One of my favorite bookish quotes comes from Erasmus: “When I have a little money, I buy books; and if any is left over, I buy food and clothes.” At this time of year, I like to remind everyone who writes that books and magazines make perfect gifts for everyone. And if those of us who love writing and books the most don’t support the industry, who will? And, yes, e-books and Kindles are now part of the wordsmith’s business and likely to remain so until the next form of publishing comes along. As Stephen Roxburgh likes to say, books, Kindles, PODs, etc. are simply “word buckets”. As writers, we create the content–the ambrosia that goes into the buckets–not the packaging. We are tellers of tales, not manufacturers, so if you want to buy e-content–go for it!

And if you’re like me and love nothing more than exploring in a great bookshop, make your holiday shopping more fun by visiting your favorite one in the next week. For some extra inspiration, take a look at this wonderful Web article about the most interesting bookshops you’re ever likely to see: http://webecoist.com/2010/11/19/apt-adaptation-10-cool-converted-bookstores/.

Happy holidays and lots of hugs to all of you, and thank you for being such a big part of making my year as a writing coach successful. Your writing is a gift to me and to all those kids who are going to read your stories!