Tooting my own kazoo

 I'm so excited!  The first of two anthologies to include my work is now available! 

After the success of one Christmas story last fall, I saw Michael Young's invitation for stories based on Christmas carols.  I wasn't sure if I could pull off another story, but I knew which song would inspire me.  Our church choir's main Christmas piece was Mack Wilberg's lovely arrangement of "In the Bleak Midwinter."  I'd heard of the song before, and seen parts of Christina Rosetti's poem quoted here and there, but it was not really familiar to me until we'd sung it over and over.  I heard it often on the radio as the season progressed, and the song became thoroughly entrenched in my mind.

Soon I had the glimmerings of a story.  I thought about it often, but with holiday activities and preparations, and then the family being home during the break, I had no chance to write it.  I must have gone through a couple of drafts in my mind before that magic day in January when everyone was back in school.  I sat down at the computer, stared at the blank screen--and hesitated.  I decided I'd better listen to the song again to really get into the mood.  This time I picked a different arrangement.  Soon I realized that this choir was singing words I didn't know.  Were there more verses?  Finally I looked up the original poem--and was stunned to see how well my story fit the stanzas I had not previously read.  This confirmed my feeling that the story had been inspired by the same divine source that had inspired Miss Rosetti.  It was a gift for me to share with others, and I'm pleased that Michael selected it for his cause. 

Sing We Now of Christmas contains twenty-five story-gifts from several writers.  Some tales are amusing, others more poignant.  All are family-friendly and full of Christmas spirit.  Proceeds from the book will benefit the National Down Syndrome Society, so it is a gift that will continue to give.

For more information, see the Sing We Now of Christmas website, or my Anthologies page.