Tomorrow brings the longest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. . . the solstice arrives at 6:51am on Saturday morning. At Stonehenge and other neolithic sites, many will gather to greet the sun as it is reaches it farthest point in the northern sky.
So, if tomorrow brings Summer, why am I thinking Winter?
Well, I'm looking ahead six months, to the Christmas/Holiday season because I'm planning to publish a Christmas novella connected to my MacKendimen Clan series! As the days grow longer and brighter, I'm thinking about the dark, short days of winter. Swirling snow storms in the mountains of the Highlands instead of scorching sands of summer's beaches. Christmas and holiday traditions rather than lazy days, reading in the sunshine.
As a reader in the print publishing world, I could always depend on wonderful collections of themed novellas or short stories for each new season -- Christmas/Holiday, Valentine's Day, Spring/June Brides, Halloween, etc. They were really convenient because I could read one in a sitting and when busy with the various holiday tasks. And there were/are themes-within-themes, too, like Regency Christmas, Western, vampires and more.
Now, with digital publishing, novellas and short stories aren't restricted to collections. Novellas and shorts are stand-alones and lots more seem to be available now all through the year. Some introduce readers to connected series. Some fill-in-the-blanks between longer length releases. And some authors are publishing multi-author collections, too.
How about you? Do you like to read novellas and anthologies? Do you watch for collections or just read the stand-alones? Or both? What's your favorite?
Post a comment and I'll choose someone to receive a print or digital copy of a recent collection -- Royal Weddings bundle - 7 stories about historical royal weddings -- or Royal Weddings Through The Ages - a special print edition of the collection. Terri is working on her new historical fantasy series - Warriors of Desting - for NAL and her new Highlanders series - The Feuding - for Harlequin Historicals. Visit her website for lots more info!
