Today is the twenty-fourth in a series of posts by San-Diego-based writer Thomas Shess who has decided to keep a journal on his journey to find a publisher for his novel.

New Year's Oasis. What's nice about the holidays is the joy of sharing. A friend tipped me to what she thought was a terrific literary agent's Web site. I promptly Googled to view Paige Wheeler's Creative Media Agency site. I immediately checked a sidebar containing advice for the unpublished. Right away, Wheeler's wit shines in her offering "How to Write a Kick-Ass Query Letter. Now, I know there's a hyphen between Kick and Ass. Another helpful essay is a piece by Sally Zigmond on "The Top Ten Mistakes New Fiction Authors Make." Overall, it's a great site that's informative and fun to read.

Thriller Buffs. Time magazine was glowing brighter than the Rockefeller Center Christmas Bush this week over Stephen Spielberg's upcoming historical fiction thriller called "Munich." Of course, the film will hit the screens as we near the Olympics. Spielberg is quoted saying he wanted to make a statement about peace as part of the screenplay otherwise he'd be simply doing a Charles Bronson..." Now that Chuck is no longer with us, it's easy to make cracks like that. Budding screenwriters might read Time's interview with the acclaimed director. He gives insights on how he works with screenwriters.

No Resolutions. I love the holidays, but I'm also happy to see the world without out twinkling lights. At my house, there's the dreaded January weigh-in. If I stay under a certain weight my wife allows me to take off the "Please do not feed" sign that she puts around my neck after Thanksgiving.

Year End Clearance. Once again, I'd like to remind any publisher and/or literary agent that my first recently completed novel is ready to go. Drop me an e-mail for a pithy synopsis. It'll make a terrific historical fiction thriller flick.

Late Breaking News. After a bit of networking earlier this Fall, I received an E-mail from a publisher asking to see a synopsis and 50 pages of my novel. Details next week.

* Because it's a jungle out there.