relief) because Kathy Evans has finally, finally got a book deal. It seemed for a long time that there was indeed no justice in the universe, but Kathy and her agent soldiered on and placed her YA novel More of Me with Usborne. Here's Kathy telling us all about it.
Sarah McIntyre has gone all out on the book-themed free merchandise this Christmas. If you feel like knitting your own Jampire, or sending a special Jampires card, then this post has all the details. If, on the other hand, you prefer a Cakes in Space theme to your mailings, then listen up, because Hark the Herald Poglites Sing.
Layn Marlow is hosting a very special conversation on her blog, as she chats with an imaginary squirrel. While this might normally be grounds for prescribing stronger medication, Layn's illustrated blog post turns out to be a rather sweet treat!
At Catherine Friess's house, the advent calendar is a major undertaking. Read Catherine's blog to see how the first week of Snowy and Christmas’s book advent calendar turned out (and it's nice to see SCBWI-BI author Alice Hemming's picture book making an appearance on December 5th).
Writing a book often requires a large number of drafts, and it seems that artwork is no different. David Thorpe's blog post showcases a fascinating time lapse video that demonstrates how many passes his cover artist needed to render the atmospheric artwork for his latest novel Stormteller.
Finally, a worthwhile cause that's also very local to me is highlighted in Robin Stevens's post for Space on the Bookshelf. The Oxford Blackwell's Giving Tree is a fantastic way to donate a book to a disadvantaged child who otherwise would not receive one, and this year you can donate online as well!
Nick.
