Twas the Night

by Susan J Berger

 Twas The Night.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,

Each creature was reading. Yes, even the mouse.

In a nest made of cotton that used to line pills,

he read Mouseman Saves Christmas and shivered with thrills.

 

 Miss Padpaws turned pages of  Elf off A Shelf 

And purred as she read it aloud to herself.

Bad Dog, on the hearth, was devouring a book.

He'd chewed up five chapters and turned them to gook.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

reading books, with the covers pulled over their heads.

Mamá was engrossed in her latest romance.

I nodded o'er Dickens and fell into trance.

Not one of us heard jingle bells on the roof.

No prancing and pawing of each tiny hoof.

Santa slid down the chimney and only Bad Dog, looked up

and woofed softly at the man on the log.

 

"Good Bad Dog," said Santa, and opened his pack.

He pulled out a bushel of books from his sack.

Picture books, YA, some Midgrades for Simon,

Thrillers, romances and even Neil Gaiman.

Geronimo Stilton, he gave to the mouse.

A copy of Archie, he left for the louse

He patted Miss Padpaws and handed her Cats.

For Bad Dog, a cake book that tasted like Brats

 He filled every stocking with poems and prose.

Then ate all the cookies; brushed crumbs from his clothes.

 

On Prancer! On Dancer!"  Sleigh bells jingled bright.

"Happy Reading to All and to All a Good Night".

 

I couldn't think of a post so I decided to play with The Night Before Christmas. With humble apologies to Clement Moore. If you follow the links, you may find some book's you'll like.

PS Christine Brallier is over at Seven Impossible Things showing how she did her stained glass mosaic illustrations of A Night Before Christmas. I linked to the post and the book.

 Hilde, Next year, you do Hannukah.

Happy Holidays from Pen and Ink

 

 

 

Update from NaNoWriMoThe Pep Talks

By Susan J Berger

Yes I am doing it again. The absolutely insane world of trying to write a first draft in a month.

And one of the things that keeps me going, particularly after I have slogged through some swampy part of the manuscript sinking in the terribleness of my plot-less prose, are the Pep Talks

Right now I am beginning week three and these talks tell me I am not alone. Some of the writers whose work I most admire have been where I am right now.

The Pep Talks are wonderful things to read when you need a bit of encouragement. Here are a few of my favorites.

On each of the talks you will find links to their websites and books.

Tamora Pierce

 

 

 

 

                          Neil Gaiman

 

Gail Carson Levine

           

 

John Green

  Meg Cabot

   

  Wendy Mass

There are many, many, more. Happy writing.