The holiday season is upon us. Christmas lights glitter everywhere like tiny rainbow stars. The smell of pine trees and gingerbread mingles with that of wood smoke and the crisp bite of snow. Cheesy Christmas music haunts us through any place even remotely retail, and the mystique of presents and Santa breathes anticipation into these last few days.

It’s my favorite holiday. So, in the spirit of celebration and to thank all of you for reading my random, sarcastic musings over the past months, I’ve decided to run a little giveaway while I’m on a brief hiatus. (Yes, I’m actually chaining my workaholic side in a dark corner somewhere so I can spend time with friends and family.) I will be returning with new content on Jan. 4th, providing the Mayans weren’t correct and everything doesn’t go down the crapper tonight. 😉

But on to the free stuff. Everyone loves free stuff, right? As some of you may have noticed, I offer autographed versions of my published short stories, one of which is no longer in print at all. I only have a select number of each left, but a few lucky people are about to win a bundled set of all three issues. That’s right, I’m giving away signed copies of Shelter of Daylight Issue 1, 3 & 4, featuring “The Bardach,” “Spinning,” and “Confessions.” All you have to do is click on the link, Holiday Giveaway 2012, and follow the instructions to enter.

For those unfamiliar with my works, (Shame on you! Their info is conveniently posted on the sidebar), here’s a little history on each, including links to the excerpts.

The Bardach— Published in April, 2009

This was my first successful foray into the magazine market, and graced the cover of Shelter of Daylight, Issue 1. Inspired by Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life,” Nightwish’s “Nemo,” and “Main Theme” by Christophe Beck from the Elektra Soundtrack, The Bardach actually started as an assignment about the origin of creativity for a college humanities class. It soon became the foundational tale for many of my flagship characters, including Nameless and the Nightwolf, and is the precursor to a much longer version.

Spinning— Published in April, 2010

Featured in Issue 3 of Shelter of Daylight, this is my personal favorite of the three shorts. Inspired by The Script’s “Breakeven” and “Spinning” by Jack’s Mannequin, Spinning is a tragic tale of love cut short, and introduces readers to the world of the Spinners– an elite group of bards with the ability to morph time.

Confessions— Published in October, 2010

Arguably the most popular of the three, Confessions was featured in Issue 4 of Shelter of Daylight and was the last story to be published under my maiden name of Kisa Rupp. (I got married in October, 2010.) Inspired by Within Temptation’s “The Truth Beneath the Rose,” Confessions is a story about losing faith, told in an unconventional format more frequently seen in film. The action-oriented pacing of this piece was one of the more challenging ones I’ve done, and I’m pretty proud of the outcome. Shelter of Daylight, Issue 4, is no longer available, making the few copies I have left rare treasures indeed.

The giveaway will run until 12 am on Jan. 2nd, 2013, at which time, I will randomly select three winners. Until then, I wish all of you a safe and joy-filled holiday season. See you next year!

Happy Holidays!!

This week, we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the States. It’s a holiday devoted to stuffing ourselves with as much food as humanly possible, passing out in a drooling pile on whatever surface is still available, followed by trying not to die in a stampede at the local Target when the doors open at midnight, heralding the official start of the Christmas shopping season. Basically, it’s every woman’s dream holiday. A license to eat as much as we want without worrying about being judged, followed by the insanity of a massive shopping spree! What’s not to love?

But Thanksgiving isn’t just about pigging out and then spending every dime you have. It’s actually about being thankful. So in the true spirit of the holiday, I’d like to say a big “Thanks!” to everyone who’s been reading my blog. I honestly didn’t think anyone would, (although I strongly hoped someone would), when I carved out my tiny portion of the internet, staking claim to it like the settlers did to the shores of the east coast. But turns out, I’m not doomed to anonymity and I want you to know that really means a lot to me. I appreciate each and every page view I’ve received and treat every comment as if it were the corn that saved the starving settlers’ butts, precious and rare. So thank you. I really mean that.

Next week, I’ll be back with more opinions on writing, publishing, demo teams or whatever. But for now, what are you thankful for? Even if you don’t celebrate Turkey Day, you can still celebrate the real meaning behind it by sharing in the comments below. It’s never a bad thing to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!