Whether you worship God, Allah, Mother Earth or nothing at all, the holiday season has the same basic meaning – love and be kind to one another, and give what you can to those who are less fortunate. We shouldn’t need a holiday to remind us. We should behave this way all year.

Enough said. I shall not step up on my soapbox today. It’s the holidays!

I am excited to be helping Santa out this year. I don’t have a lot to give. (In fact, my bank would probably argue that I have nothing. ) But even the little stuff counts, right? In my role as Santa’s Helper, I need your help. What I have to give is books. And I’m looking for someone who loves to read and is in need of a boost this holiday season. Here’s the deal…

Are you having a difficult year and can’t afford to give gifts to all the people you love? Do you know someone who doesn’t have much, who probably won’t get much, and you’d like to make that person smile? Do any of these people love to read? If so, tell me about them! Choose one person and tell me why you think he/she deserves a gift. You don’t have to give me a lot of personal details. Maybe you lost your job and can’t afford to buy your best friend something. Or you’re buried beneath a heap of medical bills (I can relate to that!) and you need a gift for your child’s teacher. It could be someone you know who lost a job, a house, is going through a divorce, and that person is special to you. Tell me why!

I’ll pick two ‘winners’ from the comments. If your nomination is picked, I’ll send you an email requesting the person’s name and mailing address, as well as your choice of one of my eight titles for that person. I’ll wrap the book, include a card letting the person know the gift is from you, and ship it – all free!

Sound good? I hope so! Here are the guidelines in simplified form:

1. Submit your nomination of one person who deserves a surprise gift this holiday season. You do not need to give this person’s name.
2. You cannot nominate yourself. (But you can get someone else to!)
3. Include your name and a valid email address.
4. Nominations are open between 8:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, December 3 and midnight EST on Wednesday December 7.
5. Due to shipping time, I have to restrict this to people living within the U.S.
6. The person you nominate needs to be at least 16 years of age.

That’s it. Please help me be a Santa’s Helper this year by nominating someone you care about.

Of course, when I say dialogue, I’m not talking about two or more characters having a mundane conversation, such as:

“Hello,” said Harry.

“Hi, Harry,” replied Charlotte. “How are you?”

“Oh, fine. You?”

“I’m doing well. What’s new?”

That type of dialogue is boring and unnecessary. I’d put myself to sleep writing that kind of stuff. I’m talking about the kind of dialogue that moves a plot forward. Rather than paragraphs of narration informing the reader, a conversation between characters can do the same with a bit more flare. Such as this conversation from my novel No Justice, the first in my Michael Sykora series:

Sean leaned back, sipping slowly on his beer. Then, his voice dropping to that low tone reserved for business, he said, “Word is that one of Lotto’s guys, a cousin, was executed.”

“That would be true,” Michael said.

“And left on their own turf,” Sean said with a smile. “Nice message. I’m impressed.”

“Damn. I must be getting good if I’m impressing you.”

“Talk is your girl hired a pro.”

“Hiring would imply getting paid, so I guess that’s false,” Michael said.

“Want me to correct that rumor?”

“I think we’ll let that one stand.”

“Pushed Lotto right to the edge,” Sean said. “He and his wanna-be bangers are out for blood. Now they want the girl as well as the guy who did the cousin.”

Michael nodded, sipped his drink. He watched out the window as he considered the situation. Taking out an entire group of people hadn’t exactly been in his plans. Yet it was looking like he didn’t have many options left.

“They’ve been asking around,” Sean said. “Looking for her. And info on the mystery hit man.”

“Are they learning anything?”

Sean chuckled. “Yeah. They’re learning why you’re called The Ghost.”

I could easily have put that information in narration form. However, I find overly long passages of narration dull. I like to see the characters, hear their voices and feel the emotion behind their words. That’s how I hear it in my head, so that’s how I write it.

Here’s another from my novel Beyond Salvation, the second in my Michael Sykora series:

“What have you got on Tracy?” Michael asked Isaac. He adjusted the cell phone on his ear as he steered his Porsche through a snarl of traffic.

“So far just a blip,” Isaac said. “But it’s a start. Twenty-five years ago, she spent two days in Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville. The billing information was your mother’s name on Bennett Road in Jacksonville.”

“Jacksonville?” Michael said. What the hell were they doing there? He wouldn’t have expected them to remain in Florida. Then again, where had he expected them to go? “What was she hospitalized for?”

“Don’t know. Medical records are sealed.”

“Right,” Michael muttered. “Twenty-five years. I don’t suppose she still lives at that address.”

“Unfortunately, no. Not unless she’s renting a room from the Wongs.”

“Okay. Well at least it’s a start. She might still be somewhere in Jacksonville.”

“I’m looking into it.”

Again, this could be done with narration. Would it be better? Worse? Or just different?

Finally, here’s a snippet of dialogue from my novel Miami Snow, the novel my author acquaintance felt had too much dialogue:

“So I’ve been thinking,” Brandy said. “Aaron hasn’t worked in over a year and the guy has all his bills paid and plenty of extra cash. Why can’t we do that, too?”

Nick opened his eyes, now fully awake. “I’m not selling drugs.”

“What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is a six-by-nine jail cell.”

“We won’t get caught. Look at Aaron.”

“That’s Aaron.” Nick slid his arm out from beneath Brandy, then pushed up on his elbows. “I’m not that lucky.”

Brandy turned to face Nick. She said, “We’d only sell to people we know.”

“I don’t know anyone but you.”

“I know plenty of people. We could do it for six months and be totally out of debt.”

“You’d be out of debt. I’d be in jail.”

“Stop being such a pessimist. It’s easy money. Don’t you want some rights with your daughter? You need a lawyer.”

Nick groaned. “Thanks for reminding me.”

I have read few books in the mystery/suspense/thriller genre, which I write under, that rely more on narration than dialogue. Usually, it’s a pretty equal mix. However, I have read some with too much dialogue, in the sense that I don’t want to read the “Hello, how are you?” conversation with every character. I’ve also read books with not enough dialogue, in which I grew bored with the endless pages of narration.

How do you feel about dialogue? If you write, do you use it moderately or extensively? Do you like to read dialogue within novels or do you prefer more narration?

Miami Snow is Nick Donovan’s story. For him, the seemingly innocuous choice to leave work early one day changes everything he thought he knew about his life. A small decision. A life-altering outcome.

That is the funny thing about life. Most of us think hard about whether to get married, buy a home, have children. These are the decisions we consider vital to our lives. And they are. But so are the little decisions we often make without much thought. Whether to drive or take a cab. Whether to accept a party invitation. Whether to leave work early one day.

Ultimately, the choices we make lead us down paths with varying scenery, giving each of us a unique perspective. Is yours a view from rose-colored glasses or the narrowed eyes of a skeptic? Can you think of a minor decision you’ve made that has changed your life, for better or worse?

I am currently giving away downloads of my romantic suspense novel Enemies and Playmates! You can download the e-book free on Smashwords and on Scribd. This is temporary giveaway. I haven’t decided how long I’ll let it run, so download Enemies and Playmates soon!

I’ve also uploaded my other five novels onto Scribd and they are now available as e-book purchases on that site!

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DarciaHelle

http://www.scribd.com/darciah

Good luck!

Enter my 48-Hour Book Giveaway between noon EST on Sunday, July 11 and noon EST on Tuesday, July 13. This contest is open to everyone 16 and older in the U.S. and Canada. (Sorry I can’t do International. The postage kills me!) One entry per person. Just fill out the form on my contest page!

www.QuietFuryBooks.com/contests.html

I also have a July Book Giveaway listed. For that contest, I’m giving away a copy of my novel Miami Snow, along with a new mousepad! Be sure to enter the contest you want – or both!

Miami Snow Synopsis:

One day, Nick Donovan has it all; a beautiful, pregnant wife, a nice house, a great job. The next day he is on his own, starting from scratch with nothing but a few suitcases and his old truck. Nick flees to the opposite coast of Florida, trying to leave his ex-wife and the memories behind. But that couldn’t happen. Soon Nick finds that he is tied to Shelley in a way that he hadn’t expected. And, in her bitterness, she does everything she can to ensure his misery.

Brandy is Shelley’s opposite; wild, sensual, free-spirited. With Brandy, Nick is able to rebel against all that Shelley stands for. Brandy quickly leads Nick into a world of sex, drugs, and cash. And now Nick finds himself caught between the two worlds, desperate to stay afloat.

Enemies and Playmates
Hit List
No Justice
Beyond Salvation
Miami Snow

All you have to do is fill out the May Contest form on my contest page. Anyone 16 and older in the U.S. and Canada is welcome to enter. (I apologize to all those in other countries but the shipping is too high.)

www.QuietFuryBooks.com/contests.html

Good luck!

Enter this coupon code to receive your discount at check out: PJ2Q2A9L

Click on the cover above to read an excerpt on use the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon.