One of the best things the internet ever did was to introduce me to the holiday of Jólabókaflóðið.
Jólabókaflóðið (or Jolabokaflod) means “Christmas book flood” and is the Icelandic tradition of gifting and reading books on December 24 while drinking cocoa or non-alcoholic ale.
What follows is a list of my favorite Jolabokaflod reads. I hope you enjoy, and maybe even find a new favorite yourself.
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I recently heard an interview with Parks and Rec co-creator Michael Schur (also a writer for The Office, creator of The Good Place, and co-creator of Brooklyn Nine Nine) where he talks about the list of ideas-in-waiting he keeps on set for those moments when a show runs short or a scene needs a quick drop-in joke. He calls this list his “Candy Bag.”
I think this is brilliant, because A) Who doesn’t love Candy? and B) It’s a great way to reframe all those random snippets writers have floating around. It might be a scene or infodump that was cut for space, or a joke that wasn’t working in its current context. Now, instead of feeling bad about deleting scenes or “killing your darlings,” you can simply think of it as adding to your Candy Bag.
So, in the spirit of Parks and Rec, I present to you my own Candy Bag for this blog, culled from three years of various notebooks, journals and sticky notes. (Unexpected added benefit, my desk is now much cleaner!)
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One my all-time favorites! I got this recipe from the now-defunct Wondertime magazine. I have been making these since my kids since they were toddlers and I can attest they are a hit with all ages. Enjoy!
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Last week, I participated in a writing challenge that asked “What if your main character was a villain?” Now, some of you may argue that Corinne is already a villain, but in the spirit (see what I did there?) of the season, I’ve written a dark fairytale reimagining Corinne’s fate.
Read on, if you dare…
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Welcome to a new feature in which I ask an author a bunch of ridiculous questions and a few serious ones.
*Yes, just like Heathers, minus all the murder-y reindeer games
I can’t think of a better person with whom to introduce this segment than my friend, the amazing Elisa Lorello. Elisa is a GenXer with serious 80s credentials. Not only is she a bestselling author, she is also an educator and Duran Duran superfan.
Okay, Elisa, since ALL OF YOU is set in the music industry, today’s lunchtime poll is all about 80s music:
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