UPDATE: The winner is…Debra S!
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It’s just a week until Valentine’s Day, so this is the perfect holiday to remind you to get those cards ready! Take time today to write a note to a friend or loved one. Yes, we love the convenience of instant messaging, but a hand-written note can be held and treasured.

So, today, consider mailing a card to someone you care about. I have a hand-painted card to send to one lucky commenter. I’ll only hold this contest open for a couple of days, so enter now!

“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

“We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.”

~ Again, Martin Luther King, Jr.

UPDATE: The winner is…Ann Ivey!
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This is the second year I’m celebrating! I’m a huge Sci-Fi fan. I started watching movies like The Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, loved The Thing (Lord, was Kurt Russell hot!), and loved the Terminator and Alien movies. However, I love watching Sci-Fi series (like Farscape), where the good guys are good and the future gives you hope for humanity. My all-time favorite series are the many Star Trek series. And as I said last year, I began bingeing all the Star Trek series during COVID—and thank goodness, there’s a lot out there because I’m still working my way through all of them.

So far, I’ve made it completely through Star Trek: Next Generation (Picard), Deep Space Nine (Sisko), and Voyager (Janeway), Enterprise (Archer), and Picard. I’ve been struggling through Discovery. I love some of the characters (Captain Georgiou, especially). I love that they shot far into the future, out of the usual Star Trek timeline. I’m waiting for another season of Strange New Worlds (Anson), which is proving to be my favorite Star Trek series, by far, and the animated series, Lower Decks. I also began a rewatch of the Original Series with William Shatner, and all I can say is that Star Trek owes a huge debt to Shatner because his natural charisma kept you watching even when the storyline was silly. I do believe that a different actor wouldn’t have made you care as much about the story.  And good lord, yes, the man was sexy as hell.

If you’re interested at all in checking out the series, here’s a list of all the Star Trek series in the order they appeared—not necessarily in the chronological timeline.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Animated Series

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Enterprise (actually, the first in chronological order)

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Short Treks

Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Very Short Treks

I couldn’t find a good, uncopyrighted image for this animated series of shorts!

So, there is a contest in here somewhere. I’ve rambled enough.  For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me what Sci-Fi series or movies made you lifelong fans. Are you more of a Star Wars fan or a Trekkie?

UPDATE: The winner is…Melinda Barrera!
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I don’t know about you, but I’ve fallen out of the habit of writing letters—and I think it’s a damn shame. Worse, I think it’s very sad that penmanship and letter-writing are no longer taught in school. Did you have a teacher who helped you find a pen pal somewhere in the world for you to exchange letters with?

It’s such a civilized thing to do, I think. A tangible way of connecting. I think the last time I exchanged letters with someone on a regular basis was with my grandmother. She enjoyed getting letters and saved them. I have letters of hers that I saved. They were never of anything very important, just notes to catch her up on what was happening in my life. There was real joy seeing a letter from her waiting in my mailbox. She shared little tidbits of her daily life, and I could hear her voice when I read them. Again, that tangible proof of love.

My question to you today, for a chance to win a FREE download of one of my books, is… Do you write letters? Not emails. Physical letters? Do you receive them? And do you miss them, too?

UPDATE: The winner is…Brenda Rumsey!
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Well, I’m back with another obscure holiday! I love this one! And I’ve already paid two compliments today. Do I have you beat?

Yes, this holiday is a thing. NCD promotes—civility! That’s not a bad word, folks. It’s a way to brighten those around you and make you feel good knowing you made someone happy. A win-win! How did I accomplish mine? The two younger girls, 14 and 9-years-old, took time with their appearance this morning. The 9-year-old dressed up like a little old lady for a school dress-up day, and I told her she was the cutest little old lady I’d ever seen “The pearls really nailed it!” The 14-year-old dressed in all black like she normally does, but she’d taken time to straighten her hair, and I really do love her Sublime band T-shirt, so I told her she looked awesome. “Love that shirt!”

Actually, I have four compliments so far. My daughter worked on memes to advertise events at our art center, and I told her the memes were terrific. Pitch-perfect.

See how easy it is to work compliments in? If you’re going to work, compliment something about someone’s appearance. “I love your earrings.” Compliment their work. “Great work on that…” Easy. Going to grocery store? Compliment the cashier. “I know your feet must hurt, but you have a very nice smile. Thank you.” Yes, I do this anyway. (Yes, I’m that annoying person!) Can’t help myself. It’s a habit I don’t want to break. Do you think you could make complimenting folks around you a habit?

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me how you plan to work compliments into your day!

UPDATE: The winner is…Donna Bayar Repsher!
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I love gift-giving and our family looks for every opportunity to celebrate holidays with gifts, food, and fun. So, naturally, I’m already turning my attention to the next celebration.

Solve the puzzle, then tell me whether this is a holiday you like to get behind for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Julie Andrade!
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Here’s a little list of 10 things that make me sigh with happiness in December, listed in no particular order…

• ☕ Marshmallows in Hot Cocoa
• 🧝 Elves on the Shelf
• 🧥 Ugly Christmas Sweaters
• 🎁 Gift Giving
• 🍬 Delectable Sweets
• 🎵 Holiday Music
• 💡 Christmas Lights
• 👪 Family Time
• 🧙‍♂️ Christmas Gnomes
• 🎄 Christmas Decorations

You know what’s coming next! 😈

For a chance to win your choice of a download of any of my backlist of books, tell me five things that make you sigh during the holidays!