20 Dec Happy Holidays
And Christmas Eve is only four days away! Are you ready?! I’ve corralled most of what I need to do — some gifts wrapped, tree half decorated, food nearly bought. Still gobs of time left for the finishing touches.
In amongst all this Christmas preparations, I’ve been doing a second review of my Dundurn editor Shannon’s edits of Nobody Tell, and hope to have that back to her today. It’s amazing how many little bothersome things I find and this is my sixth time through in addition to Shannon’s two stabs at it as well as a reader’s. I’ll have one more look after Shannon goes through these edits. We have a January 10 deadline, and I’m certain we’ll make it.
Then this happened on Wednesday!
At last I can talk about the deal with Sullivan Entertainment. Last year, you might recall, we had a shopping agreement for Cold Mourning, essentially giving Sullivan exclusive rights while they worked to get some ducks in a row. Now, they’ve optioned the book, which is the next important step. They are lining up talent, getting a script written and a myriad of other tasks that I can only guess are underway. It’s an exciting collaboration with a production company that’s brought us Anne of Green Gables and Wind at my Back, among other successful, quality tv shows. Of course, there are many things that can derail the project, but it’s wonderful to have gotten this far, and I’m hopeful Stonechild and Rouleau will find their way to your screen one of these days.
I’ve made it my mission to buy local for Christmas this year, including purchasing books from neighbourhood booksellers. If you haven’t already, consider giving books this year as gifts. Authors will appreciate your support as will bookstore owners and publishers. You will be giving hours of reading pleasure and relaxation. Iceland has the right idea. with the longstanding tradition of giving books as Christmas presents – each and every Icelander typically receives at least one book under the tree.
So whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, I wish you a lovely holiday season, time spent with family and friends, and lots of good food. I’ll be back next Saturday with a recap of my 2025 book year. Until then, Merry Christmas!