It might not even be Fall yet (yes, I am still hanging onto the last few days of Summer), but the stores are already well on their way to preparing for the upcoming holiday season. With the impending holiday season right around the corner, why not start on that gift list that you are always rushing around at the very last minute trying to complete?  Gifting a sweet book to a child, partner, or dear friend will never fail you.

But as a writer, how can you prepare for the holidays?

This time of year comes with so much inspiration for your next novel- Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Years! Each holiday has its own unique set of values and traditions that will make for great feel-good books that every reader will enjoy. ‘Tis the season for spending, right?

Halloween is a great time to read a thriller or horror novel. It’s my favorite time to pick up a Stephen King novel or two. It’s a fun time to try out a completely new genre, if thriller/horror writing isn’t usually your thing, since readers are more prone to picking up a spooky novel during the next few months.  I’ve always found Thanksgiving to be my time to shine with my cooking skills, so indulging in a cookbook is one of my favorite pastimes come November. If cooking isn’t your forte, maybe you could throw in a few relevant recipes throughout your next novel that might appeal to a new fan base. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa…these are wonderful holidays which encourage us to focus on gratefulness for those around us. Most of the novels around these holidays revolve around finding last minute love, which always tends to leave readers with an optimistic outlook for the coming year- whether they have already found love or not. New Years brings out the new and hopeful self, so many readers lean on self-help books at the end and beginning of each year in hopes they will help us to stay on top of our New Year’s resolutions.

Another fun route to take as a writer would be to indulge in Children’s literature. If you’re new to children’s lit, writing a simple story with some illustration may be an option to get some work out into the literary world. Teaching children about the holidays and why they are celebrated accompanied by a fictional story with beautifully painted pictures will help to educate their little brains.

At the end of the day (or holiday season), it’s up to you how you want to spend this time. Some authors take the holidays to hibernate and write their beach novel of the year, which isn’t a bad idea either!