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I have a question for my readers, what question would you ask an author if you could?

I am asking you this because I am starting to run dry on the questions I ask authors. I always feel as though my questions have been asked before.

I have a few upcoming author interviews and I would love some different questions to ask. Any ideas?

As a incentive any questions that I use I will be linking back to your blogs. So not only will my readers see your question but also the author, the rep, the publisher etc.

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Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas! Enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom”! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL … there’s also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls – a tangible reminder of God’s grace to us all.

There’s No Place Like….

by Melody Carlson

I grew up spending Christmases at my grandparents’ quaint Victorian home, surrounded by lots of relatives, laughter and love and really good food. For a little girl growing up in a single parent home, harried working mother, no church family, and TV dinners, these extended family holidays spent at my grandparents were like a real gift from God. But as a young adult, my grandfather passed on, the old house was sold, I grew up and eventually had a small family of my own.

Still I longed for those familiar kinds of “big” Christmases—I wanted that house full of relatives and fun times to go home to—I think the “child” in me thought I deserved it somehow. But my grandmother had gotten older and lived in a tiny apartment, and my mother and my husband’s parents were not comfortable hosting Christmas in their homes. For a while we went to my cousin’s, but I soon had to come to grips with reality. The days of going to Grandma’s for the perfect Christmas were a thing of the past.

In other words, it was time for me to grow up—time for me to start hosting our own Christmas celebrations. So biting the holiday bullet, I decided to just do it. With two very small children underfoot, I cooked my first turkey, made my first stuffing, invited some family, neighbors, and friends over, and we all crammed ourselves into our little house, balanced our plates on our knees, and had a very good time. Oh, I’m sure the turkey was dry and the gravy lumpy, but what I remember most is that everyone seemed truly happy to be there. And I realized that I wasn’t the only one longing for that sense of warmth and community—that longing to “go home again”—and I finally grasped that I could (with God’s grace) help to provide that for my family and others.

So for the next three decades we continued to host Christmas in our home. I got better at decorating, cooking, gifting…the works. Some years the place would be packed and crazy. A few years were thinner and quieter. But family, friends and neighbors could always count on the fact that the Carlson’s would be “doing something for Christmas.” It was a no-brainer.

Until this year. This year, for the first time in more than thirty years, my husband and I decided we’re going to take a pass on hosting Christmas—we are going to the beach. At first I felt terribly guilty, and even right now I’m a bit unsure—and wonder if I’ll end up changing my mind at the last minute. And yet, I believe it’s the right thing for us to do—for a lot of reasons. One being that my husband’s birthday is Christmas and he never gets to do what he wants on his birthday—this year will be different. But more than that, I hope that our stepping aside will encourage the younger members of our family to find and embrace some of their own traditions—to grow up and look for opportunities to stretch themselves a bit. Because, similar to how and oyster creates a pearl—or how a young mom learns to be a hostess—with some discomfort and distress a burnt turkeys, the end results are truly valuable.

About Melody: Melody Carlson lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Labrador Retriever. She’s the author of around 200 books including this year’s Christmas novella, Christmas at Harrington’s.Visit her website for more information, www.melodycarlson.com.

A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year’s Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is {FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM}. One entry per person, per day. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com) on New Years Day!

12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit www.pearlgirls.info

I thought I would share Michael’s letter to Santa with you today. For some reason he only wanted to write what he wanted and nothing else so I had to write it for him while he dictated what he wanted to say.

I love reading kids wish lists, don’t you?

If you happen to be in (Montreal) Pointe Claire, Quebec on November 6th (Saturday) at 2pm, Melissa Anderson (Mary from Little House on the Prairie) will be signing her memoir The Way I see It at Chapters Pointe Claire. It was released this year. (May 2010)

I won’t be able to make the signing because we have my in laws coming in that weekend. I am a little disappointed because I always love to go to book signings for authors especially if they are a local author. Melissa lives in Montreal with her family.

I got to meet Melissa when she was at BEA in May signing her book The Way I See It. She was super friendly when I met her and I even mentioned that I was in from Montreal. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were in line to meet her. This was the photo taken at BEA.

ABOUT THE BOOK
The ultimate battle between sisters is nearing, and its outcome could have catastrophic consequences. As sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe searches for a way to end the prophecy, her twin sister Alice hones the skills she’ll need to defeat Lia. Alice will stop at nothing to reclaim her sister’s role in the prophecy, and that’s not the only thing she wants: There’s also Lia’s boyfriend James.

Lia and Alice always knew the Prophecy would turn those closest to them against them. But they didn’t know what betrayal could lead them to do. In the end, only one sister will be left standing.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Before she can rest in peace, Charlotte Usher must return to the tragic site of her death: high school. Once there, her assignment is to help a designated teen solve a personal problem in time for the all-important prom. But no one explained what happens if you fall in love with your class project. Charlotte would die (again) for love but facing the all-too-familiar feeling of invisibility may be too much for her to swallow.

This is the final book in the Ghostgirl series.

This is the second part of On This Day Last Week. After spending the whole day at BEA I had plans with Donna and Linda to go and see Mary Poppins.

Mary Poppins is taking place at the New Amsterdam Theatre which is located at 214 West 42 Street which just happens to be in the heart of Times Square.

This is a clip I found on Youtube. It was absolutely a beautiful show. No words can describe my opinion of it.

The inside of this theatre is absolutely beautiful as you can see in the picture. I didn’t take any pictures because the few I took didn’t turn out so this is one I found online.

After Mary Poppins we decided to take a walk around Time’s Square. There is so much to see and do in Time’s Square. Bright lights comes to mind. There was alot of people in the area.

Donna suggested a stop into the M&M store and for a chocolate lover I was in heaven. So many kinds of M&Ms to look at.
This is how the M&Ms were placed. This is one of many sections of M&Ms.

These were on display there.

This is the front of the store. It took me forever to grab this shot as the screen kept changing. I was really good in the store and didn’t come out with a ton of chocolate. I thought it was a little expensive at $12.99/lb US. I couldn’t leave the store without buying some special M&Ms.

I think this is called NYC Finest and NYC Bravest. I could be mistaken and I thought after the fact that I should have taken a picture of the tubes but oh well. If anyone happens to know for sure what these are called I would really appreciate it.

We also made a quick trip across the street to the Hersey store. Soon as you walked in you could smell the chocolate. It was so good. But I was good and only bought a chocolate bar.

I have to say that I think the M&M store was my favorite. After walking Donna to her hotel we walked back to ours and settled in for the night with some M&M candies.

Check back tomorrow for my last day at BEA.