I am a sandal-loving Florida native with a passion for my Savior, my family, writing, and travel. Some of my best writing has been done on the balcony of a cruise ship!
After working in the travel and hospitality industry for 15+ years I decided it was time to pursue my writing dream. My novels are relational and character driven and I hope they will always engulf the reader in a great story while leaving them stronger in their faith.
Here we are in December, can you believe it? You (and me) are down to 21 reading days left until Christmas. I am behind schedule on my reading list but plan to kick up my game in the next week. You are in for a treat today! Shanna Hatfield has brought not one, not two-but three Christmas novels to the banquet.
I asked Shanna why she writes Christmas themed novels.
Christmas has always been a holiday full of magic and wonder, even though I should have outgrown all of that a long time ago. The discovery of holiday romances only added to my blissful state. There’s nothing quite like curling up by a cozy fire with a sweet romance full of Christmas cheer. Because I so enjoy reading Christmas stories, it seemed only natural to write them as well. It would be hard to say which I enjoy writing more — historical or contemporary holiday romances. The historical settings are so interesting because I adore the Victorian period and it lends itself to such beautiful, nostalgic scenes. The contemporary stories are absolute fun to write and I often incorporate Christmas traditions and tidbits I’ve experienced and enjoyed. For me, writing Christmas romances is a way to share my love of this blessed season with others.
Shanna made this wonderful graphic for her Rodeo Romance series.
She is a talented lady.
The Blurbs
The Christmas Cowboy (Book 1) Flying from city to city in her job as a busy corporate trainer for a successful direct sales company, Kenzie Beckett doesn’t have time for a man. And most certainly not for the handsome cowboy she keeps running into at the airport. Burned twice, she doesn’t trust anyone wearing boots and Wranglers, especially someone as charming and handsome as Tate Morgan.
Among the top saddle bronc riders in the rodeo circuit, easy-going Tate Morgan can handle the toughest horse out there, but trying to handle the beautiful Kenzie Beckett is a completely different story.
As the holiday season approaches, this Christmas Cowboy is going to need more than a little mistletoe to win her heart.
Wrestlin’ Christmas (Book 2) – Sidelined with a major injury, steer wrestler Cort McGraw struggles to come to terms with the end of his career. Shanghaied by his sister and best friend, he finds himself on a run-down ranch with a worrisome, albeit gorgeous widow, and her silent, solemn son.
Five minutes after Cort McGraw lands on her doorstep, K.C. Peters fights to keep a promise she made to herself to stay away from single, eligible men. When her neighbor said he knew just the person to help work her ranch for the winter, she never expected the handsome, brawny former rodeo star to fill the position.
Ready to send him packing, her little boy has other plans.
Capturing Christmas (Book 3) – Life is hectic on a good day for rodeo stock contractor Kash Kressley. Between dodging flying hooves and babying cranky bulls, he barely has time to sleep. The last thing he needs is the entanglement of a sweet romance, especially with a woman as full of fire and sass as the redheaded photographer he rescues at a rodeo.
Determined to capture the best images possible, rodeo photographer Celia McGraw is fearless and feisty. Not one to back down from a challenge, her biggest risk isn’t in her work. Danger lurks in the way her heart responds to one incredibly handsome stock contractor.
Will Kash and Celia capture the spirit of Christmas and each other’s hearts?
About Shanna
Shanna Hatfield Hopeless Romantic
Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is out to make it happen, one story at a time. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances combine humor and heart-pumping moments with relatable characters.
When this hopeless romantic isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.
Happy Cyber Monday! In honor of the biggest internet shopping day of the year, or at least one of them, Faith Blum decided to do a blog tour release of her newest novel, Lily of the Valley. There are two giveaway opportunities and lots of fun interviews and excerpts.
About the Book
Howdy, Teacher! You don’t know me, but my kids talk bout you a lot. I been lookin fer a wife and mother fer a few years and was wonderin iffen we cood meet and get to no each other a bit. I’ll come after skool to git yer answer. Grover Miller
Unruly schoolchildren, three suitors, and too many things to do. When Ruth Brookings rejects one of the suitors, he refuses to accept no for an answer.
To make matters worse, when she prays for guidance, she’s answered with a challenge instead: To encourage her friend to find a wife—whether he wants one or not.
Will she lose her friend just when she needs a friend the most? Will she be able to weather the storms she’s about to face?
Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016VAJ7EW
Excerpt
The remainder of the school day went by without incident and when the other children were dismissed, Jeremiah pulled out his blank essay paper and started scribbling furiously. Ruth sorted her desk and stacked everything for easy grabbing. Then she read through each essay again, making suggestions and corrections to each.
“Done,” Jeremiah announced five minutes later.
“Bring them both up here, please,” Ruth said without looking up. She finished reading an essay before looking at him and taking the two pieces of paper from him. She scanned the page Jeremiah handed her. After a minute, she handed the essay back to him. “Read it out loud to me, please.”
Jeremiah cleared his throat and opened his mouth. He tilted his head and closed his mouth, staring at the page for a few seconds. “Do you have another piece of paper?”
Ruth bit her cheeks to keep the smile off her face and opened the drawer to her left. She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him.
Jeremiah took it and sulked back to his desk, writing more carefully this time.
While he rewrote the essay, Ruth read the note to Grace and smiled. At least he’d taken more time with this. When Jeremiah came back a few minutes later, Ruth handed him the note.
“This is very well done. You can give it to her tomorrow.” Ruth picked up the new essay and read it. “This is much better. Thank you, Jeremiah.” She placed it on her stack and picked up the stack.
About the Author
Faith Blum started writing at an early age. She started even before she could read! She even thought she could write better than Dr. Seuss. (The picture doesn’t show it well, but there are scribblings on the page of Green Eggs and Ham). Now that she’s grown up a little more, she knows she will probably never reach the success of Dr. Seuss, but that doesn’t stop her from trying.
When she isn’t writing, Faith enjoys doing many right-brained activities such as reading, crafting, writing, playing piano, and playing games with her family. One of her dreams is to visit Castle City, Montana someday to see the ghost town she chose for her characters to live in. She currently lives on a hobby farm with her family in Wisconsin.
Free Book
Today is the last day to get Be Thou My Vision (Hymns of the West #2) free! Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NF3QV52
Giveaway
Faith has a Goodreads giveaway going on through November 30th! Be sure to check it out and enter to win one of two signed paperback copies of Lily of the Valley.
To celebrate Thanksgiving weekend and the official start of the Christmas season, we are offering up a second helping of Christmas reads today. My mom, Onisha had the pleasure to read Noelle”s Golden Christmas by author Tamie Dearen and she says it is a winner!
26 Reading Days until Christmas!
So, Tamie, the question I always want answered, what was your inspiration to write a Christmas novel?
I love Christmas! I love the decorations, having family around, giving gifts, and eating all the Christmas goodies. Most of all I love celebrating our Lord’s birth. So when I decided to write my first Christmas novel, I knew it would have to be a Christian book. I simply couldn’t leave Jesus out of Christmas, even in a romantic comedy. However, not everyone who loves Christ enjoys Christmas. I was inspired to write about a girl who feels the opposite of me–a girl who hates the Christmas holidays even though she’s a believer. But perhaps this Christmas, Noelle will change her mind.
The Blurb
Christmas has only brought heartache for Noelle, year after year. Since her tragic breakup two years ago, Noelle fears God may want her to remain single forever. Until she finds the love of her life… a Golden Retriever named Abby.
The sudden attention of two men from her father’s company is both enticing and confusing. But who can compete with the unconditional devotion of a dog?
Reeling from yet another tragic loss during the holiday season, Noelle determines the best way to deal with the painful reminder. Run!
In the spirit of Hallmark movies, this sweet Christian romantic comedy tells the story of a believer, struggling to implement her faith in her everyday walk and battling fear to find the agape love that drives it away.
To celebrate being a part of our Christmas Banquet, Tamie is offering Noelle’s Golden Christmas on Amazon for just 99 cents. Be sure to check the price before purchasing as this is a limited time offer.
About Tamie Dearen
Tamie lives with her very romantic husband of thirty-three years. They have two grown daughters (the inspiration for the daughters in The Best Girls Series) and one grandson, a twelve-year-old boy, recently adopted from Ukraine. Tamie loves to play, sing, and write music. She started writing books in 2013 and published her first book in October of that year. Now she’s published a total of seven novels and a novella. She’s also written a free serial romance on her weekly blog, A Rose in Bloom, which she plans to publish as a novel. And in her spare time, she’s a dentist. (But she’s painless.)
Tamie met her husband as a freshman in college when she acted out of character on a whim. One night in the library lobby, she spied a cute guy with his first name written on the back of his shirt. She called out his name. When he approached to talk to her, she pretended that she’d met him before, asking about his classes and how he liked college. To her surprise and delight, he also pretended that he knew her, but of course he didn’t know her name. They continued this false relationship for two months. Each time they saw each other, an event which occurred three times per week at the cafeteria, he would pretend he knew her. Meanwhile, all of Tamie’s friends were careful not to reveal her name to him. When he finally admitted his ignorance of her name, he was astonished to learn the truth. And the rest is history.
I am honored to share a song that Tamie wrote both the lyrics and music for. Click the title of the song to listen.
27 reading days until Christmas and have we got a treat for you! Marianne Sciucco has a wonderful short for us today, Ino’s Love. It is a story of a mother’s uncondtional love and exemplifies I Corinthians chapter 13.
Marianne, share with us why you chose to write a Christmas story.
Christmas is a special time for me, a time to celebrate all that is good about the human heart, the human spirit. It’s all about the birth of Christ, who came to us to teach us how to be close to God and live together peacefully. But we seem to have lost our way where Christmas is concerned. For too many, December 25th is just an excuse for a commercial free-for-all. Don’t get me wrong, gifts are a wonderful thing, but sometimes we’re so wrapped up in the trimmings of the holiday we forget about the people at the center of it: our family and our loved ones. I wrote Ino’s Love to demonstrate the spirit of Christmas, of putting people first, of caring for and loving others even when they’re not family. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Ino’s Love is the perfect length to enjoy while waiting on an appointment or in the school pick up line.
Elderly Ino awaits a visit from her loving but absent son to celebrate Christmas, preparing his favorite meal in spite of her health concerns and disabilities. When he disappoints her she shares his gifts and dinner with her devoted and trustworthy home health aide Ruby. Sometimes the people who love us best are not family.
About Marianne
Marianne Sciucco is not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse. A lover of words and books, she dreamed of becoming an author when she grew up but became a nurse to avoid poverty. She later brought her two passions together and writes about the intricate lives of people struggling with health and family issues. Her debut novel “Blue Hydrangeas,” an Alzheimer’s love story, is a Kindle bestseller, IndieReader Approved, a BookWorks featured book, a Library Journal Self-e Selection, a 5-star Readers Favorite, and winner of IndieReCon’s Best Indie Novel Award, 2014. She also has two short stories available on Kindle, “Ino’s Love” and “Collection.” Marianne is currently working on a YA novel, “Swim Season,” about the new girl on the team who challenges a longstanding school record, to be released in 2015. A dedicated Swim Mom for ten years, you can find her during swim season at one of many Skyline Conference swim meets cheering for her daughter and her team. A native Bostonian, Marianne lives in New York’s Hudson Valley, and when not writing works as a campus nurse at a community college. She loves books, the beach, and craft beer, and especially enjoys the three of them together.
Marianne would enjoy hearing from you. Here are some links to connect.
Unruly schoolchildren, three suitors, and too many things to do. When Ruth Brookings rejects one of the suitors, he refuses to accept no for an answer.
Marianne Sciucco is not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse. A lover of words and books, she dreamed of becoming an author when she grew up but became a nurse to avoid poverty. She later brought her two passions together and writes about the intricate lives of people struggling with health and family issues. Her debut novel “Blue Hydrangeas,” an Alzheimer’s love story, is a Kindle bestseller, IndieReader Approved, a BookWorks featured book, a Library Journal Self-e Selection, a 5-star Readers Favorite, and winner of IndieReCon’s Best Indie Novel Award, 2014. She also has two short stories available on Kindle, “Ino’s Love” and “Collection.” Marianne is currently working on a YA novel, “Swim Season,” about the new girl on the team who challenges a longstanding school record, to be released in 2015. A dedicated Swim Mom for ten years, you can find her during swim season at one of many Skyline Conference swim meets cheering for her daughter and her team. A native Bostonian, Marianne lives in New York’s Hudson Valley, and when not writing works as a campus nurse at a community college. She loves books, the beach, and craft beer, and especially enjoys the three of them together.