Ah the Holiday Season

I’ve adjusted my Christmas shopping strategy this year. Usually I spend the end of November and the first part of December trying to get my work done, feeling guilty about not doing my shopping, and, ultimately, being totally distracted from work because of the aforementioned guilt.  Also the stress–there’s plenty of stress, too. (Especially because when you get married, if you’re a woman, your shopping list doubles. I’m pretty sure if you’re a man, your shopping list greatly decreases.)

Anyway, this year I just blocked out a few weekdays in early December to focus on shopping. Then I took care of the stragglers this week. I did almost everything online–literally, maybe three out of 30 gifts were bought in a real store–and I took care of most of it in two pretty intense days. So far, it seems like a success. Now I can sit down and focus on writing.

Of course, there’s still the wrapping. Lots of wrapping. But I’m going to block that out.

I’m finishing up a YA manuscript called “Escape to Lodema,” which follows a middle-school girl when she decides to (temporarily) run away from home and live on an abandoned golf course. At least she thinks it’s abandoned.