#Holiday Gift Guide: Nonfiction – Writing, Cooking and More!

I’m continuing with my Holiday Gift Guide. You can see my other posts for Fun Books for Children #KidLit, Picture Books for Children and Romance, Romance, #Romance.

Today I have a few more titles for Nonfiction: Writing, Cooking and More.

You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers: 

When you write for children, you have the most appreciative audience in the world. But to reach that audience, you need to write fresh, dynamic stories, whether you’re writing rhymed picture books, middle grade mysteries, edgy teen novels, nonfiction, or something else.

Learn how to find ideas and develop those ideas into stories, articles, and books. Understand the basics of character development, plot, setting, and theme – and some advanced elements, along with how to use point of view, dialogue, and thoughts. Finally, learn about editing your work and getting critiques.

You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers is available for the Kindle, in paperback, or in Large Print paperback.

Advanced Plotting is designed for the intermediate and advanced writer: you’ve finished a few manuscripts, read books and articles on writing, taken some classes, attended conferences. But you still struggle with plot, or suspect that your plotting needs work. This book can help.

This really is helping me a lot. It's written beautifully and to-the-point. The essays really help you zero in on your own problems in your manuscript. The Plot Outline Exercise is a great tool!

I just read and—dissected—your well written  book: Advanced Plotting. It's now highlighted in bright orange and littered with many of those little 3M sticky labels.  GOOD JOB. There are too many just-for-beginners books out there. Yours was a delight.

See these and more at www.chriseboch.com or my Amazon page.

If you're interested in history, archaeology, or quirky true stories, try Outlaws & Outcasts: The Lost Cemetery of Las Vegas, New Mexico, by Ellen S. Rippel

Outlaws and Outcasts. They lay undisturbed and forgotten for almost a century--until a backhoe driver digging for gravel made a gruesome discovery. A hastily-assembled group of students, guided by an intellectually curious professor, had only one week to document the unearthing of the large, 19th century graveyard. Who was buried in those unmarked graves? What had they done to be cast out from society? Filled with stories of early outlaws and fascinating historical insights, Outlaws and Outcasts chronicles a spellbinding and little-known saga from New Mexico. For those who love history, archaeology, or quirky stories from the Land of Enchantment, this book is an intriguing summary of what occurred in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1972. Outlaws and Outcasts: The Lost Cemetery of Las Vegas, New Mexico recounts the accidental unearthing of graves in a gravel pit. Included in the narrative are examinations of historical burial practices and customs, and a search through the scarce literature on events specific to the existence of the cemetery.

Get it from Amazon.

Amy Houts is the author of Mealtime Magic: Delicious Dinners in Half the Time

• Save $500/year • Spend fewer hours in the kitchen • Please picky eaters • A tried-and-true method

Use the recipes and strategies in this unique cookbook to help you save time and money. Over 200 pages of recipes with clear, detailed directions will help your cooking earn rave reviews even from picky eaters. Award-winning cookbook author Amy Houts shares her time-tested, proven method of intentional planning to provide delicious, home-cooked meals and spend fewer hours in the kitchen.

Also from Amy Houts comes this Cooperative Board Game in a consumable book.

Find My Heart: A Valentine Game

On a windy February day, Valentine Heart Cards have blown out of the Mail Truck and are littering the neighborhood! Can you help the Teddy Bear Mail Carrier collect the Valentine Heart Cards and return them to the Mail Truck? Develops fine motor control and fosters cooperation. Children learn to follow rules, practice counting skills, and more. Research shows that cooperative games help to prevent bullying. Book includes game board, game pieces, rules and instructions. Just cut out pieces, tape, and go!

See all of Amy Hout’s books at her website or on Amazon.