Winter Blogfest: Laura Strickland

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win one ebook copy of my newest Christmas book, The Toy Maker’s Secret. .

Winter Magic

When we were children, it was easy to believe in the magic of the holidays. It took root sometime soon after Thanksgiving and grew up gradually, as neighbors put lights up on their houses, stores began playing seasonal music, and those all-important holiday catalogues arrived in the mail. I was raised in the northern part of the U.S., so the finishing touch for me was always a dusting (or more) of snow. Then on the Big Night, I’d lie awake in bed, straining my ears for the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof. Because I believed.

These days, and in our world, it’s harder to buy into the magic. All too often, we groan at the thought of the holiday season coming on with all the extra tasks it adds to our busy lives. Most of us work outside the home, and the addition of shopping, baking, addressing greeting cards and above all coming up with the extra cash needed to purchase gifts can become overwhelming. 

And let’s face, it, recently our world often doesn’t seem too pretty—or too magical. Our country is split into political factions, and hatred runs rampant. Ugliness abounds, and madmen decide who will stay or go, who will live or die. In the face of all that, it’s difficult to summon up a holiday spirit.

But let me tell you this, my friends. Beneath all the shouting, all the red-faced rhetoric and the “you’re-wrong because I’m-right”, the magic of the holidays still exists. That’s because, when you get down to it, that magic doesn’t depend on gifts, greeting cards, or even snow.
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It depends on the look in a child’s eyes when he sits in a loved-one’s lap, listening to a story being read. It depends on the warm, contented feeling that comes when the family’s all together. It’s born when a song’s sung, or a smile’s given to a stranger, or a door’s held for a fellow shopper. It blossoms whenever we do something for someone else.

You see, I still believe, because the magic’s what unites us, and it’s called love. May you have a beautiful holiday however you celebrate!

When Santa asks his worker, Olja, to help make another elf’s Christmas wish come true, she believes the job calls for a love potion. Brewing it up will require her to travel all around the North Pole gathering unusual supplies, and to take a few dangerous risks. But she’s never failed Santa in the past and doesn’t intend to now.
Elf Runi’s in the business of guiding Santa’s sleigh and making other people’s wishes come true. This year he’s dared make a wish of his own, one from the heart. When he meets Olja, he hopes he’s found his forever. But it will take assistance from a reindeer, a generous helping of love and a whole lot of magic to make his wish come true. That is, if Olja and Runi can just outwit the three troublesome trolls who decide they’d make a fine winter’s snack.

About the Author: Multi-published and multi-award winning author, Laura Strickland writes stories that span several Romance genres. Her Scottish Romances have been compared to Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander and her American Historicals echo the work of authors such as Susan Wiggs and Kristin Hannah. Her award-winning Buffalo Steampunk series has broken new ground both for its setting and its portrayal of automaton characters pursuing their rights. Currently, she is at home in Western New York and at work on her next book.

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Winter Blogfest: Christine Grabowski

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to Amazon .

The Tale of My Holiday Letter

This year marks 20 years since my first Annual Grabowski Holiday letter—one of my favorite traditions. 

While writing this article, I confirmed when I began sending one, thinking it was the year I got married. But the earliest I found was 1998. Then I realized, Oh yeah, we didn’t have a computer in 1995. In the 90s, holiday letters were the new fad. People were buying their first computers and printers. Soon Staples and Office Depot jumped on the bandwagon, selling specially designed holiday paper. 

Since we moved around a lot in the early years of our marriage, a holiday letter was a great way to keep in touch with friends. Over the years, my holiday letter and card combo increased to close to 250 recipients, and every time we did something special I would make a mental note to add it to the year’s letter. Then I perfected a process with the creation of a database for all those addresses (for holiday use only) and buying a fancy address stamper and special sealing sponge. I even learned to whip out a draft in under thirty minutes and began to bribe my kids to take part in the assembly line.   

But beginning probably a decade ago, the letters from friends began to dwindle even as our holiday cards skyrocketed. (We can cover four doors in our house with all the cards we receive.) Were people getting lazy? Was the cost prohibitive? (It does cost in the hundreds of dollars to mail do many cards and letters, and that special paper isn’t cheap.) It didn’t take long to determine social media was to blame. Why write a letter when most of your friends are updated on Facebook or Instagram throughout the year?

Two years ago, I finally decided it was my time to skip the letter—almost no one else was doing it. Besides, I was having a down year being in the midst of selling my first novel, (those rejections do get to you,) so I didn’t feel inspired to write about our year.

But do you know what happened? People came out of the woodwork asking me, what happened to the letter? Did you forget mine? Was it a mistake? Would I consider a New Year’s letter instead? I had no idea people looked forward to it so much.  

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I hope everyone reading this blog also has holiday traditions that bring you so much joy and connection.

Dickensen Academy isn’t a typical boarding school. The faculty is hiding an unbelievable secret within their fine arts program. When Autumn Mattison receives an invitation to attend the high school, she yearns to escape her overbearing father yet remains reluctant to leave her mother and brother. Her doubts fade away when a vivid dream convinces her she belongs there.

Away from home, Autumn discovers a unique school environment that awakens her creative potential, and her new friends become like a second family. However, as she uncovers more about the dark side of the school and struggles with its curriculum, she questions whether Dickensen Academy is truly where she belongs.

When tragedy strikes, Autumn must learn to believe in her own power and stand up to her greatest fear or risk having her memories destroyed to protect the school’s secrets. Caught between secrets and dreams, can she find her true self?

About the Author: Dickensen Academy is Christine’s debut YA novel. After graduating from the University of Washington, she earned her MBA at the University at Albany. She honed her technical writing skills in marketing and consulting but attributes the creative part of the process to her passion for reading.

When she isn’t reading or writing, Christine can often be found running, skiing, or hiking. She lives in Newcastle, Washington, with her supportive husband, two avid teen readers, and their energetic wheaten terriers.

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Winter Blogfest: Amber Leigh Williams

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Good Tidings, Red Plaid & Ham-Bone Soup

Hi readers! I’m writing my latest novel, the seventh book in my small town romance series, and there’s going to be a winter wedding. For those following the series, I won’t say who’s tying the knot. I will, however, offer a teaser: the bride will be wearing red instead of white… 

While the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. X have been planning their New Year’s nuptials, I’ve been thinking about the time of the season. The books take place on the Gulf Coast where there isn’t much snow. I know because I live here. Here, children don’t have snow days. They have hurricane days. And when sleet does arrive, the cities shut down everything. Locals don’t complain about the lack of snow. Having lived here all of my life like my characters, I’m not a fan of cold. However, I do love the holidays. I love fuzzy blankets and boot socks. I love putting on my long john’s and drinking hot cocoa. I love chunky knit sweaters, wooly jackets, and red plaids.

I love the warm hues people surround themselves with in wintertime. Once, I worked in a florist’s shop. When December rolled around, shipments of red and white poinsettias arrived. I would often leave my desk for a stroll in the greenhouse. It was like walking into a fairy dream. 

Wintertime is an excellent time to practice the art of the cuddle with the one you love. It’s the perfect time to curl up with a good book. I find that I read more in the winter than any other time of the year. It’s the ideal time to break out the crockpot, throw your favorite soup ingredients in and let them infuse your home with good smells. While Christmas may call for honey-baked ham, New Year’s simply cannot happen without black-eyed peas and ham-bone soup. I’ve been honing this recipe. It’s the reason my spouse found me standing over a soup pot at three o’clock in the morning on New Year’s last year. I invite you to it.

Amber Leigh’s Ham-Bone Soup Recipe

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Directions: Place ham in large pot with cold water. Bring to a boil. Add soup mix (with seasoning packet, if available). Return to boil then simmer for 2 hours. Remove ham bone to cool. Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking over medium heat until beans are tender. Remove meat from ham bone, dice and return to soup. Enjoy!

He believes he can’t be saved—she’ll prove him wrong!

Former SEAL Gavin Savitt always knew who he was—until his last deployment ended tragically. Now he’s home, his mind hijacked by trauma and the shadow of his once-perfect sight. Yet in this new hazy, unclear world, one person stands out—Mavis Bracken.

There are a million reasons why Gavin shouldn’t be with Mavis, including that she’s his best friend’s little sister. Yet he longs for her touch, her freckles and her special way with wild, skittish beasts like him. He just needs the courage to take his life back. And Mavis won’t let him give up without a fight.

About the Author: Amber Leigh Williams is a romance writer who lives on the US Gulf Coast. She lives for beach days, the smell of real books and spending time with her husband and their two young children. When she’s not keeping up with rambunctious little ones (and two large dogs), she can usually be found reading a good book or indulging her inner foodie. Amber is represented by the D4EO Literary Agency. Learn more at www.amberleighwilliams.com!

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Winter Blogfest: Daphne Dubois

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of ONLY THE BEGINNING..

Finding the Joy

This time of year my wallet is full of lists—those crumpled up, half crossed off reminders that I still have things to do. 

The best thing about lists is drawing a line through the last item. I feel entitled to celebrate by hanging out at the book store with a gingerbread latte, making fun of the titles by adding “in bed with no clothes on.”

Try it, it’s funny. 

Lately though, when I peek into the vortex of disorganization that is my purse, I continually find unfinished lists and that means no gingerbread latte for me. I begin to resent all the errands, which I now call ‘things that get in the way of stuff I really want to do‘.

I love the holidays…really I do, but sometimes the work involved in putting the Merry in Christmas leaves me exhausted and more bitter than Scrooge. 

With baking, mailing packages, and making sure everyone knows their line (yes singular) for the Christmas play, I roam the Shopping Malls—otherwise known as the black hole of commercialism—and my holiday mojo gets sucked away. 

 

I drag my parcels through the parking lot, getting my coat dirty from brushing up against the salt encrusted cars. Bah humbug is right, life would be so much more enjoyable without all the fuss. 

Then on Sunday, I listened while someone talked about feeling the joy. 

Feeling the joy? 
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How can I feel the joy when I have all of these things to do? If I don’t wrap the presents and make the cookies, who will? Like most profound moments of epiphany, their answer was simple—you feel the joy in everything you do. 

One of the coolest chicks out there, Gwen Stefani, said it best, “What You Waiting For? 

And truly, why delay the happiness? I realized I have a choice. Instead of begrudging the baking and shopping, I can be thankful that I’m able to buy my groceries instead of having to depend on the food bank to feed my family. And that baking with my kids is a chance to make a memory, not another chore to be completed.

There is a tangible sense of freedom when you exercise the choice to be happy.

I’m putting off dusting/vacuuming to read Christmas books with my kids. Instead of madly decorating to make everything perfect for a family party, I’m laying out all my ornaments for my beautiful nieces to have a go at the tree. 

Today, I suggest you make the choice and feel the joy. Don’t wait until everything is crossed off, because guess what—there’s always something you forgot. So sit back, get a gingerbread latte, and read How the Grinch Stole Christmas In Bed With No Clothes On.

Cheers! *holds up latte*

After a heartbreaking betrayal, Melissa Legacy shuns romance. So when her best friend joins the Lovers Oasis website and fears her fiancé will find out, Melissa agrees to meet the anonymous Romeo, prepared to explain her friend’s change of heart—then she sees him.

Failing restaurant entrepreneur, Craig Wheaton hasn’t been home since his mother’s tragic death. Now he’s back to confront his demons and stand beside his brother as best man. Dreading the reunion, he agrees to meet his avatar lover, but at the last moment he reconsiders the arrangement—until he lays eyes on her.

When Craig assumes Melissa is his online consort, she impulsively plays along, resulting in an afternoon of unexpected intimacy. But with Melissa using her friend’s identity and Craig dealing with a family fallout, is a future together impossible, or will they discover that love at first sight is Only the Beginning?

About the Author: Daphne Dubois writes contemporary romance and believes the right book at the right time can make all the difference. When she’s not putting her characters in compromising positions (ahem), she works as a registered nurse. A member of the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia, she lives in Eastern Canada, the most romantic place in the world.

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Winter Blogfest: Anna Hague

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $15 Amazon gift card.

Busy

Busy, busy, busy. Anymore, the theme for Christmas is busy is better. We’ve become so into finding the perfect gifts and attending all invites that by the time the holidays are over we are relieved instead of revived.

I admit I get caught up too, but I also make a point to find blocks of time to be selfish. Selfish isn’t always a bad thing. For me, selfish is having lunch with a friend, playing with the dogs, and most of all, taking the time to sit down and read.

Reading novellas or anthologies during the holidays are the perfect for me. Novellas may take a day or two. Stories in anthologies can be read a story or two at a time, and you’re spending an hour, thirty minutes, or even fifteen minutes with yourself.

Of course, I read holiday stories during this time, but also I throw in few mysteries or feel-good nonfiction. When I finish a book or story, I have a glorious sense of feel-good calm and a better grasp on the dreaded to-do list.

But I’m too busy. I just can’t find the time.

Yes you can. How much time do you spend online every day? Cut your minutes by a third, and you can a short story. Delegate a few items on the to-do, and you can knock out a novella.

Don’t feel you have to be the sole person responsible for the success of Christmas.

Think about how joyful and relaxed reading makes you. And when you’re less stressed, things seem to work out.
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The definition of holiday is “a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done.”

So take your holiday, even if you have to do it fifteen minutes at a time.

 

I have it all…until he shows me more.

I didn’t intentionally spill wine all over the most beautiful guy in the room, and one look at those icy-blue eyes brings on a major lapse in coherent speech. Jordan Caldera tells me his secret and wants me to join him. This is where my journey into submission begins.

So much about BDSM freaks me out, but at the same time, I can’t help but be intrigued. When I imagine Jordan doing those things to me, I can’t resist the adventure. Mind-blowing sex aside, my life is changing at an alarming rate and getting very complicated. Between balancing my career and my best friend’s concerns, the secrets I’m keeping are killing me.

What am I willing to risk for the new lifestyle I’ve embraced…and the man I love?

About the Author: Anna Hague is an author of erotic and contemporary romance. She is also a sports reporter by day. She lives in central Indiana with her husband, three parrots, and two dogs.

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Winter Blogfest: Ryan Jo Summers

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win One Amazon ebook gift of one of my books, winner’s choice.

Holiday Snowmen From Old Up-Cycled Bottles

My DIY craft for a quick and easy decoration is felt snowmen. These are super easy to make. And they do not require lots of expensive items either. This would be a super project to work on with the kids.

Start with various sized bottles or jars. Mine all came from white bottles: supplements, OTC medicine, etc… Almost any round object would work. Also, white felt, black felt, and orange felt. Amounts will be based on sizes of bottles and number of snowmen to be made. Lastly, glue. Elmer’s school style or hot glue are both fine.

First, glue white felt around the empty bottle or jar. Then glue black felt around the top for a hat. Length will depend on overall desired size of hat. To make the hat brim, cut a hole in the center of a black felt circle slightly larger than the bottle’s/ jar’s diameter. Pull over bottle/ jar and glue in place.

Lastly, add googly eyes, orange felt nose and cheeks. Tie ribbons (Christmas design or not) around hat and/or body. Use puffy paint to draw a mouth and outline the nose. If you have a tall enough snowman, glue some buttons under the mouth to indicate a torso.

Viola! All done! Photo attached.
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Ryan Jo Summers

Ivey London was told her military husband died on a mission overseas. She buried him as a war hero and tried to move on with her life by raising their young son, dealing with her vengeful brother, and coping with her mother’s Alzheimer’s. Five years go by and one day she learns of a secret underground chamber were special soldiers are imprisoned to recover. Further, one amnesiac soldier managed to escape. When her son begins to display unusual behaviors, she goes to investigate. All evidence points to finding her late husband. If it is him, back from the dead, Ivey refuses to give him up again.
Keegan London awoke in a hospital cell with no memories. Fleeing, he finds himself in a strange, unknown world, with no one to turn to. Until he finds a friendly Priest who runs a homeless shelter and he stumbles across the woman who claims to be his wife. While she can fill some gaps in his lost memories, she cannot explain his curious abilities. Pursued by someone determined to get him back, Keegan has few options but to trust the woman who makes his heart fire like a cannon. Ivey has dibs on him, but first they have to uncover who—and what–Keegan really is before they can recover what they had.

About the Author: Ryan Jo Summers writes romances that blur the lines of subgenres. She mixes contemporary with time travel, Christian, suspense, sweet, and paranormal like blending a fruit and yogurt smoothie. Her non-fiction works have appeared in numerous trade journals and magazines including ‘WNC Woman Magazine’, ‘Critter Magazine’, ‘Journey Devotions’, and ‘Vet Tech Journal’. She is a regular contributing author for the ‘Asheville Pet Gazette’.

Her hobbies include baking, crafts, gardening, enjoying nature, and chess/mah-jongg/word-find puzzles. She pet sits/dog walks when she’s not busy writing and she fosters homeless pets for area animal rescues.

She lives in a century-old cottage in North Carolina with her own menagerie of rescued pets and way too many houseplants. “September’s Song” is her second self-published work, the first one being the chronicles of the first two years with her adopted PTSD rescue collie.

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Winter Blogfest: Linda Nightingale


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a set of Bling Jewelry Gold-tone, crystal drop Angel Wing earrings (pierced).

New Year’s Eve

I love the Christmas holidays in particular, but, every year, I look forward to New Year’s Eve. This party-time is special to me because I love to dress up and play princess for the evening (Cinderella wearing her shoe home!)  I love to don my formal dress, and I always buy a new gown for NYE, and putting on the Ritz. I enjoy elaborate dinner-dances with all the trappings: Elegant surroundings, wine with dinner, and a good band…and other guests in black tie.  Never forget the men, handsome in their tux!

My favorite NYE of all was the year after Hurricane Ike devastated Galveston, TX. That may sound morbid, but it was because Rod Stewart was in Galveston doing a benefit for the town.  We went to Moody Gardens tres-elegant party.  All evening, they kept advertising this special personality.  Then they announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, rock legend Rod Stewart.”

I grabbed the hand of our table mate (female that I didn’t know) and in seconds flat was in front of the stage as he swung into “Maggie May”.

I remember well that I wore a strapless mermaid gown in black lace.

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Happy Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!

Heather Morique is a witch. The problem is she doesn’t know it. Her husband Jahill was a refugee from an obscure branch of the Arawak Indians. After his death, mysterious whispers lure her to his homeland of Jamaica. Soon, she finds herself in a web of secrets, lies and illusions.
Jahill’s people worship Eyrael, the God of Wind and Sea, and his brother Sofiel, the God of Fire and Earth. The new Shaman has pitted brother against brother, and these two powerful spirits from an alternate universe fight to become the tribe’s ruling deity. Will light or darkness reign?
When Heather unwittingly summons Eyrael, these two unlikely soul mates face a dangerous fate. The chemistry between them is more disturbing than the long-buried secrets.

About the Author: Linda has lived an interesting life—from breeding and showing horses to working for a Circuit Judge—and won some prestigious awards for her writing. Find out more about her on her website and various social media, and she’d love to hear from you via email at Nitethyme2003 at yahoo.

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Winter Blogfest: Jana Richards

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card .

Christmas Memories

When I think of Christmases past, it’s not the gifts I remember. It’s not even the decorations, although there are a few decorations that are dear to me, like the ornaments my grandmother made from egg cartons, glitter and pipe cleaners. The Christmas memories that are most precious for me are those spent with family sharing the food of the season. 

When I was a little kid, I participated in the children’s concert at church on Christmas Eve. I’d have a part to recite and Christmas songs to sing along with all the other kids. For our efforts, we received a small brown paper bag filled with candy, nuts and a Christmas orange. How I loved that little treat bag! Today getting a mandarin orange is no big deal; you can get them at the grocery store year round. But back then, they were only available at Christmas, making them very special. I still love them.

After the concert, we gathered at my maternal grandparents’ house to open gifts. How we all got into their tiny house I have no idea; Granny and Grandpa had six children and fourteen grandchildren, but somehow we squeezed in. I know we opened gifts, and I was probably excited about them at the time, but I can’t name one gift I received back then. What I do remember is Granny’s dining room table overflowing with food. Everything was homemade, from the fresh bread, cookies and cabbage rolls, to the pickles Granny had preserved. The potatoes and carrots and other vegetables came from the massive garden Granny and Grampa lovingly tended over the summer. But the star of the show was Granny’s apple strudel, also homemade. It was light and flakey and delicious, and since Granny’s been gone, I’ve haven’t tasted a pastry nearly as good. 

Between Christmas and New Year’s Day, we went back and forth each night for dinner to the homes of my aunts and uncles on both sides of the family. So much food! I remember my mother baking cookies and Christmas cakes for weeks leading up to Christmas. None of it ever went to waste. 

To this day the thing I most enjoy about Christmas is being with friends and family, sharing some laughs and a good meal. May all our Christmases be spent with the people we love, eating the food we love.

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She can’t handle one more lie. He can’t tell the truth.

Harper Lindquist is convinced she’s found the answer to her financial prayers. Unless she pours cash into crumbling Solace Lake Lodge, she’ll lose her family’s legacy. Her would-be savior arrives in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard and she’s determined to prove to her reluctant, and trapped, financier the lodge is a sound investment. But Harper isn’t completely honest with him. And she has no idea the lake is hiding secrets of its own.

Ethan James is a liar, but his money is very real. He isn’t convinced a broken-down inn is a smart investment opportunity. But the more he understands Harper’s dreams and desires, the more he wants to be the man to make them come true. The trauma in both their pasts means neither can fully trust the other. They must find the courage to love, to trust, and to accept, or yesterday’s sorrows will keep them apart.

About the Author: When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist, and in 2018 “Lies and Solace” won Best Contemporary romance in the I Heart Indie contest.

In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada with their Pug/Terrier cross Lou. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.janarichards.com

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Winter Blogfest: Katie Baldwin

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a free hard copy of my book – A Kiss to Build a Dream On – sent to anywhere free in the US! .

Cheers to Santa!

Santa, the magical elf with the big full bodied laugh, enjoyed a cocktail. Or at least that was what my sister Maura and I believed. While other children left milk and cookies out for the delightful Old Saint Nick, my mother suggested that a martini would be a perfect gift for Santa. After all, he had spent most of the night already passing out gifts; didn’t he deserve a good jolt? 

My sister and I were very young, and we didn’t know anything about a “good jolt,” but we did know that disagreeing with Mom in December could potentially knock out several choice gifts from our list. Santa was, after all, watching all the children of the world in a most Orwellian way. 

But it bothered us that we were not able to see the mythical disappearance of cookies that our friends always talked about. Our mother reminded us that Santa was in a one-horse open sleigh flying around the world in December. Why on earth would he want cookies when he could enjoy the warming effects of vodka? So a martini was placed on the coffee table near the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, and off we would go to see all the beautiful decorations in our neighborhood with visions of sugar plums dancing in our little blonde heads. 

If you’re wondering why we didn’t go to sleep with visions of sugar plums… well, when I was about five, our family began opening presents on Christmas Eve. That way, potentially – I’m not admitting to anything here – a precocious five-year-old would not open all her presents before everyone else woke up on Christmas day and claim that “Santa left them that way.” I was an adorable child. 

So, we would all get in the car, prepared to see the magic of the neighborhood lights, when our mother would “forget her purse” and have to run back to the house to get it. About 15 minutes (which roughly translates to 3 hours for children) later my Mom would come back to the car, pink in the cheeks and grinning. 

Later, when we returned home, we always found that Santa had come and gone. In his wake, he left piles of presents and an empty martini glass. It never occurred to us to equate Mom’s pink cheeks to the rather dazzling display of gifts.

And if the to/from card atop each present from Santa had a familiar script, we didn’t notice in our great zeal to get to our presents. Of course, in our family having zeal was fine; attempting to open the presents “like an animal” was another thing entirely. Our family opened each of the presents individually; none of this “group rip fest” for us. With gifts from Santa, our parents, and Grandma Jo, unwrapping presents was a monumental task. Our Grandma was not only a tape-happy present wrapper, but she also enjoyed wrapping everything from a sweater to a bundle of socks in festive paper. We would easily find ten presents under the tree from Grandma Jo. It would take us a good five minutes to open one of her gifts as she would tape the present so securely that we grunted to garner the strength to rip open the paper. This easily added an hour to the “unwrapping” event. But in the end, surrounded by toys, we each had a huge smile on our face. 
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As I look upon my childhood, it occurs to me just how magical the holidays really are for children. I can’t remember the countless hours my sister, and I would stay up at night giggling and trying to guess what Santa would bring us, both of us in matching nightgowns and tousled hair. I do know now that we did not miss out on anything by not leaving cookies out for Santa. We still had our “empty cookie plate” thing. It just involved a glass and a really good grade of vodka. Only the best for Santa, after all. 

Happy Holidays!

KatieB

Bethany Michaels leads a fairly isolated existence, but she longs to be an outgoing and sexually confident woman. When her celebrity crush comes to town, and literally falls at her feet, her prayers seem to be answered. But can she protect her heart while still experiencing true passion?

Hollywood celebrity Aidan Shannon, drunk and lost in small-town Virginia, finds himself in the home of a beautiful woman, and he finds her more than just a little alluring. Bethany is voluptuous and nurturing, fragile, yet steely. And that is a problem for a man who never wants to be tied to another woman again.

Living in the now is good enough for Aidan and Bethany for the short term. When the universe steps in and shows them what’s important, will Aidan take a chance on love a second time around when his girl needs him?

About the Author: Katie Baldwin has a secret life. During the day she is a mild-mannered administrative assistant at a prestigious University. By night she writes fantastical tales of romance and mystery. When she is not pacing her home working out dialogue in her mind, she is baking scones and working out dialogue in her mind. Aside from writing, she has a ferocious passion for the Green Bay Packers, Nutella and her MinPin/Chihuahua mix dog-baby, Marley. She can be found on twitter waxing eloquently about all of her passions. Go Pack Go! She can be reached via twitter @katiebwrites or her website: http://www.authorkatiebaldwin.com/

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Winter Blogfest: Ellynore Seybold

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of any three of her ebooks!

My Christmas Tradition

One Christmas tradition I still practice, is to put real candles on the Christmas tree. A tree with candles burning on it is my favorite memory from childhood. We might have been dodging bombs, but for some reason Christmas Eve in the living room with family always seemed so peaceful. After the presents that were under the tree were opened, the Weinachtsmann (Christmas man) also  paid a visit and brought another small gift. In the old days  we had real spruce trees  to decorate. Now I use an artificial tree and in addition to real candles, have electric lights that look like candles. 

The world has changed so much since the days of my childhood, some for the better, others for the worse, but mostly just a sideways change. If there is something that has not changed in the years, it is called tradition.
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During the Reign of Terror in France in the late 1700s, the people amused themselves by watching the heads of nobility roll. When Eduard falls in love with Countess Annise in 1793, he fears that as a commoner, he will never be allowed to court her. Annise is staying with her aunt because her parents have been arrested by the revolutionaries and condemned to die by the guillotine.–yes, he may court Annise, after he gets her parents out of prison…any way he can.

About the Author: Ellynore Seybold has traveled widely and enjoyed many activities including being a wife and mother. With her husband deceased and children grown and living far away, she writes mostly historical romantic novels. She lives in the desert Southwest with her two cats.

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