Hello everyone!

As the subject heading indicates, today’s post is all about gift ideas for writers, readers, and everyone in between. Before I continue, let me thank Heather and Jean for commenting on my post regarding ebook readers. It meant a lot to hear from you. I also received messages on MySpace and Facebook. Thank you so much! It is my hope that the links and information provided will help when it comes to chosing the best ebook reader for you.

Since it’s the Holiday Season, one of my favorite gifts to give and receive are books or giftcards for Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Borders. My family members have all been big readers, especially my dad. He loves to go to Barnes and Noble, find a few books and have coffee while he’s waiting for my mom. So I started to think, what would make a great reading list or gift list for both writers and readers. Below are gift suggestions for both. The first few are geared for writers but readers may enjoy them, too! Now, keep in mind that everyone is different. I’m hoping that writers and readers will comment, leaving their own gift suggestions. Leave a comment, and you could win a digital copy of Sea Captain’s Ghost!

Gift Ideas for Writers and Readers:

1. Research Books: Depending upon the genre, there are a variety of helpful research books for writers. Now do be advised to check the publication date and availability, but here’s an example. A few years ago, I tried my hand at writing Western Romances. I haven’t abandoned them, just kind of waiting to see how that market pans out. But I did some research and found an excellent book geared for writers, titled, The Writer’s Guide To Everyday Life in the Wild West, by Candy Moulton. I also found Everyday Life in the 1800s, A Guide for Writers, Students & Historians by Marc McCutcheon. By finding these, I found other similar Everyday Life books, including an excellent (and a favorite) book by Sherrilyn Kenyon regarding life in the Middle Ages.  Another idea are the DK Publishing books geared for children. There are books on the Renaissance, Middle Ages, Greek and Roman Mythology, the Civil War, Revolution, and just about everything in between. These books are excellent because they are visual. The show tools, dresses, gowns, suits of armor (which changed significantly depending upon the year/time frame during the Middle Ages), food, weapons, games, and castles. There’s an excellent book by See-Through called Pirates by Kelly Davis, which has detailed descriptions of pirate ships, a pirate attack, and even a pirate crew.

Now, if it seems as though I’m mentioning a lot of history books, I am, as I have a true love of history. As a former Social Studies teacher with a degree in History/Secondary Education, I love reading books like this just for the background. There are a number of research books geared for contemporaries, crime scene investigating (check out the Howdunit series, which deserves a special nod to my friend and author Jessica Andersen, who told me about them).  A trip to the reference section at Barnes and Noble, the local library, or a bookstore near you will produce a variety of research books.

2. Travel Guides: Again, another excellent resource for writers. Guides that are visual, descriptive and well labeled are an excellent addition to a gift list. My first three books in the Panthera series are predominately set in England, with Sea Captain’s Ghost starting in the Atlantic Ocean. Travel guides were a major help in learning about an area. The frequently give historical references and information. For example, if a book was set in Bath, England, travel guides should highlight the Roman history of the baths, as well as the Royal Crescent and various other landmarks of Georgian England.

3. Books, Books and More Books: Stuff stockings or wrap a variety of romance books in a genre that your loved ones like or make a list of books you’d like to receive. I love, love, love to read Paranormal Romances, Romantic Suspense and Historicals. Many of you know that I’m hoping for a Kindle for Christmas. Being able to roam through the books offered by Amazon, Cerridwen Press or Ellora’s Cave, would be something I’d truly enjoy over the holiday. But I still love the feel of a book in my hand and will read ebooks and mass market with equal enjoyment.

4. Relaxation Gifts: Such as, bubble bath, shower gels, scented soaps and oils, candles, incense, aromatherapy gifts. Whether you’re a writer, reader or both, these are wonderful ideas. When stuck on a plot twist or after a long day at work, soaking in a tub or lighting candles can help soothe and relax the soul.

5. Music: Whether someone prefers an iPod, CDs or listening to music on their cell phones, music can inspire, relax or set a tone or mood.

I hope this list helps to inspire you as you shop this Holiday Season. I will be checking back throughout the day and hope that many will leave comments, gift ideas for readers, writers and everyone in between! As mentioned at the start of this post, anyone who leaves a comment will be eligible to win a digital copy of Sea Captain’s Ghost.

Until the next time,

Frances Stockton

Hello and Happy Holidays!

Considering that it’s the Holiday Season, and there are tons of Holiday specials, commercials and ads trying to earn consumer attention, I thought I’d post about one of the most popular gift requests this season, ebook readers. These small, electronic devices help reduce eye strain, are portable, according to information from the makers, easy to use, and can give you access to hundreds of books.

Now, please, if you do ask for an ebook reader for the Holidays, do your research. I was at Costco the other day picking up some last minute gifts, when I heard someone ask whether they sold the Kindle. The Kindle is available through Amazon. When the costumer was told, it came as a surprise. The employee suggested the Sony Reader, which was nice, but would that be the right gift for him? There’s also the upcoming Nook from Barnes and Noble. Currently, this device is available for pre-orders only and doesn’t seem to be available until late January for delivery. If you choose the Nook, you might want to wrap up an IOU or a pamphlet from B&N that represents one. I was in Barnes and Noble recently, inquiring about the Nook, and was advised to order now if I wanted it by January 30th. They had replica devices that I was able to look at, but not an actual reader. Children curious about the information booth for the Nook loved it!

Considering there are still tons of other reading devices, I thought I’d do some research and post a link featuring objective reviews of all the devices. From my research, it looks to me like the Kindle has the edge, but that doesn’t mean you should add it to your list until you’ve investigated the options. Here’s a link: http://www.best-ereaders.com/

Now, again, be advised that this is one link. With the popularity of the little electronic hamster (Zhu Zhu pets), my daughter asked for one. You can bet that I checked all the stores, investigated to see if this would be right for her. Earlier in the week, there was a news report that this toy might be hazardous for children. I followed the reports. The next day the claims were only one of the hamsters might be dangerous due to a chemical they’d found on it’s nose and fur. Okay, I thought, I’ll look closer. By the end of the day, the consumer group who’d been testing this product admitted that the hamsters were all safe, that they’d looked at the wrong thing. I’m still trying to figure that out. My point is, read up on any gift or product you are considering, including toys and ebook readers. The more you know before you shop, the better you’ll enjoy your gift.

I admit, I placed the Kindle on my Christmas wish list after doing my research. I sure hope that I get one but if I get one of the other devices, I will be just as happy! Again, here’s a link for reviews of all electronic book readers: http://www.best-ereaders.com/

I didn’t even know until I started to research that there are so many devices out there! It’s true, as an author with EC/Cerridwen Press, my books are first available in digital ebook format. I’d known about the Kindle, Sony, Nook and Modipocket, eBookwise, and a few others. I found 15 different devices. Be sure that in your research, you take into account the type of digital books work on that device. With the Kindle, you may have to convert a book, which you can do for a very small cost with Amazon, or, if you do a little research, there’s an easy way to convert the files yourself on Mac and PC. If you’d like to know, email me at romance@francesstockton.com or visit CP author J L Wilson’s website, where she gives detailed instructions on how to do this. http://www.jayellwilson.com/Technology/kindle_faq.htm 

I hope everyone has an excellent and safe Holiday Season. Do remember to take time out for yourselves, read a book, take a long bubble bath or hot shower, make a small batch of cookies (or, if you’re like me, I ordered a tin of my favorite Baltimore inspired Berger Cookies) and will enjoy sharing them with my daughter while watching Rudolph and Frosty and The Grinch. It’s a busy time of year, stay safe, be well, read and have a Happy Holiday Season.  I’ll be back in a few days to post a list of my favorite books in 2009 and hope you will share yours as well.

Happy Holidays,

Frances Stockton

Sea Captain’s Ghost, Available Now from Cerridwen Press

Also Available: Seductive Persuasion and Rhiannon’s Pride

http://www.francesstockton.com for links, reviews, excerpts and more.