Happy Holidays

This is my business Xmas card.

The art is from REALM OF THE RODENT, a forthcoming middle grade series that Sourcebooks will be publishing in 2008. I describe the series as LORD OF THE RINGS meets THE SECRET OF NIMH, a wonderful collaborative effort by three comic book writers and artists.

The artist is Alex Horley, whom I met through his significant other, who was attending a Romance Writers of America conference in New York. I had been invited because I was receiving an award, even though at that time I handled very little romance. It was one of those serendipitous meetings (which is why I do these conferences).

About five years ago, I realized I spent a small fortune sending out Xmas cards, that no one really remembered, and I wondered if there was some better way to do this. I knew some of my acquaintances sent donations in lieu of cards, but that didn't really work for me. Then, suddenly I got it. I wondered if I could use that money to support a writer/artist. I sent an email out to all the artists I knew asking if they, or someone they knew, would be interested in doing an Xmas card for me. Alex, who is a very well-known comic book artist, said yes, with the understanding that the card would be sent to hundreds of people in the publishing industry. It was a smart move, because I believe it was part of what helped to sell this book.

See, what goes around, comes around.

Merry Christmas and may 2008 be the best year yet for all of us!