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Hello from gorgeous cow country in upstate NY! I hope all you Americans are not too groggy from last night's festivities! We had a lovely family get-together with my traditional butternut squash-apple-blue cheese soup. It was GOOOOOOOOD! By this point, you're all probable thinking: "Ok, enough with the small talk, you're about to sell us something, right? It's Black Friday after all!" Why, so it is! :) And believe me, I'm sick of the deals emails as well. There are too many of them, and most of them aren't really deals at all. Just tricky rearrangements of numbers on a ledger. And this time of year should be about more than commerce. It should be about cultivating a mood that reminds us of love, family, and the important things. So instead of the usual, let's do something new. Introducing... COW COUNTRY COZY! As more and more places are locking down for the winter, making our home as cozy and comfortable as possible seems very important right now. Luckily, our Scandinavian brethren have figured out how to do this over centuries of their cold, dark winters. They call it "hygge," which roughly translates as that cozy, warm, fuzzy, and delightful feeling you get when it's dark outside, you're wrapped in a blanket by the fire, and someone you love brings you a hot toddy. But to make hygge right, you need to create the perfect atmosphere of cozy. So this cold and dark winter, I'm going to be helping you all do that with a section in my newsletter where I offer you books and other things that I love, to better help cultivate hygge in your life. Here's this week's version: 1. One of the best new authors I've read lately is Suzannah Rowntree, whom I had for an interview at my youtube channel. She has just finished book 3 in her wonderful Crusades-era inspired Watchers of Outremer series. As one reviewer put it, "when a book can punch me in the heart that hard while still inspiring hope and goodness, it deserves all the stars." Here's the link to grab the whole series 2. If you do the right thing and buy the paperback version, then you'll need one more thing. This is exactly the thing that has been missing when I read in the bath. A nice-looking and sturdy bamboo bathtub tray caddy. It's really cool and makes for a great gift. 3. Add some ambience and fairy tale charge to your reading with this really cool firefly tree lamp. Apparently it also doubles as a Christmas decoration. I think it's wonderful. Check it out. 4. Finally, you know that moment when you're looking for that book that you really really love and haven't read for years... and then you realize that you lent it to someone and just can't remember when or to whom? You're missing a personal library kit. And don't forget about my free webinar coming on Monday, November 30, 3 Easy and Effective Ways to Become the Writer You've Always Wanted to Be Almost 100 people have already signed up, and there will be a limit on how many can attend. So make sure to sign up and be there early! But if you can't make it, there will be a replay available for everyone who signed up! Thanks again for coming along with me on my writerly adventures! ~Nicky Nicholas Kotar, Author | PO Box 607, Richfield Springs
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