Kindle Holiday Promotion

From Dec 28, 2011 to Jan 1, 2012 four of my books will be free for the holiday season.

The books are the following:

1. A Flicker of Hope: Poems written by a Wegener's Granulomatosis Survivor
2. In the Shadow of Death: Reflections of a WG patient
3. Erika T. Red
4. Case of the Golden Seed

You can see them on my Amazon page  http://www.amazon.com/Cyn-Bagley/e/B004ZNSVJK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Thanks for my first year as an Indie Publisher.

Here comes Santa Claus

This year has been very sparse for us when it comes to Christmas decorations and gifts. It is not that we don't appreciate gifts, but when it is only two adults in the household, we enjoy the bigger gifts better like a week on vacation or an electronics goody after the holiday shopping rush.

Honestly, I don't want to appear like Mrs. Grinch, but when I was in Walmart picking up my medication (I take chemo and prednisone for my disease), I was struck by the tons of shopping carts filled to the brim with toys built by workers in China. You know, and I know that these gifts will last at the very most, about a week. Also, I had to wind my way around shopping carts so that I could get to the pharmacy. Women were standing around talking about what gift they needed to find next. They glared at me when I asked if they were in line for medications. At least I was nice. I didn't want to be.

My next stop was grocery shopping. I had to pick up a few potatoes and eggs so that our weekend would be food-ful. Many of our favorite restaurants won't be open this weekend. I don't mind that they have a weekend off. For all the work they do, they need some time to be with their families. However, I was immediately reminded of how much it cost just to have family for the holiday season. This older woman in the checkout stand spent 500 dollars for enough food for her family over the holiday. She didn't look like she could afford it, but she was so happy to spend some time with her family that she hadn't seen in months that she was willing to break the bank.

About ten years ago we were in Germany for the holiday season. The children were happy to get candy canes and sugar cookies for Christmas. Gifts and spending money was less important than being with family and friends for the holidays. We lived in a small village that had a Christmas Eve fest every year. The adults would get mulled cider and the children would get spiced cider. A bonfire would be lit while the villagers would sing Christmas songs in German. It was that simple and that beautiful.

So as the holiday rush starts to overwhelm your Christmas spirit (or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Winter Solstice) remember that the meaning of Christmas is NOT shopping. It has a lot to do with love, family, friends and good will towards all men (and women, of course.)

Let it Snow

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful-- Let it Snow

The banana plant that my step-daughter sent us and I are shivering to some Christmas tunes in a small apartment in Northern Nevada. If you think that Nevada is all sun and desert, well, I am going to disabuse you of that idea. Las Vegas is sun and heat. The Northern part of the State is high desert so when winter comes it can get really cold here.

Unlucky for us our snow went south this year into San Diego and Albuquerque. A little snow would bring our temperatures up from the single teens into possibly the 20 or 30s. Anyway, it is so cold that it would freeze a cow's teat if said teat was outside. I think if I were a cow, I'd be in one of those warm barns.

Even worse the temperature inversion has caused some problems so it is now illegal for the next few days to use fireplaces or stoves. Yep, we have a red air situation here.

So as I am typing on my computer keyboard and noticing that my "e" is completely erased off its key, I have come to the conclusion that I need to blog more. You know, say what I mean. Maybe interact with a few people again.

And, if you have any questions, shoot. If you don't well, it would be nice to have a few thoughts jangling around in my brain again.

Ebook Coupons on Smashwords

For the Christmas season, I have made some coupons for some of my ebooks on smashwords that will be active until December 25, 2011. Here is the current list:

1. I'm a Flasher Coupon no: NC28R at 100% off.
2. I'm a Flasher Too Coupon no: UE68B 50% off
3. Shira: Hero of Corsindor Coupon no: JL69A 66% off
4. The Wooden Seed Coupon no: JK28H 66% off
5. Running to the Sun Coupon no: AQ78D 66% off

Thank you for the friendship. Hope you are all having a great holiday season.

A Leibster Blog recipient

Procrastination: I blame Nanowrimo, but on November 24th, I received the Liebster Blog Award from D.J. Lutz at Almost Out of Ink. I am not sure where this award started. I did google it, but there was no more information than the following:

Liebster, means “dearest, beloved, or favorite” in German, and I only know this because I lived in Germany for five years from 1996-2003, and took a few years of German language instruction. It has been almost ten years since I took any classes, so don't expect me to read and write German. I can decipher a few words and I did spend five weeks in a German hospital, so I can make myself understood if I need food or ask for beer.

This award like all other blog awards has qualifications and requirements that must be followed:

The award is for blogs with less than 200 followers.(Okay I only have a few recognized followers.)

The award is to bring to light new or unknown writers. ( I have been writing for most of my life, but my writing is unknown.I twitter and social network so I hope more people are reading my writings.)

And the award is meant to forge new connections.

The second part of the requirements:

1. Thank the blogger who gave me the award. Thank you D. J. Lutz. Anyone reading this post, please check out his blog. He is already a great writer. You'll love his stories.

2. Give the award to 5 of your favorite bloggers, and let them know by posting a comment on their blog. Check the end of this blog for winners.

3. Post the award on your blog. I won a blog award on my WG illness site. I'll have to check to see how I did it. Maybe a copy and paste. :-)

4. Bask in the love of the most supportive group on the Internet – other writers.

5. Spread the karma.
 
Today's Winners of the Liebster Award:

1. Moondustwriter's Blog : Moondustwriter was one of the co-creaters of onestoppoetry.com. I really enjoy her poetry. She is also dabbling in flash fiction.

2. AC Paul is another writer/author who is working through his novel on syngrafeas . I like to support struggling authors since I am one.

3. Lynn Hallbrooks shares information and reviews on independent authorship. Since in the last year I have started doing indie digital publishing, I have enjoyed some of her insights.

4. One of my good friends that I see on FB often, Sideon's Sanctuary. This guy can write. And is very good at crafts too.


5. I go to Watermark: A poet's notebook because this writer sees things in very different ways than I do.


I am ashamed to say that I have lost track of some of my good friends on the internet because I have been writing so much. Nevertheless thanks for all you do on the 'net. And have fun with the award.