Counting down and looking forward - by Kate Walker

I love Christmas. I love the way that it brightens up the dark, cold (well, it's cold here in the UK) days of December with decorations and celebrations, I love the way that, when it's celebrated right, it brings together loved ones from near and far, puts you in contact with people you don't connect with the rest of the year, and brings friends and warmth into your life and home.

I just had my traditional early Christmas with a group of very special writer friends who all come to stay at my home for a long weeked. They've only just left, that's why I'm a little late writing this blog. We ate a lot, drank some wine, visited 'Christmas World' in a nearby village. We played silly games, laughed a lot, some of us had things they needed to shed a tear or two over as well. And we talked and talked and talked . . .

There were different generations gathered together too - one of my friends couldn't make it last year because the birth of her baby was very close. This year, her almost one year old son joined us for the weekend - hopfully the first of many such visits by him and other new members of the 'family of friends'.

For a time, for various reasons, I'd been feeling too stressed to think of Christmas without worrying but this weekend has brought home to me just what it's really all about.

It's about sharing. About reaching out to other people and letting them know that they are important in your life. And that includes my readers. Every year as Christmas approaches, I run several contests to involve my readers in my Christmas celebrations. To reach out to them and let them know how much I appreciate them and how grateful I am to all the readers who buy my books and so keep me writing and published next year and for years (hopefully) to come.

Like this post, I'm a little late with organising this but now I'm in the Christmas mood I'm organising my 12 Days of Christmas contest and the details will go up on my web site just as soon as I can get them there. And then here on My Tote Bag Leena will be running my 12 Days of Christmas contest. Every day for 12 days leading up to Christmas I'll be giving away a signed copy of one of my books and a little extra Christmas Gift to all the lucky winners. So why not check out my blog or my Contest page on my web site soon to see when the contest is starting?

The other thing I do is ask my readers to help me with my Christmas Charity Card. I would love to be able to send you all a Christmas card to wish you all the happiness of this special season, but the planning and organising of all that is just impossible - so I'm going to be doingwhat I did last year, and that is to give a real, practical gift tothose in need instead of cards. Last year's gift was a batch of essential medicines for a whole village - that was the choice voted for by most of the visitors to the blog. So this year I'll be running the poll again and I hope you'll drop byand vote for your choice of special gift that I'll be sending this year. It is, after all, in place of a card to say thank you to each and every one of you for your support for me all through this year.

And as I did last year, I will be posting up a special cyber card foryou all on my web site from December. I have at least got that organised and it's up on my web site from today so I hope you'll come by and see that.

And looking forward? Well when 2008 dawns, Lee and I have some plans that we hope will interest those of you who want to be writers of romance as well as readers. Today's blog is on the 12th of the month and from January 2008 I will be regularly posting on the 12 of each month and then I will be talking about writing - 12 points on the 12th. Because, of course, my award winning guide to writing Romance is called the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance. And I hope to have some exciting news about that to tell you very soon. So I hope you'll come by and join me for that too.

And to celebrate Christmas with all the readers of this blog, and too look forward to those special posts, I'm going to offer a special prize today. I have 2 copies of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance to give away - and if you're lucky I'll put in a copy of my current Harlequin Presents title too, That's The Greek Tycoon's Unwilling Wife a book that's still riding high on the bestseller lists on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

All you have to do is to post me a reply to this blog - telling me what you're most looking forward to for Christmas and New Year. Let me know what you're hoping to write too - that would help me for the 12 Points on the 12th blog starting in January.

At the end of the week I'll get Sid the cat to pick a winner, as he picks all my winners and if you're really lucky you'll have those prizes with you in time to be an extra present for you.

And even though it's still a little early, I'd like to wish all of you a really happy, joyful, sharing Christmas. I hope it's everything you've ever dreamed of and leaves you with some truly special memories to treasure. And I wish you a fantastic New Year, with lots to look forward to in the next 12 months.

One of which I hope will be joining me here on the 12 for the start of those special posts.