Yuletide Greetings and Tiny Treasures

Happy Yule, Happy Chanukah, and Merry Christmas! I can’t believe another year is coming to an end. Thank you all for spending at least part of it with me. I appreciate my friends, fans, and readers more than I can say, and I wish you all a wonderful holiday, no matter how you celebrate.

I will be hosting my yearly Yule dinner party on the 21^st for Blue Moon Circle, family, and friends. I look forward to it all year long. And now I have something else to celebrate too—the release of a new short collection of short-short stories set in the world of the Baba Yagas and the Riders!

 

 

This project wasn’t something I had planned on doing, but I was chatting with one of my author friends a few months ago and that conversation made me think of a few little short-short stories I had posted over the years at the Literary Escapism blog as part of the promotion for the fabulous Coastal Magic Convention. I knew that most people hadn’t ever had a chance to read them.

Then I was talking about them to Crystal Sarakas, who sometimes acts as my virtual assistant, and she said, “I know you’re in the middle of your crazy busy season, and I almost hate to even suggest this, but would you consider writing a new story to add to these?” (Then she ducked.) It really was crazy, but I loved the idea. And when I said, “What about a Chudo-Yudo story?” she jumped up and down and squeeed. Then we went looking for the perfect cover, and I found the one above, by cover artist Lindsay Tiry, and it inspired the story of the same name as the collection title. Three of the stories are centered around Yule, so this seemed like the perfect time to put this tiny collection out as a gift to my faithful readers. Consider it my thank you to your sticking with me and the Baba Yagas for all this time.

The book is out in digital format as of today, and will be available in paperback (a small one, called a chapbook—it will be pretty skinny!) as soon as we can get it set up. I hope you enjoy these little treasures, especially the new one.

Find the book here: https://amzn.to/2Ma5DKT

Of course, because I’m me, I’m doing a big giveaway to celebrate the mini-collection’s release. It includes a Kindle Fire 7 tablet, a signed copy of the last novella (Dangerously Driven), and a stuffed dragon in honor of the new Chudo-Yudo story. Check it out!

While you’re checking things out, you might want to swing by my Etsy store, if you still need some (really) last minute gifts for the reader or witchy type on your list (or for yourself). I’ve got signed books, my gemstone jewelry, and some magical gift sets, among other things. https://www.etsy.com/shop/deborahblake

 Thank you again for taking this journey with me…my peeps are the best.

Wishing you all a blessed Winter Solstice and a happy New Year. May the year to come be filled with joy.

Blessings,

Deborah

P.S. Diana has settled in really well, and sends her love, along with the rest of the Wild Bunch.

To enter the contest, just fill out this Rafflecopter form. As always, no purchase is necessary (although of course I'd love it if you bought the new mini-book).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Big News Announcement and Holiday Greetings

I know I have been a little scarce lately, but things have been crazy this year. Crazier, I should say. And December is always something of a wild ride, between running The Artisans’ Guild (50 artists, retail in December, ‘nuff said), making jewelry, and all the regular holiday stuff. Plus upstate NY winter and sick cats. But I’m going to try and catch up on all the news, starting with the big announcement I’ve been sitting on for a few weeks.

NEW BOOK CONTRACT!

In Friday’s Publishers Marketplace, there will be this announcement:

Non-fiction: Religion/Spirituality

Deborah Blake's A MODERN WITCHCRAFT PRIMER: GODDESS EMPOWERMENT FOR THE KICK-ASS WOMAN, a comprehensive guidebook to witchcraft as a female-focused religion, including detailed instructions on how to practice self-care in today's society through goddess worship and magic, to Daniela Rapp at St Martin's Essentials, in a nice deal, by Elaine Spencer at The Knight Agency.

That’s right; I signed a contract for my first mainstream nonfiction book, with St. Martin’s Press. This is really exciting for a couple of reasons. It will allow me to reach an entirely new audience, and hopefully help a lot of women who are trying to find ways to feel more empowered in an increasingly overwhelming world. Don’t worry, though—this doesn’t mean there will never be another Llewellyn book. This is simply a fork in the road, not an entirely new path. Still, it is VERY cool, and of course, I’ll be celebrating with a giveaway! 

Celebration Giveaway!

 Check it out: A Fire tablet, a signed copy of The Little Book of Cat Magic, a broom pen, a regular pen, a stuffed dragon, a black cat bookmark, and an assortment of other bookmarks!

We’re also shopping a contemporary women’s fiction book, and I’m working on the next book in the Baba Yaga series, which I hope to self-publish in the new year, other contracts allowing.

For those of you who are still holiday shopping for Yule and/or Christmas, I’ve got a bunch of fun things up on my (mostly moribund for the last few years) Etsy shop. There’s some jewelry (Pagan and otherwise), some signed books and tarot decks (usually with other goodies), and due to numerous requests, I’ve also created some spell kits for Opening to Love, Protection and Strength, Healing and Peace, and Prosperity. The kits are available in either lovely carved wood boxes or pretty organza bags, with or without signed books. You can check it out here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/deborahblake

Keep in mind that we’re getting close to the holidays, and even with priority mail, I’ll need a few days to get things to you. So if there is something that strikes your fancy, order it soon.

 

 What the spell kits look like.

I’ll be doing an end-of-year wrap-up in a couple of weeks, but in the meanwhile, I wish you all a Blessed Yule, a Merry Christmas (a belated Happy Hanukkah) and all the joy in the world.

And now to the giveaway! As usual, all you have to do to enter is fill in the Rafflecopter form. No purchase necessary. Maybe you'll end up with an extra gift for yourself this holiday season.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Harry Dresden Health Scare Saga

It has been a rough week in Casa Deb. If you haven't been following along on Facebook, Twitter, or my Patreon, you  might not know that I had to take Harry Dresden in to the vet early on Saturday morning after Thanksgiving. (On Small Business Saturday, when I had to be to work at the shop by about 9:15 and work most of the day.)

Harry hadn't been eating well for days. At first I thought it was just a hairball, which he's had before, but by Friday night is was clear something was really wrong. He stopped eating altogether and was very lethargic. SCARY.

Not a happy cat

I was at the vet for their emergency Saturday hours at 8:04, right after they opened. Our regular vet wasn't on duty, but the new vet, Dr. Inman, was just lovely. She examined Harry and he had a fever of almost 105 (cat's can run up to 102.5 and be considered within normal range, but 105 is HIGH). All the blood tests came back normal, including precautionary testing for feline leukemia and feline AIDS (whew). X-rays were inconclusive, but we thought maybe he'd eaten a mouse or something that didn't break down entirely. I had to leave him there for treatment for the weekend, but at least I knew he'd be in good hands.

Saturday night his fever was down (with kitty NSAIDS) and he'd had a big poop, so we thought maybe he was past the worst of it. But Sunday she called and told me his fever was back up. More x-rays, more blood tests. Some discussion of possible scary rare illnesses that we wouldn't be able to send out blood tests for until Monday.

Then on Monday, he was better! Fever had gone down and stayed down, and he was eating again. They wanted to keep him one more day just to be sure, but he seemed recovered. I went in to visit him after work and got lots of kisses and wiggling (he'd been so sick when I brought him in, he just sat in my lap listlessly). My friend Ellen, who works at the vet as a dog groomer, called me that night to tell me he'd complained LOUDLY after I left without him, and made everyone crazy. Oops. But still, a good sign.

Happy to be home

So I picked him up Tuesday afternoon. He was definitely feeling better, and much perkier. (I, on the other hand, was a little less perkier after I paid the bill. Oy.) And very happy to be home, even if Ember and Koshka hissed and growled at him because he smelled like vet. I was mostly just really relieved that it was over, because to be honest, I was terrified I was going to lose him too, and after this year, I didn't know if I could bear it.

Then he didn't eat dinner. And barely touched breakfast. So I called my regular vet, and she told me she thought I should bring him back in. (Along with Angus, who has a huge sore on his neck and was supposed to go on Tuesday, but managed to elude me.) Did I mention it has been snowing all week?

So much for my day off when I was going to get lots done. But kitties come first. So back we went, with both cats complaining loudly about the unfairness of it all. (Which was actually a good sign in Harry's case, because he hadn't made a peep when I took him in on Saturday.)

Still no temp, and he looked otherwise good except some redness in his throat, like a human might get with a bad bug. So Dr. Baker thought he'd probably had a virus, which he was still fighting a bit of, and the antibiotic he'd been put on (which would be useless against a virus, but had been a precautionary measure because we had no idea what was going on) was probably making him nauseous. Poor boy. So that's been discontinued, and he's back home again. He only nibbled at dinner, and a bit more later, but I've got my fingers crossed that he'll feel more like eating in the morning.

Huge appreciation to all my Patreon supporters--the money from that will really help to pay these vet bills. More appreciation to the people who have been buying the new necklaces and signed books I've put up on my Etsy Shop. That helps too.

Plus all the folks who have been sending out prayers, good vibes, and Reiki. You all rock.

Here's hoping that Harry Dresden is back to his usual spunky self soon.

It has been a rough week

It's Not Too Late! (Gift giving)

I hope you're all having a pleasant (and not too stressful) holiday season. To be honest, I find this time of year a bit stressful myself, what with managing a cooperative shop with 50 artists [really--have you ever tried to make 50 artists all do what they're supposed to do, when they're supposed to do it? Ha! I love them all, but it is like trying to herd cats], making jewelry, working on a secret contract with Llewellyn [what? I haven't mentioned that before? you're sure? okay--tune in tomorrow...or maybe later today, depending on how frazzled the 50 artists make me], putting out the ebook of my first paranormal romance, prepping for Blue Moon Circle's big yearly Yule Dinner party [10 adults, 5 kids, lots of fun--that's this Saturday night...help!], and, of course, putting up the new Etsy shop with my jewelry.

Whew. I'm tired just thinking about it all. And I have to leave for the day job in a few minutes. Oh, and did I mention I'm fighting a cold? At least it's not snowing...

But that's not why I came here today. I wanted to remind you all that it's not too late to get someone you love (or simply like a lot) a gift from yours truly. [And my gift to you--this is the last time I mention any of this stuff! All this promo is necessary, but I start to feel like a 2 dollah ho, standing on the street corner, saying, "Please buy my stuff. Ho, ho, ho!"]

I'll be adding a few pieces of jewelry to my Etsy store over the next couple of days. Come take a look, and spread the word, pretty please. http://www.etsy.com/shop/deborahblake And just for those who read my blog (shhhhh, don't tell everyone else), a special giveaway: if you order a necklace from the etsy store before Monday (the last day I can guarantee it will get there before Christmas), I will throw in a signed book (any of my Llewellyn books, your choice) for FREE. You decide if the book is for you or a gift (tee hee). I won't tell if you decide to keep it. Just leave me a note on the etsy site when you purchase the jewelry, telling me that you saw this message here, and which book you want. If you want it personalized, tell me that, too!

Speaking of books, if you want a signed book for a friend for the holidays, I still haven't figured out how to add that to my website, but you can email me at magicmysticminerva at yahoo to tell me which one you want, whether you want it sent to you or to a friend, and how you want it dedicated. We can use the same email address to do a payment through Paypal. But do it by Monday, please, so I can get it in the mail right away.

And don't forget that the ebook (http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Ever-Way-You-ebook/dp/B006HWZPGO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323954473&sr=1-1 ) can be given as a gift, too. There's a handy button right on the page to use just for that. (No worries about losing it in the mail, either!)

Okay--I'm done. I appreciate your patience. You may now return to your regularly scheduled program. Thank you all for all your support! It means a lot.

Holiday wishes,

Deborah

Celebrating Cyber Monday with a Book Giveaway

Because I am (as always) out of the loop, I just realized that today is the so-called "Cyber Monday" -- the day when people theoretically do most of their online holiday shopping.

*lifts head from trays full of beads and blinks*

Um...I probably should have done something about that, since I just put a bunch of my jewelry up on an Etsy store site.

So I had a brilliant idea over my hot chocolate. Well, brilliant might be stretching it a bit. Let's just call it an idea, shall we? After all, it IS Monday morning. By afternoon, it might look rather silly...

Anyway, so here's my idea. Since most of the folks who asked to look at (and in theory, be able to buy) my jewelry started out as fans of my writing, why not give away a BOOK as part of a Cyber Monday special? Specifically, a signed book, written by me. This can include any of the five books from Llewellyn: Circle, Coven & Grove; Everyday Witch A to Z; The Goddess is in the Details, Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook; and Witchcraft on a Shoestring.

Here's the deal: Go to my Etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/deborahblake TODAY. (Yes, it has to be today. That's the whole point. There is no way I'm running a special like this all season!) And buy any necklace. When you do, I will include a FREE, SIGNED copy of the book of your choice. (There is a place in the notes during the sale to leave me a message telling me which book, and how you want it personalized.) The book--and the necklace--can be for either you or for a gift. How's that for a Cyber Monday deal????

What? Why are you still here? Go! Go! (And tell all your friends. Pretty please.)

And thanks as always for supporting all my endeavors. I truly appreciate it.
Deborah, off to work at the day job