Christmas In July - time to write

I do most of my writing in the summer, the lack of games actually makes it easier to write about hockey, believe it or not. I normally get a bunch of short pieces and something a bit longer done between June and October.

I start writing my Christmas stories in July. My birthday is July 17th and my father’s was December 19th. So I start on my birthday and want to have it done, edited and out by Dad’s. My family doesn’t have much in the way of Christmas traditions, my mother was a minister when I was young and from what I have seen in my family and others having a minster in the family has a way of discouraging holiday traditions, but the Christmas Story tradition is one I share with my mother who writes historical mysteries.

So I started my Christmas story on Wednesday. Well I guess it isn’t really a Christmas story, the heroine is a Valkyrie an actual daughter of a Norse god so the story will fall in the two weeks of yule.

I live near Philly and it has been crazy hot this week so during the heat I have been imagining Massachusetts in December. As coping measures go, it is pretty good. Not Gatorade good, but not that bad either.

So for the next month or so I will be thinking and writing about cold, snow and ice. And hockey, always hockey.

Comment with your e-mail address to win a ten dollar gift certificate to Amazon or Dunkin Donuts and a copy of my Christmas story Rejoice a Burden.

Excerpt from Rejoice a Burden

     A few of the team were standing around. Steve, a rookie forward was standing with his wife and they were both holding thin swords. Billy, a defenseman was cradling his arm while his girlfriend stood between him and the door. Our captain Shawn Murphy was sitting on the floor holding his nose, trying to stop it from bleeding, his new girlfriend looked at me and then her lips pulled back from extremely sharp teeth. I knew all sorts of odd and magical beings played for the Nor’easters, but Nimah’s teeth gave me pause.

“What are you?” I asked her.

“Selkie,” Murphy said his voice muffled by his broken nose.

“A what?” I asked.

“She is a seal, like Vále is a wolf,” Murphy said getting up off the floor, “Look you have bigger problems but here is a rundown. Vále is a wolf, Nimah is a Selkie, Steve is Jack Frost, Rose seems to be springtime in a chick’s body, Gabby is - well I don’t know what she and Billy are.”

“I’m in recovery,” Billy grunted, “nothing more exotic than that.”

Murphy ignored Billy’s interjection, “But something came and took your girl.”

“Joulupukki,” Steve’s wife Rose said.

“Santa Claus?” I asked stupidly, “Santa Clause kidnapped my girlfriend?”