Thursday, November 26, 2020

Ah, The Life of a Writer!

 



By: Kathleen Lawless

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The life of a writer is a very solitary one.  We work away, just us and the computer screen and our imagination, creating worlds and characters and stories that we hope will enhance the reading pleasure of many.

 

I have never written a Christmas story, so when the call came to join with nine other writers and create the perfect New England Christmas town, I was ready for the fun.  Emails flew back and forth, fast and furious.  The Town Square, known as the Common was created.  A date agreed upon for the annual Christmas Tree Light Up Festivities.  Hot chocolate?  Of course.  Sleigh rides?  Absolutely!  Snowman building competition?  You bet! 

 

Shops and shopkeepers and their locations were shared and pinpointed.  A Christmas tree farm here.  A frozen skating pond there.  And what about a B&B, described in detail and given a prime location in our perfect town?

 

Once the setting was nailed down, each author gave birth to her story.  And thus, we presented to the world, CHRISTMAS COMES TO DICKENS.  WE hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing our stories in this unique setting.  https://books2read.com/DickensChristmas 

My Story, HOLLY’S WISH, was inspired by my favorite childhood Christmas book, The Story of Holly and Ivy.  I still read it every year during the holidays.  Because with Christmas magic in the air, anything is possible.



Excerpt from HOLLY’S WISH By Kathleen Lawless

“You should never underestimate the power of wishing for what you want. It always worked for me,” Kris said.

“Oh, I do,” Holly said blithely. “Every shooting star, new moon, and birthday candle.  You name it, I send my wish out there. It’s not my fault no one seems to be listening.”

“Your time will come,” Kris said.

As Kris spoke, the shop door opened with a tinkle of overhead bells. Holly looked over to see a tall, dark-hair man stamping snow off his feet. She took a second look, because, truthfully there weren’t a lot of good-looking men in town. Something about him seemed familiar, but before Holly could get a good look he turned away. She was left with an impression of a square jaw, pronounced cheekbones, with a straight, masculine nose nicely balanced above full lips. Maybe she had taken his photo at some point.

When he passed her in the aisle without a second look, she figured she must be mistaken. She paused at the door for one last look, but his back was toward her.  Typical man, doing his Christmas shopping at the last minute.

I hope you fall in love with every one of our Christmas stories and Dickens.

MILLIE’S AWESOME HOLIDAY MIRACLE by Top 100 Author Nancy Fraser - Can one little girl fill the holiday season with enough miracles for everyone? This story will warm your heart.

MIRACLE AT HOLLY HILL INN by Top 100 Author Maddie James - Ariana is looking for the perfect Christmas. Instead, she finds a Scrooge. Will two days snowbound at Holly Hill Inn bring them together?

HOLIDAY HEARTS by Top 100 Author Caroline Clemmons - Laura is funny, beautiful, and smart. She’s not about to date her boss. Can Ward convince her he’s not just looking for a holiday fling?

THE TINSEL TANGO by Best Selling Author Bonnie Edwards - She needs R&R. He teaches Tango. Or does he? Can love survive secrets & hidden agendas when a dance teacher is exposed as a wealthy tycoon?

WISDOM OF THE HEART by USA Today Best Selling Author Liz Flaherty - Best friends fell in love in high school. But life, families & distance happened along the way. Could they still be in love?

OPERATION SNOWBALL by Best Selling Author Kathryn Hills - Returning home to Dickens is hard for Army veteran, John Gridley. The last thing he expects to find is love with a pretty widow.

ANGEL KISSES AND HOLIDAY WISHES by Best Selling Author Peggy Jaeger - Sage left years ago, leaving Keith's heart in tatters. She's back as his grandmother’s doctor. Is there hope for them?

HOLLY’S WISH by Top 100 Author Kathleen Lawless - What if the girl who got away is standing right in front of you? Years ago, they shared one magical Christmas Eve. Is it too late for them now?

HOLIDAY HEART WISHES by Best Selling Author Lucinda Race - Vera picks up Tony, a stranded motorist, on her way back to Dickens. Will they discover their heart wishes can come true at Christmas?

SANTA’S WISH by Best Selling Author Jan Scarbrough - Will Christmas magic help them overcome the obstacles of her dashed career ambitions and his grief so they can find a second chance at love?

Since writing makes us hungry, we also compiled some of our favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes in IT’S A DICKENS OF A COOKIE.  Yours to download FREE.  https://books2read.com/dickens-cookie        Happy Thanksgiving All!



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steamy or sweet, as long as there’s a romance, an alpha male or a cowboy Kathleen reads and writes them all One of her heroes, Steele, is a modern-day cowboy, so when she was dating on-line and met a man called Steel— Well, he’s not a cowboy but his is an alpha male and her forever hero. Which is why all of her stories end Happily Ever After. Not that she can ever stick to just one genre. So many stories to tell—never enough time. With close to 30 published novels to her credit, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional romance into historical romance, erotic romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction and stories for young adults. Something for everyone!

13 comments:

kathleen Lawless said...

Thank you for hosting me here today to talk about Dickens. Happy Thanksgiving, no matter where you live. I'm Canadian, but take every day to be thankful.i love this holiday.

kathleen Lawless said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Marcia King-Gamble said...

So good to hear from you Kathleen. It's a pleasure to host you. Dickens sound like a wonderful read and those cookie recipes. Yum!

Bonnie Edwards said...

Holly's Wish is a lovely, charming story, Kathleen and the magic is very sweet.

Liz Flaherty said...

It's been a wonderful, magical experience, hasn't it? And Holly's Wish is one of the most magical parts!

Caroline Clemmons said...

I love the way you presented our collection, Kathleen. Emails did fly, that's for certain. In my opinion, the result is a wonderful Christmas anthology.

Kara O'Neal said...

I've got my copy of this! Can't wait to read it!

kathleen Lawless said...

Thanks Marcia. I'm getting out my mixer, but can't decide which recipe to make first.

kathleen Lawless said...

Thanks Bonnie. Really happy with the early reviews

kathleen Lawless said...

Thanks Liz. Definitely a delightful boxed set of stories.

kathleen Lawless said...

I could not agree more.

kathleen Lawless said...

Your news Christmas story sounds awesome as well.

Maggie Lynch said...

What a wonderful idea, to create a Christmas Town and invite authors to pen stories. Also genius to add a book of recipes. I hope your group effort takes off like Santa's sleigh, bringing hope and joy to all who read these stories. Thanks for sharing the collection.