Cataloging Christmas in July

Christmas in July wraps up today!  What makes that slightly more bearable was the cool (relatively speaking) temperature this morning.  The two week run of heat and humidity broke over the weekend and gave way to a lovely sixty-one degree morning.  It reminded me of summer break back in central New York.  A morning where I would step outside with a full day of vacation fun on tap instead of leaving the house for work.  Oh, adulting.

The view from the office.

Several times over the course of the month I was accused of rushing the holiday season.  I prefer to say I’m being prepared, but I do see their point.  However…I’m certainly not the only one who has thoughts of Christmas during the summer.  Back in the day the annual holiday catalogs – a la the Sears Wishbook and JC Penney Christmas catalog - would arrive in the stores or your mailbox in mid to late August.

The 1974 JC Penney Christmas Catalog.  Oddly enough, the little blond hair kid looks like me as a child.

I will forever blame JC Penney for my early holiday obsession.  Growing up, the family never really shopped at Sears, so the Penney Christmas Catalog was my go to.  Summer vacation would be winding down – this was back when I enjoyed summer - I would cross the street on a routine trip to the mailbox.  When opening the door I swear angles were singing as I reached inside to discover it had arrived.

How I felt finding the catalog in the mailbox.

I’d spend hours – if not days – scouring it from cover to cover in search of the perfect gifts.  Items would be circled, page corners bent, pictures cut out and pasted to construction paper in a sort of 'dream board' fashion.  Sadly, the tradition came to end for children everywhere as companies eventually ceased the printed publications.

For a bit of nostalgia, a gentlemen by the name of Jason Liebig actually maintains a website dedicated to Christmas catalogs!

The website where Jason catalogs the...uh...catalogs.

If you want to kill a few hours, check out the catalog from the year (or near the year) you were born.  For me, that was 1974.  I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the fashions from the time period.  Then I stopped as I realized someone could be looking at the 1996 (when I thought I dressed cool) catalog the same way I look at the ’74.  Suddenly, it wasn’t so funny.  Where does the time go…?

Maybe you have a particular fondness for a catalog you remember from your childhood.  For me, it was 1987.  That was the last year I truly went page by page marking what I wanted to find under the tree.  I purchased a copy from eBay.  It makes a unique conversation piece sitting on the coffee table during the holiday season.

The last catalog I scoured for toys.

How does any of this relate to writing?  For me, old catalogs make convenient one stop research guides.  I can see the latest fashions for a particular year.  Toys, housewares, electronics – all with their prices.

My novel, The Stockings Were Hung, is set in 1954.  Perhaps the main character is buying a jacket.  I can quickly see some styles and know that he paid about $13 for it. 

The latest fashions of 1954!

Does the story call for a pen?  Why not the Jet-o-Matic by Vectura.  $8.75 for the set or $5 for the pen only.

Not just any pen, the Jet-o-Matic!

Catalogs offer an often entertaining glimpse back in time and can give your story a boost of realism.  Instead of just a razor, your character reaches for his favorite Ronson razor.  The last gift he received from his wife before they divorced.

The Ronson razor.  A steal at $19.95!

Those subtly placed names or descriptions help you connect with readers.  It may be “Hey!  I remember that razor.  My grandfather had it!” or perhaps someone had it themselves.  It allows a deeper, more personal connection to what is occurring on the page.

Did you spend hours perusing the annual catalogs in search of the perfect gift?  Have you considered using an old catalog as a reference guide?  Let me know in the comments section down below.

Creative Catalysts

I spent the bulk of the weekend organizing the attic.  Well certainly not a life-altering event, it was at least 130 degrees up there.  If I didn’t already detest summer, this certainly would have solidified it.

Attic selfie.  Still smiling because heat stroke hadn't set in yet.

This has become an annual tradition.  The holiday’s end, I wait a bit longer than I should before taking the decorations down — which is a month long event — and by that point I’m so tired of seeing assorted Christmas trees, garland, and snowflakes that everything is hurled up into the attic in no particular order. 

This isn't even a quarter of the clutter.

Eventually, summer rolls about and I pop up to get everything in order before its November migration back downstairs.  Occasionally, I’m able to get the husband to assist.  Although, if given the choice, I’m certain this is the path Cliff would choose…

Cliff choosing the lesser of two evils.

Included in the attic organizing were the hundred or so St. Nicholas Square houses used in the village each year.

The 2016 village.

Oddly enough, those houses were the reason I found myself writing again after an incredibly long hiatus.

Each one usually has some sort of window.  If you peer inside, you can catch a glimpse of…something.  It could be an elderly woman knitting by a fireplace.  A family eating a meal at their dining room table.  A child gazing out the window.  It may even be an empty room.

Simple small talk at the market or something more sinister?

Where is everyone...?

I became fascinated by the views in an almost voyeuristic way.  Who were these people?  What was going on in their lives?  What if something sinister were taking place?

I sat down and started to write.  Originally, I planned to pen a simple short story to publish on my Facebook page.  Then I had a thought!  At the time, my house count was twenty-five.  What if I wrote a short story about each of the houses?  A single self-contained tale that would occur within each building, but all set in the same town.  I could post one story each day as a sort of literary advent calendar leading up to Christmas day.

It continued to grow from there. 

Even though I was aiming for a one-off on each building, I found myself continuing the action.  What transpired in the train station carried over to the hotel.  The events there leading to adventures in the library.  From there, the local pub.  It was no longer twenty-five short stories, but morphing into one long one.

And heck!  Since this entire project was going to be online, why not make it interactive?  Each day would end with a choice – a la the Choose Your Own Adventure book series.  

I purchased two new Choose Your Own Adventure books last week.

“Should Ian (the main character) continue looking for clues at the library or follow Ms. Cooper to her bakery?"  The reader comments would then dictate where the story went the next day. The response was incredibly positive.

Eventually, the entire venture blossomed into my first novel “The Stockings Were Hung.” 

"The Stockings Were Hung"

I’m always fascinated by the catalyst or creative spark that gets someone moving.  It can be something terribly traumatic like death or as simple as a ceramic Christmas house.

What inspired you to start writing or to pick it back up if you stopped?  Let me know in the comments section below.

A Night at the Club

Earlier this year, I joined the Main Pages Book Club.  It meets the first Wednesday of each month at the main branch of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library – which is conveniently located directly across from the building I work in.  A definite plus!  If you’re looking to join a book club, try to pick a location that makes it harder for you to miss a session.  How can I skip out when I merely have to cross the street to get there? 

The exterior of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

I signed on after spotting a placard in the library while I was voting last fall.  One of the books they were planning to discuss was one that I happened to be reading at the time (The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters).  That was an easy in for me.  While I now shout the importance of proper book clubs from the rooftops, had I not stumbled across one reviewing a novel I was nearly through, I don’t know it would have captured my attention so quickly.

Why a proper book club?

Not all book clubs are created equal.  I enjoy this one taking place in a library and not someone’s home.  Aside from the atmosphere of books, it keeps it professional.  Don’t get me wrong – successful book clubs can certainly be hosted at a private residence.  However…they can be cleverly disguised social gatherings.   5% book discussion/90% wine sampling/5% latest gossip.  There was a great New York Times article on book clubs written by Judith Newman that was published in May.  It illustrates several reasons I advocate a less casual atmosphere.  I’m not interested in what little Susie did at preschool or what the milk man is up to with Mrs. Johnson.  I’m there for information on and about books.

No better atmosphere to discuss books!

It’s important to understand what you want to gain from attending.  For me, I was searching for insight into the minds of various readers.  What better way to hone my own skills than with a group of people who spend the most time with a writers final product?  It’s like having a free focus group!  Granted, each monthly selection may not be in the genre that I write, but so many reader expectations transcend those lines.  Is the dialogue strong and believable, do the characters come across as Flat Stanley or do they jump from the page, is the plot streamlined or too convoluted.

I also needed exposure to other genres outside my wheelhouse.  I like mysteries, I write mysteries.  When starting out as an author, I never ventured outside that realm.  Reading strong writing in various styles only provides you more strength as an writer.  Here’s a peek at the monthly reading list from March through August:

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (c2000 – short stories, humorous)

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (c1905 – classic)

The Girls by Emma Cline (c2016 – contemporary fiction)

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf (c2015 – contemporary fiction)

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller (c1961 – classic)

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (c2011 – historical fiction)

What a beautiful range!  Would I have selected any of these on my own – honestly, no.  That’s what makes the right book club such an amazing FREE resource.  It forces you outside of your comfort zone and the structure makes you accountable.  I don’t want to be the one that shows up and says “Uh…I didn’t read it.”  As an author, you should be exceptionally well-read in your own genre and well-read in all others.

Don’t be afraid to test the waters and find the right fit.  While not a book club, I attended a local writers group in February.  The facilitator blatantly steered people away from traditional publishing and strongly encouraged everyone to self-publish.  Did I mention the facilitator also ran a self-publishing business on the side?  I never went back.  If it doesn't feel comfortable, find one that does.

In a book club?  Have a horror story about one?  An invaluable experience in one?  Let me know in the comments section below.