2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway
Thank you to all who participated in this blog tour & giveaway. Our winners are:
Grand Prize: Kimberly S.
First Prize: Phyllis H.
Happy Christmas in July! Welcome to the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway, which runs July 15-22, 2022 (contest closes at 8 p.m. Eastern on 7/22). At the bottom of each author’s blog post, you will find the name of a Christmas song. Write them all down and provide the provide all song titles (26 in total) on this Google form. See below for a list with links of all participating authors or stop by each blog for the next author link!
Note: You must grab all the song titles from every author in the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway to be eligible to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card, plus a copy of each participating author’s book OR first place prize of a copy of each participating author’s book. At the end of this blog post is a link to the next blog, and so on, to the final blog post (26 authors in all).
The weather and letters played a large part in my Christmas novella, Mistletoe & Murder. First the weather, because isn’t that the topic of conversation we often start with when meeting new acquaintances? I set the story in the fictitious town of Twin Oaks, placed in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Being in the South, Virginia weather at Christmastime can be unpredictable, but not in the way winter weather is unpredictable elsewhere. No, here in the Old Dominion, we’ve had Christmas Day highs in the 70s and snow on rare occasions. Often, the entire month of December can be rather mild, with temperatures not dipping below forty. I used that local knowledge (I’m a Virginia born and raised and lived in the state nearly my entire life) in my story to show why a particular plant would still be green in December when in other parts of the country, it would already died for the season.
Now the letters. I incorporated a Cyrano de Bergerace storyline as an integral part of the plot. As a writer, I’ve always been intrigued by the story of two people falling in love through letters. When my husband and I were dating, we wrote a lot of emails back and forth—one of the modern-day equivalent of letters! One of my daughters loves the movie, “You’ve Got Mail,” which is one of many iterations of the Cyrano de Bergerace. There was even a recent musical called “Cyrano” too. In Mistletoe & Murder, the letters happened offstage, and are only referenced as part of the background of the current happenings.
Here’s more about Mistletoe & Murder. Don’t forget to grab the song title and enjoy the rest of your tour.
Alec Stratman comes home to Twin Oaks, Virginia, after his Army retirement to contemplate his reentry into civilian life. Instead he’s greeted with the murder of his beloved Great-Aunt Heloise.
For Isabella Montoya, the loss of Heloise Stratman Thatcher goes beyond the end of a job. Heloise had encouraged Isabella to follow her dreams and helped fund her studies. Now, accused of her mentor’s murder, Isabella is scrambling to prove her innocence.
Since his great-aunt had written glowing letters about Isabella, Alec is unwilling to believe the police’s suspicion of the former housekeeper. Instead, he works to help clear her name.
Will Isabella and Alec be able to navigate the secrets that threaten to derail their budding romance and uncover the truth about Heloise’s death before the killer strikes again?
I’d love to hear what the weather’s usually like on Christmas for you! Tell me in the blog comments.
Now, it’s time to for my Christmas song title: Silver Bells
Save the holiday song titles from each of the 26 blog stops, and when you reach the final blog, enter all the song titles on this form for a chance to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card and a copy of each participating author’s featured book OR first prize of a copy of each participating author’s featured book.
Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Jill Kemerer and her Christmas book The Prodigal’s Holiday Hope. You can find it at this link. Remember, the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway ends July 22 at 8 PM EST!
Participating Authors
Sarah Hamaker https://sarahhamakerfiction.com/2022/07/14/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour-giveaway/
Jill Kemerer https://jillkemerer.com/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour-giveaway/
Kari Trumbo https://karitrumbo.com/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour-giveaway/
Paula Peckham https://paulapeckham.com/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour-and-giveaway/
Tina Radcliffe https://www.tinaradcliffe.com/2022christmasinjulyreaderblogtour
Jennifer Chastain https://jenniferchastain.com/2022/07/14/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour-giveaway/
Louise M. Gouge https://louisemgougeauthor.blogspot.com/
Katy Lee https://infulllight.blogspot.com/2022/07/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour.html
Zoe McCarthy https://zoemmccarthy.com/activities/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour–giveaway
Tracy Fredrychowski https://tracyfredrychowski.com/christmas-in-july/
Kathy McKinsey https://www.kathymckinsey.com/2022/07/christmas-in-july.html
Donna Schlachter https://donnaschlachter.com/welcome-to-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour
Anne Greene http://anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com/
Pam Hillman http://www.pamhillman.com/holidays/christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour/
Linda Wood Rondeau https://lindarondeau.com/snarksensibility/1617-CHRISTMAS-IN-JULY-READER-BLOG-TOUR–GIVEAWAY?sel=1-
Danielle Grandinetti https://daniellegrandinetti.com/2022/07/14/christmas-in-july-blog-tour-and-giveaway/
Narelle Atkins https://www.narelleatkins.com/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour–giveaway/
Izzy James https://enotsilent.wordpress.com/2022/07/15/christmas-in-july-blog-tour-and-giveaway/
Terri Reed https://www.terrireed.com/
Amy Anguish https://abitofanguish.weebly.com/writing/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour-giveaway
B.D. Lawrence https://bdlawrence.com/articlesbybdlawrence/christmas-in-july-blog-tour/
Susan Lyttek https://sajlyttek.com/blog/1580-Christmas-in-July-2022?sel=1-
Lenora Worth https://askelnora.com/2022/07/14/christmas-in-july-blog-hop
Nancy Naigle https://www.nancynaigle.com/2022christmasinjulybloghop
Michelle Medlock Adams https://michellemedlockadams.com/gift-reading-christmas-july-blog-tour-giveaway
Ann Brodeur https://brodeurwrites.org/2022-christmas-in-july-reader-blog-tour-giveaway/
Christmas in July: Blog Tour and Giveaway | enotsilent
July 14, 2022 @ 12:57 pm
[…] song. Write them all down and provide all song titles (26 in total) on this Google form. Click here for a list of all participating authors and their […]
July 16, 2022 @ 8:25 pm
I love a good book. It helps me forget all my troubles. ♥️
July 21, 2022 @ 8:56 am
Me too!
July 17, 2022 @ 1:30 pm
Living in Massachusetts the perfect Christmas weather is softly falling snowflakes so that the weather outside makes you feel like you are in the center of a snow globe. Unfortunately, the weather here is unpredictable as well. Sometimes it is sunny on Christmas and cool, sometimes sunny with a balmy warmth, and sometimes it rains. Despite the weather outside it is always merry inside.
July 21, 2022 @ 8:55 am
I agree RE snow globe Christmas!
July 15, 2022 @ 2:05 pm
I grew up in Southern Illinois and still live there. When I was a little girl we used to get loads of snow and I remember building forts and tunnels in snow that went past my knees. Now we barely get a dusting or two with a very rare snowfall that’s deep enough to build a snowman.
July 21, 2022 @ 8:58 am
I’d rather have a lot of snow than a little too. We had a huge snow in 2010, I think, and my kids built wonderful snow forts and tunnels.
July 15, 2022 @ 5:57 pm
I grew up in Florida and always wanted to see the snow, and now I live in Kentucky and I miss the warmer weather around Christmas time. It freezes here during winter!
July 21, 2022 @ 8:57 am
Sometimes, we can’t decide what we like weather-wise, can we?
July 16, 2022 @ 7:45 pm
It’s usually cold with a possibility of snow, but last year was warm for December.
July 21, 2022 @ 8:57 am
Maybe this year you’ll have snow!
July 16, 2022 @ 7:50 pm
I love a white Christmas but in my area of WV it’s hit or miss so I’m very happy when it’s a white one! ❤️
July 21, 2022 @ 8:57 am
West Virginia is so lovely, I can imagine how pretty it is with snow.
July 16, 2022 @ 7:51 pm
I live in the southwest corner of Virginia so I agree with your description of Virginia December weather. It stayed colder longer this year though, into late May.
July 21, 2022 @ 8:56 am
I know, right? We’ve had some very cold springs the last couple of years…the right into hot and humid weather.
July 16, 2022 @ 9:19 pm
Here in west Texas sometimes we get snow on Christmas and sometimes we don’t , I do love it when we do get snow on Christmas.
July 21, 2022 @ 8:56 am
Oh, I didn’t realize some parts of Texas get snow on Christmas.
July 17, 2022 @ 12:02 pm
The weather here in Southern California well it varies. Sometimes we have chilly and rainy Christmas. Sometimes warm and sunny Christmas.
July 21, 2022 @ 8:55 am
But never snow, right?
July 19, 2022 @ 8:02 am
Here in Ohio, the weather usually varies on Christmas; once in awhile we have a big snow, but most of the time there’s a light dusting of snow on the ground and trees. It’s beautiful to look out and see it.
Thank for participating in this fun, thoughtful and generous Giveaway with all the other authors.
July 21, 2022 @ 8:55 am
Oh, I’m jealous you get some snow at Christmas! I love it when we get a white Christmas, which is very rare in Virginia.
July 20, 2022 @ 6:49 pm
Being from the South myself I understand the warm December point. But, seriously, I would pick a warm Christmas over a foot of snow anytime.
July 21, 2022 @ 8:54 am
Not me, I love cold weather…but only in spurts, LOL.
July 21, 2022 @ 2:55 pm
I always like to see a white Christmas but where I live in Ohio it varies!
July 21, 2022 @ 3:10 pm
Me too but I can’t recall the last time we had a white Christmas.