Don't Mess with the Mistletoe by Peggy Jaeger

 A great title for this month's piece, no? LOL

It's actually the title of my newest Dicken's Holiday Romance. DON'T MESS WITH THE MISTLETOE is book 18 in the Dickens world, but it is my 5th book in the series. I started off the 2023 season, and this was supposed to be my last book for it.

Funny how things change.

Let me explain.

I've been part of the Dickens Holiday Romance world for the past 4 years - since it was first introduced into the book reading world in a 2 book anthology titled CHRISTMAS COMES TO DICKENS. In that first story, I introduced the owner of the local and popular diner, DORRIT'S DINER, Amy Dorrit Charles. I loved her so much that I wanted to write a complete series around her, so when the authors decided to continue with the books the next year, I hoped on board. One novella and three full-length books later, Amy Charles' story - I thought - was complete.

But....

Since she owns a diner, I realized I could always introduce new characters into the mix. Her diner, after all, is the gossip station of the tiny town of Dickens. There's always someone new passing through or moving to the town. And with them, a whole passle of new stories could be imagined.

That's the beauty of a continuing series. Readers and authors lovelovelove when new characters pop up in the towns they've invented. I know I do!

Have you read any of the DICKENS HOLIDAY ROMACE books? If you like small town, sweet to steamy, coming home love stories, you should. DICKENS is a fabulous place where love is always in season.

Don't Mess with the Mistletoe is available now in ebook, print, and on KU.

It’s the holiday season in the tiny town of Dickens and pilot Michael Charles is home for his annual visit. His wanderlust has him itching to get back up in the skies as soon as possible, especially since he’s got a full schedule of rich and famous clients waiting to be transported to warm, exotic locales for the winter.

When his heavily pregnant sisters present him with a plan to give their workaholic mother some time off from managing the family diner, he balks. But one look at how tired the woman who took him into her home and heart is, and Michael agrees to run Dorrit’s Diner for a month so Amy Charles can get some well-deserved rest.

He’ll be back in the skies by the New Year.

The diner staff functions like a well-oiled machine, most of them long-term employees. The exception is new waitress Julia Maryland. The beautiful blonde has a past filled with heartache, a charming six-year-old daughter, and a smile Michael could spend the day getting lost in. But starting a relationship with her wouldn’t be wise because his visit is temporary and Julia seems like a permanent kind of girl.

When a family emergency requires him to rethink and reassess his life, Michael wonders if it’s time he becomes a permanent kind of man.

Visit Peggy's website: Writing is my Oxygen

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Christmas to the Max by Bonnie Edwards

 

I am grateful to Marcia King-Gamble for this invitation to guest here on Romancing the Genres. I’m honored.

I’m Bonnie Edwards and I’ve been writing romance for a lot of years and if there’s one thing I understand about romance it’s this: Everyone in my fictional world deserves a happy ending.

This is the story of a lonely man.

Max Whyte walked into my mind as a convenient ex-husband to a lush 30-something divorcee. The story that introduced him to the world was the start of a trilogy of Christmas stories set between Canada and the US. In Not-so-Blue Christmas, Max didn’t get much more than a mention.

In Invitation to Christmas we learned a little more about him and the reason for the divorce. He and his wife had simply grown apart. They were excellent parents who put their children first.

When it was his ex-wife’s turn to fall in love in One Crazy Christmas, we saw more of Max and how he still supported his ex as a friend and confidant. He was warm and caring and exactly the right person for the heroine to talk to about her disastrous love and broken heart. (which eventually got sorted on Christmas Day.) And so my trilogy, Love at Christmas, ended.

This writer moved onto other series, and a couple of years later I was in need of a new couple to move to my fictional small town in Washington State. The series is titled Return to Welcome and focuses on people who come home and need to regroup.

I had my heroine but where to find a great hero for her? And then it hit me.

Max Whyte’s ex had moved to Washington State and taken his daughters to live with her new husband. What’s a caring, loving father to do but move to be close to them?

Christmas to the Max fell into place quickly. Every once in a while an author has the perfect blend of characters, plot, and setting and the writing goes smoothly and quickly. This is what I call a “gimme” book. No tears are shed, or hairs pulled during the writing of a gimme.

Since Christmas to the Max is a lynchpin book, it links two series and gives my readers of the first series an introduction to the second series. And readers who start on the second series get some background on characters from the first series. Everyone wins!

But no one needs to read either series to enjoy Max Whyte’s happy ending. This is a stand alone book and so are all the others.

Right now, Christmas to the Max is on sale for only 99c and is available to read in Kindle Unlimited.

BLURB:
Just in time for Christmas, building contractor Kaylin Simpson returns to Welcome, WA to give her twins a better life in the small town she loved as a child.

In a town where no one remembers her, it’s tough for a woman to launch a business, especially one dominated by men. Kaylin’s resourceful, determined, and desperate.

Single dad Max Whyte has bought a rundown Victorian house that needs a total renovation. When he saves a young boy from a near-miss with a car, he takes a chance and hires the boy’s attractive mother.

The lovely, talented, and skilled Kaylin soon proves her worth as they work together to rebuild his home—and their lives in Welcome.

The single parents soon share more than tools as they navigate their way through the work together. Sharing all the traditional small-town Christmas events brings them even closer.

Drawn to Kaylin and her adorable twin boys despite his reservations, Max finds that Kaylin's wit and feisty spirit pull at his heartstrings.

Kaylin is afraid to fall for her client, but good sense can be overwhelmed when two hearts fall into synch.

As Christmas draws near, she and Max struggle to find a way to move beyond past hurts to let love blossom.

If you love stories with warmth and the love of family don't miss Christmas to the Max.

Amazon

BIO: 

Bonnie Edwards has been writing all her life, starting with a poem about Santa suffering with gout. She was seven, Santa was a thousand years old. Delighted with writing, she went on to write family sagas, humorous contemporary romance, romantic suspense, erotic paranormal ghost romances and more.

She may jump around within romance, but all her stories come with a tear, a laugh, and a happy ending. Published by Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) Bonnie’s stories stretch from short stories to novellas and novels. Now, she's happy to be publishing her work herself. Her website. Sign up for up-to-date news and deal on Bonnie’s Newsy Bits.

Holiday Reads 2022 by Lynn Lovegreen

 Some people love holiday books. Whether it’s Winter Solstice, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve, there are plenty of opportunities for holiday magic and romance this time of year. Here are a few holiday books by my Alaskan writing friends:

 

If you’re into Winter Solstice, try Elizabeth Allyn Dean’s paranormal romance A Kiss for Solstice

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074Z52GTK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Or go Head Over Heels for the Holidays with Jenny Bernard’s Alaskan sizzling romance with a touch of suspense:

http://JenniferBernard.net/head-over-heels-for-the-holidays

Elva Birch’s short lesbian Christmas Eve story, Memories of Magic, features a tiny winged horse,:

https://books2read.com/memoriesofmagic

Zoe Chant has several fun holiday romances with shifters:

Dragon of Glass - https://books2read.com/dragonofglass/?store=amazon

 

Tropical Holiday Tails - https://books2read.com/tropicalholidaytails/?store=amazon

 

A Green Valley Christmoose Disaster!

 https://books2read.com/greenvalleychristmoosedisaster/?store=amazon

Erin McLellan’s So Over the Holidays series features steamy, fun contemporary stories like

Stocking Stuffers 

https://www.erinmclellan.com/stocking-stuffers/

 

and Party Favors

https://www.erinmclellan.com/party-favors/

Last but not least, Mercy Zephyr’s sweet Christmas novella Unveiling Ms. Claus has a trans heroine:

https://www.amazon.com/Unveiling-Ms-Claus-Mercy-Zephyr-ebook/dp/B07M5RJRJX

Whatever your holidays hold this year, I hope you find a great book to read!

 

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

Inspiration for My Holiday Stories By Kathy Coatney

I started writing Christmas themed romances a few years ago and really enjoyed writing the Crooked Halo Christmas Chronicles. 

I started a new Christmas series in 2021, A Vermont Christmas Romance, after I lost a dear friend, Jody Sherin, who died in April of that year.

 I met Jody at the Emerald City Romance Writers conference about ten years ago through mutual friends. They were all having dinner together, and they graciously invited me to tag along.

 Not only did Jody welcome me with open arms, but the day before our dinner she bought my book, Forever His, and read it overnight, then raved about it all through dinner. She stole my heart in that moment, and we became fast friends. She was also my loyal reader, and eventually became my proof reader/critiquer. I always looked forward to our dinners in Seattle—until COVID when our annual dinner was cancelled along with the conference.

BOOK 1

 The last time I spoke to Jody was two months before she died. We were discussing my latest book, but then we transitioned to family, and of course her great grandchildren, and how adorable each one was, and how much she loved them. I’ve never met anyone more caring or knowledgeable, or anyone who loved Christmas more than she did. She spent weeks decorating her house for the holidays and had not one, but several Christmas trees. Her husband, Dave, made a special Christmas village that grew every year.  Wherever Jody is, I’m certain heaven is decorated for Christmas year-round.

 After Jody died, I wanted to do something in her memory and came up with the Vermont Christmas Romance series where Jody and her husband, Nick C-L-A-Ws, play matchmaking Santa and Mrs. Claus in the town of Snowside, Vermont. They bring lonely hearts together just in time for Christmas.

 I have so loved writing this series and felt Jody guiding through the story. The first book, Santa Comes to Snowside, released last November and book 2, Jingle all the way to Snowside released on October 4, 2022. Here’s an excerpt from the latest release where Jody opens the story:

 

BOOK 2

Somewhere north of Vermont

 Nick Claws finished polishing the hood of the candy red Mini Cooper and began loading it with suitcases. The October sun crept over the horizon as Nick wedged the last suitcase into the trunk, leaving room for him, Jody, and their miniature poodle, Prancer. His wife had never learned the art of packing light.     

 “So why are we headed to Snowside in October?” Jody asked, coming up to him with Prancer snuggled in her arms. The miniature poodle lifted his head and gave a single bark, as if he also wanted an answer to the question.

       Nick glanced over at her, his blue eyes twinkling as he stroked his long, white beard. “We’re getting an early start on the Christmas season.”

       “The earliest we’ve ever gone is November.”

       “You’re right, but this one’s going to be a bit more challenging, and we’re going to need more time since we’ll be volunteering at two different sites.”

       Jody looked down at Prancer. “Did you hear that?” she asked the dog. “We’re starting Christmas in October this year.”

       “Is that a bad thing?” Nick asked.

       “Absolutely not. You know I love Christmas. I can’t think of anything better than starting now.” Jody clapped her hands, excitement pulsing through her. “So, tell me where we’ll be volunteering.”

       He helped her into the car, and they set off. “As you know, we’re returning to Snowside, and there’s the sweetest woman, Sadie McCluskey. She runs McCluskey River Farm right in downtown Snowside. It’s only three acres, but it’s got all the charm of the Old Time Christmas Tree Farm and Enchanted Inn that Jeremy and Marilyn Clark own. It’s the place we gave Jack and Annie Bradshaw the sleigh ride and romantic dinner almost four years ago. Sadie grows every crop imaginable and does all kinds of weekly events, from brunches to movie nights, crafts for kids and adults, tours of the farm, and she teaches classes on growing successful gardens. But she desperately needs help with the events, which is where you come in. I know you’re going to love it!”

       “I can’t wait to get started. And what about the other place?”

       “It’s a kindergarten classroom, and the teacher is Hank Dabrowski. His hands are full, and he really needs more help in the classroom. He’s dedicated to these kids and their families and wants to do more than just teach them. Many of his kids’ families are living hand-to-mouth, so he’s determined to not only educate the kids, but improve their lives.”

       Jody faced him, her reindeer earrings swaying against rosy cheeks. “So, I assume there’s a connection between Sadie and Hank?”

       Nick cast a side-long glance at his wife, then focused on the road. “Yes. The land Sadie farms is owned by our old friend Elroy Murphy—one of our first holiday matchups and Hank’s great-uncle. Elroy actually wrote to us about them. From what he said, he promised Sadie that he will never allow the land to be anything but farmland, and he’s waiting for her to come up with the financing to buy it. She’s applied for numerous loans, but keeps getting turned down. Hank’s been trying to convince his uncle to contact a lawyer to ensure he gets fair market value for the land, which could mean Sadie would lose her farm.”

       Jody clapped her hands over her mouth, shaking her head. “We can’t have Sadie lose that farm. It’s too important. We’re going to have to convince Hank to change his mind.”

       Nick nodded in agreement.

       “Are Hank and Sadie our holiday matchup?”

       “They are, but it’s going to be a challenge. Hank is driven to make a difference for his students, but he’s suspicious of Sadie, especially after a bad breakup. Sadie is committed to her farm, but her resistance goes deeper. Her parents died when she was in high school, and she went into foster care. Then she married young and her ex-husband hurt her deeply. Now, she’s afraid to love and she’s lost her Christmas spirit.”

       Jody tapped a finger to her lips as she thought over the problem. “Well, we’re going to have our work cut out for us, but we will find a solution.”

       Nick reached over and squeezed her knee. “That’s what I love most about you—your optimism. You don’t believe in can’t.”

       Jody winked at him, tracing her fingers over his cheek as she stared into his face. “I couldn’t do it without you.”

       Nick punched the gas. Jody’s laughter floated on the air again as they jetted down the highway.

***

The Christmas books are part of The Murphy Clan series. The Murphy Clan has four series within it, Falling in Love, Return to Hope’s Crossing, The Crooked Halo Christmas Chronicles, and Vermont Christmas Romance for a total of 13 books.

 I also have a short story Angels R Us you can only get it by subscribing to my newsletter.

 Thank you all. It was lovely spending time with you. I look forward to meeting up with you on:

Goodreads

BookBub

Facebook

Facebook Group

Twitter

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What's new in '22 by Peggy Jaeger

 Can I just tell you how happy I am to be in a new year?? Not that some great things didn't happen to and for me in 2021, but, honestly, it felt like the year was never going to end!

2022 is offering me a bunch of new opportunities and experiences and I am super excited to get the year rolling.

First, I've joined a wonderful team of sweet romance writers for a new series titled LAST MAN STANDING. It's a collection of romances centering on that guy we all know - the one who vows never to get married and is - literally - the last single guy in his group. MY guy's name is Chance Miller and he's a - wait for it - divorce lawyer. So, you can imagine all his reasons for never taking a walk down the aisle, hee hee. Here's the cover and the book will be available in September 2022.

In March I have a brand new series starting titled HEAVEN'S MATCHMAKER. I am revisiting the tiny town of Heaven, NH made famous in my A Match Made in Heaven series. The first book, MIX & MATCH, centers around a lonely, divorced nurse named Jasmine Green and architect Donovan Boyd - whom the world met in BAKED WITH LOVE. There are currently 4 books in the series, but you know me....there are more in my head! The book is up for preorder right now.

For Magnolia Blossom Publishing I have two books coming out this year in their Paranormal Romance division. The first, THE HAUNTING OF WILTON JUNE is the sequel to last year's MERRY'S GHOST where Merry's brother Will finds his HEA with a botanist who has a secret - a pretty great one for Will. Details on the release date will be forthcoming. The second will be about a contemporary witch who's also a realtor. Can you think of any spells to get someone to buy a house, LOL! Details will come soon.

And I'm returning to the tiny town of DICKENS for another DICKENS HOLIDAY ROMANCE during the holiday season. SASHA'S SECRET SANTA will continue the Dorrit's Diner series I started last year, featuring Amy Dorrit and her adopted children. I'll also be releasing my very first Dickens Romance ANGEL KISSES AND HOLIDAY WISHES as a standalone book in the summer.

Finally, I've got a hush-hush project with three of my favorite authors. I can't say too much but I can give you a few hints: pirates, ghosts, and a popular tavern. Intrigued? Hee hee.

That's all the new stuff I've already got on the docket for 2022 and I am sure more will pop up!!

What a great way to begin a year.

Until next month, kids ~ Peg

Peggy Jaeger writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can't live without them. Follow her blog, Writing is my oxygen.

Don't Fence Me In by Eleri Grace

Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In" is seemingly about physical freedom in a wide-open landscape, and the recording by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters in late 1944 was not inspiration to the women who answered the call to duty after Pearl Harbor. But the phrase "Don't Fence Me In" is in some ways a very accurate reflection of the attitude many of the Red Cross Girls held. They were trailblazers, independent thinkers, and pushed up against and beyond barriers on many levels in their lives -- both before, during, and after the war. Freedom undergirded it all. 

Camouflaging the Clubmobile - Normandy 1944

All the women the Red Cross selected through a rigorous interview process for overseas service were resilient and fiercely independent self-starters. Many were single and had been working in a professional capacity for several years (which was one of the Red Cross requirements). Most craved even more freedom and autonomy -- perhaps escaping family members who were pressuring them to settle down into domesticity or seeking the lure of adventure and duty in the thick of the action. And as the war wore on and the Red Cross Girls increasingly recognized their own worth, many dreaded returning home, fearing that they would face pressure to give up their careers or that the opportunities in post-war America would go mostly to the returning male soldiers. One Red Cross Girl wrote her boyfriend that he should understand that she could no longer see herself ever being happy as a housewife and that he should be prepared to carry some of the domestic load because she intended to continue her career. 

Florence, Italy 1944

They experienced unprecedented responsibility and freedom during the war, and many were concerned about adjusting to post-war realities. Based on the numerous memoirs and oral history interviews I used in my research, many of them refused to scale back their aspirations or relinquish the additional freedom they experienced during the war years. Many of these women went on to resume their careers or pursue a new profession, learning how to balance their professional and home lives. I like to think that the daughters of these trailblazing WWII heroines led the charge for women's rights in the 1960s. But the Red Cross Girls (and many other women in the era) played a large role in pushing boundaries and resetting expectations. 

I have a new release coming out this month -- a Clubmobile Girls "short" for your holiday reading. This is the first of a planned anthology of stories set in the Arctic locales of Iceland, Greenland, Alaskan Territory, and the Aleutian Islands. In At His Side for Christmas, Elise Macalester, serving as a Red Cross Girl in Iceland, puts aside her shyness to help reconnect two brothers torn apart by combat. Can she overcome self-doubt and tragic circumstances to find her way to love and happiness? 

You can learn more about me on my website or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

You can find my Clubmobile Girls series on Amazon. At His Side for Christmas is available for pre-order now! 

A Christmas RomCom about MISTLETOE, MOBSTERS, & MOZZARELLA by Peggy Jaeger

 This month's prompt is to introduce you dear readers to our current WIP - Work in Progress. At any given time I'm usually working on 3-4 projects all at once, so I've picked this year's holiday release to tell you about.

I love writing about families, and my fictional Italian/American family, the San Valentino's is one of the most near and dear to my heart.

In MISTLETOE, MOBSTERS, & MOZZARELLA, the Aunt Gracie  faction of the family is described.

Here's the blurb to the book: 

Finding a body in the freezer of the family deli isn’t the way Madonna San Valentino planned to start her day.

 Adding insult to injury, the investigating detective is the one guy she’s never been able to forget. After seven minutes of heaven in the back seat of his car when they were teenagers, Tony Roma skipped town without so much as a thanks for the memory.

Just when Madonna thinks the present situation can’t get any worse, Tony is ordered to go undercover at the deli to ferret out a killer. Forced to work together, she vows to keep their relationship cool and professional. But with the sexy, longing looks he tosses her at every turn, Madonna’s resolve is weakening.

With Christmas drawing closer and Tony’s investigation taking an unexpected turn, Madonna is at her wit’s end. Can she really be falling for him again? And will he wind up leaving her broken hearted and alone like the last time?

Madonna is the oldest of 6 children, the five coming after her all rambunctious, obnoxious boys that she was more mother to than sister. They've made her life...interesting, to say the least.

And here's a little taste from between the first scene:

The moment I arrived at the deli I knew something was wrong.  

The back door stood opened and unlocked, two things my obsessive/compulsive father made sure never happened.  Since I was the first one to arrive every morning at the crack-ass of creation, and had to plug in the security code on the wall box in order to gain entry to the store, the door should have been locked and alarmed.

My daily bread delivery, courtesy of my cousin Regina and her bakery, sat outside the door in a large wooden crate. After grabbing it I hip checked the door wide open.

The second sign something was amiss were the lit lights in the entrance hallway. I arrived at work when it was still dark no matter if it were Daylight Savings time, or Standard, and I routinely had to fumble to find the wall switch and illuminate the back end of the deli.

Not today.

And then there was…the smell.

I’ve been around raw meat my entire life.  I grew up in my mother’s kitchen and I’ve worked in the delicatessen my father owns and operates since I was ten years old. The aroma of animal blood is as recognizable to me as my mother’s knock-off L’air du temps. Although, admittedly, mama’s perfume smells way better.

The scent filling the air this morning was…wrong.

“Hello? Is someone here?”

An eerie sense of quiet surrounded me. I put the bread crate down on the linoleum floor and crept along the corridor leading to the front of the store. I slid my hand across the wall, my huge purse positioned in front of me like Wonder Woman’s golden shield of protection.

Being the oldest of six kids and the only girl in the mix, it takes a lot to scare me.

My brothers are, each and every one of them, a pain in the ass to their cores and I’d grown up the victim of their arguably stupid shenanigans too many times to count. Cooked linguini placed in my bed to look like worms; a farting cushion placed on my chair at the dinner table; toothpaste spread on my school lunch sandwich instead of peanut butter. More times than I could remember one of them would hide in my closet then jump out at me when I least expected it. Anything and everything dumb and dumber they could think up to annoy me, they’d done. And still did to this day if they thought they could get away with it. Chronological maturity hadn’t made its way to their brains yet and they all still acted liked little boys when it came to infuriating me.

This spine tingling sense of unease rippling through me didn’t feel like one of their usual pranks.

But with my brothers, you never know.

“I swear on all that’s holy, Giacomo,” I called out, naming the brother voted most likely to do something moronic, “if this is some dumbass attempt to scare me, I’m gonna make you suffer.”

Intrigued? Hee hee. I have a publication date of 10.14.2020 so look for it soon on Goodreads, and Amazon preorder.

Have you met any of the other branches of the San Valentino tree? You can, here:

3 Wishes

A Kiss Under the Christmas Lights

Christmas & Cannolis

So, I'm off to edit Madonna's story and make sure she get's to you all on time.

If you're ever looking for me when I'm writing ( and even when I'm not) you can find me here: 

Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me// Triber// BookMe  //Watch me

Until next month, peeps ~ Peg

A Great Holiday Read by Lynn Lovegreen

It’s the time of year when people are looking for holiday romances. My friend Mercy Zephyr has written a sweet contemporary transgender romance that I really enjoyed reading. Here’s my interview with Mercy:

How did you come to write this book?

This is the first book I wrote. It was coming up on the holidays, and I felt left out of the festivities; transgender women don't exactly get written into Hallmark specials. Every Thanksgiving, there's a Thanksgiving dinner me and my husband go to for all the people in the community whose family have rejected them, so that feeling is there; Plus, a lot of us feel like we're not going to find love, and I touch on that in the book, but it's important to have hope, so I wanted to give some of that hope away to people who needed it. Not only that, but a lot of cisgender people who read it found it to be a great read and learned a lot, too.

I agree, I had fun reading it and learned a lot myself! I know you published this book, and some of our readers are interested in that process. How did that happen for you?

The story popped into my head, and I wrote it out, self-edited it, studied how to create a cover and designed it myself, then set up my web presence and published it late on Christmas Eve last year. That's a pretty terrible time to publish a Christmas story, since nobody will really notice it until after Christmas, but it took longer than I thought it would at first.

These things always do! What are your plans for future novels?

Unveiling Ms. Claus has a bit of tasteful heat in it, since so much of the book is about Amber's relationship with herself and her own body, and she just couldn't show that without taking her bits out for a spin.

Since then, I've moved to writing low heat. I've seen queer authors be stigmatized for the intensively sexualized content in their books, even when they are writing in ways that are really very tame. An M/F story with very mild sex in it, nothing graphic at all, is totally acceptable. Change the couple to two women or another LGBTQIA identity and without a single word changing, people start treating it as high heat or erotica. My next books don't even have a sex scene to be misinterpreted like that. 

I might write some more holiday pieces in the future as I get more comfortable with my production schedules, but right now, I'm working on three more books; one of them should be on Amazon by November 15th or so, give or take. That's Transpire Together, a sweet small town second chance in the shadow of the 2018 bathroom bill fight, with a trans man and a cis woman. The next one... February, I think. Also small town, friends to lovers, with a twist on a fake relationship. It is going to bring in Alaska Native representation and asexual spectrum topics, and it's a lesbian story. I want to mix things up there. 

Unveiling Ms. Claus

Doctors cannot be in relationships with their patients. Who knew how much that would hurt?

Rejected by her parents as an adult, Amber Claus is starting life anew from nothing, as a woman. When she meets a man who feels like he could be The One, things feel hopeful...until she meets him as the doctor helping her to transition. And doctors can't date patients.

But she won't need help forever, and she's earned some Christmas cheer…

Mercy Zephyr (she/her) was born and raised in the Mat-Su Valley, where her and her husband of eleven years live today. Together, they enjoy bicycling, spending time with her supportive parents, and spoiling their grandchild and each other. She is an asexual transgender woman of Athabaskan descent who transitioned alongside her husband. She writes sweet, optimistic #ownvoices romance with a spoonful of humor and a dash of grit, centering transgender and sometimes asexual characters. 

Website and Newsletter: http://www.mercyzephyr.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MercyZephyr)

https://books2read.com/ap/nzgEKJ/Mercy-Zephyr

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.

Here's to those Holly, Jolly, Holiday Reads!

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

Dear Readers:

Don’t you just love this time of year?  I know I do. There’s something about the holidays that puts me in a good mood, and makes me hopeful that the upcoming year will be even better.

When the shopping, baking (not that I bake,) and festivities are all over, there is nothing like curling up at the end of the day with a good holiday romance. As a reader, and a romance writer, I am a sucker for a good love story where love survives despite all odds.

In late December of last year, I released one those feel-good stories. It was novella 1 of The Ring Series.  This novella was titled Ring in the Holidays and of course it came with a festive cover. Do you think my cover artist did the holidays justice?  

Here’s a soundbyte of Ring in the Holiday:

It's the holiday season and Rianna Brown's friends are all 'booed up.' Rianna, a flight attendant, is the only single one left of her crowd. A long, dreary holiday season lies ahead; a season with no man. Then along comes childhood nemesis, bad boy, Stefie Davis, Stefan has grown into a knee-buckling kinda guy; the kind that would make a woman lose her panties He's an investment banker with a continental lifestyle and he's bound and determined to win Rianna' s heart if she'll let him.

But is Rianna willing to let bygones be bygones and go for it? In three weeks, Stefan will be heading out of town, and she'll be left working for an ailing airline, and single again.

Earlier this year, and intended to be another holiday romance, (meant to be released for Valentine’s, but didn’t happen,) was Ring in the Moment. This story is about a couple already in love but torn apart by a perceived betrayal.  Readers seem to love this cover. What do you think?

Here’s the soundbyte of Ring in the Moment:

Keisha Wilson gets the surprise of her life when her boyfriend, Brian O'Connor dumps her, and right before one of the biggest holidays of the year. Brian gives no explanation, and although Keisha is hurt, she has no choice but to move on. What else can she do?

Brian has never stopped loving Keisha, but he's reluctant to drag her into a mess. A past indiscretion has come back to haunt him, and until he can get that situation handled, he's in no position to make a commitment. But when Brian realizes that Keisha isn't going to sit home and mope, and he may lose her, he decides it's time to take action. 

This holiday season you’ll be able to read these two novellas, bound as one, and both for a bargain price.   Continue to check Amazon or Barnes and Noble, as it should be released Mid-November, or you can purchase them separately now at the below links:

https://amzn.to/2KcO9g5  

https://bit.ly/36Nlbgi

 https://amzn.to/2NEEUHz

 https://bit.ly/2QeKGl3

And don’t forget to Ring in the Holidays, this weekend with talented, UK Author Sue Moorcroft. Please be sure to logon to www.romancingthegenres.blogspot.com and read what she has to say. I thoroughly enjoy her humor and her books. You will too.

Have a Magical Holiday Season! Make the Ring  Series your gift to you!

Romantically Yours,

Marcia

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

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