Sue Moorcroft's The Christmas Promise

The Christmas Promise is my winter release in Canada this year, both in ebook and print (look out for it in paperback in your local Costco store). The US liked the Canadian cover so much that they’re bringing it out too - this year as an ebook and next in paperback.

The Christmas Promise came out in the UK in 2016 and the ebook went to #1 in the Kindle UK charts. It stayed there for about five days, during which I felt as if I were living in a dream.

The ebook and paperback UK cover are quite different to the North American cover and even have different colour values to each other. The paperback had plenty of ‘bling’ and the ebook the kind of contrast that works well on screen.

Paper Back Cover

Ebook Cover

It has since come out in German.

Germany 1st Edition

Germany 2nd Edition

In Italian. First as a beautiful hardback.

Italian cover HB

Then as a pocket-sized version.

TCP Italy Pocket-size

And in Danish.

In Germany it was a bestseller in 2016 and has been reprinted at least five times in paperback. You can see that after the first printing the title font colour was changed to stand out more. This year, it’s out in a pocket-sized version. This is seriously cute yet isn’t abridged at all.

So why such a variety of covers? Covers are incredibly valuable when it comes to marketing novels. They play a great part in getting a book noticed and to its ‘pickupability’. Covers also say something about a book’s genre - but the genres are perceived differently in different cultures and the audiences are not precisely the same.

‘Christmas’ has been omitted from the Danish title because it’s not such a big thing there and the cover isn’t festive. The pocket-edition in Italy is markedly different to the hardback because it was part of a range made up of many authors and all the covers were created in the same style. In short, each publisher is an expert in its own market and chooses what will give its edition the widest appeal.

The Christmas Promise was my first book with HarperCollins and, having since written two a year, all these books are now moving across the pond. The next in Canada was Just for the Holidays in the UK but because of the different way the word ‘holidays’ is used in North America it will be Just for the Summer.

Meantime, back in the UK, Let it Snow is my winter release.

I’ve already accepted offers from my German publisher and my Italian one. It will probably come out in those countries in 2020. The US Team loved the UK cover so much they adopted it straight away and have brought it out already. My new release in Germany was my UK release last year but came out in Italy the year before. 

Are you confused yet? I hope not too much and that the examples of The Christmas Promise and Let it Snow give you some idea of the depth and richness of the art - and business - of publishing novels.

Buy link: The Christmas Promise in Canada https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-christmas-promise/9780008355975-item.html?ikwid=christmas+promise+sue&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Buy link: The Christmas Promise in the US https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Promise-cosy-book-wont-ebook/dp/B07QMV7JTW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=9780008344788&qid=1570199282&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

Buy link: Let it Snow ebook in the UK https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-christmas-promise/9780008355975-item.html?ikwid=christmas+promise+sue&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Buy link: Let it Snow paperback in the UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Let-Snow-Sue-Moorcroft/dp/0008321795/ or at your favourite bookshop or supermarket

Sue Moorcroft is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author and has reached the coveted #1 spot on Amazon Kindle UK. 

Her novels, short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world. If you’d like to see more of her covers go to www.suemoorcroft.com and click on ‘Gallery’.

Website [www.suemoorcroft.com]

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"Let It Snow"

by Diana McCollum

This year for November Romancing the Genres are reviewing Christmas books. I chose “Let It Snow”, by Nancy Thayer. I had never read anything by Nancy Thayer, so she was a new author for me.

It’s a sweet Christmas story which takes place on Nantucket Island. The heroine Christina Antonioni is a gift shop owner in one of the ‘sheds’ on the wharf. The other shop owners are her friends and they are an eclectic bunch.

Christina befriends a ten year old girl who had tried to shoplift from her store. She hires the young girl and becomes her friend. Wink, the young girl, helps with unpacking the Christmas shipments and decorating the store. 

Wink lives with her Grandfather while her mother is going through a divorce on the mainland. Turns out the wealthy Grandfather, Mr. Bittlesman, is the new landlord to the shops on the wharf. Mr. Bittlesman is a Scrooge, and plans on raising the rents the first of the year. This would put all the shop owners out of business.

Wink introduces Christina to her Uncle Andy who has recently moved to the island. With the  help of Wink’s Uncle who is not only a handsome, but charming bachelor, Christina feels this will be the best Christmas ever. The only hitch to their budding romance is Andy’s father Mr. Bittlesman. 

Christina hosts a tree decoration party for her friends. Her parents passed and she doesn’t have any brothers or sisters. Her shop and her friends and Nantucket are the most important things in her life.

Mimi, Jacob and Harriet, the other shop owners, along with Christina try various ways to soften up Mr. Bittlesman to no avail. Finally, they dress in Victorian clothes and go Christmas caroling at Mr. Bittleman’s mansion. Unbeknownst to them, his wife who had passed was a wonderful soprano singer. This touched his heart and he sends a Christmas letter to the shop owners reducing their rent by twenty-percent!

This story gives the reader a real feel for living on Nantucket Island, especially during the winter and holidays.

Andy is such a kind and considerate boyfriend. He gets the shop owners together with his own family to have a surprise Christmas Eve party for Christina at her house.  He doesn’t want her first Christmas Eve without her mom or aunt to be spent alone. This was a very touching scene. 

 

She is invited to Christmas dinner the next day at Mr. Bittlesman’s house with Andy, Wink and the rest of the family.

Andy and Christina’s relationship develops over the first couple weeks leading up to Christmas Day. A sweet slow romance, with of course, a happily ever after! 

The themes of friendship, love, family and self-discovery in “Let It Snow”, keeps the plot moving and insures it is a holiday story to remember.

My Christmas I remember fondly is when my family lived on Guam. We got to go swimming in the ocean which was amazing.

The other Christmas was when I was first married and lived in MI across the street from a family with seven children. 3 foot of snow and no one could get to town to see Santa. I dressed in my Husband's red hunting suit, pillow stuffed inside, black boots and red hat, makeshift white beard, and I was Santa for a night! The wonder on their little faces made me feel so good. I had fun!

Will you share a Christmas memory with us?

What We Found On Lipari Island, Italy.

I met Sam's mum not long after I started dating him. He's the kind of guy that takes you into his warm heart and so is his mum. I hadn't known her long before she started sharing her memories of growing up on Lipari before she emigrated to Australia. She loved the outdoor life on Lipari, playing sport and swimming were her loves. Family was very important to her and she would embark on a long walk from where she lived on the coast up into the hills to visit her grandmother.

Sadly we lost her three years ago and it hit Sam very hard. He had always wanted to see the place that held such a special place in his mother's heart but it wasn't until we married that he decided the right time was right.

The hydrofoil took us from Sicily to Lipari and we were met by our hotel pickup. We'd opted to stay in Cannetto the town Sam's mum is from. We drove along the coast from the port of Lipari passing the beach where Sam's mum would have swum as a girl. Past houses and shops buildings that look as if they've been there for decades.

 Our B&B was a short walk from the street up this pretty laneway.

Having just finished a 13day Trafalgar tour of Italy we were pretty tired so opted for a rest but the next day we had a tour of the Island booked. We woke to a beautiful sunrise. This is the view from our balcony. 

The views of the neighboring islands were breathtaking. Sam and I had no idea how very beautiful Lipari would be. Our tour guide introduced us to some locals who said they would be related in someway having the same last name as Sam.

 We decided to see if the local council would be able to help us find where Sam's mum's house would have been.  

Our taxi dropped us in front of the council building which is attached to a church. With hope but no expectations we went inside.

In Italian, Sam told the clerk what he hoped to discover. He asked Sam for his mother's birthdate and her parent's names. Sam provided the necessary details and the clerk asked us to wait. He went into another room and quickly returned holding a very old, large book. He opened it and began to read the handwritten record of Sam's mum's birth. It was a very emotional moment that took us both back. 

We had expected to be told to fill out a form or that it would take a week to find. But here was this man reading out the time Sam's mum was born and where her parents lived. There was no street number in the record but we were staying just off the street where Sam's mum grew up. We'd been walking up and down that street for a couple of days.

We were so happy, Sam was beaming, and I had to wipe my eyes. We couldn't believe it had been so easy. The clerk created an official council excerpt for Sam and wouldn't take any money. We left with the precious document and kept looking at it over and over again.

We did lots of sightseeing on Lipari, visiting the Fort and Museum and took a hydrofoil to nearby Salina Island but nothing can beat the moment we stood in the council building listening to Sam's mum's birth record. The connection between the place we visited and the dear lady we loved became concrete. This was the land that shaped who she grew up to be. Sam had discovered something new about his mum and brought her close to him again.

It was a joy to share this special event with him.

Finding the Christmas Spirit

Hi Everyone,

I couldn’t find a Christmas book to review, so I wrote a quick Christmas story instead. Hope you enjoy. 

“The Christmas spirit is gone.”

“What do you mean? Gone?” Merry Enbrite stared at her assistant, not really seeing any of the features on Elvina’s petite face. 

Elvina shrugged, examining her long red-and-white striped acrylic press-ons; the tiny rhinestones scattered over each fingernail twinkled like the Eastern Star, both dazzling and distracting. Didn't the tiny female understand they were so Scrooged?

“I mean Noelle hasn’t shown up for work all week.” Elvina gave her head a little nod, the non-verbal screaming: Duh.

“And you’re just now telling me this?”  Merry wondered why she had an assistant. Wasn’t like Elvina ever did any actual work. Everyone had a cellphone, so Elvina didn’t even screen calls.

More important, what in the name of Ebenezer were they going to do? Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving Parade would be a real turkey without the Christmas Spirit.  

“Find her,” Merry ordered.

Elvina’s shiny, cherry lips curved into a magical smile. “I know you don’t think I do anything, but I’ve been on it since Monday afternoon.”  The smile faded. “If Noelle were around, I would’ve found her.”

A wave of guilt flooded Merry senses; perhaps she had been a bit harsh on her assistant. But hell. She'd been so busy she wouldn’t even know it was Thursday if tomorrow wasn't Thanksgiving.

Frankincense! She never said “hell.”  Not even in her thoughts. Merry supposed she hadn’t been much of a leader lately either. She’s been so focusing on making this one the best Thanksgiving parade ever she’d rather ignored her employees. 

She’d make it up to Elvina and Noelle later. Right now she had a spirit to find.

“You two talk, right? Merry asked.  Do you have any idea when she disappeared?”

“You mean this time?” Elvina flopped down onto the chair at the tiny conference table.  “Noelle was complaining about having to start work in July. I can kind of see her point.  Until recently, we never really needed her until the beginning of November – – at the earliest. Now, Christmas stuff start showing up in the stores before the Fourth of July fireworks stop booming.  Why do the department stores put Christmas trees for sale that early? By the time Christmas gets here, people are sick of the fa-la-la-la-la hoopla. I think Noelle was sick of that.”

So, no luck finding her?” Merry asked, her voice shrieking. 

Elvina shook her head. “Nope. Since she’s broken up with Jack, her behavior has been very unpredictable.   Noelle hasn’t been to any of her usual places.   She hasn’t shown up for CrossFit, neither her mom nor her little sister have seen her. She hasn’t even been spotted at Starbucks.”

Merry sank into her chair, her hopes sinking with her. Her career was over. She’d get the old heave-ho along with her lump of coal. 

She glanced at Elvina, a glimmer of an idea forming. Her assistant was always perky. And normal people seemed to love her.
“Elvina, I don’t suppose…”

"No way in hell!" Elvina took a step backward. Her assistant did say "hell." A lot. "There isn't enough milk and cookies in the whole universe to make me take that job."

Merry supposed she couldn't blame the girl. She walked to her window and widened the blinds to stare at the floats lined up for tomorrow’s event.

The Christmas trees were all silver, not a green one in sight.  There were more floats devoted to Frozen and Transformers than there were to the Christmas nativity. The main emphasis of the parade seemed to be promotion of products, to sell this, to sell that. Sell, sell, sell. 

Hell, the department store chain even wanted Santa to wear board shorts and flip-flops. We’re pushing South Beach fashion. 

The memory of that scene made Merry draw the blinds closed. Tight. 

No, she didn’t blame Noelle for abandoning the parade. Not at all.

And perhaps getting fired wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe she could open a florist. Maybe she’d start saying “hell” on a regular basis.

“I have an idea!” Elvina’s voice penetrated Mary’s gloom. 

For a moment, she wanted to hope, but dared not. “I’m all ears, Merry replied, instantly regretting her words. Elvina could be a bit sensitive about her ears.

“The assistant didn’t seem to notice. She looked almost... well, sheepish. “It’s going to cost you though, boss lady.”

Merry hated to be called boss lady. Maybe Elvina had noticed the ear comment. “Doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ll just bill it to the department store chain. Santa in Board shorts, my derrière.”

“That’s the spirit.” Elvina flashed her bright smile and pulled out her cell. 

After punching in a quick-dial number, Merry heard the call go to voice mail. Then, a jingle bell sounded in lieu of a beep. 

Elvina said, “I don’t know where you are, Noelle, but Merry says if you return by the end of the day, she’ll let you have your pick of the new Louboutin line. Before the shoes go on sale at this hotshot store.”

Merry blinked. “Shoes? You’re trying to lure her back with heels?” Then she laughed. “That’s so brilliant, Elvina.”

“I know,” Elvina replied. “Nothing raises the spirit like a new pair of designer shoes.”

* * *

The next day, the parade went off with only one tiny glitch. Santa, a man Merry feared would be like the drunk in Miracle on 34th Street, turned out to be a super-hot guy. And very buff. She and Elvina spent almost a quarter hour padding the man’s beach shirt. Touching his chiseled abs created sizzles in weird places. Not the sort of feeling Santa should evoke in women, even a fake Santa. 

Merry watched from her clandestine spot in the crowd. She like to observe the parade with the regular onlookers, no special booth for her. 

Everything flowed, but everything was missing. No matter that Noelle had arrived within an hour after Elvina’s call. The Christmas spirit was really working the crowd, but something just didn’t feel right to Merry. The procession was just flat.  Almost boring. 

Maybe her assistant was right about people being sick of the holidays, sick of the commercialism of a once-sacred family tradition. Maybe she had become one of those people.

Then, the miracle happened. A small girl, sitting on her father’s shoulder, screamed. “Daddy, look! Daddy! Daddy! It’s Santa!” She pointed. And smiled. 

That smile transformed everything. Joy grew and multiplied, spreading quickly over the crowd in the most remarkable way. 

All was right in the world. If only for a moment. In a moment was enough. 

Then Santa looked up and gave her a saucy wink. That just was not right. Nice, but not right. 

Wishing everyone the happiest of Thanksgivings. And lots of saucy winks. 

Bah...humbug...sort of.

I have a difficult time with all the commercialism this time of year. There were Christmas decoration things in the store before Hallowe’en, for pete’s sake. There should be a law against that.

We’ll be bombarded from now until December 25^th with advertising to buy buy buy as if our level of holiday spirit is dependent on the size of our credit card bill.

So what better way to escape from all that noise than with a good book, one where the focus is on family and love (rather than the lowest price on the biggest TV).  And perhaps a mystery will be solved along with the lighting of the plum pudding.

My favourite book to re-read in December (I refuse to even think about the holidays until then, except for baking my fruitcake – it needs time to soak up the holiday spirit <wink>) is slightly “deck the halls” but mostly murder mystery set during the Victorian era. Part of a long series by the great Anne Perry, it can nonetheless be enjoyed on its own.

A Christmas Homecoming takes place at a country manor house – aah – in the dead of winter – brrrr – and centres around a theatrical production of Bram Stoker’s Dracula – oooh – at Christmas  time – fa la la! It really is a good story.

I also happen to have a book with hints of the festive season and it has been re-released (this past weekend) with a new cover, just in time for a much-needed break from holiday turmoil. Content warning: a blizzard, a gloomy country manor house, and smexy times.

Her wish will be granted…

When a mysterious note directs Miss Miranda Large to a tiny village in Cornwall to find her heart’s desire, she’d be a fool to not go. The excitement mounts when she meets a strange shopkeeper who claims that a magical keepsake will make possible her dream of marriage to a man with a title. But a snowstorm forces her to accept the hospitality of a sullen earl and Miranda fears she’s made a horrible mistake.

 He’s given up hope…

Edward Penhallion, the 12th Earl of Claverlock, is not in the mood to search for yet another wife. He longs to be left alone with his books and his dreams of revenge. But the arrival of a headstrong, sharp-tongued spinster forces him to play the charming host. Not a difficult task, given her intelligence and beauty.

As the blizzard rages, Edward discovers there’s more to Miranda than a lively wit and a lovely face. And Miranda wonders if the trappings of wealth are enough for true happiness.

And here's the handy Universal Book Link that'll take you to your favourite book seller:

https://books2read.com/u/bQa1e6