I was driving through downtown Eugene, Oregon, the other day, and I saw something I didn’t expect. A full-grown tom turkey. Just hanging out on the side of the road checking out a parked car. All he needed was a pilgrim outfit, and he’d have made the perfect Thanksgiving mascot.

I have no idea how he got there. But, given my profession, I’m sure many of my writers could come up with a compelling Thanksgiving story just from that image.

Thanksgiving has always been an odd holiday for me. Growing up, we never really had a set tradition. Sometimes, we traveled to visit my mom’s family. Sometimes, my dad’s. Sometimes, we stayed home. But the one consistent thing was the food. Turkey, of course, but also stuffing, mashed potatoes and my mother’s cold pumpkin pie, filled with homemade whipped cream, chopped walnuts and a pumpkin mousse that’s to die for. So, I make sure I always have those things on Thanksgiving. It’s the closest I come to tradition.

Pudgygate ebook cover rev 112013 webFood, and being thankful. Because no matter the travails I might be dealing with at that moment, I live a charmed life. And I know it.

I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We’ve had a banner year here at WMG, and we already have several exciting new projects in the works for 2016.

And because I’m so thankful, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch has been so kind as to offer a fantastic Thanksgiving story for free this week on her website, I’m going to tell you about “Pudgygate.”

Imagine a dinner party in an English country manor with an American cook named Bubba making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, waiters from Cal Tech, British royalty among the guests, a cat named Pudgy, and a thief. Honestly, what could go wrong?

This delightful holiday mystery by USA Today bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers a veritable buffet of intriguing characters.

Five for the Winter Holidays cover webYou can read the story for free here. Or if you’d rather buy it, along with four other fantastic stories, check out Five for the Winter Holidays.

Thank you for reading this blog and supporting our books. We wouldn’t be here without you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer.