UPDATE: The winner is…Diane Sallans!
*~*~*

U.S. Thanksgiving is just days away! One last grocery shop tomorrow, and then we’ll be spending the week with the kids, hunkered down for the cold and getting ready for the big feast on Thursday. This year, it’ll just be us. We’re still observing COVID protocols to keep the seven inside this house safe. We’ll miss visiting with family, but it is what it is. And truthfully, we’re looking forward to the downtime—playing board games in the evenings and watching movies together. I cleared my calendar of work so I can enjoy the time, although I might work on some jewelry and art projects, maybe make some potholders, too, to get ready for the crafts show my daughter and I are participating in early December. We’re not nearly ready. However, this kind of rush is the kind I enjoy when I get to create something with my hands, beads, and paint.

But onto the contest! I’m wondering two things. Solve the puzzle, because it’s fun! Then tell me, are you enjoying an expanded family gathering this year? Are you traveling to get there? Answer for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

It’s almost the Thanksgiving Day holiday in the USA. (I’m Canadian, so I celebrated back in October.) It’s the time of year when we all stop and give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. And this year, I’m especially grateful for all I have.

2020 has been a rollercoaster with the pandemic and lockdown, but I’m still here and so is my family. For that, I give thanks every single day. I have a roof over my head, heat, lights, running water, and food in the cupboard. It’s so easy to take things like that for granted, but I never do. There are so many people living without these basic necessities.

Then there is my career…

October 27^th marked a milestone for me—16 years and 106 books. Sometimes, I can’t even believe it myself. If anyone had told me back in 2004 that I’d have accomplished this, I wouldn’t have believed them. Back then, I wondered if I could write a second book. It’s been a wild and wonderful ride. One that I hope continues for years to come. I’m grateful to all my readers—many of whom have been with me since the very beginning—to my fellow authors for your encouragement and kindness, and to all the amazing editors I’ve worked with who have made me a better writer with each book.

To add to my gratitude, it’s my birthday this month. I make it a week-long celebration rather than a one-day event. I’ll treat myself to something yummy from the local bakery and maybe a new book. Along with the reflection on the year gone by, there’s the wonder of what this next one will bring and how it will change me. Life always has surprises, some good, some not so good, but all of them bring growth. No matter where my path leads going forward, I know that writing will always be a part of it in some shape or form.

I wish you all a safe and joyous Thanksgiving holiday. Blessings to all of you and your families.

Ivar’s Escape
Assassins of Gravas, Book 2

Ivar el Gravaso—a prince of Gravas—wakes in a prison cell with no idea how he got there or even who he is. If his captor can’t get answers from Ivar, his days are numbered. When a strange woman sneaks into the prison and promises to get him out, he’s suspicious. Is this nothing more than another trick by his captor or is she truly there to help?

Delphi is an assassin sent by the Gravasian government to infiltrate the space pirate stronghold of Tortuga in search of the missing prince. She finds a prisoner who is well-spoken, knowledgeable, and ready to fight, even though he has no idea who he is. He might be her target. It’s difficult to tell due to his ragged appearance. But no way can she leave him behind, no matter who he is.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MDXY2PP/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1052405
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ivar-s-escape
Evernight Publishing: https://www.evernightpublishing.com/ivars-escape-by-n-j-walters/

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit me at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

I want to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving. For many of you, it will be a time to give thanks for all the precious people in your life.

This holiday season, I am so proud of my grandson, Caleb, who has just published his debut Christmas novel, Top Elf (recommended for grades 3-8).

Publisher’s Weekly describes Top Elf as a “whirlwind holiday escapade that ends on a touching note, with lots of laughs and wild twists along the way.” This book is available in audio, hardcover, and as an e-book. (E-book is only $1.99 and is currently on 3 Amazon bestseller lists!)

I asked him what inspired him to write Top Elf.

He said, “When I was a kid, I was always full of questions — and some of my biggest ones were about Santa Claus. How does he get around the world in a single night? How has one guy lived long enough to deliver presents to me, and my parents, and my grandparents, and my grandparents’ parents? What’s it like at the North Pole? Has Santa ever been to space?! I decided to finally write a book that gives some answers to those questions. (Faster-than-light travel, it’s not just one guy, it’s really great at the North Pole mostly, and YES.)

I asked him if I inspired him to become a writer.

He said, “The first time my name was ever inside a book was because my grandmother, Ann Major, put it there, in the dedication, and that will stick with me for life. More than that, she showed me it was possible — writing stories didn’t have to be a dream. If you’re reading this, of course, you know my Mimi is amazing, but now I feel like I understand it even better. Writing books is hard, and I’ve only written the one! She’s written so many.

If you want to read the complete interview, check out Ann Major’s blog: http://www.annmajor.com/blog//interview-with-caleb-zane-huett-author-of-debut-middle-grade-christmas-novel-top-elf

Caleb Zane Huett is a playwright and indie bookseller at Avid Bookshop. He’s a graduate of the University of Georgia and also really good at video games. One time he won a funnel cake doing the Macarena to Christmas music at a rodeo. He lives in Athens, GA. Oh, and he’s an Aries.

For a chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Top Elf, if you’re on Facebook, you can enter my contest. A winner will be drawn December 15, 2017.  https://www.facebook.com/annmajorauthor/?ref=hl

Here’s what a contest’s entrant said about his book. “My 10 year old grandson started Top Elf yesterday and loves it. Here’s a picture of him reading it at the bus stop at 7:30 today
It’s a little blurry because I was holding the umbrella.” (picture not included)

So, I’m a very proud grandma this Christmas Season.

As for my own writing, I just finished Love with An Imperfect Maid and Love with an Imperfect Bridegroom, books 1 & 2 of my Lone Star Dynasty series, which I look forward to publishing in the spring of 2018.  And The Goodbye Child (book 6) of my Texas: Children of Destiny series is on sale for $.99 at your favorite retailer.

Links to Top Elf by Caleb Zane Huett:

https://www.amazon.com/Top-Elf-Caleb-Huett-ebook/dp/B06WW1CM42/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511214720&sr=1-1&keywords=top+elf+huett

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/top-elf

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/top-elf-caleb-huett/1125841478?ean=9781338052145#/

Links to The Goodbye Child (on sale now for 99 cents) by Ann Major

https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Child-Texas-Children-Destiny-ebook/dp/B01M59O4TA/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1164266496

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-goodbye-child

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/goodbye-child-ann-major/1000303444?ean=2940153514017

Ann Major, author of Harlequin Desire
HIS FOR THE TAKING (June 2013)

Major Links

Website: http://www.annmajor.com/

Blog: http://www.annmajor.com/blog/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/annmajorauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnMajor

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/annmajor45/pins/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7660.Ann_Major

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Ann-Major/e/B004OAZP66/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1511215993&sr=1-1