writing blog
Christmas in July Reader Giveaway: Dangerous Christmas Memories
Happy Christmas in July! Welcome to the first blog in this Christmas in July Reader Giveaway, which runs July 12-23, 2021. At the bottom of each author’s blog post, you will find the secret words. Write them all down and provide the provide the entire answer on this Google form. See below for a list with links of all participating authors!
Note: You must grab all the secret words from every author in the Christmas in July Reader Giveaway to be eligible to win a $400 Amazon gift card. At the end of this blog post is a link to the next blog, and so on, to the final blog post (20 in all). At each blog stop, the author will also give away copy or copies of their featured Christmas book.
What makes Christmas Christmas to you? Is it a decorated tree? The month of December? The sight of presents piled high on Christmas morning? The smell of cinnamon and pine trees? A Christmas song or carol? The sight of a nativity? The gathering of your loved ones? A family tradition?
In Dangerous Christmas Memories, my heroine hasn’t had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with family for years because she’s in witness protection. That made me sad because celebrating Christmas should be an occasion filled with joy, not sorrow.
But I didn’t start out writing the story with Christmas in mind. My original time period for Dangerous Christmas Memories wasn’t early December—it was early November. So when my editor asked me to “add some Christmas” to the story, at first I was flummoxed on how to give the story a Christmasy flavor while staying true to the characters. I had to really think about how to convey Christmas in a story that didn’t allow for many of those kinds of interactions.
Because of the storyline of a couple constantly on the move, I put in more subtle touches to show it was December. For example, a bus driver wears a Santa hat, while one character admires the holiday light display in a neighborhood. The book ends close to December 25 with the character discussing their own Christmas celebrations.
For me personally, Christmas is the smell of a fresh pine tree (no artificial trees in our house!), the scent of something sweet baking in the oven, and the sound of Christmas songs playing on the radio. I also love a crisp, cold night with the stars shining brightly and the air still with anticipation of celebration of our Savior’s birth. On Christmas morning, I love hearing the story of Jesus’s birth read from the Gospel of Matthew or Luke, and remembering how precious that gift was to us.
Dangerous Christmas Memories
A witness in jeopardy…and a killer on the loose.
Hiding in witness protection is the only option for Priscilla Anderson after witnessing a murder. Then Lucas Langsdale shows up claiming to be her husband right when a hit man finds her. With partial amnesia, she has no memory of her marriage or the killer’s identity. Yet she will have to put her faith in Luc if they both want to live to see another day.
For a chance to win one of three print copies of Dangerous Christmas Memories (US/Canadian addresses only, please), tell me what makes Christmas Christmas to you in the blog comments.
Now, it’s time to for the secret words: Want to keep Christ
Save the secret words, and when you reach the final blog, enter all the secret words on this form for a chance to win a $400 Amazon gift cards!
Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Jill Kemerer and her Christmas book The Cowboy’s Christmas Blessings. You can find it at this link. Remember, this Christmas in July Reader Giveaway will end on July 23 at 8 PM EST!
Here’s a list of all participating authors with their links, just in case something goes wonky. Enjoy!
- Sarah Hamaker https://sarahhamakerfiction.com/2021/07/10/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway-dangerous-christmas-memories/
- Jill Kemerer https://jillkemerer.com/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Dennis Bailey https://dennisbaileyfiction.com/2021/07/08/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- PeggySue Wells https://singlemomcircle.com/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Terri Weldon https://terriweldon.com/blog/
- Jennifer Chastain https://jenniferchastain.com/2021/07/11/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Laurie Wood: https://lauriewoodauthor.com/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway-northern-hearts-heroes-of-the-tundra-novella/
- Carol Stratton https://www.carolgstratton.com/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Terri Reed http://www.terrireed.com/2021/07/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway.html
- Anne Green http://anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com/
- Pam Green https://pamgreenwrites.com/2021/07/11/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Izzy James https://enotsilent.wordpress.com/2021/07/11/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Nancy J. Farrier https://nancyjfarrier.com/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Dana Mentink https://dmentink.wordpress.com/2021/07/10/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Hallee Bridgeman https://www.halleebridgeman.com/christmas-in-july
- Susan Lyttek https://sajlyttek.com/blog/1526-Christmas-in-July-Reader-Giveaway?sel=1-0
- Zoe McCarthy https://zoemmccarthy.com/activities/christmas-in-july-reader-give-away
- Sherry Kyle https://www.sherrykyle.com/forever-yours-this-christmas-christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
2020 Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin: Mistletoe & Murder
Merry Christmas! Welcome to the next blog in this Christmas Round-Robin! At each author’s blog post, you will find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Provide the answer at this Google Form. Note: You must answer the questions for every author in the round -robin to be considered to win Amazon Gift cards in $350 first place, $250 second place and $150 third place. At the end of my post is a link to the next blog, who will provide a link to the next blog, etc., to the very end.
Let me introduce you to my Christmas novella, Mistletoe & Murder. I enjoyed writing a this romantic suspense story with a Cyrano de Bergerace storyline. 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! My daughter, a high school senior, loves the movie, “You’ve Got Mail,” which is one of many iterations of that storyline.
In Mistletoe & Murder, the letters happened offstage, and are only referenced as part of the background of the current happenings. Here’s more about the plot of Mistletoe & Murder:
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?
Now, it’s time to continue the scavenger hunt! Go to the book on Amazon at this link. What is the name of the town? When you have the answer, fill out this form and head on to the next blog!
Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Lisa Prysock, who is telling us all about her Christmas book A New Heart. You can find it at this link. Remember, the round-robin will end on December 12th at 11:59 PM EST
Mistletoe & Murder Excerpt
Here’s an audio excerpt from Mistletoe & Murder.
