It's getting close to book release time (yay!), and my schedule for booksignings, guest blog appearances/interviews, and book club meetings is filling up.

If you have a suggestion for any of the above, drop me an email at author at colleengleason dot com, and check my Web site for public appearances. (I won't be doing a book tour in Feb, but if the location is nearby I could possibly drive to it.)

I also do call-ins for book clubs if you're not geographically close.

Just let me know.

My mother raised me well–to write thank you notes every year for Christmas and birthday gifts.

Do I still do it? Mmm…not really. Do I feel guilty? You betcha. Especially when, every year like clockwork, the week after New Years I get a thank you note from my mom, thanking me (and the rest of the fam) for everything we'd given her for Christmas that year.

Yeah. I suck.

Have I raised my kids to do the same? Well, sorta.

Here's my philosophy, right, wrong, or full o' shite: if the person is present when you receive the gift, and watches you open it and enjoy it, and thus can be the recipient of full-blown thank you hugs, etc., then I'm of the mind it's not necessary to also follow it up with a note. I mean, they've already been thanked–in person and profusely.

However, if the gift is sent by mail or the person isn't there when you open it, then definitely. You need to write a note. 

That's how I generally work it with my children (although, admittedly, we've not been perfect). Which means that the thank you notes will be broken out this weekend and we have a few to write. 

So, what do you think? Thank you notes or not? Every time or just along my code of conduct? Would a phone call suffice?

Have you written your thank you notes yet?? 

Have you read the sneak peek of The Bleeding Dusk? It's on my Web site, and also in the back of Rises the Night.

If you have, you're probably wondering what Max will do. If you haven't…well, go check it out.

And of course, there's a contest involved for those who care to share their opinion. 

A long-lost SNL skit, thanks to my friend Scott, who offered me spinach balls at the party Music Man and I hosted on Sunday.

And quite a party it was. Being a Music Man, mine had other musicians, along with a complete sound system setup. Talk about real karaoke.

And all of my friends got to see hear exactly why I'll never be allowed to sing in our church choir. (I took a shot at Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance"….I didn't think I butchered it too badly.)

Anyway, without further ado…an old SNL skit that I had never heard of until a few days ago…

Have a great weekend!

More great reviews are coming in for The Bleeding Dusk. Romantic Times has given it a coveted "Top Pick" rating, which is very exciting!

Here's what Kathe Robin of RT says about Dusk:

"The undead rise to great heights through Gleason's phenomenal storytelling. She creates a chilling world with the perfect atmosphere of fear and sexual tension. The sophistication and intelligence of her storytelling is evident on each page of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles."

Woohoo!

And VampireRomanceBooks raves about it too! Here's a snippet: "Ms. Gleason’s writing is brilliant and powerful, without even a whiff of the cliche, and her storytelling skills are as sharp as the points on the stakes her heroine wields. She consistently delivers an intense (and intensely satisfying) read with plot twists and turns aplenty, and revelations and discoveries that will make your heart pound in both fear and exhilaration."

So this is a great way to start off the year. Less than a month until it's released: Feb 5! (Marketh thy calendars!)

In other news…we have a foot and a half of snow that fell on New Year's Eve into New Year's Day, and fortunately, we didn't have anywhere to go. So we curled up by the fire and continued our family tradition of watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (we've done so every year during the holidays since the final movie came out).

This year, we opted to watch, for the first time, the extended versions. (That's a lot of hours of movie. But absolutely wonderful.) I highly recommend the extended versions, now, after having seen them–especially if you're like me *gasp* and haven't read the books. (I know, I know.)

But check out this head-scratching event: I went into our local Hollywood Video to try and rent the extended version of Return of the King (since that was the one we didn't have). I talked to the woman working there–a gal who was probably in her mid-twenties. Her badge said "Shift Manager," which would imply that she wasn't a newbie.

Anyway. I told her we wanted to rent the extended version of The Return of the King.

"Is that a cartoon?"

"Oh, no," I said. "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King." Oops.

Hmm. She starts clicking away through the computer. She can't frigging find it. (Doh.) She says, "Did that come before The Two Towers?"

"Uh, no. It came after. It's the last one." (Does this woman work in a movie rental place?) (Has she been living under a rock?)

"Well, it's listed before it in the system."

I blink. "Maybe that's because it's alphabetical. You know, 'Return' comes before 'Two'." (I promise, there wasn't a hint of sarcasm in my voice, though my eyes were threatening to roll back into my head like a pair of marbles.) "I'm looking for the extended version."

"Well, we don't have it."

*Snort.*

My son found it on the shelf two minutes later. The extended version. We were happy.

We watched it and I was once again mightily impressed by all of the manliness in it (all right, I know there are those rumors…but we're talking about the movie/book characters, okay?) 

So, anyway, I'm an Aragorn girl. Always have been.

And this time, I also fell a bit (a lot) in love with Faramir (especially after seeing the extended version, where we get more of him and Boromir and their history–very important for understanding his character and how honorable he is).

Legolas doesn't really do it for me.

You?