We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! After enjoying a fun gathering with family and friends, I admit that I’m now perfectly happy to be a recluse again. I also admit that I’m not a Black Friday shopper, but for those of you who are already thinking about holiday gifts for your critique partners, writer friends, or other special writer in your life, here are some gift ideas that will be a hit:

1. Writing fuel: Find out what your writer enjoys snacking on during writing sessions and put together a survival pack of writing fuel. Include a variety of nutritious items (e.g., dried fruit, trail mix) as well as “reward items” (e.g., chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate).

2. Liquid writing fuel: Liquid writing fuel is in a completely separate class than snacks. Dress up a bag of coffee, assorted tea bags, or packs of hot cocoa in a gift bag. Not sure what your writer prefers as his or her liquid writing fuel? Gift a writing-inspired mug that he or she can fill with a beverage of choice. (CafePress and Zazzle always have a fun selection of writing mugs.)

3. Bookish gear: A shout-out for my critique partner and her Etsy shop called Hazel and Company that offers book-inspired necklaces and earrings for your critique partners! Or if you think something else (clothing, totebags, phone covers, etc.) might appeal to your writers’ hearts, try Book Riot.

4. Books on the craft: Books on self-editing are always a hit. My short-list for recommended resources are as follows:

5. BOOKS: Nothing says I love you to a writer more than a book! (Okay, scratch that. Include chocolate with the book, and THAT says “I love you A LOT.”) Writers read a LOT, especially in their own genre, so head into your local bookstore and buy your writer a book. Or better yet, if opportunity strikes, go to a book signing and pick up a signed copy of a book as a gift to another writer.

At least in my experience, a book (with or without chocolate) is a gift that guarantees smiles!

Do you have other gift suggestions for other writers? Leave a comment below, and happy shopping!

Helen Boswell loved to get lost in the pages of a story from the time she could sound out the words. She credits her dad, an avid fiction reader, with encouraging her to read ALL OF THE BOOKS on his shelves from the time she was a teenager. Originally from upstate New York, Helen spent much of her early adult life tromping around in Buffalo, NYC, Toronto, and Las Vegas, those cities now serving as inspiration for the dark and gritty urban backdrops of her stories. An author of both urban fantasy and contemporary romance, she loves to read and write characters that come to life with their beauty, flaws, and all. She is the author of YA urban fantasies MYTHOLOGY, THE WICKED, and NA contemporary romance LOSING ENOUGH.