Winter Blogfest: Joanne Guidoccio

December 30, 2019 By 10 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a free eBook of A Season for Killing Blondes.

Francesca’s Chocolate Snowballs

Scalilli. Turdilli. Crostoli. Grispelle. Biscotti. Pizzelle. I have fond memories of all those Italian desserts my mother and grandmother prepared during the Christmas season. They would start baking early in December and then make more batches as the month progressed.

While I enjoyed partaking, I was not overly thrilled with the amount of work involved. In fact, delicious and labor intensive would be two apt descriptions for many of the entrées and desserts that emerged from my mother’s kitchen.

One Christmas in the early 1970s, my mother presented a different kind of dessert. She placed a dish filled with unusual shapes on the table and said, “Help yourself to a snowball.”

A dessert that didn’t end in a vowel…definitely a mangiacake food!

*Definition of mangiacake: From Italian mangiare to eat + cake, apparently with dismissive reference to the type of food regarded as typically favored by non-Italians in Canada.

But there was nothing dismissive about those snowballs. Delicious and easy-to-prepare, Francesca’s Chocolate Snowballs became part of our family’s Christmas tradition.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

4 ounces Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp milk
2 cups icing sugar
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
¼ tsp vanilla
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3 cups Kraft miniature marshmallows
2 cups coconut (amount may vary)

Directions

  1. Combine softened cream cheese and milk until well blended.
  2. Gradually add sugar.
  3. Melt chocolate and add to mixture.
  4. Stir in vanilla and salt.
  5. Fold in marshmallows.
  6. Drop rounded teaspoons of the mixture in coconut and toss until well covered.
  7. Place on baking sheet.
  8. Chill for 24 hours or until firm.

Makes 36 snowballs

Hours before the opening of her career counseling practice, Gilda Greco discovers the dead body of golden girl Carrie Ann Godfrey, neatly arranged in the dumpster outside her office. Gilda’s life and budding career are stalled as Detective Carlo Fantin, her former high school crush, conducts the investigation.

When three more dead blondes turn up all brutally strangled and deposited near Gilda’s favorite haunts, she is pegged as a prime suspect for the murders. Frustrated by Carlo’s chilly detective persona and the mean girl antics of Carrie Ann’s meddling relatives, Gilda decides to launch her own investigation. She discovers a gaggle of suspects, among them a yoga instructor in need of anger management training, a lecherous photographer, and fourteen ex-boyfriends.

As the puzzle pieces fall into place, shocking revelations emerge, forcing Gilda to confront the envy and deceit she has long overlooked.

A member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and Romance Writers of America, Joanne Guidoccio writes cozy mysteries, paranormal romances, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario.

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Winter Blogfest: Laura Strickland

December 30, 2019 By 5 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of the Holiday novella ebook, Northern Magic, a love story set at the North Pole.

A Dose of Good Will

Whether you look forward to the holidays all year, or dread them as a time of hectic shopping frenzies and awkward family gatherings, I think everyone can agree, they bring us together. For better or worse, we gather for parties, dinners, and gift exchanges. At these moments, we reach for good will.

I don’t know about you, but given the past year, I’m ready for a dose of good will—a big, warm, fuzzy one. Though I always do my best to avoid political discussion, I will say it grieves me to see how divided our nation has become. Hate and ugliness seem to have joined hands and surfaced from the deep, dark cave into which we banished them on our long walk from the ‘60s forward. It doesn’t matter who you support, or whose side you’re on, anger rules the day.

I believe it’s time for some peace, love and good will toward all to surface. I’m ready for that holiday feeling—the one that grips you when you’re driving your car through the neighborhood and see those first twinkling lights on a neighbor’s house.  The one that urges you to patiently hold the shop door open for that woman toting three kiddies and an armful of packages. The feeling prompted by the sound of jingly songs on the radio, the scent of newly-baked cookies in the air, and a big tree going up in the town square. 

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Meghan Martin fears it’s going to be a lean Christmas. Since her husband, Dustin, abandoned her and their six-year-old daughter, Angie, she’s been forced to give up their cozy house in the suburbs and move to a small apartment in the city. Though she loves the multicultural flavor of the new neighborhood and how people help each other, she fears she won’t be able to make all Angie’s Christmas wishes come true, especially when Angie falls in love with an expensive, hand-made doll in the toy maker’s shop downstairs.
Now mysterious things are going on at the community center where Meghan works. Instead of too few packages beneath the giving tree, there are too many, and nobody can tell how they’re arriving. Could it be a touch of Christmas magic?
Jonas Kristensen has been making toys for children a long time, but when he sees Angie’s longing for the doll he’s made, it touches his heart, just like Meghan’s beauty and determination. Used to giving to others, he’s nearly stopped hoping for his own happiness. It’s been ages since he shared the secret of his magic with anyone. Will this be the year the toy maker receives a gift of his own?

Multi award-winning author Laura Strickland delights in time traveling to the past and searching out settings for her books, be they Historical Romance, Steampunk or something in between. Her first Scottish Historical hero, Devil Black, battled his way onto the publishing scene in 2013, and the author never looked back. Nor has she tapped the limits of her imagination. Venturing beyond Historical and Contemporary Romance, she created a new world with her ground-breaking Buffalo Steampunk Adventure series set in her native city, in Western New York. Married and the parent of one grown daughter, Laura has also been privileged to mother a number of very special rescue dogs, and is intensely interested in animal welfare. These days while she’s writing, you can always find her latest rescue, Lacy, nearby. Her love of dogs, and her lifelong interest in Celtic history, magic and music, are all reflected in her writing. Laura’s mantra is Lore, Legend, Love, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

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Winter Blogfest: Laura M. Baird

December 27, 2019 By 11 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of Rory’s Christmas Angel, delivered via Amazon. 

Appreciating the Little Things

My first Christmas away from home and family was spent in Honduras while serving in the U. S. Army. I did rotations of temporary duty there, and when I realized I’d be there for the holiday, it struck me that this was my life now. No longer would I have the easy ability to return home for every holiday, birthday, or anniversary.

I also realized that we (as in my fellow servicemen and women) were a family of sorts and were going to have the best holiday we could while away from our true family. After all, we signed up for this and had to make the most of it. Luckily, my closest friend was also on the same rotation, and I was oh so happy we’d be spending the time together. 

Our conditions were pretty simple, living in what were basically shacks. I liked to think of them as rustic cabins. We had a mess hall (our version of a cafeteria) along with a small store where we could purchase items sent down from the states. Having fresh bread and soda was an actual luxury! Within our officers’ section, they had a simple kitchen set-up that only they were allowed to utilize. However, an exception was made when I proposed cooking the holiday meal for our intimate group of enlisted personnel and officers.

Knowing when the next transport would be arriving, I made a “shopping list” a few friends state-side took care of, sending down not only food items, but decorations as well. We turned our tropical setting into a holiday spectacle with Christmas trees, cardboard snowmen, and plenty of silver garland; right down to our military-issued green socks for stockings being hung from the rails on our wooden porches with candy canes nestled inside.
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When it came time for our holiday dinner, I took pride in being able to cook a traditional feast consisting of turkey, dressing, potatoes, and vegetables. (I’m certain we had some sort of dessert, but honestly can’t remember if it was pumpkin pie or other.) 

Once the meal was ready, I was asked to say a prayer (being the facilitator of the event) and readily thanked God for all he provided us, including the bond we shared in our time together. It was a memorable holiday indeed, making the most of what we had and who we had around us. And I for one know that when I spent subsequent holidays and time with family and friends, I simply enjoyed the gatherings; uncaring of fancy dishes or the number of presents under the tree. For me it was about quality time together.

Frankie Chandler left the Navy to become a rural veterinarian while also helping raise her nephew. State Trooper Rory Sanders is raising his daughter after the death of his wife. Neither is looking for love, but fate has a way of intervening.

Wife, mother, grandmother; veteran, dental hygienist, romance author. I write what I enjoy – contemporary romance with humor, emotion, and always a happily-ever-after. When not writing or reading, I’m enjoying time with family in the Pacific Northwest and dreaming of worldly travel with my husband.

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Winter Blogfest: Ellen Mint

December 27, 2019 By 5 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an ebook copy of Pride & Pancakes..

Hot Cocoa Pancakes!

People always start these recipe blog posts with a meandering story no one reads, so here goes:

One December 25th, I was trapped in a cave as a wild Yeti prowled the mountainside. He’d snapped my climbing gear, leaving me stranded with only a snuggie to wrap around my shoulders. Starving, I ripped into the stack of presents I’d been trying to leave for all the good little mountain gnomes and winter fairies. But seeing as how I faced being dinner for an abominable snowman (who did much less singing than cartoons had led me to believe) I needed them more.

All I found was a hand wrapped skillet, in no way a passive-aggressive gift, a pancake mix stuffed inside an oven mitt, and three packets of hot cocoa without the marshmallows. While, as everyone knows, that is the worst kind of hot cocoa, I instantly had an idea on how to survive the freezing Yeti attacks.

Hot Cocoa…you already know what I’m making. You read the headline.

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking

powder

1/2 teaspoon baking

soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 packets hot coca

1 1/4 cup milk

1 egg

4 tablespoons melted 

butter

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topping

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cocoa mix in a bowl.

2. In another bowl, whisk together butter, milk, and the egg. Add a little vanilla if you wish.

3. Stir the flour mixture into the milk until both are wet with some lumps.

4. Heat skillet to medium. Pour batter and cook until some bubbles appear on the top, usually about two minutes. Flip to cook for another two minutes.  

5. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

As the delectable scent of pancakes frying on the skillet combined with the rich chocolate from the hot cocoa danced through the air, I heard a deadly growl. The yeti began to paw at the rocks that I’d once thought were unmovable. Apparently, Yetis didn’t know the meaning of the word impossible. Or the meaning of any other word because they don’t speak English.

Grabbing the delectable pancakes, I leaped deeper into the cave when a massive head poked in. Snow drenched its scraggly white fur, horns of an undead gray scratching along the rocks as two eyes of coal hunted through the darkness. In that moment, pity for this massive creature overtook me. Here he was, his hair matted with ice and snow, his poor horns scraped on the ends, wasting his Christmas night hunting for what he saw as an invader of his mountain.

With my heart in my throat, I extended the plate of pancakes. Hot steam snorted from his nostrils smoking so thick through the air I lost sight of him. A giant paw with two-inch claws picked at the pancakes. Impaling them deeply upon his nails, he hoisted the fluffy chocolate griddlecakes up into the air and inhaled them in one big gulp.

I held my breath, terrified that once he finished with dessert, he’d turn on me.

The yeti’s massive black tongue lolled around his mouth, licking down giant fangs before the turned to me. Pulling the lips back in a terrifying rictus he said, “Damn, that’s good.”

If this holiday season, you find yourself trapped in a cave (or a house thanks to a blizzard), and have a packet of hot cocoa and pancakes at hand, why not give hot cocoa pancakes a try?

When Beth Cho is tasked with interviewing elusive musician Tristan Harty, it’s hate at first sight. Despite his sapphire eyes and lithe frame, he’s got to be the most infuriating man on the planet.

Tristan Harty is already sick of reporters and this one is proving no different. Sure, she might be adorable with her ebony hair and big brown eyes. But her incessant need to dig into his past is dragging on his last nerve.

The bickering duo vow never to meet again, but Mother Nature has other plans for them, trapping them in a Vermont cabin via a blizzard. The more Beth learns about the aristocratic Tristan, the harder it is for her to keep her professional distance, just as Tristan discovers a familiar heart beating in the beautiful reporter’s heart.

But what happens when the snowstorm’s over, and the melted Tristan and enamored Beth are free to leave? Can their reluctant attraction bloom into a deeper love with the thaw of their judgmental ice. Pride & Pancakes is a sweet yet steamy contemporary story inspired by Pride & Prejudice.

Ellen Mint adores the adorkable heroes who charm with their shy smiles and heroines that pack a punch. She has a needy black lab named after Granny Weatherwax from Discworld. Sadly, her dog is more of a Magrat.

Her first two books, Undercover Siren and Fever are available in both ebook and paperback. Gettin’ Lucky and Reefcake are two of her newest paranormals in the Wild Ménage series. Her next book Pride & Pancakes is to be released by Totally Bound. Look for it Christmas 2019.

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Winter Blogfest: Stacey Wilk

December 27, 2019 By 24 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $15 Amazon Gift Card.

Holiday Traditions

I love dessert. It’s my favorite meal. In fact, if I could eat sweets instead of real food, I would. My sweet tooth lends itself to my fancy for baking. If you ask me to bake you anything, I will. If you ask me to make you dinner, my skin starts to crawl, my eye twitches and suddenly the idea of cutting the grass with a pair of scissors becomes very appealing.

Christmastime provides me a good excuse to stretch my baking wings. All the possible cookie choices! Some years I make more than others, but every year I make Tarallis. Those are Italian buttery cookies my family has made for decades. The Tarallis are a popular southern Italy cookie (my baking family is from Calabria) and can be made in varying ways. Understand that my way is best. That’s why I won’t link you to someone else’s site about them. So, if you’re interested in learning more about these or other Italian cookies, you’re on your own this time.

Why are mine the best? Because of my grandfather. Pop-Pop was a baker by trade and an excellent one. (I’m not showing favoritism either. Anyone who ate his pastries and cakes would have told you the same.) He was also one of my favorite people in the whole world. He taught me how to bake. (Among other things like how to drive and to stay away from boys. Though I didn’t listen on that last one.) He taught me to bake by marching over, assessing my progress, grabbing whatever was in my hand and saying in his heavy Italian accent only strangers heard and with complete love, “What are you doing? Let me do that.” That was when I took a step back and handled the clean-up.

I lost him twenty years ago. Christmas and those Tarallis give me an excuse to bake and when I bake, I feel like I’m spending time with him. He is the person I think of as I crack an egg, or line a pan with parchment paper, or make sure I stir in only one direction. I don’t like to let this time of year go by without baking something. If I had my way, he’d be baking with me (though he’d be 98 now. Not sure how much baking he’d be doing.) But having him to bake with now, is not the way the story goes. Instead, my holiday tradition has been to bake in his memory and hopefully the results would do him proud.

What are your holiday traditions? What makes your holiday complete? Who do you share them with?

Twenty-five years ago, Savannah Savage-Montgomery spoke four little words that sent her first love running. Forced to get on with her life, she met another man, married him, and raised a family. Now her past has returned, and JT’s presence threatens to unhinge the emotional façade she constructed.​JT Davies left Heritage River as the least likely to succeed, but he’s back and ready to prove his worth, especially to the only woman he’s ever loved. He’ll start by winning the catering spot for the town’s anniversary event. But the problem is he’ll have to push Savannah out to do it. ​​Savannah wants to protect her reputation and her late husband’s memory, but she can’t stay away from JT. She will be forced to choose between a happy family, a successful business, and the only man who ever made her feel like herself.
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Stacey Wilk wrote her first novel in middle school to quiet the characters in her head. It was that or let them out to eat the cannolis, and she wasn’t sharing her grandfather’s Italian pastries.
Many years later her life took an adventurous turn when she gave birth to two different kinds of characters. She often sits in awe of their abilities to roll their eyes, stay-up all hours of the night, and misplace everything. She does share the cannolis with them for fear of having her fingers bitten off.
Because of the extraordinary characters in her home, including a king who surfaces after dark and for coffee, she writes novels in multiple genres about family, home, and second chances.
When she’s not creating stories in make-believe places, she can be found hanging with the cast members of her house or teaching others how to make make-believe worlds of their own.

Stop by for a visit and make sure to bring some cannolis. www.staceywilk.com Or her private Facebook group for her amazing readers – Stacey’s Novel Family https://bit.ly/2FK8Lae Or her newsletter – https://bit.ly/2A0jEFk

 

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Winter Blogfest: January Bain

December 26, 2019 By 17 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $15 gift certificate from Amazon..

What is the Perfect Story for Christmas?

Christmas is truly my favorite time of the year! And this year it has even more special
meaning than usual because I’m going to write my very own Christmas story set in Sweetwater, North Dakota and Joy’s All Things Christmas Shoppe! So of course, I had to watch ALL the Hallmark movies on tv that thankfully are shown every hour by the hour, looking for the inspiration for the perfect story. I’ve been thrilled with stories of small-town heroes, small-town celebrations, and best of all, lonely people finding and helping each other during the magic that is Christmas. I’ve watched the heroine and hero fall in love over coffee, and Christmas tree decorating, over Christmas Pageants, and racing about solving a scavenger hunt, during cookie making and crafting gingerbread houses, and over the simple pleasure of sitting before the fire together, eating popcorn and watching a Christmas movie. And after watching oodles and oodles of them, I’ve come to the conclusion there is no one perfect story, but hundreds of them! All entrancing you with the magic of the season. And on that note, I wish all of you the very best and may you live your own perfect Xmas story, whether in real life or through the pages of a book, and be blessed with the gift that is Christmas.

Fondest regards,
January Bain
Storyteller
(and writing from a very small town in Canada)


Charm McCall, armed with a library full of Agatha Christie stories and her unique witchy gifts, knows how to solve a small-town murder…
Charm McCall, the oldest of the McCall triplets by a whole day—or one minute before midnight if one’s being picky—is the designated driver for her whole town. Why, if it wasn’t for her, Snowy Lake would incinerate or fall into Hudson’s Bay. With her unique abilities, she’s all set to keep her family and town safe and on its proper course.
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Charm knows just what to do. What’s breaking a few laws if she can sleuth out the culprit? She knows the people of Snowy Lake better than any new lawman possibly could. So why can’t he just leave her be to get on with things?
And why does he have to be so darn hot?

 

I think I’ve wished on every falling star, every blown-out birthday candle, and every coin thrown in a fountain to be a storyteller. And I know where it all began! I was blessed by being read to by my mom every night at bedtime. 🙂
I love spending hundreds of hours researching the unusual and the mundane to create books that feature strong, kickass women, hot complicated men who aren’t afraid to take risks, and wild adventures full of twists and turns.
You can find me hard at work every morning without fail in my office with a furry baby trying to prove she does a better job of guarding the universe than anyone.
I enjoy talking books, so please connect on Facebook!

 

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Winter Blogfest: Mariah Lynne

December 26, 2019 By 12 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an e-book copy of SHADOWS ACROSS TIME.

It Sure Is a Wonderful Life

SAMSUNG

That magical time of year for family, turkey, greetings, and carols is here. Holiday movies will soon prevail on TV. I can’t lie. I love to watch them all, but one black and white movie that opened in theaters in 1946 is my favorite. “It’s A Wonderful Life” has always stood out in my mind and heart because of its beautiful message.

The lead character George Bailey is a kind man who has spent his entire life helping his neighbors in Bedford Falls. He always wanted to travel but never had the opportunity. He had to take over the family business and by doing so, tries to prevent the rich greedy Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents Potter from doing that is George’s modest Mortgage and Loan Company, which was founded by his generous father. But one Christmas Eve, George’s Uncle Billy loses the business’s $8,000 in cash (which back then was a fortune) while intending to deposit the money in the bank. The greedy Mr. Potter discovers the misplaced funds and hides that fact from Billy for personal gain. 

Later that same night, the bank examiner discovers the shortage and George Bailey realizes since he is the head of the company that he will be held responsible, sent to jail, and his company will dissolve. With Bailey Mortgage and Loan gone, Potter will finally be able to take over the town.

Concerned about his wife and their young children, as well as his many friends, George decides they all would be better off if he died. Suicide is the only answer. But a gentle angel named Clarence answers the prayers of George’s loved ones and comes to earth to help George through this difficult time. Clarence in doing so will earn his angel wings. 
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Clarence shows George what things would have been like in Bedford Falls if George had never been born. George decides not to jump into the icy river. By seeing how he impacted so many people’s lives, George’s entire view on life takes a radical turn. He’s happy to have so many friends and family whom he helped along the way. Now they all come to his aid when he has to pay back the bank shortage. George’s change of heart demonstrates what we all should be thankful for – what really counts in life –love, family, and good friends.  

So if you’re feeling a bit down this holiday season, maybe think your problems are insurmountable, this movie will pick you up and give you hope. If you’re not, “It’s A Wonderful Life” is a Christmas fantasy that will warm your heart with holiday cheer and good wishes. You’ll want to hold your loved ones a little closer. It’s my favorite holiday movie and I watch it each and every year.

Florida homicide detective Brianna Breeze can’t seem to catch a man unless she handcuffs him. So her best friend decides to take matters into her own hands and tricks Brianna into seeing the Love Gypsy, a Time Traveler’s friend noted for her extraordinary matchmaking skills.

When a tall, muscular man wearing jeans, a black leather jacket, and slicked back 50’s hair, bursts in on her first visit, Brianna is bewitched. Despite the gypsy’s warning not to get involved with him, Brianna can’t get him out of her mind –even though she more than anyone knows the pitfalls of romancing a stranger.

A present day murder, a mysterious vintage car registered in the past, and a smoking gun complicate the puzzle. Brianna doesn’t know if her lover from the past is a murderer or a savior, but she’s willing to risk Time Travel to find out.

Mariah Lynne writes about strong heroines and distant places. A bit of mystery, a bit of romance,
and some adventure make her stories fun to read.
A resident of a small Gulf Coast Florida island, her surroundings play a role in all of her books.

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Winter Blogfest: Elsie Davis

December 26, 2019 By 5 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Comment for a chance to win one of two digital copies of Love & Order – Book One in the Holidays in Hallbrook series.

Tis the Season to Get Lost!

Traditional snow covered log cabin in a holiday resort in Lapland, Finland.

Seriously. Lost in the reason for the season, that is.

I love Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m a traditionalist who believes Christmas decorations don’t go up until after Thanksgiving. I can watch Christmas movies or read Christmas stories any time of the year, but no decorations until after my turkey please!

Have you ever thought about running away from it all because Christmas has become to commercialized? I started feeling that way years ago and struggled with how to combat the stress. What I discovered was that I simply had to go back to the basics. Less of everything, meant more to the people I love and share the holidays with.

At one point I wanted to run away and hide in a cabin in the mountains. My vacation excuse to put off all the people wanting a piece of my time that only had twenty-four hours in it. It’s not possible to do everything, with everybody, and still enjoy the holidays. No, I didn’t run away, but I did put my foot down and started saying no. Yes, there were some ruffled feathers at first, but since then, everyone has become more reasonable.

The answer: make Thanksgiving and Christmas a season, not a day. It gives us a whole lot more time to get through the holiday rush and share in the joy and love that comes with my two favorite holidays of the year. There are lots of days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and New Year’s for that matter, to get together with people you love and to share in the joy of family and friends.

Writing this article, I’m thinking of the turkey and all the trimmings just around the corner. This year, my husband and I will be alone. It’s just the way it all worked out and it will be a first. So, in a way, it’s like being on cabin getaway in the mountains. (I live in a log cabin on a small mountain…lol) The family is spending time with other important people in theirs lives, and then they will all gather here on Christmas morning. A time when I’ll have all my grandchildren, children, spouses, mother, siblings, and friends.

And next year, it might be the opposite and they’ll all be here at Thanksgiving. And I’m okay with that. Everyone else’s extended family is just as important and deserve a chance to share in the holiday cheer without stressing out the ones we love by trying to make them spread themselves to thin. I like to think letting them go other places and not placing demands on their time, makes them realize how much I love them. I’m putting their needs first.

There’s always the days before or after each holiday to get together. Thanksgiving and Christmas are just two days designated to celebrate, but the real celebration is simply stopping to make time in our hectic lives to share in the reason for the season. Love and family. So, pick a day, any day, and share in the joy—not the stress.
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I am blessed for all the love in my life, but sometimes, we need to get lost!

Does the idea of a cabin in the mountains sound like a great getaway to you? Where would you like to go?

Comment for a chance to win one of two digital copies of Love & Order – Book One in the Holiday’s in Hallbrook series. Winner selected randomly. I look forward to hearing from you all!

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all!
Elsie Davis

Love Holiday Romance? Check out my Holidays in Hallbrook series – avail on Amazon

Sam Wyatt goes to a cabin in Hallbrook each year at Christmas looking for solitude with the memories of his wife and daughter, who he lost in a car accident a few years ago. Except not long after he arrives, Megan Langley and her daughter take up residence and refuse to leave. A quick call to the rental agent and Sam finds out the cabin has been double booked and he’s kicked out to the snowy cold. But when an avalanche closes Tinsel Pass, he’s forced to return to the cabin.

Megan was supposed to spend this Christmas celebrating and honoring her mother at her favorite place this year. When one night housing Sam turns into more, Megan and Becca are resolved to get their Christmas spirit back. They keep Sam busy, giving him zero chance of finding the solitude he craves, especially when a stray dog comes around and Becca’s determined to help the mutt.

When the pass reopens, Sam is torn emotionally between the past and present. Can a little Christmas magic save him from making the wrong decision?

Elsie Davis discovered the world of Happily-Ever-After romance at the age of twelve when she began avidly reading Barbara Cartland, the Queen of Romance, and has been hooked ever since. She loves the great outdoors and enjoys camping and kayaking, but also loves cruising. After building her dream log home on top of a small mountain, Elsie turned her attention to do what she loves most, writing.

As an Amazon #1 best seller category list author, Elsie writes from her heart, hoping to share a little love in a big world.

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Winter Blogfest: Liz Crowe

December 26, 2019 By 7 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of LIGHTSTRUCK book 2 of the Brewing Passion series, with an official Liz Crowe tote bag! (U.S. Only).

Love the Ones You’re With: A Holiday Remembrance

Growing up, my family was not exactly poor, but our vacations mostly consisted of going to my grandparents’ Kentucky Lake house. We also spent every single Christmas Eve and Day + the Week After there, which was sometimes a challenge, considering my father was a minister of music at our church and head of the music department at a small Baptist college. In short, we were committed to this tradition, and while sometimes we were rushed to make it happen, we would always make the trek across the entirety of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in time to soak up all the awesomeness of the holiday PLUS (bonus) more birthday love for me, since I’m one of the Blessed Few who get to have a birthday and Christmas in one full-filled month.

I’m now in the fifty plus category when asked by marketing professionals and have had some time to create my own family traditions. Thanks to the six Christmases I spent with my family in three different countries, I’m somewhat averse to turning “traditions” into hard and fast rules. In my experience, the only real tradition necessary is that you and your family are together, happy, and healthy. It certainly worked for the Crowes as we celebrated alongside our new friends and neighbors in Japan, Turkey, and England. 

As I get older, I think back on my childhood Christmases spent in at that lake house, at meals that never, ever included alcohol, always involved at least one trip to church, with most evenings culminating in family-wide gin rummy games where we ate fresh popped popcorn and drank sugary co-colas, and realize that I probably did not realize how good I had it. It was, without a doubt, a more innocent world—sans social media, smart phones, and other interpersonal skill-killing devices. And I was, of course, madly in love with the holiday itself—the music most especially, plus the ballet, and the hush of a Christmas Eve carol service. It was all I needed in the whole wide world—my parents, my brother (ok, I had to include him), my grandparents, and extended family all living nearby. 

That solid base of holiday traditions stood me in good stead when I began creating my own—the last minute shopping (I hate shopping), the very last minute gift wrapping session, and a delicious meal—although we do include the Devil’s Juice, sorry Nana. One thing I do always try to do is find a new game—card* or board or otherwise—that we can all play a few times in the week leading up to New Year’s Eve, when the now-grown Crowes take flight for their now-grown lives and we all settle in to tackle a new year with good food, fun times, a fair bit of booze, and family game time to sustain us until the next December. 

*Remind me to tell you about that time we taught my 77-year old mother how to play Cards Against Humanity….

Happy Holidays to you all, no matter how, or with whom, you celebrate them!

Book one in the Brewing Passion series
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One hot entrepreneur plus a driven saleswoman and sultry brewer: simmered in the craft beer world for a unique, sexy reading experience!

When wealthy brewery owner Austin Fitzgerald meets sexy saleswoman Evelyn Benedict, angry sparks fly. They seem destined to clash, until a hot hookup in a cold beer cooler changes everything.

For Austin, it’s a life-altering moment that sets him on a path away from his birthright, while Evelyn must face her fears about committing to a man considered the playboy of the micro-brewing world.

The power of their preconceived notions nearly tears them apart—until they meet up with brewmaster Ross, who opens their eyes to a deeper, more erotic connection.

But three strong personalities don’t always make for the best emotional mix and when a simple misunderstanding causes chaos, it’s up to Ross to somehow repair the tattered shreds of their relationship.

Amazon best-selling author, mom of three, Realtor, beer blogger, brewery marketing expert, and soccer fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor. She has decades of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse to call upon for inspiration.
With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and at times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished. Liz books bring something unique, both in settings and characters, that will hook readers of romance, women’s fiction and chick lit alike.

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Winter Blogfest: Jaqueline Snowe

December 25, 2019 By 4 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a paperback copy of The Game Changer.

Christmas Traditions

The holidays are my favorite time of year—from Halloween to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. There is something magical about the final three months of the year. It could be the chilling temperatures, the smell of fireplaces burning in the air, or the excitement of seeing family. I grew up with millions of memories and cannot express out thankful I am for everything my parents did for me and my brother. 

Everything is different this year though: we have a son. I’ve been thinking a lot about what we are going to do for our first real Christmas as a family. Previously, we lived in apartments and always traveled back to the cold Midwest to celebrate the holidays with our parents, but now? We have a house and cannot travel since our little guy is so young!

It gives us free reign to establish our own traditions and I want to pick the best parts I remember from my childhood to create the same sense of excitement for our dude. So far, my list includes:

-decorating the CRAP out of our house

-watching my favorite Christmas movie with my homemade popcorn recipe (Home Alone)

-watching my husband’s favorite Christmas movie with eggnog (Christmas Story)

-play Christmas music the second Thanksgiving is over

-buy and create a stocking for our little guy

-have a lazy, food-filled Christmas morning in matching pajamas. (my husband’s family gets matching PJ pants for everyone every year and the pictures are awesome)

-take pictures. Lots of pictures.

-make cookies and eat them without shame or remorse
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-buy gifts for our fur babies and spoil them with treats

-enjoy each moment without always thinking about what’s next 

Because we were always traveling for the holidays, we always put our dogs in a doggie hotel when we were away and this year, we get to wake up with them Christmas morning. We are so excited to not have to worry about airports or crowds, packing or trying to fit gifts into suitcases. Yes, not seeing my parents on Christmas will be tough, but thank God for technology. We’ll facetime and laugh.

One tradition that I want to pass onto my son is what my mom started for my brother and I when we were young. I’m not sure what year it started. My guess is about seventeen years ago but every year, I would get a Harry Potter ornament where my brother would get a guitar. Each one was different but followed the same theme. So now, I have seventeen Harry Potter ornaments that all get their own little tree to display. I love it so much and once I had my first kid, my mom said her reign is done and it’s my turn to start with my own child and I can’t wait…but there is a lot of pressure. He’s so little that we don’t know what he likes!  Do I pick elephants, baseball, sloths, dogs, dinosaurs, trucks, football?

I’m not sure what I’ll end up picking but I do know that our first family Christmas will be amazing without all the flare of gifts and pressure of getting the “right thing.” We’ll be together and that is the best gift of all. 

I love hearing about traditions or stories from others. Do you have a friends-mas story or a quirky tradition in your family? Please share!

Pretending to date your best friend is always a good idea…right? Wrong.

Greta Aske has a lot on her mind, and a string of bad dates has her giving up on men, at least for the time being. Her life contains a little too much drama, meaning she needs a break and to save money and get good grades. The perfect solution presents itself—pretend to date the campus playboy. That’ll keep the guys away for sure.

Aaron Hill is desperate to save his baseball career because, with his dad fighting cancer, he damn well knows he can’t ask for a single penny from his parents. Baseball is his past, present and future, so when a scandal threatens his chance in the MLB, he turns to his best friend for help. A fake relationship will keep him out of trouble. It’s perfect, really. Greta’s taking a break from dating and Aaron needs to focus on training.

Nothing could go wrong…as long as neither falls for the other. But when lines are crossed, what’s real and fake blurs and the two are forced to face their fears. Could Greta be the game changer Aaron needs?

Jaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the “dry heat” really isn’t that bad. She identifies as a full-blown Gryffindor and prefers drinking coffee all hours of the day. She is the mother to two fur-babies who don’t realize they aren’t humans and her new son who smiles all the time. Her life revolves around balancing her day job in education and her incessant need to write and explore the world with her wonderful baseball-loving husband.

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Buy the book at Amazon.

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