Gift No-Nos

Ten Things I Don't Want for Christmas

Collectibles: I'm not much of a collector of anything but books and quilts, and my house is already stuffed to the rafters with both. You want to know what I'd honestly love to start collecting? Happy thoughts. Send me some of those. :)

Exotic Spice Blends: An artisan oregano and all-natural spearmint blend might sound tasty to you, but please. Refrain.

Glitter Anything: Older women seem to love anything that looks like a bad fourth-grade art project; strangely, I'm not one of them. Scientists now want to ban it, and I kind of agree because glitter always, always, always sheds.

Himalyan Salt Products: I'm seeing a lot of these made into cooking plates, shooters, tea light holders, etc. All that salt is bad for you, and the pink color? Not my personal favorite.

Knife Making Kit: Just say no to this one. For anybody.

Magic Bullet: I'm all about healthy drinks but I'm lazy. Also the name -- magic bullets are what we used to call suppositories.

Moscow Mule Mug I don't use alcohol, sorry. I'm also not inclined to like anything named after a Russian jackass.

Ugg Boots: I don't need boots where I live. For some reason this brand also reminds me of Chewbacca from Star Wars, who is not my personal style icon.

Upright Bacon Grill: A bacon toaster, yeah, that's a wonderful idea. Aside from the fact that cleaning it would be a nightmare, I'd have to double our house fire insurance coverage. Pass.

Virtual Reality System: Real life is challenging enough, thanks.

What don't you want for Christmas? Let us know in comments.

Writer Prezzies

Finding a fun gift for the writers on your holiday shopping list is easy, and I'm not saying that just because I'm a writer (okay, I might be a bit biased.) I always suggest first asking your writer what they need because writers are generally poor and will usually be in need of something to help them with their work.

Some other ideas:

My #1 gift suggestion is always a bookstore gift card, as we're always in need of books and we love going to the brick and mortars. Runner up: online bookseller e-giftcards are super convenient and can be delivered via e-mail.

Go to Etsy.com and perform a search with the words gift for writer; you'll find everything from handmade journals to handcrafted pendants with your writer's favorite quotation (and I put together a treasury here with some of my favorite gifts for writers.)

I've never met a writer who doesn't love Magnetic Poetry, and if you're looking for a stocking stuffer or a gift under $10.00 their little boxes of words are perfect.

Fill a pretty mug with tea bags, one-serving envelopes of instant coffee or hot cocoa, add a small box of cookies or other type of nibbly and present in a gift bag. If you like to sew you can also make a mug mat to go with it.

My favorite online indie shop to visit for writer gift ideas is Writer's Bloc; they have amazing Clairefontaine notebooks, beautiful pens and great sales, too.

Finally, if money is tight this year you can opt for a DIY writer gift that you can make for little or no cost.

What are some of your favorite gifts for the writers in your life? Let us know in comments.

What's Your Sign's Gift?

Kelli Fox has an interesting article here with holiday gift suggestions based on your recipient's zodiac sign. I never considered gift-giving from this angle, so I checked out my sign (Cancer) and saw it started with an excellent suggestion:

Something you made yourself that represents comfort and connection, such as a personal framed photograph or basket of spiced muffins, will be extra meaningful

Yes, absolutely. Handmade gifts of any kind are wonderful. This year I've been hand-making most of my own holiday gifts; I also adore gifts that are made of recycled or repurposed materials.

As for the rest of her suggestions:

Photo album filled with family pictures -- I'm the family photographer, so they'd have to raid my computer, but I'd certainly like this one.

Genealogy software or a framed family tree -- Not a happy gift for someone who is adopted, unfortunately.

Velvet throw pillows -- I do love velvet, but it's a pet hair magnet. Also doesn't really go with any room in my house.

A wine rack stocked with a few choice bottles -- Unless your recipient, like me, doesn't use alcohol; then it's going to be a very pricey rack of kitchen drain cleaner. Actually, the wine rack could be repurposed as a yarn or fabric rack (or stocked with exotic, non-alcoholic drinks, maybe?)

Gift certificate to a home décor or improvement store -- me not so much, but my guy would definitely use it.

A cookbook or gift certificate to a favorite restaurant -- Yes on the cookbook, particularly anything vegetarian, low-fat and/or sugar- or lactose-free. I'm picky about restaurants, though, so pass on the GC.

I think any zodiac-based gift suggestions should inspire rather than be used an absolute guide, too. After inspecting the best gifts for my sign I checked out the suggestions in the article for some members of my family based on their signs. Only one thing listed for my daughter's sign would work for her, and absolutely nothing listed for my guy would actually suit him.

Do you have a unique way of choosing gifts for your recipients? Let us know in comments.

3 Gifty Journals

While browsing the blank book shelves at BAM I found a trio I thought would make great gifts for any journal lover:



From left to right: Hardcover London-themed journal $5.00; Forest Animals journal with animal sticker tabs $10.95; and Clear Skies Journal $10.95 (I should also note that I got an additional 10% off those prices by using my BAM discount card.)

Here's what they look like on the inside:



The two critter journals are from Chronicle Books, and while I can't read the fine print on the London-themed journal it's a very nice buy for just $5.00. Also, I'll be giving away all three of these journals as part of some upcoming giveaways for the Disenchanted & Co. novels, so if you'd like to win one stay tuned to the blog.

Fun Gifts for Writers

Knock Knock says they put the fun in functional, and this collection of obnoxious office supplies I found at BAM is definitely that:  WTF pen, $13.99; WTF and Seriously? sticky notes, $3.99 each; Yes I'm Actually Reading This Bookmark Notes pad, $4.99; large WTF desktop pad, $9.99.

Prezzie Ten

Ten Things That Make Great Writer Gifts

Book Store Gift Card. I know, you're tired of me saying this every year, but it's the truth: we adore them (and so do your reader friends.) Most online booksellers offer versions that you can send via e-mail, making them also uber convenient to give to faraway friends.

Books. We not only write them, we also read them. Obsessively. Some ideas: buy a collector's edition of your writer pal's favorite novel, a boxed set of their most loved series, or hunt for something they might not expect (I can now happily second Cloth Dragon's rec of Bridge of Birds; this is a fabulous story, very funny and a complete delight to read.) If you're still not sure, ask your pal to make up a wishlist.

Get-Together. If you live close enough to your writer to hang with them, schedule a day when you can drag them out of their writing cave and take them to lunch, a movie, a museum, a coffee shop or any place that keeps them out of the writing cave for a couple of hours. The more creative and inspiring the surroundings, the better chance you have of recharging their batteries, which is the whole point of the gift.

Guest Post: If you and your writer pal both have blogs, offer to write a guest post for them, conduct an interview, or provide some other material they can showcase at their place during the holidays. This will give them the corresponding time off to do something else, and add some interesting and unexpected content to their blog.

Paper. One year a friend of mine who likes to read my stories in manuscript form left on my doorstep a carton of high-quality printer paper with this note attached: Write Faster. It was a gag gift, but at the time I was down to my last ream, so it turned out to be a very useful one. Other welcome gifts of paper can be card stock, photo paper, postcard or business card form paper, or any specialty type paper they use on a regular basis (check around their printer or in their supply cabinet to see what they're using.)

Proofing: If you happen to be an excellent proof reader, offer to be your writer's second pair of eyes and proof a manuscript for them. Often we're reluctant to ask others to help with this, as it can be a big job. Professional proof-readers can be costly to hire, so this is also quite a valuable gift.

Story Storage: Writers constantly need to stores notes, research materials and other story ephemera in an organized fashion; give your writer something to use for this that is attractive, different, and/or has lots of dividers and pockets. If you're creative or crafty, design or upcycle a set of notebooks or binders with your writer's favorite colors, textures, imagery, or anything that might help inspire them. If you'd rather they do the shopping, a gift card to their local office supply store is also most welcome.

Time. None of us have enough of it these days, so a gift of time is practically priceless. You can get creative with this, too; offer to babysit, run errands, do housework or any other task you can take off your writer's hands to give them that time in exchange. Tell them to use the time off to do anything they want: write, read, relax, whatever. Since my mom has been here she's been taking care of the laundry, and that has given me at least an extra hour per day to do with as I please. Trust me, if you can manage it, this is a stupendous gift.

Tools. Writers simply love anything that can be used for the purposes of writing. Lately Writer's Bloc has been my one-stop online shop for stylish writing supplies; their sales are pretty decent and they ship fast (I love their line of Clairefontaine note stuff; they're gorgeous.) Or go to your local office supply store and fill up a bag with stuff you know your writer uses or covets.

Write or Create for Them: Among my most cherished possessions are some stories, letters, and poems that other writers have written for me. I consider all of them gifts. That goes for anything you make with a creative talent other than writing. I know the emphasis every holiday is on what you can buy, but there are things that cannot be purchased, like friendship. Whatever you give of yourself and your talent will be treasured for years to come.

Mini-Projects

An update on the Spoonflower fabric: I've washed it according to the site's directions, and both the yardage and the test swatches came out fine; no color transfer or fading of the images, and only minimal fraying on the edges. Once washed the fabric has a nice, dense, cottony hand to it; almost like a lightweight linen. You will probably need to steam iron it to get out wrinkles.

For the yardage I designed I'm waiting on some companion fabrics, which should arrive next week, before I begin that project. That gives me the test swatches to work with, and I decided to make them into three mini-projects: a mug mat, a journal cover and a book bag.

Since these work well as gifts for writers or readers I thought I'd show you how to do each mini-project. Anyone with basic hand sewing skills or who can run a straight stitch on a sewing machine should be able to handle them with no problem.

Mini-Project #1: Mug Mat




A quilted mug mat, or fabric coaster, is made of two small pieces of fabric sewn together. You can put low-loft (thin) batting or a piece of soft flannel between them, but I like to use recycled dryer sheets.




Cut two pieces of fabric and one piece of batting or lining material in the size you want plus 1/4" on all sides to create the seam allowance you'll need for sewing. Press and place the fabric with the right sides together (the wrong or undersides of the fabric should be facing out on both sides) and pin together around the edges. If you can't eyeball 1/4" or sew a straight line freehand, take a ruler and a pencil and lightly mark your sewing lines 1/4" from each edge.

Starting one inch from any corner, sew all the way around the fabrics but stop two inches from where you began (this creates a gap, which you'll use to turn your project inside out.) Baste or whip stitch a piece of batting, flannel or other lining to either side of fabric, sewing it in the same fashion to match the gap. Clip the corners and turn inside out, press and sew the gap closed with a blind stitch.




You can hand or machine quilt the mug mat however you like; because there's no binding I always run a stitch around the edges to secure the seams. For my mug mat I used a metallic Sulky and quilted random lines to give it a little sparkle. If you don't care for the edges you can sew a frame of lace or beads around the edges -- here's one I beaded along the edges -- but don't use anything dimensional to embellish the center of the mat as it needs to remain flat.

Writers, if you're handy with a sewing machine you should be able to make up a couple dozen of these over a weekend to give out at your next booksigning or appearance. I'd suggest either designing the mug mat on Spoonflower or using fabric that coordinates with your cover art or somehow relates to your story. You can ink jet on printable fabric panels your book and web site info for the bottom side (or you can write this on the bottom fabric with a fine-tipped Sharpie, too. Just tape down the fabric first; it tends to move when you try to write on it.)

For the winter holidays, a set of four or six mug mats stacked in a small, pretty box or rolled up and placed in a neat mug do make a nice friend or hostess gift, especially if you coordinate the fabric to match your recipient's decor.

Writer Dad Ten

Ten Things to Get Your Writer Dad for Father's Day

James Scott Bell's excellent writing nonfic, The Art of War for Writers, may help a writer dad get back on track.

Check out special events at your local indy book store that your writer dad might enjoy. Here's a store in Marin, California that has a luncheon this week with author Anne Patchett plus a signed book for $55.00.

For the writer dad who has not had his brains sucked out of his skull by an e-reader, try a set of Bookends.

I still wince over the title, but Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue ~ English and How it Got That Way is one of those books I always give guys who read and write, and they always love it.

If the budget is tight, you can download tons of free e-books in all the formats you can imagine over at ManyBooks.net. For those writer dads who love SF, I recommend Jay Caselberg's Binary.

Give him the ultimate writer dad outerwear: The I Write T-shirt from InkyGirl Debbie Ridpath Ohi's online shop.

A blank book, notebook or journal encourages writer dad to write, and one that is handmade or artfully altered can provide add some addition inspiration. Currently you can shop over forty-seven thousand journals for sale by independent artisans over on Etsy.com

Buying from Levenger can be extremely expensive, but there are often bargains to be had, too. It's not on sale, but I like this Lamy lightweight Safari fountain pen (which, btw, I found nine dollars cheaper over at WritersBloc here. So do shop around.)

Office Depot gift cards have no expiration date and are shipped to your writer dad for free.

I love Platinum fountain pens, so I also have to mention Writersbloc for their nice, reasonably-priced stock of Plaisirs. They also sell the hard-to-find Platinum cartridges and converters.

DIY Gifts for Writers

Writer friends are not difficult to shop for (hint - bookstore gift cards - hint), but this year the holiday budget may not extend to purchasing gifts for all the scribes on your list. Writers also understand what it's like to exist on a shoestring budget, so don't sweat it. An e-mail greeting card is fine with us; I just got one last night that was absolutely gorgeous.

If you'd still like to do a little more for your writer friends, here are some low- to no-cost ideas that make great gifts:

Art Journal: There is more to the art of writing than just words, and an blank art journal can encourage the artist in your favorite writer to come out and play (you can also find blank art journals at remainder tables at most of the chain stores for under $5.) Add a small set of watercolors, markers or other art supplies as additional incentive. Art journaler Teesha Moore has some fabulous technique videos on her site that include an easy way to make a 16 page journal from a single sheet of watercolor paper.

Blog Collection: For the writer pal who is an avid blogger, copy and paste the best of their posts from 2010 into your word processor. Play with the font, add some pics and design cover art for the collection. Once you've got it all together, generate a .pdf version to e-mail to them, or print a copy to put in a binder and send via traditional mail. If you don't have the ability to create a .pdf file, get a freeware program like CutePDF Writer*.

Custom Bookmarks: Design some bookmarks for your author buddy's latest or upcoming release. Include all their public contact info and (if possible) a title backlist on the flip side. Print them out, cut them up and bundle them along with a CD backup of your designs so your friend can print out more as needed.

Find Freeware: All writers need freeware; we just don't have time to check out every program we'd like to try. Step in for your friend and test drive one or more than you think might be helpful to them, and then backup the download on a CD or e-mail it along with your thoughts on how the program worked. I have a fairly big collection of freeware links here, and you can search out more at sites like Freewarefiles.com and Primewares.*

Guided Journal: Using a notebook or a pretty blank book, create a guided journal for your writer pal. At the top of every other page put a prompt directing them to write about something specific. For prompt ideas, The Creativity Portal has an entire page of links to writing prompts as well as the imagination prompt generator.

Special Slideshow: You can say a lot with pictures, so gather together some great images that would have meaning to your scribe and put them in a slide show with captions, music or whatever would wow your pal. If you're particularly gifted with video, put together a book trailer for your pubbed writer's next release (or if you're like me and video-clueless, Slide.com will generate a decent slideshow for you pretty painlessly.)

Submission List: If you know what sort of story your writer pal is working on, put together a potential submission info list for them with publisher names, addresses and editor contact info. You can find most of this online or in a Writer's Market at your local library (always try to verify anything you find in Writer's Market as they tend to become outdated pretty fast.) Also check out market sites like Ralan.com for interesting open calls for anthologies, writing contests, and the latest on new sub ops.

Writing Cards: I've talked about using the Trading Card Maker to create character cards, but you could also use it to make a custom-designed deck of writing prompts, motivational quotes or other words of wisdom for your writer pal.

Writing Class: If you know the areas of craft where your scribe is interested in learning more or improving, hunt down a free online class and download the info to a CD or print it out and put it in a binder. You can also hunt down free e-books on writing (I've got a couple available on the freebies page under nonfiction) and make up a CD of them. For broader perspective, author Steven Barnes has a free online version of the nine-week writing course he's taught for years at UCLA.

Your Story: If you're a writer, why not write a story about your friendship? You can recount anything from the funniest conference experience to the day your pal kept you from throwing in the towel. The point is to show your friend how they've become a part of the narrative of your life (and if you can make them laugh, that's even better.)

*As always, remember to be cautious with freeware and scan anything you download for bugs and such before you put it on your hard drive.

Do you guys have any DIY gift ideas for writers to share? Let us know in comments.

Cyber Monday Ten

Ten Gift Ideas Under $10 for Writers or Readers

Books & Book store Gift Cards: We don't have to tell you again how much we love books do we? A book is a wonderful gift for the writer or the reader in your life. An even better gift is to give us the chance to shop for one on our own with an eGift Card (which is all done online, so you don't even have to leave the house.) B&N.com is currently running a special for a free $10 eGift card when you purchase $100.00 of Gift or eGift cards. B&N.com is my retailer of choice when it comes to sending e-mail gift cards because in all the years I've bought from them they've never once failed to deliver them to my recipients.

Bookends: These can be really pricey at department and book stores, so I suggest looking for the handcrafted or vintage variety. I found these these wooden book ends for $4.99 over on iOffer.

Booklights: Anyone who reads in bed with a sleeping spouse or partner uses them; so do writers with bad vision like me. I've tried a lot of booklights in my day, and my biggest complaint is that most of them either use watch-size batteries, which are hard for me to see much less change, or they die quickly. Someday I'd really like to have a reasonably-priced booklight that can run on my rechargeable triple-A batteries. In the meantime, the one I usually recommend is the no-muss no-fuss Energizer's LED clip-on booklight, which can be had over at Walmart.com for $10.00 (I did read an old article over on Slate.com by Tom Bartlett to see if there were any other cheap booklights out there, but he didn't seem to think much of the two under $10.00.)

Charms: A small charm related to books or reading could make a nice addition to your book lover's favorite necklace or bracelet. Shakespearesden.com has a cute sterling silver bookworm charm for $3.95.

Music to Write/Read By: If you already own an extensive music collection you can probably burn a CD mix tailored to suit your favorite writer or reader. Or head over to iTunes and download individual songs; $10 will buy you ten .99 songs [I love the first Prélude from Yo-Yo Ma's Bach: The Cello Suites (.99); The Theme from Harry's Game from Clannad's In a Lifetime collection (.99); and Chanter's Tune from Shelley Phillips's The Fairie-Round (.99)]

Neck Support: Both writers and readers have complained to me about suffering some sort of neck pain, which hits me pretty regularly, too. A pillow specifically designed to provide support to this area of the bod can be a big relief, like this Relaxzen memory foam neck pillow over at Wal-Mart.com for $10.00.

Totes: Writers and readers tend to be pack mules, so a sturdy tote is a very practical gift. B&N.com has this holiday-themed tote for $7.95 (this was the pretty tote I picked up on Black Friday, and at the time they were selling them for $4.97 if you bought two items from the store. I'm not sure if this is still going on, but if it is it's a little cheaper to get it from the brick & mortar.) If you're handy with the sewing machine and have some pretty fabric in your stash, this is also something you could make yourself

USB Drive: Having a backup of work, e-books and other stuff stored on our computers is a necessity, and a USB drive makes it easy and highly portable. Office Depot sells their name-branded 2GB USBs in different colors for $7.99, and for another $3.99 you can buy a USB clip-on case.

Wordy Gift: Words are something writers and readers can never get enough of, so look for word-themed or decorated items, like this Jonathan Adler words folding umbrella for $9.97 over at B&N.com.

Writing Instruments: Not on my gift list, but your favorite scribe probably goes through pens and pencils like crazy, so look for something interesting on sale, like this red and white holiday themed set for $7.47 over at B&N.com.

Finally, if you're looking for some new ideas, try giving the Gift Ideas Generator a go. Prices are in British pounds -- at this very moment, 1.00 GBP = 1.55970 USD -- but if you're not accustomed to converting that in your head, or you live in another country, you may also want to visit a currency converter like this one (and thanks to Gerard over at The Generator Blog for the link.)

Last Minute Writer Gift Ideas

I always think writers are the easiest people to shop for (one book store gift card and you're done) but my family assures me that we're not. I've collected complaints from the rest of the clan, and they cite the following:

1. You can't buy writers actual books because you don't know what we already own (true, but my shelves are not hidden, and neither is my LibraryThing account, which is searchable. Plus I always have a running shopping list on the bulletin board in the office.)

2. Reading or writing devices are tricky because we've either got them all and/or we're extremely picky about them (very true. I would go with a Levenger gift card here.)

3. There are very few writing-related humor gifts (also true, although Mom did find me a Careful, or you'll end up in my novel T-shirt for me one year.)

I still say the book store gift card is the best gift for writers, because we're forever in need of books. For the writer on your list who lives far away, you can do an online bookseller gift certificate by e-mail, which is just as good. But if you're still looking for a physical gift for your favorite writer, here are some last-minute ideas:

AlphaSmart Neo: Every writer I've given one of these to really loves it and says it helps them get a lot of writing done. I think they're great because the only thing you can do on them is write.

Books on Writing: If your writer enjoys writing how-tos, and you know what they already own, a new book on writing will likely be much appreciated. My favorite how-to released in 2009 is definitely Writing the Life Poetic by Sage Cohen. Or check out online recommendations (Author Nancy Owens Barnes has an interesting site called Books4Writers where I found out about The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, something I've been using every week since I bought it.)

Cleaning Kits: A printer cleaning kit is also something most writers can use; so are kits to clean up CDs, DVDs or CD drives.

Digital Camera: I have a little no-brainer Kodak point and shoot, and I love it because it is easy to use and takes some great shots. Over the last year I've used it almost every day for my online art project, and it's really changed the way I think about photography and how I look at the world.

Dragon Naturally Speaking: every seriously handicapped writer I've talked feels this is the best speech-to-text software out there; so do I. It's not for every writer, but if yours has been wanting the program, it can make a huge difference in their writing life.

Magazine subscription: if your writer doesn't subscribe to a trade mag, a year's subscription to P&W or The Writer are definitely worth the price.

Magnetic Poetry: Half of my books wouldn't have titles if it weren't for MagPo. I recommend one of their Essential Word Kits or (for the blocked writer) the Writer's Remedy Kit.

Office Supply Store Gift Card: We're always in need of office supplies; this will absolutely be used.

Printer ink cartridge: This sounds like an unlovely gift, I know, but we go through them like Kleenex so they'll definitely be used.

Windows 7 upgrade: for your writer who is still trying to figure out Vista (I am not a fan of Windows, but until Publishing switches over to Mac, I think we're stuck with it.)

If you'd rather make a gift, one thing you can put together is a Writer Relaxation Kit. In a pretty basket or book tote put a coffee mug, a hot beverage mix, some snacks (single-serving bags of microwave popcorn are great), some magazines, a soothing CD and/or a cool movie. If it's cold where your writer lives, add some fuzzy socks or a plush throw.

Another cool gift to make is a Writer's Pack. This can be a backpack, a book bag or big pretty binder filled with writing essentials: interesting pens and pencils, clips, packs of dividers, notepads, a book light, planners, CD holders, etc. You can put the little bits in a neat pencil case or supply box.

My personal favorite homemade gift is a Writer's Bubble Bath Kit. For this you put together everything your writer needs to take a long, hot soak in the tub: bath salts or bubble bath, soap, a pretty washcloth, scrunchie or bath mitt, scented candles, a CD with nature sounds, a bath pillow (I like the ones made to support the neck) and a big fluffy towel or a bath robe and slippers.

You writers out there, want to add any ideas for what you'd like to find in your stocking? Let us know in comments.

For the Writer on Your List

Ten Things That Make Great Gifts for Writers

Books: We write them, we read them, we love them. There isn't a single book gift I've received that I haven't wallowed in during the holidays, especially when it's a surprise book. One year a friend of mine filled a stocking with a mug, some packets of hot chocolate mix and some new mystery paperbacks she thought just sounded cool; I discovered three authors (Harlan Coben, Linda Fairstein and Sue Grafton) I still read ($7.99 for most new paperbacks; B&N.com has free shipping for orders of $10.00 or more for their members)

Bookseller Online Gift Certificates: Hands down the most painless for you/most welcome for them gift for any writer on your list. You purchase and e-mail it to them and you're done (B&N.com offers them in amounts ranging from $10.00 - $250.00)

Healthy Cooking X 2: Cooking Light Magazine is offering a 2-for-1 holiday gift subscription where you get 1 year/12 issues for your writer plus a second subscription for you. ($24.00 = $12.00/subscription)

Just for Journaling: For the writer who doesn't put everything on their blog, Vera Bradley Frankly Scarlet Flexi 6" X 8" Journal has 160 lined/lightly decorated pages and a closure band ($10.36/$9.32 for B&N.com members)

Levengers: With a catalogue writers and readers have been known to drool over, and some very dreamy but extremely expensive items, Levengers is definitely dangerous. But they also have a sales section that usually has some decent buys under $25, like this Notable Impressions Notebook and a colorful collection of Wordsmith's Rubber Bands and Clips, each marked down to $9.95 (various prices)

MagPo: I absolutely love Magnetic Poetry, and there are all kinds of editions for everyone on your list (most are $19.95.) For writers I like to give the Writer's Remedy ($14.95) or The Poet Edition ($19.95.) I admit, the one I still play with most is the little kit in the back of The Magnetic Poetry Book of Poetry ($13.95/$11.92 for members at B&N.com)

P&W: It might be stuffy at times -- okay, most of the time -- but the monthly, extensive listings of contests, open calls, grants and other writer sub ops make the print version of Poets & Writers magazine worth the annual subscription rate (currently $14.97/six issues)

Shakespeare's Den: For those classic lit-lovers and calligraphy nuts on your list, I recommend having a look around the unique offerings over at Shakespeare's Den. They always have some cool stuff in the sales and clearance section; I like this stylus and nib set for a very reasonable $9.95 and this very unusual musician's writing set for $19.95 (various prices)

Smithsonian Online: The virtual gift shop of the Smithsonian Museum is where I go when I need a gift for a hard-to-shop-for writer. Like Levengers they can be very pricey, but they run weekly web specials during the holidays and have a decent selection of gifts under $25.00. Two that appealed to me are a set of six Cloisonné pens for $24.00, a set of six Cloisonné kitten bookmarks for $15.99, and a calligraphy letter holder for $14.99 (various prices)

Thesaurus & Art: Thinkmap's Visual Thesaurus is one of my favorite gifts to give to writers; they offer a free 14-day trial if you want to test drive it first, and they also have a couple of subscription options, including online access on a monthly basis, which you can cancel at any time ($2.95 per month as you go, $19.95 for an annual subscription, and $39.95 for CDs for the software.)

Have you guys found any great gifts for writers or readers out there? Tell us about them in comments.

Writer Dad Gifts

Ten Things to Give Your Favorite Dad/Writer for Father's Day

(most for $10.00 U.S. or less)

Wal-Mart has 169 albums in their 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection for less than $10.00; these feature the bestselling or most popular songs by an artist or a group, i.e. The Best of Robert Palmer.

A hardcover edition of Sun Tzu's classic The Art of War is currently available at B&N.com on sale: $7.95*

Over at HisNibs.com, Norman has a collection of Bookworm Abstract series fountain pens that might please the old-fashioned, pen-loving writer dad: $15.00

BooksforaBuck.com has a page of free and $1.00 e-books. Shop early; Deadly Sting by Michael Paulson is available for $1.00 until June 19, 2009.

Clark Cable Wire Identifier can help dad figure out his connections fast: $9.71*

If Dad needs a break from writing, the coolest made-for-Dad movie I've ever seen is Frequency with Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel: $5.32

A gift card for any bookstore where your writer Dad likes to shop is always welcome; $10.00 will buy him a paperback and a cup of coffee at the bookstore cafe.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an online store with lots of cool things for Dad; I recommend Louis Comfort Tiffany at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as it's currently half price: $9.95

Get Dad's desk in order with Office Depot's Rotary Desk Organizer: $9.69

Jason Rekulak's The Writers Block is a nice big chunk book of daily writing ideas, insight and inspiration: $9.95*

*Less with B&N membership card

Gift Pass Ten

Ten Things I Don't Want for Christmas

Anything Collectible: I am through collecting things other people want me to collect. Except hundred dollar bills. Those I still gladly accept.

Book Clip-on Lights: Friends and family love to give these to me, so I currently have one for just about every book I own, and maybe enough for all the books at the local library, too. Actually I think if I turned them all on I could single-handedly illuminate Cleveland.

Cosmetics: Under the sink I have forty-nine untouched jumbo all-in-one gifts sets of color-coordinated eye shadow, lip gloss, nail polish, blush and so forth. I'm allergic to all of them, plus the hypoallergenic makeup brands, too. You'll just have to deal with my freckles and flaws au naturale.

Cute Bookends: I know some folks think pudgy resin statues of moon-faced young children bending over to prop up things with their plump behinds are adorable, but having them do that to my books is really kinda creepy.

Infomercial Items: If a man with a beard or a bad tan screamed at you to buy it and get a second set for free (plus shipping) chances are it's going to end up in my Goodwill donation box, just like last year's lousy folding colanders (impossible to get clean), the roll-everywhere floor sweeper (the pet hair around here clogged it up in ten seconds flat) and the chocolate fountain (that was just plain cruel.)

Layered Mixes in a Mason Jar: I love to cook, which means I get about five thousand jars o' mixes a year. Every holiday, I swear, it's Mrs. P's Valentine cherry muffin mix in a jar or H.B.'s Easter Banger Soup Beans in a Jar. I don't celebrate holidays anymore; I'm too busy making the stuff in the gift jars. So if you genuinely want me to have chocolate chip cookies, please, bake them for me and bring them on a plate. I beg you.

Naughty Nighties: Look in the Fredrick's of Hollywood catalog. See any old, chubby white-haired chicks losing the battle with gravity modeling the black lace cat suits and the purple patent leather merry widow? No? I rest my case.

Small Appliances: I'm 47 years old. I have them all. Trust me.

Vampire Stuff: This is tricky, because I love vampire stories, so anything in the vampire fiction book department is okay (but unless it's romance, I've probably also read it.) But the vampire ephemera (capes, plastic fangs, posters, bloodstone pendants, gothwear, gory vampire flicks, Anne Rice before she got into Boy Jesus memorabilia, etc.) is not really my schtick.

Watches: I refuse to wear them. Out of maternal guilt, I keep the one the kids gave me for my birthday clipped around the strap of my purse. The one from last Christmas is at the bottom of my purse. The one from the birthday before that is in the glove compartment of my car. I'm running out of places to hide them.

What do I want, you ask? Peace on Earth would be nice.

What don't you want as a gift this holiday season?

Writer Mom Gifts

Mother's Day is this Sunday, and while moms who write love pasta necklaces, see-through nighties, and that bouquet of blazing orange roses you bought off the guy selling them at the intersection on the way home from church last year, we would like to make a few suggestions about some writing-related gifts we would also enjoy:

Anything from Brenda Novak's 2008 Online Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research : There are hundreds of the most unique and interesting writer gifts you can imagine up for bid, including very cool opportunities like hanging out for a day with Kensington Editor Kate Duffy.

Books: We love to read as much as we love to write, so books are always welcome. You get extra brownie points if you know what we like to read, but a simple question like "What novel would you like to read but you can't afford, Mom?" will give you an idea. Paperback books start at $6.99 (or even less if you get them from the remainder table.)

Gift Cards: a gift card to a book store or office supply store gives her an excuse to go shopping, and she can pick out what she really wants. $25 is a nice amount to give.

Paper & Printing: One of my favorite and most unusual Mother's Day gifts of all time was a case of great quality printer paper that I'm always too cheap to buy for myself. Runner up was a couple of toner cartridges for my ink jet. Paper on sale can cost as little as $15 for ten reams; toner cartridges will be a bit more expensive but if you buy a two-pack it works out to less (plus your writer mom gets more toner.)

Portable Keyboard: If you have some extra cash to spend, the Alpha Smart Neo or Dana is an affordable alternative to a laptop, and a writing tool that your writer mom can take virtually anywhere. $219 to $350.

You writer moms out there, do you have any special requests to add to the list? If you do, please share them in comments.

For Me? Ten

Ten Places to Shop for Writer Gifts
(All prices listed are in US dollars)

1. Alibris.com: a reliable, fast and affordable source for used, rare, and OOP books, music and movies; I was impressed by the care the sellers use in packing and shipping some rare books I ordered from here. I don't see a gift card option anywhere so you might ask your writer to put up a wishlist.

2. AlphaSmart: the affordable alternative to laptops for writers; the Neo is $219, and the new wireless Palm-powered Dana starts at $350 (I've never used an AlphaSmart, but a lot of RWA writers swear by them.)

3. Barnes and Noble.com: No writer will ever turn down a bookstore gift card. If you'd also like to support writers who blog, consider buying one of their books. I'm pre-ordering Marjorie M. Liu's The Last Twilight and Rosina Lippi's The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square. I've also heard that this one is a pretty good read, but I'm supposed to be getting some free copies.

4. HisNibs.com: fine fountain pens and writing supplies; I've been a patron for years and Norman offers a great selection and the best customer service in the business.

5. Levenger: home of everything for the serious reader and writer -- often items you can't find anywhere else. If you can't decide, gift cards especially make us drool because then we have an excuse to look at everything. Check out the latest sales for good bargains.

6. Nuance.com: home of Dragon Naturally Speaking, the voice recognition software that I use to write just about everything. Read more about my experiences with the Dragon here.

7. Office Depot: where I buy all of my office supplies; great deals plus they have absolutely everything a working writer needs, and you can order online or locate a store near you. I recommend gift cards, that way your writer can get exactly what they need.

8. Palm Handheld Devices: I've owned three different Palm handhelds over ten years and I've never had a single problem with any of them (and I can't say that about any other data product I've owned.) During the 2004 hurricane season, when we were without power for more than a month, I wrote most of my novel Afterburn on my Palm handheld. I presently use a Tungsten E2 handheld, and my kids are using my older Palm models, which still work great.

9. The Writer magazine: great market listings, decent articles, subscribers get access to their online market database, and their columnists don't write up three-page-long tantrums about PBW. One year subscription $32.95.

10. Thinkmap's Visual Thesaurus: one of my favorite writing tools; must be seen to be appreciated. Buy the desktop edition for $39.95 or subscribe to the online service for $2.95/mo or $14.95/year. You can personally test drive the program at the Thinkmap site, too.

If you're still not sure where to shop for your writer, I recommend purchasing a gift card in any amount to any bookstore. Trust me, we love them.