Hello, Realmers! What a busy time it’s been here at Realm Central. Starting with Thanksgiving, my time has been concentrated toward planning, a post-celebratory pause to catch my breath, and then diving right into the next event. Still, I need to catch up with all my faithful followers.

In case you missed it, I had the pleasure of attending a book signing at Kern’s Home & Garden & Christian Book Store during their Winter Wonderland Open House on December 2, 2023. What a wonderful time and a great turnout we had. Five local authors, in addition to myself, were present to share their book(s) and sign purchased copies. If supporting small and/or local business and indie authors is your bag, then I highly recommend seeking out any one of us for a great book to give and stopping at Kern’s for all your holiday needs.

Prepping for Hanukkah came swiftly on the heels of Thanksgiving and the book signing. Mom and I hashed out a menu, gifts were acquired, and I didn’t decorate one single bit. Now before you think I’m a Grinch, allow me to explain in two words: five . . . cats. That’s right! It’s a little-known fact that the second miracle of Hanukkah at the Gibson household is the survival of any tissue paper in the gifts bags beyond the moment they are set out. It’s in Adonai’s hands now.

Here’s the appropriate blessing for the first night of Hanukkah:

Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.

I hope you’ll be encouraged to participate because at the heart of the celebration, it’s about Adonai’s light, truth, and miracles. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate that?

Speaking of which, my darling husband was so inspired by the words of our congregational leader, Timothy Pell, spoken this past Shabbat. Tim taught about Hanukkah, and all week Will couldn’t stop talking about his desire to shine the lights of Hanukkah more brightly than ever.

It’s no secret to anyone that Israel is in the fight of her life right now or that the Gibson household stands with Israel forever! Will wanted to decorate our trees with blue and white lights, but his work schedule and the weather were against us. I could tell how much it meant to my husband, so I proposed tealights that we could burn in addition to our hanukkiah. Yes, it would be indoors, but with a large quantity, we could make our little home glow with the light of Hanukkah.

So, two hundred tealights later (that’s twenty-five a night if you’re wondering), Will is locked and loaded to shine the light into the darkness.

In closing, dear friends, another reason why I haven’t posted recently is because of you! Or rather for you. Confused? It’s easy, really. I’m writing again, and as always, it’s for you and with you in mind.

Realm has been so well received ever since I launched my debut novel this past April. The reviews are spectacular, and the requests for a sequel nonstop. I plan on waiting until the first of the year to decide for sure, but serious thought about publishing the next book in the Realm-verse has been placed at the forefront of my mind. I honestly didn’t think it would happen so soon or be so desired. What a blessing! But when you have the best followers and fans, it’s to be expected.

Thank you, Realmers! Stay tuned, we’ll see you at sundown, and have a Happy Hanukkah.

~The Gibsons