YA Guy is... in the Spirit!

YA Guy loves the holiday season (or the Christmas season, if you prefer). Some of my best memories are of going to my aunt and uncle's house in Cleveland for Hanukkah, then continuing on to my grandparents' house in St. Joseph, Michigan for Christmas. In fact, I think my very favorite childhood memory is of lying in bed on Christmas Eve, listening to my grandparents' cuckoo clock chime the hours, knowing I wasn't allowed to get up until 6:00 (but getting so excited each time the chimes sounded I forgot to count). It's probably not my mom's favorite memory, since it meant I'd wake her every hour from about 1:00 on to ask if it was time, but my own kids paid me back when they were little, so we're all even.

Anyway, the point of this trip down memory lane is to let you know about some of the great things I'm doing this December to celebrate the holidays in a literary way. Here we go!

FIRST NIGHT PITTSBURGH

I've been invited to participate in a panel on "literary firsts" for First Night 2018, Pittsburgh's New Year's Eve celebration. Should be lots of fun, plus I have some goodies to give away (as, I'm sure, do my fellow panelists). If you're in or near Pittsburgh, you should check it out (the link to reserve seats is right here).

THE PASSING OF BOSS KRENKEL

Years ago, I had the crazy thought, "How did Santa get all that Elf labor?" As someone who's studied Native American history and religion, the answer was obvious: he colonized the indigenous people of the North Pole. That gave birth to my dystopian Christmas novel, THE PASSING OF BOSS KRENKEL, published under my sometime pen name of J. D. Belyi. Warning: the book's got some pretty horrific elements. But I personally think it's a really imaginative tale, one that spans centuries and cultures and mythologies, as well as one that features a unique narrator, the Aleph (Elf) lore-keeper who alone among his people knows the true history of the northland. If this sounds like your kind of thing, it's available for a mere $2.99 on Kindle.

THE YA GAL'S FACEBOOK CHRISTMAS PARTY

'Tis the season for parties, and my female counterpart, The YA Gal, has put together a Facebook Christmas party featuring a host of YA authors (with a special appearance by the Elf on the Shelf). It runs on December 17 and is open to all. So come join us for prizes, chats, and general merriment--all without having to leave your couch, clean the dishes, or pry your uncle away from the punch bowl.

Have a happy!