Merry and the Gentleman by Donna K. Weaver


Award-winning author, wife, mother, grandmother, Harry Potter geek, Army veteran, karate black belt, and online gamer girl.








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“How do you choose between your heart and your responsibilities?

Merry Hurst, a fierce widow and single mom, is determined to give her young son the life he deserves—including a male role model who will stick around for the long haul. She can’t afford to fall for a man who isn’t planning to stay in Huckleberry Falls, so she might as well stop dreaming about Carlisle Wyndham. If only it were that easy!
Carlisle Wyndham is determined to develop the avalanche-proof transceiver that could have saved his wife’s life. He’s glad his daughter has made a new friend, but they’re only staying in Huckleberry Falls long enough to complete the project. When he meets the young boy’s mother, Carlisle’s not prepared for how alive she makes him feel.
But he has pressing responsibilities pulling him back to England while Merry’s require her to stay. Do they dare risk getting involved only to say goodbye?”

  
  

Author Interview:

1.  What is your favorite Wintertime Activity?

Drinking a hot chocolate while reading a good book. Though, to be honest, those two don’t usually go together anymore. I do most of my reading anymore by audiobook. I’m a huge fan. That’s why all my books are available as audiobooks. 

 

2.  How many unpublishes / half-finished books do you have in progress?

I tend to be a finisher. In the Keirsey Personality Sorter (that one with classifications like ESFJ), I’m an “SJ.” We tend to start a project and finish it before starting another. I’m getting better though and can frequently work on more than one project at a time. But leaving one hanging is like having a pebble in my shoe. The only undone project that’s hung around for any length of time has been my fantasy duology, now in the hands of my editor. That took so long because it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

 

3.  What was the most surprising thing you learned when creating your book (in research or in yourself?)

The male love interest is a widower who lost his wife in an avalanche. As part of his grieving, he’s been working on a design for a wider-ranging transceiver. While I don’t go into a great deal of detail about it, I still needed to understand how avalanche transceivers and beacons work. I watched a lot of videos. It can be scary stuff.

 

4.  Tell us about the greatest Christmas gift you ever received.

I actually have two, though one of them wasn’t a gift to me but to my grandmother. Like Merry in the book, my mother’s birthday was on Christmas Day. The other gift was my second son who was born enough before Christmas that I was feeling good enough to enjoy the holiday holding a sweet new baby.

 

5.  What did you edit out of your book? (Such as a cut scene or an idea that just wouldn’t fit?)

The only real change was to the epilogue. For spoiler reasons, I can go into details. 🙂

 

6.  What inspired you to write this novel?

Last year I noticed some Christmas books that were written as part of a multi-author project. I thought it’d be fun to have a group of us write in the same fictional town. I mentioned it to some friends–and Huckleberry Falls, Wyoming was born. This year our stories are inspired by Christmas songs. Next year might be different. We’ve already fallen in love with the town and the people. Since they’re “Huckleberry Falls Holiday Romances,” they won’t all be set during Christmas.

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Roping Christmas by Shanna Hatfield

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes.

 

When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

A focused cowboy, a distracted executive, and a hilarious quest make for an unforgettable holiday . . .

Wyatt Nash is a professional tie-down roper, a good ranch hand, and not too shabby when it comes to attracting women. But according to his five-year-old niece, he needs to work on both his roping skills and his dating game. His sister thinks he needs to settle down. And don’t get him started on the advice he gets from well-meaning friends. When his rodeo sponsor, billionaire Jon Sinclair, asks for his assistance in tutoring a clueless city girl about Sinclair Industries, Wyatt doesn’t feel like he can say no. Then he discovers he’ll be teaching none other than the one woman on the planet who wants nothing to do with him.
Ashley Jarrett would do almost anything to turn her small publicity firm into a huge success. When Jon Sinclair expresses interest in working with her, she readily agrees to his crazy idea to have her learn about his company through hands-on projects. Not only is she forced far outside her comfort zone, but the man documenting every bumbling misstep she takes is an infuriating cowboy she’s determined to ignore.


Packed with small-town charm and the wonder of falling in love, Roping Christmas is a sweet holiday romance sure to bring laughter and infuse hearts Christmas cheer.  

  
  

Top Ten List:

1. What is your favorite Wintertime Activity? When I was younger, sledding was my absolute favorite thing. We lived on a hill and I could grab my sled and go for a ride within a few steps of our back door. A close second would have been ice skating because we had a pond at the bottom of the hill and my brother kept the snow swept off it because he enjoyed skating, too. Now, my favorite thing is to cozy up by the fire with a good book and a cup of tea. 

2. How many unpublishes / half-finished books do you have in progress? I have one I’m working on right now. Once I start I book, I have to finish it! 

3. What was the most surprising thing you learned when creating your book (in research or in yourself?) For Roping Christmas, the heroine has to complete a bunch of challenges to earn the business of a billionaire tycoon. The hero helps her with the tasks. One of the challenges was to make her own pair of boots. It was fascinating to research what goes into making a pair of boots and the time involved to create them.

4. Tell us about the greatest Christmas gift you ever received. That one is easy – my husband! We met on a blind date the day after Christmas and we married a year later, a week before Christmas. He is by far the best gift I’ve ever received. 

5. What did you edit out of your book? (Such as a cut scene or an idea that just wouldn’t fit?) Roping Christmas features many laugh-out-loud scenes. I could have added a dozen more because I was just having so much fun with the story. 

6. What inspired you to write this novel? Every holiday season I run a campaign called Read a Book, Help A Cowboy. To help kick off the campaign, I like to release a book in my Rodeo Romance series, which Roping Christmas is part of. Beyond that, I just thought it would be a lot of fun to write a story about a city girl faced with several challenges only a country boy could help her get through. 


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Living Sacrifice by Author Rachel Rossano

  Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the little ones are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books. Tales of romance, adventure, and virtue set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction.

Separated, but still joined, they strive for freedom.

 

Left behind at the sept son’s compound, Zezilia Ilar struggles with the after effects of her prolonged commisceo-link with Hadrian. She devotes herself to caring for the wounded arriving almost daily from the battlefields. Pressed to perform procedures and make decisions far beyond her training, Zez grows in confidence and skill. All the while, she wonders if she’ll see Hadrian again, fearing the worst possible news will arrive any day.
Sept Son Hadrian Aleron fights to bring peace to his home nation. Allied with the new high king, he and a small army of Talented struggle to retake the capital city. Elitists, though scattered, continue to pick off the strongest of his men. As he battles the remnants of the commisceo-link and tries to organize the campaign, he begins losing himself to exhaustion. Only a miracle will keep him alive.

Hadrian

 

Dawn broke in a torrent of rain. Hammering the tents, drowning my cot, and swamping the mess tent, it overwhelmed our already soggy resources.

“We have to win the battle now,” Korneli declared as he surveyed our sagging tent. “Either we will sleep in the mud or in the city tonight.”

“Or eternally with Him who holds our all of our futures in the balance.”

“There you go weaving death into the conversation.” Korneli adjusted his ferrum belt beneath his oilskin cloak. “Must you always be so grim?”

“Surely on the morning of a battle is the perfect time to add a reminder to my speech. Each of us needs to make sure our accounts are short with the Almighty.”

“Done and done.” Korneli offered his hand to me. “May the Lord give grace that we will meet again this side of glory, my brother.”

I grabbed his forearm and pulled him into an awkward embrace around our weapons and armor. Then he was gone, pulling his hood down over his eyes as he strode off into the driving rain.

My chest ached and the day had barely begun. “Please spare us or make it swift so that we might step instantly into your waiting arms, Almighty. Guide us that we may glorify you, Creator of all.”

“Pardon for my tardiness.” Renato squelched to a stop next to me. He shook out his cloak and cursed. “If only this wretched rain would stop.”

“It might turn to snow by evening,” I observed as one of Cayphis’ aides approached.

“Esteemed Sept Son, I bring a change in plans.” The aide bowed deeply to me. “The high king wishes you to meet your men behind the southwestern hill. You are to be the surprise reserve.”

“What about the western assault?” Renato demanded.

“Clovis is commanding a group of new arrivals.”

“Manvel’s men?” Hope lightened Renato’s voice.

The man nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, they rode in last night. Your men have been notified of the change.” He bowed again and left.

“At least we know where he is.” 

Renato’s relief swept over me.

I smiled warmly in an attempt to encourage him. Something nagged me as being wrong. I peered in the direction the man had left.

“Where are those horses?” Renato muttered and rubbed his hands together to warm them against the dropping temperatures.

As though summoned by his words, the jangle of the approaching horses reached our ears. Three defenders approached leading five horses. After exchanging greetings and rechecking our gear, harnesses, and saddles, we mounted. Renato mentioned the change of plans to our escort. They had already been informed. 

Satisfied that all was in order, I mentally withdrew and began the process of preparing for battle. Erecting temporary barriers took concentration. After months of conflict, Renato knew my routine. The defenders’ energy shields hummed on the outer borders of my energy sight, protecting all of us.

“Something isn’t right.” Renato straightened in his saddle and craned around to look behind us. “We should be hearing the drums by now.”

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Sweet Yuletide by Melissa McClone

USA Today Bestselling author Melissa McClone has written over forty-five novels. 
With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, she worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. 
Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children, a spoiled Norwegian Elkhound, and cats who think they rule the house. They do! 

One beach cottage, two strangers, and a kiss under the mistletoe that changes everything…

Sheridan DeMarco wants to be anywhere but home for the holidays. She’s happy to spend Christmas house-sitting in South Carolina, far away from her parents’ new blended families. Too bad when she arrives at the charming beach cottage, she isn’t as blissfully alone as she planned.
Michael “”Mikey”” Patterson needs to stay out of sight until his attorney gives him the all clear. He finds the perfect place in a small coastal town, but there’s a problem. Mikey isn’t the only one staying at the beach house, and his surprise roommate pushes all his buttons.

A sprig of mistletoe and one memorable kiss make Sheridan and Mikey forget their plans to stay away from each other. But when family gets in the way, will their happily ever after get tossed out along with the discarded wrapping paper and tinsel? 

  
  

Author Interview:

1. What is your favorite Wintertime Activity?   I love to ski. There’s nothing like spending a day on the slopes and then warming up in the lodge with a mug of hot cocoa and lots of whipped cream.

2. How many unpublishes / half-finished books do you have in progress? I have two. They will be out in 2021.

3. What was the most surprising thing you learned when creating your book (in research or in yourself?)  I learned that there’s an entire industry of professionals who work with lottery winners, and that you need to be smart if you ever win a large sum of money.

4. Tell us about the greatest Christmas gift you ever received.  My best friend and her husband gave us an engraved frame as a gift on our first Christmas together. We have a photo from that day in it, and I have it displayed in my office.

5. What did you edit out of your book? (Such as a cut scene or an idea that just wouldn’t fit?)  I had planned to make the hero’s lottery win the big black moment, but it didn’t work out the way I thought it would. 

6. What inspired you to write this novel? It’s part of a multi-author world series that I’ve written three other books for. I had the unmarried brother of the last book’s heroine that I wanted to write about, so I brought in a character from a new series to link them together. 

 

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Christmas at Thorncliff Towers by Marina Myles

Although Marina Myles lives under the sunny skies of Arizona, she would reside in a historic manor house in foggy England if she had her way. Her love of books began as soon as she read her first fairy tale, and grew by leaps and bounds when she discovered Nancy Drew/Agatha Christie mysteries and rich, historical romances.
Dreaming of becoming a published author, she wrote her first ‘gothic’ story at age eleven. She went on to study creative writing at Southern Methodist University- where she received degrees in Communications and English Literature. During her time in Dallas, she had the unique experience of being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.
Now with her loyal Maltese close by, she relishes the hours she gets to escape into worlds filled with tortured heroes, strong heroines, and their fiery-but not easily attained-love affairs. She’s busy being a wife (to her Italian-born husband) and a mother (to her two beautiful daughters), but she is never too busy to hear from her amazing readers.

THE WEREWOLF’S SERVANT

Thorncliff Towers is done up for Christmas, secure against wind and wolves. But Karina Petri is shut out, too, and the gypsy witch wants what’s inside. She envies the gifts, the feast, the pretty clothes, of course. But her true desire is for the love of Constantin Stoica. Her smolderingly handsome childhood friend agreed to serve Lord Draven after his brother was caught stealing last year. He suspects Karina was involved—and it would take more magic than she possesses to make him forgive…


Constantin has always been drawn to Karina’s dark curls, flashing eyes, and reckless ways. But trusting her has proven dangerous before, and this night holds more to fear than most. The wrong decisions could cost him his job, his safety—even his life. But letting Karina go could cost him his heart… 

  
  

Q&A With the Author:

1. What is your favorite Wintertime Activity?

a) My favorite Wintertime activity is playing in the snow. We don’t have much snowfall in Scottsdale, Arizona, but I can drive just two hours north and see plenty!!

2. How many unpublished / half-finished books do you have in progress?

a) There are 7 unpublished/half-written novels stored on my computer. Someday, maybe, they’ll see the light of day!

3. What was the most surprising thing you learned when creating your book (in research or in yourself?)

a) Christmas at Thorncliff Towers is mainly about the Roma people…Gypsies. During my research of their culture, I learned a great deal about their fascinating superstitions and strong family bonds.

4. Tell us about the greatest Christmas gift you ever received.

a) The greatest Christmas gifts I ever received were actually 2 gifts: my daughters. My eldest was born 4 days after Christmas and my youngest 1 day after.

5. What did you edit out of your book? (Such as a cut scene or an idea that just wouldn’t fit?)

a) Originally, I wrote a scene involving a playful snow-fight between my characters, but then I decided that it echoed Beauty and the Beast too much.

6. What inspired you to write this novel?

a) What inspired me to write this novella was the grandeur, joy, and festive trimmings of a nineteenth-century, English Christmas.

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Millies Christmas Spirit by Tina Peterson Scott

Some say Tina Peterson Scott likes to live life backwards: she got married and had her family first and just recently earned her Bachelor’s Degree in University Studies with a minor in English. She does admit to being a life-long learner, but otherwise thinks she got life just right. 

Tina has written numerous articles for a local newspaper and worked as a newspaper editor for a time. She was also a contributor of non-fiction articles for The Beehive, and the Desert Saints Magazine. She is currently doing her best to fill the world with quality fiction that involves sweet romance and happily-ever-afters. 

Tina doesn’t usually enter contests but has won first place in the American Mothers Association for her article titled, Just Call Me Mom, and second place for her poem, A Part of Me. In the LDStorymakers’ First Chapter Contest, she won second place for her novel, Menopausal Fairy Mischief. She is also pleased that one of her children’s picture book reviews was published in the Arizona English Bulletin.

Can former high school sweethearts have a second chance at love? Phoenix property manager Millie Crump returns to her dusty hometown, the week before Christmas to prepare the local haunted hotel for sale. Her boss doesn’t know it, but her secret agenda is to keep her childhood promise to the ghost. Unfortunately, the guy who broke her heart fourteen years ago is the only one who can help with her plans.When his old crush roars into town behind the wheel of a fancy red Miata, Lonny Medina is blindsided by the city girl she’s become. Sure, he’ll help her with hotel cleanup and even dabble in some ghost-hunting, but he can’t risk his heart again. Together, they unravel clues, ward off danger, and fight to uncover the mystery of the old hotel while attempting to help the elusive ghost pass on. In doing so, Lonny and Millie discover the misconceptions that have kept them apart all these years, but both are unsure whether it will be enough to rewrite their futures into a happily ever after.

Author Interview:

1.What is your favorite Wintertime Activity?

Driving around to see Christmas lights because, as a child, my dad drove my brother and I to see the lights. It brings back good memories. I also love opening the windows at night and wearing my warm pajamas. Other than that, I enjoy family get-togethers and peppermint ice cream

 

2.How many unpublished / half-finished books do you have in progress?

I have at least 6 partly written books. One of those 6 is actually planned as a trilogy. I have one fully written one that’s time has passed and I have no plans to publish. Some of the others and even some that are merely an idea, I hope to publish.

 

3.What was the most surprising thing you learned when creating your book (in research or in yourself?)

I learned about Las Posadas from a friend, and after researching it, I loved the idea and celebration. I feel that it is a perfect Christmas touch to Millie’s Christmas Spirit.

Also, the first thing I did in the planning stage was to research Arizona outlaws. It was a perfect coincidence to discover Bronco Bill and his connection to Solomon.

 

4.Tell us about the greatest Christmas gift you ever received.

To me, the greatest gifts at Christmastime are the feelings of love and family. Gifts purchased with money are incidental. I hope that one thing readers get from reading Millie’s Christmas Spirit is that their greatest gift and the miracle they desired, was the gift of each other. Love and family are the greatest gifts we can receive.

 

5.What did you edit out of your book? (Such as a cut scene or an idea that just wouldn’t fit?) 

I had Len Begay take Millie to his home to feed his “hens.” Being from the small town of Solomon, she knew they were roosters. It was another clue to the reader that Len was up to something. In the end, the more important scene was letting Len meet the ghost.

 

6.What inspired you to write this novel?

I watched the made for TV movie, The Spirit of Christmas, and knew I just had to write my own Christmas ghost story. I adore that movie, and if you get a chance, you should watch it.

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