2023 Writer's Holiday Wish List

In between dipping gingerbread toes into warm cups of cocoa, 24 Carrot Writing's guest bloggers, contributors, and active founders have conjured up the 2023 Writer's Holiday Wish List!

While we cannot wrap up a book deal, or tie a shiny bow around a starred review, we are sharing the special items that make our creative endeavors happier, more successful, and wonderfully productive. We hope you find ideas you want to share and maybe a few carrots for your next month of goals.
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If folks are asking for gift ideas, this is the post to send them.

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Kirsten Larson
To help me get into the writing mood, I often put on classical music and light a scented candle. This consistent routine that employs different senses helps transport me into book world. One of my favorite candles is Anecdote’s “Homebody," which smells like bergamot and tea and snarkily reads, “Smells like invited and not going.” It puts me in instant writing mode. The company also features  writer-appropriate candles like the “introvert bundle,” which includes Homebody, Comfort Zone, and Vinyl Records.

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Kirsten is the author of  WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane, illustrated by Tracy Subisak (Calkins Creek 2020), A TRUE WONDER: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything, illustrated by Katy Wu (Clarion 2021), and THE FIRE OF STARS: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Chronicle 2023). Learn more about Kirsten at KirstenWLarson.com.

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Cathy Ballou Mealey 
Whether you've been glued to the latest bestseller, writing and revising on your laptop, or scrolling your phone screen, there's a good chance your peepers are pooped! Treat your self to a heated mask and blink away eye fatigue with a soothing, flaxseed-filled wrap. Features I really like are the variable timer, multiple heat settings and washable cover. A brief break with my warm mask helps me relax while pondering book ideas or plot problems so I can return to visual tasks refreshed and revived.

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Cathy Ballou Mealey is the Boston based author of WHEN A TREE GROWS (Sterling 2019), SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE (Kids Can Press 2021) and MAKE MORE S'MORES (Sleeping Bear Press 2023). Learn more about Cathy here. 

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Carol Gordon Ekster
This year I got a new desk that fits up against the window and I can look out at my private back yard and it has made all the difference in me wanting to work in my study!!  ​

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Carol's two most recent titles are SOME DADDIES (Beaming Books, 2022) and TRUCKER KID (Capstone, 2023). You can find out more about her books and writing life at https://carolgordonekster.com.

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Ellen Mayer
I think every children's writer needs a lovey. A lovey to help connect them to their inner child, as they write. And because the path to publication is tough, a lovey to clutch from time to time on that journey, when the journey is particularly rough. Preferably something soft that is huggable. Here’s my current one.

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KIRKUS said of Ellen Mayer’s new picture book GIFT & BOX, “This story is absolutely the full package” (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2023). This book for ages 3-7 years makes a perfect gift for the upcoming December holidays. To learn more about Ellen, visit her at www.ellenmayerbooks.com

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Lindsay Metcalf
As a nonfiction writer, subscription fees can get out of hand. It would be wonderful to have a gift subscription of some sort: perhaps Evernote for organizing my research, Canva for creating marketing materials, newspapers like The New York Times and Washington Post for research and story ideas, and archival sites like newspapers.com and Ancestry.com.

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Lindsay H. Metcalf is a former journalist who writes nonfiction and poetry for children. Her latest book, NO WORLD TOO BIG: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change (Charlesbridge, 2023) is a poetry anthology from the team behind the award-winning NO VOICE TOO SMALL (Charlesbridge, 2021). OUTDOOR FARM, INDOOR FARM (Astra Young Readers 2024), illustrated by Xin Li, is forthcoming in the spring of 2024. Learn more at lindsayhmetcalf.com and @lindsayhmetcalf on social media.

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Nancy Tupper Ling
​In keeping with Charles Dickens’ story, A Christmas Carol, I thought I’d mention some items to help with your past, present, and future life as an author. After all, it’s beneficial to keep inspired and fortified at all times.
If you would like to be inspired by some fabulous classic reads, even those that you read years ago, the scent of a good candle can carry you right back to “A March Family Christmas” or “221 B Baker Street.” You can find these From the Page scents online or at the lovely bookstore, Aesop’s Fable, in Holliston.  You might go all out with the “Bookworm Sampler Pack” if you prefer the smell of old libraries and reading nooks.
When inspiration is needed while writing any stories in the present, I recommend a nice cuppa in “The Book Lover’s Mug” from the Ginger Fox company. The Blue Bunny Bookstore in Dedham sells several versions, including “The Female Writers Mug” (a favorite). Lastly, even if you’re still awaiting the thrill of a published book, why not get ready to celebrate big. I ordered these earrings with the book cover of my latest picture book, ONE PERFECT PLAN: THE BIBLE'S BIG STORY IN TINY POEMS on Etsy from the seller MiniaturesAndArt. You can order classic book covers instead. Either way, grab a warm blanket, get cozy by a fire, and celebrate the holidays, past, present, and future. 

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Nancy Tupper Ling is a children’s author, poet, book seller and librarian. Basically, she
surrounds herself with books! Occasionally, she creates a few books of her own, including her latest, ONE PERFECT PLAN: THE BIBLE'S BIG STORY IN TINY POEMS, plus THE STORY I'LL TELL, DOUBLE HAPPINESS, THE YING-YANG SISTERS, MY SISTER, AILCIA MAY and FOR EVERY LITTLE THING with co-
author, June Cotner. Visit www.nancytupperling.com to learn more.

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Kelly Carey 
Creativity inspires creativity and for that reason I keep a pottery gnome crafted by 24 Carrot Writing co-founder Amanda Smith and a framed design by 24 Carrot Writing member and author/illustrator Jodie Apesche on display in my office. I feel the energy of the artists in these pieces, and it motivates my own creative endeavors. Homemade, one of kind, artisan gifts will sing to writers who appreciate the act of creating art. While Amanda’s pieces are currently not for sale (trust me, we keep telling her she could sell her work), you can find Jodie’s work here. 

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Kelly is a 24 Carrot Writing co-founder and an award winning children’s fiction author. Her  picture book, HOW LONG IS FOREVER? (Charlesbridge, 2020) was named a MUST READ by the Mass Center for the Book. To learn more about Kelly visit here. ​

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Amanda Smith
The faster I write, the more illegible my handwriting becomes. This is a real problem when I mark up a manuscript for a critique partner, or revise my own work. Enter Pilot FriXion erasable pens. These pens come in fun colors, write smoothly, and erase cleanly for revising, and for those times (all the times!) when I have to fix my handwriting. Refill cartridges are also available and the line even offers erasable high-lighters! 

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Amanda Smith is a co-founder of 24 Carrot Writing. Her poems can be found in the Writer's Loft Anthologies, Gnomes and Ungnomes: Poems of Hidden Creatures (December, 2023) and Friends and Anemones: Ocean Poems for Children and in the upcoming anthology Bless the Earth (Convergent Books, 2024). Learn more  at AmandaSmithWrites.

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Kristi Mahoney
When I need to work out a solution to a tricky problem in my writing, I often find those moments of insight (the ones that make me jump with joy) come when my mind is elsewhere. Sometimes it’s when I’m on a walk, driving, blow-drying my hair, and sometimes it’s when I’m doing puzzles. My favorites are the 1,000 piece book cover puzzles by Re-Marks. They have many different themed options: Bestsellers, Childhood favorites, Great American Novels, Bedtime Stories, Young Adult and more. Who knows? Maybe solving an actual puzzle might inspire the moment of insight needed most.

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​Kristi Mahoney is a children's book writer from Massachusetts. Her debut picture book, ALPACAS MAKE TERRIBLE LIBRARIANS, will be released by Gnome Road Publishing in Fall 2024. Kristi is a regular contributor to 24 Carrot Writing. She can be reached at www.kristimahoneybooks.com.

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Megan Litwin
One thing I’m continually thankful to have in my writing life is a subscription to The Horn Book! Do you know how good it feels to check your mailbox and find a tiny, shiny, spectacular magazine whose mission has always been “to herald the best in children’s literature”? It comes only 6 times/year and each time feels like a gift! With collection-worthy cover art and insightful articles and reviews, it’s a publication I value deeply because it values the work we do. It recognizes and celebrates and trumpets the importance of great books for children and young adults. I find inspiration in its pages (and at least once have found instant revision magic after reading an interview). And guess what?! The Horn Book is celebrating its 100th anniversary next year! Could be the perfect time to join the fanfare…

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Megan is the author of TWINKLE, TWINKLE, WINTER NIGHT (Clarion, 2022) and the DIRT & BUGSY early reader series (Penguin Workshop, 2023). She is a 24 Carrot Writing regular contributor. To learn more about Megan visit her here. 

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​Annie Cronin Romano
One resource I cannot live without is the Chicago Manual of Style. When I'm proofreading, I find it's a valuable resource in checking some of those trickier or less familiar grammar and mechanics rules. It can take a little practice to navigate its layout, but after a few uses, you'll become faster at finding the grammar answers you seek. The 17th edition is the latest. My edition is so well loved, I had to retire the dust jacket!

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​Annie Cronin Romano is one of the co-founders of 24 Carrot Writing and is a published picture book author. In addition to her love of kidlit, she also writes adult fiction, works as a bookseller at an indie bookstore, and is a literary associate with Olswanger Literary. Learn more about Annie at www.anniecroninromano.com.

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