Recommended Christmas Reads

I suspect a lot of romance readers stray outside the genre from time to time. I know I do. A good story is a good story, whatever the genre. I'd like to share a couple of my favorite Christmas books, even though they aren't romance titles.

The first is THE STORY OF THE OTHER WISE MAN by Henry Van Dyke.

Here's the blurb:

"You know the story of the Three Wise Men of the East, and how they traveled from far away to offer their gifts at the manger-cradle in Bethlehem. But have you ever heard the story of the Other Wise Man, who also saw the star in its rising, and set out to follow it, yet did not arrive with his brethren in the presence of the young child Jesus? Of the great desire of this fourth pilgrim, and how it was denied, yet
accomplished in the denial; of his many wanderings and the probations of his soul; of the long way of his seeking, and the strange way of his finding, the One whom he sought--I would tell the tale as I have heard fragments of it in the Hall of Dreams, in the palace of the Heart of Man."

I adore this story. It sweeps me away to an ancient time with beautiful language and haunting images. I weep like a child every year when I read it.

This wonderful story is apparently in public domain, so it is legal to download from Project Gutenberg. (You know what a stickler I am about piracy, so I checked this pretty closely. First copyrighted in 1896, apparently the copyright was not passed to Mr. Van Dyke's heirs.) However, if you, like me love a book to hold in your hands with beautiful illustrations and binding, THE STORY OF THE OTHER WISE MAN is available at Amazon.

Now from the sublime, to the delightfully ridiculous, let me recommend THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER by Barbara Robinson.

The story starts with "The Herdman's were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world."

Then it goes on in Grade 3-6 level vocabulary to tell the story of how one church realized, through the Herdman's participation in their annual pageant, that we're all the worst kids and Christmas happened for that very reason.

It's hysterically funny, poignant and definitely a book to be shared. I read this classic aloud with my kids, to my class when I was teaching, basically to any child who'd sit still long enough. And that's easy to find because the Herdman's highjacking of the Christmas pageant is wonderfully well-written and engaging. Snuggle up with your favorite little person and read a chapter a night this December. Memories will be made, I promise you.

Your favorite bookseller probably has it in stock, but if not, you can find it at Amazon. Happy Reading!

Your turn to share. What are your favorite Christmas books?

PS. If you want the inside scoop on a Regency style Christmas, pop over to www.emilybryan.com. I've posted 6 pages of bonus material about Christmas in 1822 on my website, but since you read my blog, you won't have to hunt for them. Just click the Christmas ball on the home page and it will take you to the first Regency Christmas page. Keep clicking on the Christmas ball image and you'll be directed to the next one and so forth. Enjoy!

Lord of Devil Isle

We interrupt all the Christmas blogging to bring you a breath of what's coming next spring!

I was popping over to my editor's blog Romantic Reads. (If you're an aspiring writer, I highly recommend you follow Leah Hultenschmidt's very informative blog!) I happened to see New York Times Bestseller Connie Mason's new cover for LORD OF DEVIL ISLE. Those of you who were at the Romantic Times Convention in Orlando last year will recognize the hunk in this "From Here to Eternity" moment. It's Charles Paz--Mr. Romance 2009!

Congrats to Charles, who's a super nice guy (which I noticed right after I noticed all those incredible muscles. Yes, ladies, he really looks like that!)

And also to Connie Mason, a grand dame of the genre! I'll be looking for LORD OF DEVIL ISLE next May! (And not just for the hunk on the cover!)

MISTLETOE RULES

Here's another Christmas title for you! MISTLETOE RULES by Stacey Joy Netzel! Stacy and I got together in cyber space the other day and had a little chat about her newest release. I'm in bold and Stacey is speaking in italics.

So, tell me. What will we love most about your hero?

Talk about a Merry Christmas...there are three heroes in Mistletoe Rules! *grin* Don't tell Eric and Derek, but Mark's my favorite because he's got a great sense of humor and is a little cocky to boot. He also has a wounded side that he hides from everyone under his happy-go-lucky attitude. Getting him to reveal it to Janelle was touching and fun at the same time.

A little cocky and yet he's got a soft underside. Love it! Where did you get the idea for Mistletoe Rules?

Mistletoe Rules started as a cute, fun story at the zoo with a couple of single parents (Eric and Marissa) chaperoning a summer school field trip. Then I introduced Eric's brother, Mark, and couldn't get the man out of my mind, so I decided to give him his own story, along with the youngest Riley sibling, Lisa. Once I decided to write all three stories, I switched it to a Christmas theme. Santa Butch and his wife Judy are named for my parents, Butch and Judy, because my dad used to play Santa for the neighbors when we were kids (older). Having a matchmaking Santa who just might be a little more than what he seems tickled my funny bone.

I did a little research and found out you like crafts! Tell us about your favorite Christmas craft.

I do love crafts. Anything 'snowman' is a hit with me. A friend of mine took one of those old glass blocks that let light in but you can't really see through, drilled a hole in the back and put in a set of colored lights, then painted a snowman on it and edged it with a plaid ribbon--it's so pretty when lit up and one of my favorite decorations. This weekend I signed books at a craft fair with Donna Marie Rogers (my co-author of another anthology, Welcome to Redemption) and it was VERY hard not to buy, buy, buy! Common sense whispered insistently "You only have so much room in the house", and since my Christmas decorations already more than fills the available surfaces, I limited myself to two new grinning snowmen. *happy grin for me*

To get you in the mood for Christmas, here's the book blurb:

MISTLETOE RULES

Christmas recipe for love—combine a matchmaking Santa, lots of mistletoe, one iron-clad rule, fated hearts; mix and stir. The Riley siblings don’t stand a chance.

Christmas in July at the zoo is the last place single parents Eric Riley and Marissa Wilder expect to find love. Thanks to a little Mistletoe Mischief in the form of their two young daughters and Santa, they discover that Mistletoe Rules are not made to be broken.

Major Mark Riley plays Court Jester to Janelle Walsh's Snow Queen at the Christmas Parade and is instantly captivated by the cute redhead whose grandpa just happens to be Santa. When Mark discovers she's the tenant he evicted from his newly purchased property, it's going to take a little bit of Santa's Mistletoe Magic to save their romance.

When Lisa Riley comes home for Mark's Christmas Eve wedding, her high school rivalry with Janelle’s cousin, Derek Walsh, picks up right where it left off, only this time Derek's got the upper hand. Santa bides his time as these two battle it out because he's waited all year for this Mistletoe Match-up.



And here's an excerpt!

Derek’s hands clenched at his side. Great. Just great, Janelle. He waited for Lisa to gleefully pounce at the opportunity to bury him again, only to be surprised by her dismayed expression.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” she said.

He should be relieved. Instead, his competitive demon demanded retribution for all the humiliation it’d endured during the old times. He’d bury her. “Why not?” he asked.

Her gaze remained locked on his cousin. “No offense, Janelle, but it seems a little silly. I mean, we’re not in high school anymore.”

Derek relaxed and fell into their old pattern with ease. “What’s the matter, Lisa, afraid you’ve lost your magic touch? Are you not up for the challenge?”

That got her. Her spine stiffened and fire gleamed in her eyes. “Of course I am.”

He fake frowned, nodded his head with understanding, and stage whispered, “I get it.”

“Get what?”

Derek glanced at their captive audience. “Nothing.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. He valiantly avoided staring at her increased cleavage. It wasn’t so hard with his grandparents and her brother watching. And her silent demand for an answer.

“I probably shouldn’t say it now. Not in front of everyone.”

Lisa’s eyes narrowed. “Please, do enlighten us—all of us.” Her condescending sarcasm stroked the blood-thirsty devil on his shoulder. Their audience of respective family members waited in expectation. Grandpa, in particular, appeared to enjoy the exchange immensely. This next part would almost make high school worth it. Derek shrugged. “Obviously, it’s me.”

“You?” She infused the single word with an appropriate amount of humorous disbelief and disdain, only she avoided looking him in the eye.

“You’re scared you can’t handle me all grown up.”

The outrageous statement produced the desired laughs—only Lisa’s sounded forced. Her right hand rose to flick her hair back over her shoulder, then smoothed down the length of her burgundy satin dress. Hmm. He hadn’t dreamed his intentional bait would be remotely close to the truth. Derek moved in for the kill. “That’s why you chickened out under the mistletoe.”

The words ‘bite me’ resounded in his head as she glared at him and took a breath to speak. He waggled his finger in the air between them. “Uh, uh. Careful.”

Lisa stepped forward and grabbed his hand. He fought to keep his expression impassive while she bent his finger back just enough to make her point. She leaned close, her breath hot on his lips as she ground out, “You’re on, buddy. I’m going to kick your butt so bad you’ll wish I’d never moved back.”

Too late for that.

Thanks for sharing, Stacey!

Additional excerpts for each story can be found at my website: www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com. (Once you've read them, you can head on over to my Contest page to answer a few questions and enter to win a prize.)

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Emily! My most sincere wishes for everyone to have a healthy, happy holiday season! I'd like to offer an e-copy of my other Christmas novella, Dragonfly Dreams, to one lucky commenter.
Merry Christmas!

Stacey

Stacey Joy Netzel lives in Northeast Wisconsin with her husband, kids, a couple horses and some barn cats. She works very part-time as a corporate travel agent and spends the rest of her free time writing contemporary romance, because Happily Ever Afters are a must.

Now it's your turn. Since we have a crafty author here today, I'd love to hear about crafty readers! What sort of special Christmas crafts do you enjoy? Oh! And today is my Chatelaine posting day, so please join me there too!

SOG

Penny Watson's SWEET INSPIRATION!

Please welcome my friend Penny Watson. Her debut title SWEET INSPIRATION just came out, but she was kind enough to give me a sneak peek. When my little dog Susie died last month, Penny sent me a copy to cheer me up. That's just the kind of giving person she is.

More about Penny: She's a native Pittsburgher whose love of romance started at the age of twelve when she discovered Gone With The Wind in the middle school library. This resulted in numerous attempts at a first novel involving a young lady with windswept hair who lived in a treehouse.

A biologist by training, Penny has worked at various times as a dolphin trainer, science teacher, florist, and turfgrass researcher (don't ask). Through it all she was a compulsive reader and collector of romance novels. After taking time off to raise her two spirited children, she decided to rekindle her passion for storytelling with the support of a wonderful writer's group, The Quirky Ladies. Now she gets to incorporate her wide array of interests, including gardening, cooking and travel into her light paranormal stories. Penny lives outside of Boston with one fly-fishing crazed husband, two lively Filipino kids, and a wiener dog.

With all that background, you'd expect wildly creative stories from her and you won't be disappointed! Here's the blurb:

SWEET INSPIRATION:

What if the legend of Santa Claus is in fact, true? What if Santa has five big strapping sons who help him run his empire? Five single, sexy sons looking for romance...

Nicholas Klaus is a master pastry chef, a strict disciplinarian, and the eldest son of the legendary Santa Claus. One look at café owner Lucy Brewster sends him into an unexpected tailspin of lusty desires. When Lucy is injured, Nicholas makes a decision that catapults both of their lives into turmoil ....

Lucy Brewster, the free-spirited proprietor of Sweet Inspiration, has a flair for concocting sugary confections but no time for adventure. She gets more than she bargained for when she awakens in the North Pole...rambunctious elves, a fitness-obsessed Santa, and the man of her dreams. Does she have what it takes to become the next Mrs. Klaus?

EXCERPT FROM SWEET INSPIRATION:
Nicholas carefully folded his coat over the back of a café chair and watched Lucy giggle with the children, as the puppy (lucky bastard) licked her face like an ice cream cone. He could barely contain his irritation.

First of all, a dog had no place in a dining establishment. What the hell was the woman thinking? Secondly, if a customer attempted a last-minute order change, Nicholas would firmly instruct him that all orders were final five days prior to the gathering. How could one efficiently run a kitchen without rules? Thirdly, and most importantly, Nicholas could smell gingerbread. Cookies. And they were burning. Lucy was oblivious. And her young assistant with the nose ring was leaning over the front counter watching the puppy, utterly clueless about the impending culinary disaster.

Nicholas tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for someone to remember the cookies. He knew by the scent that the cookies were browning, probably a bit too dark around the edges. Still waiting. Now the assistant was snuggling with the puppy, and an old man was regaling Lucy with some ridiculous story. Oh, the hell with it.
Nicholas marched into the kitchen, which was surprisingly clean, found a pair of oven mitts shaped like Laurel and Hardy, and removed the cookies from the oven. He found wire racks in a cupboard and lined them up on the counter. Although the cookies were a tad dark, they were still salvageable. Thanks to him. Using a spatula, he carefully transferred each gingerbread man to cool on the racks. He washed and dried his hands at the sink, and turned around to find Lucy and her nose-pierced assistant staring at him in disbelief.

Lucy stepped up to him, hands on her hips. “Just what do you think you’re doing in my kitchen? I don’t remember inviting you in here!” Lucy asked him incredulously.

“Yeah!” added the assistant. Clearly not the brightest bulb on the planet.

“Since you and your assistant were too busy to tend to the kitchen, and an entire order of gingerbread was about to go up in smoke, I thought I would lend a helping hand. No need to thank me.” Nicholas smiled and raised his left eyebrow in a manner his brother Sven insisted was infuriating.

“Thank you? Kandy and I are more than capable of looking after the kitchen. We do not need your help, Mr....?”

“Klaus. Nicholas Sebastian Klaus. Is your assistant really named Candy? How... charming.”

“It’s Kandy Kane, with a K, not a C. I’m a performance artist.” The young woman gave him a rather lukewarm smile.

“Fascinating.” Nicholas turned to Lucy, who looked ready to murder him. Good going, Nick, how are you supposed to seduce her now?

“I run my own kitchen up north. I assumed you wouldn’t mind a little help, since you were...momentarily distracted. Have I told you that your sugar cookies are divine? They are, truly. I was wondering if we could discuss the subtle flavor profile...”

Lucy crossed her arms, glaring at him. “Mr. Klaus, while I appreciate your concern for my cookies, I can assure you I do not need any more help in my kitchen. Why don’t you sit down with a cup of cocoa, and I’ll bring you some gingerbread cookies. Nice and dark, just the way I like them.” And then Miss Lucy Anne Brewster raised her right eyebrow in an utterly patronizing manner. Nicholas simply could not help himself. He raised his eyebrow right back. Two can play at this game.

A young man rushed into the kitchen, grabbed the performance artist and began to thrust his oddly pierced tongue into her mouth.

“Oh Kandy, can you ever forgive me? Let’s get married right now. Vegas, baby, what do you say? I want our bambino to have a daddy.” Nicholas noted that in addition to his creatively pierced face, tongue-boy also sported a nice assortment of tattoos, all of candy. Peppermints, butterscotch balls, M-and-Ms, and of course, candy canes.

“Ray, I missed you.” Miss Kane began thrusting her tongue right back at him.

Nicholas turned to Lucy. “Ray? That’s not too original.”

Lucy shrugged. “Ray, as in Ray-of-Sunshine. They’re both performance artists.” Then she turned to her assistant and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Kandy, you are forbidden to leave me right now. It’s the middle of our busiest season, and I need you. You and Ray can get married after the new year...”

“But I don’t want to wait, Miss Brewster. I love him!”

Ray licked the side of his girlfriend’s face, and both Nicholas and Lucy shuddered. “Yeah, and I got tickets for us to see Celine Dion, your favorite, honey.”

Lucy watched in disbelief as her assistant bundled up in a parka, plopped on a red Santa hat, and flew out the door with the gangly boy. Nicholas bit his tongue to keep from laughing. Served the woman right for hiring such a flake in the first place.

Leaning down close to Lucy’s ear, he whispered, “Need a new assistant? I just happen to know the perfect gentleman for the job.”

Love it!

Emily: Your hero is captivated by your heroine's sugar cookies. What gave you the idea to give your love story that "food porn" twist? ;-)

Penny: Have you ever bitten into a cookie and been enraptured by a buttery, flaky, rich heaven? One of the great things about Christmas is the magic of holiday cookies. I knew as soon as I decided to write about Santa and his five sons that one of the sons would be a baker. I am addicted to Top Chef, Iron Chef, and every other cooking reality TV show. (My daughter and I love to watch the cake decorating competitions on the Food Network. She always picks the winner!). A master pastry chef must have two dueling components to his personality...a highly disciplined, detail-oriented side, and a passionate, artistic side. I think this is a fabulous combination for a hero. And thus, Nicholas Klaus, eldest son of Santa, was born.

Emily: Stop! You're making me hungry! Tell us a little about your writing process.

Penny: Total pantser. I have no clue what's going to happen until I start writing. I am now slightly revising that by making goals for each scene as I write it. I'm allowing myself free reign, but must accomplish certain objectives, too. For me, writing is all about fun and creativity.

Emily: I hear you. So, are there more Klaus brothers stories to come?

Penny: Of course! Five Klaus Brothers = Five Books! Next year I'm hoping to release the second of the Klaus Brothers Series, called Sweet Magik. It will be Oskar Klaus' story (he's the snow-boarding, green-haired, punky hunky youngest brother).

Emily: Where can my readers get a their own SWEET INSPIRATION?

Penny: Wild Rose Press!Thanks so much, Emily, for letting me visit today. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

If you'd like to learn more, visit Penny's website. (She has a recipe section!)

White Christmas? Yay or Nay

I'm guest blogging over at InMyHumbleOpinion today, sharing an excerpt from A CHRISTMAS BALL and giving you a chance to divulge what YOU really want for Christmas! Commenters at IMHO are entered in the monthly drawing for the gift basket filled with signed books from me, Jennifer Ashley, Christie Craig, Carrie Lofty and TJ Bennett PLUS a $20 Amazon gift certificate! Hope to see you there!

When we moved to Boston in 2007, we knew we were heading back into snow country. It didn't daunt us. We've wintered in Iowa where "white-outs" can make it impossible to see the house across the street. In Minneapolis, where wind chill is the big story. In Wyoming where the wind howls like a demon and in Park City, Utah where snow starts falling in late October and doesn't leave completely till late May. (No joke. We had 12 mortal feet of the white excrement to deal with that year, but I should have expected it since Park City is an international ski destination!)

We know how to do snow.

And we know we'd rather not unless we have to. So we arranged our life in New England so we can enjoy looking at the white stuff, but don't have to do anything with it unless we want to. Our condo has staff that takes care of the sidewalks. We live a short walk to the Boston T. If we don't want to drive in the snow, we don't. But we can make snowmen in the park, watch our terrier leap from drift to drift, and appreciate the frozen beauty of the Mystic River.

So this week when our condo staff staked out put out the waist high sticks (and oh, yeah, the snow can get that deep here) to indicate where the walks should be shoveled, I started humming "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Do you live in snow country? Have a blizzard story to share? I remember one time in NC we got 8 inches and it shut down the city for a week! Do you dream of a "white Christmas?"

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Readers have been flocking to my website since the announcement of the Merry Christmas Ball Contest at the beginning of October. Thank you all for entering and signing up for my newsletter. I'll always send you something fun!

Today I'm thrilled to announce that we have a WINNER! Congratulations to Tonya of Taylor, Michigan! Your $100 B&N gift card is on its way!

To everyone else, may I offer a free read as a consolation gift? Click here for A Dragon Caern Christmas. It's Christmas Eve with the characters of PLEASURING THE PIRATE and VEXING THE VISCOUNT. Plus, a new contest is starting on my website today! (All my contests are exclusively for my newsletter subscribers--don't worry! no purchase necessary!--but be sure you click the confirmation email you receive when you sign up and add my newsletter to your list of trusted senders.)

When I researched A CHRISTMAS BALL, I ran into lots of fun facts about having a Regency Christmas. I revamped my website and tucked in 6 bonus pages about how the holiday was celebrated in 1822. For example, we start in on our Christmas around October (at least that's what retailers want us to do!) In the regency, celebrating Christmas ran from December 24th (and not a day sooner!) to Twelfth Night (the eve of Epiphany.)

I share about Regency decorating for the holidays, special foods, games, traditions, and all about the heart of the 12 days spent celebrating. Every time you see one of these Christmas balls on www.emilybryan.com, click on the image to find the special page. (Of course, you can always check my site map if you don't want spend time surfing for the hidden pages!)

And be sure to pop back here each day throughout December. I have lots of guests lined up so there'll be plenty of prizes and fun! If you're wondering what to get the romance readers in your life, may I suggest a signed copy of A CHRISTMAS BALL at 10% off?

I always put up my Christmas tree and all the trimmings on the day after Thanksgiving. How do you kick off the holiday season?