Advent Calendar - The Grinch Who Stole All The Holidays

image by Carl Holscher via Flickr

Ready for another advent calendar in story form? The idea behind an advent calendar is to sweeten the wait until Christmas. There are twenty-four pockets, and starting December 1, you can open one each day.

Standard advent calendars are filled with chocolate or toys. I fill ours with a story—plus some candy, because we all know children can't live on words alone.

Feel free to read my story yourself, with your kids, dogs, cats or anyone else. There's one bite of story for each day until Christmas Eve.

If you'd like to see what our calendar looks like (hint: socks!), or read stories from previous years, click here.

DECEMBER 1

Once upon a time, there was a mean, green creature who stole Christmas. Then his heart grew three sizes, and he gave all the Christmas goodies back.

Only that wasn't the end of the story.

DECEMBER 2

By New Year's Day, the Grinch's heart shrunk just a bit. Before the snow had melted, the Grinch got tired of all the Whos' singing and smiling. Their la-la-la made him cr-cr-cringe. His heart shrunk one more size.

DECEMBER 3

By March, he was completely annoyed every time those Whos made a rhyme. His heart shriveled further.

And what the Grinch absolutely, positively HATED were bunnies.

You know what holiday came next? Easter. 

Except...

DECEMBER 4

At the thought of Easter, the Grinch frowned and scowled. With his heart back to its tiny, original size, he attached wheels to his sleigh, decorated it with pink streamers, colorful baskets and purple eggs, and rolled all the way down from Mount Crumpit to Whoville.

DECEMBER 5

The Whos greeted the Grinch with smiles and heeheehees and hahahas. The Grinch tried to smile back, but the corners of his mouth turned down and he said, "Hello, you—." He wanted to say "boring." He wanted to say "stupid." Instead, he grunted, "—friendly Whos."

DECEMBER 6

While they were at work and in school, the Grinch broke into the rabbit hutches and stole all the rabbits from Whoville. Then he broke into the houses and found all the plastic eggs and chocolate bunnies and cute little Easter chick drawings. When his sleigh was full, he trudged back up Mount Crumpit.

DECEMBER 7

The day of Easter came and went. The Grinch perched on a cold rock, his mouth twisting from a frown to a smile as he imagined all the Whos' sad faces. All alone in the cold, cold wind, he stuffed all those chocolate bunnies in his mouth...until he had a HUGE belly ache.

DECEMBER 8

All through the year, the Grinch stayed up in his cold, damp cave. When the evenings grew darker and the leaves began to fall, he realized another holiday was coming. And this next holiday was a terribly fun one too: Halloween. He couldn't allow the Whos to have that much fun.

DECEMBER 9

So the Grinch ripped the faded pink streamers from his sleigh and decorated it with pictures of black cats and smiling vampires and green monsters (not too different from himself!). Once again, he rolled down Mount Crumpit.

DECEMBER 10

The Whos greeted him with smiles and heeheehees and hahahas. While the kids were in school and the parents at work, he collected all the jack-o-lanterns from the front porches. He ripped pictures of ghosts off walls and fake spider webs from doorways, and he stuffed every costume he found into a sack. Finally, he scrounged in cupboards and stole all the Halloween candy.

DECEMBER 11

Up on Mount Crumpit, the Grinch sat, his feet freezing on the rocky ground. He remembered the belly ache from Easter. As you can imagine, that memory made him EVEN GROUCHIER.

So he decided not to eat all the Halloween candy this time. It would be so much worse if he wasted it. So, he went to the side of the mountain and dumped it all over the edge: the jack-o-lanterns, the ghost pictures, and the costumes. And on top of that, packages of gummy bears and caramel and chocolate bars and lollipops.

DECEMBER 12

One month later, when it came time for the next holiday, the Grinch kicked the Halloween pictures from his sleigh. He slapped turkeys he made by tracing his hand onto the side of the sleigh, and he traveled down Mount Crumpit to Whoville.

The Whos greeted him with smiles and heeheehees and hahahas. While the kids were playing in piles of dried leaves and the parents bought last minute necessities, he scraped the pumpkin and turkey pictures from the window of each house. He opened the refrigerators and stole the turkeys, the mashed potatoes and the corn. He piled all the pumpkin pies in one towering, wobbling stack. Then he drove the sled back up Mount Crumpit.

DECEMBER 13

The Grinch still hadn't forgotten that belly ache from Easter, so he went directly to the edge of the mountain and tipped the sled. Down flew the adorable turkey pictures. Down flew the turkey and the mashed potatoes and the corn. And like Frisbees in the wind, down flew the pumpkin pies.

DECEMBER 14

It began to snow, and the frost did not improve his mood. The Grinch grew icier every day. One week before Christmas, he took the wheels off his old, rickety sled. He ripped off all the Thanksgiving decorations. Then on Christmas Day, he put on his old, tattered Santa hat and tied the horn on his dog's head. Together, they stomped through the snow down to Whoville.

DECEMBER 15

When the Grinch reached the town square, the Whos greeted him with smiles and heeheehees and hahahas.

What is wrong with these Whos? he wondered.

They'd lost Easter and Halloween and Thanksgiving. They had to know a disaster was coming. They should be SAD. They should be AFRAID.

DECEMBER 16

Instead, Cindy Lou Who took hold of his hand and smiled a sweet, sweet smile. "I'll help you, Mr. Grinch!" she said, her eyes sparkling.

The Grinch grunted and squinted his grouchy eyes at her.

DECEMBER 17

"Come along, Mr. Grinch," said Cindy Lou's dad. "No need for you to do all the work at every holiday."

These Whos were not making sense. They were supposed to go to church or to do last-minute shopping so he could sneak into their houses and steal all their decorations and presents and goodies. Instead, they held his hand and pulled him through the town square and around to the back of the church.

DECEMBER 18

There was a beautiful gold sleigh with a soft, red velvet bench. The seat was heated, and so was the spot for the driver's feet. Four horses were hitched to the front. And this sleigh—it was filled with food and presents and Christmas trees and lights. And there was a brand new Santa suit on the seat.

"Here, Mr. Grinch! We think it will fit you well," said Cindy Lou Who. She jumped up and tugged off his old hat. Then she handed him the new clothes.

DECEMBER 19

The new Santa suit was soft and warm. And so cuddly, his dog rubbed up against him. The Grinch tried not to smile—he pushed his mouth muscles down as hard as he could. But the corners of his mouth turned up all the same.

Then the Mayor strode out of the church with a big smile on his face. "There you are! Mr. Grinch, we'd like to thank you. We've all been so caught up in making the perfect holidays, that we forgot about our poor, poor neighbors on the other side of Mount Crumpit."

The Grinch scowled. The poor neighbors? Yes, the people in Poorville had only cold huts and cold porridge and torn clothing and no TVs.   

"What about them?" grumbled the Grinch.

DECEMBER 20

"Well, the mayor of Poorville came by to thank me after Halloween. For the decorations and the candy. I didn't understand. Then he came again a month ago, after Thanksgiving. He said everyone was so grateful for the food and the adorable turkey drawings, especially the nicest one, in a hand shape." The Mayor nodded very wisely.

But the Grinch still did not understand. "Where did the poor people in Poorville get all these things?"

DECEMBER 21

The Mayor clapped the Grinch on the back. Cindy Lou Who giggled and held onto his hand.

Cindy Lou's dad said, "Oh, you don't need to play with us anymore. We guessed your little trick, Mr. Grinch. We know you've been taking all our things."

DECEMBER 22

The Grinch's eyebrows squeezed together. "You know? And you're not mad?"

The mayor clapped him on the back again. "Of course not. Not when we realized you were showing us how important it is to SHARE!"

DECEMBER 23

When the Mayor clapped the Grinch on the back a third time, and Cindy Lou Who wrapped her little arms around him for a humongous hug, that too-small heart not only grew, it grew bigger.

And bigger.

And bigger.

And bigger.

And it got STUCK.

DECEMBER 24

Stuck big. Warmed by such a big heart, the Grinch smiled and smiled. And the Mayor pushed the Grinch onto the toasty, plush seat of the new sled. "Thank you for delivering our donations to our neighbors in Poorville!"

"Thank you, Mr. Grinch," said a Who-woman.

"Thank you, Mr. Grinch!" called a Who-man.

"Mr. Grinch?" asked Cindy Lou Who, "Will you come to our house for Christmas dinner today? Please?"

The Grinch nodded, and as he drove the four beautiful horses toward Poorville, his new, warm heart—stuck big—would not let the smile slip from his face.

 Note: I do not own the rights to The Grinch. But I am a very big fan.

Cover Reveal: WALKING SHADOW

My critique partner Emma L. Adams is releasing her newest book, and I get to present the stunning cover! Check out all the beautiful covers below!

When you have a connection to the Darkworld, nowhere is truly safe.

Ashlyn has found a new home in Blackstone, but when a spate of grave robberies across the country spark fears that someone is practicing illegal sorcery, she comes under the radar of the Venantium, the protectors of the Barrier between her world and the Darkworld, who are suspicious of any sorcerer unaware of their origins.

The trouble is, what Ash does know might just get her killed.

Sufferers of the dangerous condition known as the vampire’s curse are being brutally killed, and the latest victim is Leo’s guardian, the ex-head of the Venantium. Ash determines to help Leo find out what’s really going on, but it isn’t long before events are spiralling out of control. The dead are rising from their graves, and the barriers around Blackstone are threatened by a demon which looks exactly like Ash herself…

Release date: 1st December 2014

Add on Goodreads!

And here's more information on the first in the series, Darkness Watching  (Darkworld #1).

Amazon   Amazon UK   Barnes and Noble   Kobo  Waterstones
 

Eighteen-year-old Ashlyn is one interview away from her future when she first sees the demons. She thinks she's losing her mind, but the truth is far more frightening: she can see into the Darkworld, the home of spirits – and the darkness is staring back.

Desperate to escape the demons, Ash accepts a place at a university in the small town of Blackstone - little knowing that it isn't coincidence that led her there but the pull of the Venantium, the sorcerers who maintain the barrier keeping demons from crossing from the Darkworld into our own world.

All-night parties, new friendships and a life without rules or limits are all part of the package of student life - but demons never give up, and their focus on Ash has attracted the attention of every sorcerer in the area. Ash is soon caught between her new life and a group of other students with a connection to the Darkworld, who could offer the answers she's looking for. The demons want something from her, and someone is determined to kill her before she can find out what it is.

In a world where darkness lurks beneath the surface, not everyone is what they appear to be...
 

Add on Goodreads
Read Chapter One.

Reviews

“In the vein of Buffy and Supernatural, DARKNESS WATCHING found that perfect balance between the freaky and the fun.” - YA author Jen Estes

"Demons, Sorcerers, evil, and secrets. Could you ask for a better supernatural suspense set-up?...It's full of suspense, danger, evil and dark humor. The plot is original, and completely gripping. From the first page, this book had me hooked." - Rose at Desert Rose Reviews

"A suspenseful first part to an intriguing new fantasy series." - Sharon Stevenson, supernatural author

“The story is extremely well-written with effortless, flowing prose, and the original magic-user mythology and Darkworld creatures are very entertaining. The author took what might have been over-done premise and twisted it into something very fresh and exciting.” - Lexa Cain, author of Soul Cutter

"This is a wildly different story than any I have read about demons...I loved it!" - Kathy at Bookmarks, Spoilers, and Happily-Ever-Afters

Fear's Touch: A Darkworld Novella is also available now!

Amazon

This is a standalone novella, intended as a prequel to the Darkworld series. As it takes place one year before the events of Darkness Watching, it doesn’t contain any spoilers (although it does hint at things which will come into play later in the series).

Freakish powers and staring demon eyes aren’t part of Claudia’s plans for the future – and neither is ending up stuck at the gloomy, isolated University of Blackstone. But bad life decisions are the least of her problems, when a split-second decision to help out another magic-user puts her in the crossfire of both the shadow-beasts and the creepy organisation which hunt them down.

Claudia’s never had to worry about making the right choice before, but every decision matters when you have a Darkworld connection. Soon, she’s going to have to make a choice: turn her back on the crazy and try to live a normal life, or take the monsters down.

But in a world where everyone seems to have secrets, can she really trust her fellow magic-users – or even herself?

Goodreads

Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing bizarre, fantastical stories. She was born in Birmingham, UK, which she fled at the first opportunity to study English Literature at Lancaster University. In her three years at Lancaster, she hiked up mountains, skydived in Australia, and endured a traumatic episode involving a swarm of bees in the Costa Rican jungle. She also entertained her creative writing group and baffled her tutors by submitting strange fantasy tales featuring dragons and supernatural monsters to workshops. These included her first publication, a rather bleak dystopian piece, and a disturbing story about a homicidal duck (which she hopes will never see the light of day).

Now a reluctant graduate, Emma refuses to settle down and be normal. When not embarking on wild excursions, she edits and proofreads novels for various publishing houses and reads an insane number of books. At the age of 21, she signed a publishing contract with Curiosity Quills Press for the first book in her creepy urban fantasy Darkworld series. DARKNESS WATCHING was published in October 2013, the first in a five-book series. Emma’s books tend to contain monsters, magic, and wildly inappropriate humour.

Website Blog  Facebook  Twitter  Google +  Tumblr  Goodreads Newsletter 

Fall 1st Page Critique Blog Hop: BENEATH OUR SKIN

Michelle Hauck is hosting the Fall 1st Page Critique Blog Hop. To participate, post your first page onto your blog. It can be any genre or age category, but list it at the top. Keep your first page to no more than 250 words, and add your post to the linky list on this page. Then you critique ten first pages (five below and five above your entry on the linky list). You get ten critiques in return.

Here's the first page of my WIP. I appreciate any and all feedback you have! 
Genre: YA Science Fiction (historical-type setting)

image by John Lemieux via Flickr

Revision 2

My rope arced through the moonlit night and slid down the wooden fence to land at my feet. Again. Damn.

Panting echoed from the empty yard beyond the eight-foot fence—the blacksmith's dog must have heard me. I coiled the rope and tossed it a third time. Finally, it caught the top of the post. I yanked it to test the strength, then braced my feet against the slats and scrambled up.

At the top, the points of the boards dug into my torso as I twisted the rope around so it would fall into the yard and provide me an escape route. The big black mutt gazed up at me, sniffing for the treat I'd brought him. Or smelling me. By now, we were old friends. He hadn't barked at me in weeks.

I held onto the top of the fence and dangled my legs into the yard, wood scraping my hands as I fell onto my backside. I stood, wiping my palms on my thighs. Barely a scratch, no big deal.

The dog whined softly, and I pulled my ration of meat for this week out of my pocket. My mouth watered, but I tossed it to the dog. A small price for a glimpse of freedom. The chicken wing and breast disappeared in seconds.

The fence cast deep shadows where I stood, so I moved out into the yard, straining to glimpse silver or black in the sand.

 
(a little note: what she's looking for in the sand is found in the next paragraph. I'm still trying to decide if I need to move it into this last sentence since everyone is so curious...)

Revision 1

My rope arced up through the moonlit night and slid down the wooden fence. Again. Damn.

The sound of panting echoed through the empty yard beyond the eight-foot fence—the blacksmith's dog must have heard me. I coiled the rope and tossed it a third time. Finally, it caught the top of the post. I yanked it several times to test the strength, then braced my feet against the planks and scrambled up.

At the top, the points of the planks dug into my torso as I twisted the rope around so it would fall into the yard and provide me an escape route. The big, black mutt stood silently at the bottom, gazing up at me, sniffing for the treat I'd brought him. Or smelling me. By now, we were old friends. He hadn't barked at me in weeks.

I held onto the top of the fence and dangled my legs into the yard, wood scraping my hands as I fell onto my backside. When I stood, I wiped my palms on my thighs. Barely a scratch, no big deal.

The dog whined softly, and I pulled my ration of meat for this week out of my pocket. My mouth watered, but I tossed it to the dog. A small price for a glimpse of freedom. The chicken wing and breast disappeared in seconds.

The fence cast deep shadows where I stood, so I moved out into the yard, straining to glimpse silver or black in the sand.

Original Version

My rope arced through the darkness and slid down the wooden fence. Again. I cursed under my breath. Panting echoed through the empty yard beyond the fence—the blacksmith's dog must have heard me. I coiled the rope and tossed it a third time, and finally, it caught the top of the post. I yanked it several times to test the strength, then I braced my feet against the planks and scrambled up.

At the top, the points of the planks dug into my torso as I twisted the rope around so it would fall into the yard and provide me an escape route. The big, black mutt stood silently at the bottom, gazing up at me, sniffing for the treat I'd brought him. Or he was smelling me. By now, we were old friends. He hadn't barked at me in weeks.

I held onto the top of the fence and dangled my legs into the yard, wood scraping my hands until I finally let go and fell ungracefully onto my backside. Good thing the dog was the only one to see me. He whined softly, and I pulled my ration of meat for this week out of my pocket. My mouth watered, but I tossed it to the dog. A small price for a glimpse of freedom. The chicken wing and breast disappeared in seconds.

The fence cast deep shadows where I stood, so I moved out into the yard, straining to glimpse silver or black in the sand.