Visit your independent bookstore, meet a local author (an #IndieThursday shout-out)

I'm not a big fan of all this holiday shopping talk before the turkey has been cooked. Not to sound like Scrooge, but how much shopping do we need to do anyway?

But I am a big fan of Small Business Saturday, especially with this new idea of authors, guest-selling books at various independent bookstores. How cool is that? You can find out if this is going on near you, and who's doing the selling at IndieBound.

Author friend Sarah Frances Hardy (who wrote and illustrated Puzzled by Pink) will be at Square Books in Oxford, MS, in case you're local. She's the nicest person you'll ever meet.

Let's rock Small Business Saturday, all... It's on Nov. 30th this year.

Where To Get The Best Holiday Presents

I'm a big fan of Thanksgiving, and I get a little offended when people start talking holiday shopping before the bird has been cooked. But I'm going to break my own rule this year...

See, I sent Linc around the States to check out all these great bookstores so he could report back and give us all the scoop. Because as an author and reader, I'm a big fan of these independent bookstores. If you've ever visited a good one, you know how the staff, the atmosphere, and the personal recommendations make all the difference. I've discovered great new authors by visiting my local indies.

So I hope you'll join me and check out these bookstores for your holiday shopping:

Hooray For Books in Alexandria, VA

Seattle Mystery Bookshop in Seattle, WA

Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA

Tattered Cover in Denver, CO

Murder by the Book in Houston, TX

Lemuria Books in Jackson, MS

Park Street Books in Medfield, MA

Most of them stock signed books (best present ever!), and will ship them to you. Or go to your own local bookstore. Saturday is Small Business Saturday...

That's my soapbox moment.

Happy Turkey Day, all.