I just spent the afternoon with a group of mystery authors to celebrate the holiday season. What a great group of people. But a great group of people with dark senses of humor, to be sure. I got to thinking…are we hard to shop for?

Not at all! Here, a few ideas for the mystery author (or reader) in your life:

A blood spatter pillow. I’ve got mine, thanks to my best friend. She gets me.

A little tiny Edgar Allan Poe of their very own. They will want one nevermore, with your assistance.

An ice cube tray that makes gun-shaped ice. You know, for parties.

This mug. Writers drink a lot of caffeine, and mugs get caffeine to your face.

A bathmat that will freak out their roommate.

A trip to the Poe Museum?

Fun murder-centric entertainment.

Fun murder-centric entertainment from the Queen herself, Agatha Christie. This one. This one. And this one. If they’ve read all the Agatha, get them this instead.

Anything pretty from Moleskine. I like the graph paper notebooks. Check out how to say Moleskine while you’re there. Yeah, it’s not how you’ve been saying it. Who knew?

Time, if you have any power over how they spend theirs. If not, wine.

And, of course, gift cards to their local independent bookstore. Of course, while you’re in that store, make sure the store carries your friend’s books, buy one, read it, and post a positive review wherever you have a login or are willing to get one (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Library Thing, etc). If you’ve already done those things (you’re a great friend), share your friend’s work with someone who might like it. Word of mouth is the best gift of all.

Happy holidays!