I Wish You A NaNo Christmas

B. A. Binns here, I'm glad to see you joining the Genreistas today.

First of all, I will admit that Halloween is my number one big holiday of the year. Once I put away my costume and say goodby to the little tricksters, things are all downhill. As a long time victim of SADS (seasonal affective disorder) I totally understand Scrooge.

That said, I will soon be laying in supplies so I can spend the winter curled up in front of the fireplace while the refrain, “let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…” comes from the radio.  I said radio on purpose, I’m not a TV person. 

I want a little music, a roaring fireplace and a good read.

It looks like the 2011 NaNoWriMo might have produced more than just a few good reads. Since I joined the thousands across the world who did the mad NaNoWriMo sprint during November. My effort included completion of the first draft of a new YA novel (Titled LEAH, after the book's heroine) There's nothing Christmasy about this story, althought I did manage to work in a little bit of Halloween. 

The manuscript I finished just before beginning NaNo - BEING GOD, included a dysfunctional family Christmas dinner. Trust me, pulling that chapter together was enough to last me for a good, long time. 

But in the spirit of the season, I took a look at some of the Christmasy things other NaNo writers created. They got into the spirit of the season, no matter what genre they chose.

Genre	Title	Synopsis
Erotic Fiction	Christmas Magic	Kaleb Kraig Kringle has a famous family and secrets to keep, so he can’t afford to get close to anyone. Lonely businessman Russell Lewis should have been just another hook-up. But after last night, dawn feels like a beginning instead of an ending.
Fantasy	S.O.S. Save Our Santa	Santa is caught in the middle of a power struggle between the North and South Poles.
Horror & Supernatural	Christmas Evil	Everything you know about Christmas is a candy cane coated falsehood. The horrifying truth includes demons scampering through the night collecting both the naughty and nice for the feast of the evil one.
Romance	A Cauley Christmas	Obituary Writer Cauley’s Christmas to-do list begins with 1. Identify the Dead Guy. She also wants to win the love of the handsome FBI Special Agent.
Satire, Humor & Parody	The Christmas we decided to kill Dad!	After years of suffering through endless Christmas dinners with Dad, the women of the family conspire to kill him.
Young Adult	Not at Mom’s for Christmas	After years of feeling like a pawn in the battle between his divorced parents, Quincy hatches a plan to spend the holiday without either parent, and winds up changing all their lives forever.

While I won't say which ones, a few of these make me hope the authors get them finished and on the shelves soon.   

MY QUESTION FOR YOU

Is anyone else out there working on a Christmas novel or short story? Share with us, so we can look forward to grabbing your story for that next great holiday read.

I'm glad for NaNo and the way it encourages people all over the world to further their dream of writing a book. For all of you who tried, CONGRATULATIONS!!

P. S.

Don't forget, Barbara Vey, Contributing Editor at Publishers Weekly, is holding her first annual Reader Appreciation Luncheon on April 10, 2012 in Wisconsin, set to occur just before the RT Booklovers convention opens in Chicago. As one of the attending authors, I invite all readers of YA Romance to join me there.   Information on the luncheon is available at a special website - http://www.barbaraveyreaders.com/