Hello ,

I hope your heart is happy and you're finding some fun things to do now that the holiday season is officially underway.

Most adults would probably say they enjoy the lead up to Christmas more than the day itself. I certainly do. I'm all-in on the traditions, the food, the shopping, and the merrymaking with friends and family.

Oh, and the drinks.

There's something special about gathering with friends for a holiday cocktail or imbibing in a coffee with Baileys on Christmas morning. But my favorite is homemade eggnog.

When I tell people I make my own eggnog, they're often surprised to learn there are actually EGGS in it! Imagine that? They're even more shocked when they find out my go-to recipe, Eggnog Supreme, calls for an entire carton of raw eggs.

They aren't wrong to be wary.

There's always the slight chance of contracting food poisoning from uncooked eggs. Fortunately, here in Canada, fresh eggs must undergo a stringent inspection process before they can be distributed to grocery stores, so the chance of getting sick from homemade eggnog is very low (though not impossible). That said, some people should avoid eating raw eggs entirely, including pregnant women, young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.

Despite all these words of caution, I'm still serving homemade eggnog at my Mingle and Jingle gathering this year. Watch for my step-by-step video on Instagram, which I'll post in a few days.

In the meantime, find out how a minus-30-degree day provided me with a perfect opportunity to whip up some yummy Cold-Snap Banana Bites, which are also great for holiday parties.

If you don't observe Christmas or you'd rather skip the whole crazy season altogether...

You could always time travel straight to January (or at least fake it until someone discovers the real thing!). And there's no better time to do it than right now.

Today is Pretend to Be A Time Traveler Day, so go ahead and be weird! Put on that barely-used Victorian Halloween costume and head into your local Starbucks exclaiming, "Dear heavens, it worked!"

Or try one of these ideas:

• Don your best gold lamé onesie and pretend you're typing information on a clear acrylic tablet as you observe people from a park bench.
• Put on some Old West clothing and wander through the mall, curiously touching things and asking people what year it is.
• Post a FaceBook comment that says "Just popping in from 2444 where MetaMindControl was once oddly called Facebook."

As a time-travel writer, I love the idea of this whacky day, but I'm much too introverted to take part in it.

What about you? Have you ever deliberately made a fool of yourself in the name of a good prank? Reply to this email and let me know!

As you may recall, last month I participated in National Novel Writing Month, which is a "contest" to write a 50,000-word manuscript during the month of November.

Unfortunately, I fell short of that, coming in just shy of 17,000 words.

However, I'm not counting it as a complete failure. It gave me a much needed boot in the butt to get going on Dragonfly, book 3 in my Syd Brixton TimeBlink series. And guys...I'm SO excited about how it's turning out already!

Unlike TimeBlink and Flight 444, you won't be able to read Dragonfly as a standalone story since it picks up where book 2 left off.

But I have some good news if you can't justify purchasing my books right now...

Did you know that you can get them from your public library?

For the digital version, it's as simple as signing up to OverDrive, where you'll have access to my series and millions of books absolutely free. If you prefer paperbacks or hardcovers, all you need to do is ask your local library to order them in for you. Presto! Free books to borrow any time you like.

📘📘📘

Anyway, happy reading, everyone! I wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season.

I've teamed up with a bunch of talented authors to bring you a selection of exciting thrillers, mysteries, and suspense novels. Click the image below for over 100 titles!

Before Again is the action-packed first book in the Shadow City urban fantasy series. If you like snarky protagonists, dark facts blended with fiction, and suspenseful crime-solving, then you’ll love Claire S Duffy’s feminist quest.

Thanks for spending time with me today, . I appreciate your interest in my work.

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