December 2011

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I’ve always been a Shel Silverstein fan and I’m also a huge dog lover, so this is perfect:

Christmas Dog By Shel Silverstein

Tonight’s my first night as a watchdog,

And here it is Christmas Eve.

The children are sleepin’ all cozy upstairs,

While I’m guardin’ the stockin’s and tree.

What’s that now–footsteps on the rooftop?

Could it be a cat or a mouse?

Who’s this down the chimney?

A thief with a beard–

And a big sack for robbin’ the house?

I’m barkin’ I’m growlin’ I’m bittin’ his butt.

He howls and jumps back in his sleigh.

I scare his strange horses, they leap in the air.

I’ve frightened the whole bunch away.

Now the house is all peaceful and quiet again,

The stockin’s are safe as can be.

Won’t the kiddies be glad when they wake up tomorrow

And see how I’ve guarded the tree.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Happy Holidays!

Four Days…

Four days until Christmas!  The holidays are here and in full swing.

Have you done your shopping yet?

I’m going to make it easy for you–stop at the Dream of Things Bookstore and pick up something for everyone.  Memoirs, essay collections, gift books…there’s something for everyone.

Take a peak!  All books are $10 or less!  Visit now by clicking HERE.  And remember, Wise Men and Other Stories and Everything I Never Wanted to Be are now in e-book format.

The Reading Room

The Reading Room is a great site for readers–especially kid readers! The Reading Room is a site specifically made to encourage children to read. The Reading Room also produces a weekly television show.

On the site you can find daily activities organized on a calendar full of various ideas to encourage daily reading. The Reading Room also has a great list of books for children to read. The site offers multiple other features that are fun for kids. It stresses the importance of reading from a young age, but in a fun way.

Check it out by clicking HERE. Get reading!

Get “Saying Goodbye” for Kindle FREE This Weekend

The Kindle edition of Saying Goodbye will be available as a free download this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Dec 16-18). This is a special one-time promotion being offered through Amazon. The giveaway begins at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time on December 16, and ends at midnight December 18. To download a free Kindle edition of Saying Goodbye during that time, click HERE.

Saying Goodbye is a collection of true stories about how we say goodbye to the people, places and things in our lives with grace, dignity and good humor. Here’s what people have said about Saying Goodbye:

• Jann Adams, Department of Psychology, College of Idaho: “This is a book that meets a need for teachers of death and dying classes.  Most of the books currently available are either directed at people who are going through a grief process due to the loss of someone important to them or are fairly dry academic type books that focus on the physiological (and some psychological) aspects of dying.  This book gets to the heart of what I have been focusing on in my course – that life is filled with loss of all kinds and we can learn from each one and ultimately experience life more fully.  The stories in this book do a wonderful job of showing that out of loss there are new beginnings. I recommend it for any teacher of death and dying classes. I also recommend it for anyone who is struggling with a loss – no matter what kind.”
• Christina Johns, Midwest Book Review: “Tender perspectives helping readers with their own goodbyes. If you have ever had to deal with loss, read this book. It will make you feel better.”
• Gretchen Little, Squidoo.com: “The stories are about love, really, not sadness. Despite all the sadness and grief that come with saying goodbye, there is love and joy and comedy on the Other Side.”

The holidays are coming…

Need some ideas for holiday gifts?  Visit the Dream of Things bookstore!  You’ll find numerous books divided into two categories, the Art of the Memoir and the Art of the Essay.  All of these books are less than $10!  

Also available are books published or distributed by Dream of Things.  These include The Note, Saying Goodbye, Wise Men and Other Stories, Everything I Never Wanted to Be,  MFA In A Box, several books by Michael McMillan, and The Simple Truths of Service by Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz.

The Note Project Gift Set in particular makes the perfect gift.  The set includes The Note, a DVD video based on the book, three thank you cards and a book mark. Learn more about the gift set by clicking HERE.

Visit the Dream of Things Bookstore now!  Happy shopping!