A KNIGHTS BRIDGE CHRISTMAS by Carla Neggers

Fall Foliage in Vermont

November marks what we call “between the seasons” here in Vermont. The fall foliage season is over for another year, and the holiday and ski season has yet to get into full swing. It’s a quiet time here, as we top off the wood pile and prepare for family to arrive for Thanksgiving. I like to spend some time thinking about what I’m grateful for. Right now, I’d like to take a moment to share with you what I’m grateful for as a reader who’s also a writer.

1.      As a reader, I am thankful for other readers who love to read and talk about books.

2.      As a reader, I am thankful for booksellers of all kinds who love books as much as I do.

3.      As a reader, I am thankful for librarians and libraries who offer so much to readers.

4.      As a reader, I am thankful for so many great websites and magazines that provide information on new and upcoming books.

5.      As a reader, I am thankful for dedicated editors who help authors improve their books.

6.      As a reader, I am thankful for talented artists who create intriguing book covers.

7.      As a reader, I am thankful for the creative behind-the-scenes people who love to get the word out about authors and books.

8.      As a reader, I am thankful for the opportunities to meet some of my favorite authors.

9.      As a reader, I am thankful for the aspiring authors in the midst of writing that first book.

10.  As a reader, I am thankful for my “to be read” pile!

I could go on. I haven’t even mentioned my favorite places to read! But it’s your turn. As we approach this season of giving thanks, what are you thankful for as a reader?

Carla

Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 novels, including her popular Sharpe & Donovan suspense series and Swift River Valley contemporary romance series.

Her latest release, A Knights Bridge Christmas, celebrates the holidays in small-town New England. Frequent travelers to Ireland, Carla and her husband have just stacked cordwood for winter at their hilltop home  in Vermont, not far from Quechee Gorge.

Links:

www.facebook.com/carlaneggers

www.twitter.com/carlaneggers

www.carlaneggers.com

Spiritual-themed Romance Novels

By Judith Ashley

While I’ve done some reading this year, unfortunately I’ve not read a holiday themed romance novel. And this time of year when people see “holiday themed” romance novel, they often think the holiday will be Christmas.

All of my books in The Sacred Women's Circle series include one or more of the Sabbats, holidays that celebrate the turn of The Wheel of Life:

10/31 - Samhain

12/21 - Yule/Winter Solstice* this date does move because it is the longest night

02/01 - Imbolc

03/21 - Ostara/Spring Equinox* date also moves because days/nights are even

05/01 - Beltane

06/21 - Litha/Summer Solstice* date also moves because it is longest day

08/01 - Lammas/Lughnasa

09/21 - Mabon/Fall Equinox* like Ostara the days/nights are even

Did you know that the Christian Easter’s date is determined by when Ostara falls? Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after Ostara which is why it is celebrated in late March or sometime in April depending on the moon’s cycle.

For many people who follow earth-centered spirituality, The Wheel starts at Samhain. For Lily Hughes, the heroine in the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series, The Wheel starts with Yule or Winter Solstice. She marries her hero on the Summer Solstice or Litha.

Elizabeth Elliott, the heroine in the second book in the series, marries on Yule.

Diana Pettybone makes a momentous decision about her marriage and her relationships with her women’s circle. Marking her journey using The Tarot along with the Sabbat’s she finds her happily-ever-after on Lammas.

Ashley Kenner’s fight to survive a bout with recurring breast cancer is supported by her animal totem, the dragonfly. Struggling with the effects of chemotherapy, she finds solace in celebrating Samhain and Yule and marries on the Spring Equinox.

Hunter Compton thinks she’s lost everything when her daughter Logan runs away. Instead she finds love again. She and Grant find their way from the past to the present and marry on Mabon or the Fall Equinox.

The first five books are available through major distributors, my website and Windtree Press. The next two books will be in 2016.

Gabriella Montcrief struggles to overcome an abusive childhood believing no one would want her if they knew. With the support of her sacred women’s circle, she does find her way out of the darkness and is able to marry her hero on Imbolc, the Sabbat of light.

Sophia Stewart has always loved life, loved her garden, loved her work and loved her friends. When she lost her husband in a senseless traffic accident, she knew she’d never love again. Since I write romance novels, you know she does find her own HEA. Fittingly, Sophia marries on Beltane.

As you can see, although my stories are not traditional holiday-themed romances, each does include one or more of the Sabbats. My version or understanding of the Ceremonies surrounding these sacred days are included in each book. In addition you get a peek at how these women celebrate them. And if you read the series starting with Lily, you’ll have information to create your own sacred women’s circle.

Questions? Just ask.

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

You can find Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s website.

Judith has an author page at Windtree Press.

Judith posts every Monday here.

Follow Judith on FB

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Where has 2015 gone?

Wow, November already! I know time can’t speed up but this year has flown by and I don’t seem to have much to show for it. Loads of things made my life hectic this year, being ill and having a major operation during the first few months of the year didn’t help. I've fallen behind on everything and I just can’t seem to catch up.

I’ve only written 2 books this year, very bad output for me and I hope to change that in 2016.My list of goals for this year doesn't have many strikethroughs. I have heaps still to do, including finishing a book and writing another!

One of the books I did finish writing is AWHISPER OF DESIRE, releasing 1 December 2015 and

no, it’s not a holiday romance! It's book #4 in my Disgraced Lords Regency romance series. It’s getting some lovely reviews with a 4.5 Star review from RT Book Reviews.

“If you are a lover of romance and don’t mind a little heat, Evans’s novels are the way to go. She constantly reminds us what passion is all about, and because she is so on point with her facts and lively characters, you just can’t go wrong. Her latest is suspenseful, well written and a great read all around.”—RT Book Reviews 4.5 Stars  Dec 2015

Here is the blurb:

Sensual heat melts the ice in the new Disgraced Lords novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans, as a marriage of convenience leads to delightful pleasure—and mortal danger.

Lady Marisa Hawkstone’s nightmare is just beginning when she wakes up naked, with no memory of the night before, lying next to Maitland Spencer, the Duke of Lyttleton—a man so aloof and rational he’s nicknamed “the Cold Duke.” A scandal ensues, in which Marisa’s beloved beau deserts her. As a compromised woman, Marisa agrees to marry Maitland. But on her wedding night, Marisa discovers the one place the duke shows emotion: in the bedroom, where the man positively scorches the sheets.

Taught from a young age to take duty seriously, Maitland cannot understand his new wife’s demands on his love and affection. Marisa’s hot-blooded spirit, however, does have its attractions—especially at night. In retrospect, it seems quite silly that he didn’t marry sooner. But being one of the Libertine Scholars requires constant vigilance, even more so when the enemy with a grudge against his closest friends targets Marisa. Now Maitland must save the woman who sets his heart aflame—or die trying.
 

It's available for pre-order at various eBook etailers.

I'm beginning to panic when I look at my list of goals for 2015. I've almost got to that stage where I give up and decide I'm not going to complete everything on my list. 

Things yet to do in 2015 are:

Write my Christmas shopping list

Learn how to get the most out of Facebook Adverts

Set up the ability to sell directly from my website

Plant my vegetable garden (coming into summer here)

Go to the dentist (yuk)  - actually booked that today

Start buying the Christmas presents on my shopping list

Get my Christmas cards and ecards written

Write a three book Regency romance proposal for my agent

Finish book five in the Disgraced Lords 

And start book six in the Disgraced Lords series 

Help my mum plan our Christmas get together

Post off my presents to my agent and editor

Gosh, I'm getting dizzy just thinking of that list on top of writing all my blog posts for my A WHISPER OF DESIRE release tours and Facebook parties.

I look forward to hearing what you have left to achieve regarding your goals for 2015. Hopefully someone has more to achieve than me! Sometimes I wish I wasn't a goal setter, but I do love to plan!

Happy Reading.

Read. Feel. Fall in Love.

Ebenezer Scrooge -- Defying the Rules of Good Writing?

By Robin Weaver

Say “Ebenezer Scrooge,” and odds are most folks will immediately envision a selfish, miserly old man with no appreciation for fun or kindness. One-hundred-seventy-two years after his creation, the main character from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is not only instantly recognizable, but almost universally hated, evidenced by our society’s continued use of the term “Scrooge” to describe a miserable penny pincher.

Which makes me wonder why we continue to read after page one. According to the guidelines of good writing, the hero must be someone to whom we can relate, a person we can envision being. Thank goodness no one told Charles Dickens the main character had to be likeable.

Clearly we don’t like Scrooge, so why does Ebenezer work as the main character?

**Does Scrooge work because Tiny Tim is introduced early in the manuscript?  Ask anyone in advertising--babies and puppies sell. If you want a story to tug at the old heart strings, insert a spunky handicapped child. Works almost as well as a cute little Maltese (even when that child is played by Mary Lou Retton).

**Perhaps Dickens’ self-promotion contributed to the success of A Christmas Carol. Charlie was the first famous writer to read his work in public (at least, he was the first one according to my research).  And our self-promotion guru didn’t just read, he performed, creating a special version of history just for public recitation—with stage directions scribbled all over his script. Dickens dressed for the occasion as well, always wearing full evening dress, with a bright buttonhole, a purple waistcoat and a glittering watch-chain. And you thought creating a trailer was hard work. J

**Some might say A Christmas Carol works because. Ebenezer grows and changes. It’s fairly easy to identify the stages of The Hero’s Journey in Dickens’ tale. Only does Scrooge really change? Our hero only “sees the light” after some imaginary ghosts scare the Dickens out of him. Scrooge “changes” to save his own hide so is that really changing?  Sounds like a new version of selfish to me.  Furthermore, we all know how the story ends, but do we ever think of the “made-over” Scrooge? Nope, he’s the old miser who won’t say “Happy Christmas” to little Timmy Cratchit.

**Or maybe, just maybe—the main character doesn’t have to be likeable. Let’s face it, we American’s like our dirty Christmas stockings.  How else can we explain our fascination with the Sopranos, America’s Most Wanted and Keeping up with Kardashians (etc., etc.).  Let’s be honest, there’s a bit of self-righteous appeal in being morally superior—even it that superiority is graded on the curve.

Whatever the reason for the enduring popularity of A Christmas Carol, Dickens (in this blog author’s humble opinion) illustrates that of all the rules of writing, only one universally applies: If you tell a good story, you can break all the rules.

My Holiday Release....
FULL CONTACT DECORATING
Katarina Snodgrass believes she can get her life back on track. If she can regain her title as the Christmas Tree Contest champion and re-snare the man of her dreams. Too bad soap-opera star, Tripp Anthony, isn’t interested—at least he’s indifferent until Hunter Montgomery arrives and convinces Katrina she needs to make her former flame jealous.The plan succeeds, but Katrina finds herself equally attracted to Tripp and Hunter, the man she loves to hate. Her heart is torn, but can she truly choose either man while she guards a horrible secret?

Ebook available via Amazon November 30.

Print version available now at The Wild Rose Press.

Holiday Books? Who has time to read them? (An oldie but goody re-post!)

I'm totally going off (manu)script here. Our theme this month is supposed to be favorite holiday romance books, but I have to confess I don't have one. I don't think I have ever even read a holiday-based romance novel.

But holiday FILMS are another matter entirely. So I snuck off to Amazon to see if my favorite romantic Christmas movies are available as books.

Of course #1 is It's a Wonderful Life. There is no need to tout that film's virtues, but it wasn't ever a book. A Christmas Story isn't a romance. White Christmas is a romance, but it's not a book. And Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol has a couple of romantic subplots, but they aren't the point of that story. The Holiday was, again, not a book.

Hmm. Well... One of my adult daughters told me her favorite Christmas movie is now Love Actually. Really? The one with the porn star stand-ins?

Not to brag, but my daughter is pretty sharp. And she was an English major in college. So I rented the film and re-watched it a couple years ago. I was stunned. I cried through the whole dang film! So many poignant romances all neatly packaged into one interwoven storyline? Brilliantly done!

Next question: was it ever a book? Um. Sort of.

If you go by the terminology that a script is called a book, as in actors are asked to memorize their lines and get "off book" during rehearsals, then yes. Love Actually is that kind of book. And it's a romance. It's a dozen romances. So I looked up the writer.

Er, author.

Richard Curtis is a British screenwriter, music producer, actor and film director, known for romantic comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones' Diary, Notting Hill, Love Actually, and The Girl in the Café. Not a bad resume.

Er, backlist.

Okay. I'm totally cheating here. I own that. But if you have never seen the film, or saw it years back and were put off by a couple of the storylines, I urge you to watch it again. Yes, there are half-nude actors standing in for a porn film. But listen to their dialog - it's priceless. Especially the naked hero's comment after asking his set-mate on a date: "That was the most embarrassing thing I've ever done."

A recent widower calls his stepson "Ye wee motherless bastard" and we know the bond between them is growing stronger.

And there is the young man who, after having no success with women in England, steps into an unbelievable fantasy in Wisconsin. Compared to some of the other, heavier stories it's a relief to just giggle at this one.

And near the end when you hear the line "Just in cases," think of me. I'll be going on my fourth Kleenex by then.

So what does this have to do with writing? Everything. This screenplay, er, book, gives us an excellent example of how we can impart true emotion without dumping tons of back story explanations on the reader. It's lean. It's precise. We learn exactly what we need to know as we go along. Nothing more. And nothing less. And the way the different stories are seamless connected is a sign of genius. We should all aspire to write that well.

The Holidays are Upon Us.

Halloween is over, the stores have Fall/Thanksgiving items on sale, and Christmas decorations are showing up on the shelves. Yes, it's that time of year again. The craziness that is the holidays.

I love decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don't over do, but I enjoy the festiveness of a house that is decorated.

Then there's the deep thinking of what presents to get family members and close friends. That's my favorite part. Finding gifts that fit the person. And making personal gifts. My mom did that for her grandkids and I like to do it for mine.

In the midst of all this decorating, cooking, and finding the right present, there needs to be some calm. The best was I find to relax at this time of year is to read holiday stories. Whether they are about Thanksgiving or Christmas or even the New Year they are all filled with hope and bring in the warmth of the holiday.

I'm in a historical western romance Christmas anthology, Silver Belles and Stetsons. It releases today and is an excellent collection of novellas set at Christmas time. The ten authors in the anthology have each written heart-warming stories.

Silver Belles and Stetsons
Ten Western Romance Christmas Novellas
Available as a boxed set for a limited time at $.99!!

Bestselling and Award-Winning Authors bring you ten western romance novellas featuring alpha-cowboys from the past. This boxed set will take you back in time when
men were rugged and handsome and the women who loved them, courageous and
daring.
                                                         
The Greatest Gift: A Montana Cowboy Christmas by Kathleen Ball. Amazon Bestselling
and Award- Winning Author. Looking for the man who ran out on her, Ginger finds a
cowboy worthy of love but he doesn't want or need love.

Catherine’s Cowboy by Cait Braxton, Amazon Bestselling and Award-Winning Author. During a supernatural dust storm, Fate steps in when rugged army tracker Elam helps Catherine deliver her child.

Stone Mountain Christmas by Caroline Clemmons, Amazon Bestselling and Award-Winning Author. Can Celia restore the town's Christmas spirit? "A beautifully written story about love and hope and all the emotions Christmas brings out in people." Karren Lucas

Angel and the Texan from County Cork by Carra Copelin. Amazon Bestselling and Award-Winning Author. Does Angel trust marriage to the man she suspects of killing her husband or the stranger who promises to pay off her debt and set her free if she decides their marriage of convenience won’t work?

The Drifter’s Proposal by Kristin Holt, Amazon Bestselling Author. The baker's man is home for Christmas... "Compelling. Heartwarming. Tender." ~Diane Darcy, USA Today Bestselling Author

The Perfect Gift by Lyn Horner. Friendship has blossomed into young love, but it seems destined to die on the vine...until an unexpected Christmas gift promises happiness.

Marshal Mistletoe by Susan Horsnell. She married the wrong man. Will fate intervene?

Christmas Redemption by Paty Jager, Amazon Bestselling and Award-Winning Author. Can two battered hearts find solace or will the past continue to haunt their lives? "A story of forgiveness that has a wonderful hero who has worked hard to redeem himself."

A Hard Candy Christmas by Hebby Roman, Amazon Bestselling Author. Two damaged souls. Can their budding love and the healing power of Christmas bring them together?

Cowboy Christmas by Margaret Tanner. Will a miracle Christmas baby unite two tortured souls, or will it forever keep them apart?

Buy Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Belles-Stetsons-Caroline-Clemmons-ebook/dp/B014WU2TQG


www.patyjager.net
Writing into the Sunset