**Romancing the Holidays an Anthology by Multiple Authors**

Good Morning, Everyone! So thrilled to see you all today! We have an anthology today so this post will be just a bit different. I am familiar with several of these authors and am thrilled to have their work in one place! This is exciting!! Plus, let’s face it. The holidays are fast approaching, so it’s time to start dipping into the festive-themes reads. This should be a nice start for you all. AND – I have a snippet and mini interview from each author! Score! Please allow me to feature on the blog the multiple works of several authors making up ROMANCING THE HOLIDAYS … And HAPPY RELEASE DAY TOMORROW!

**ROMANCING THE HOLIDAYS**

Publication date: September 22^nd 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

**BLURB**

A dozen ways to fall in love at the holidays…

Come celebrate the holidays with these dozen unique romances, ranging from sweet to steamy and all ending with a happily-ever-after. This anthology of short stories, written by multi-award-winning authors, including New York Times best-selling author, Alyssa Day, will transport you from Labor Day and Halloween antics to Christmas and Valentine romantics. Its stories will whisk you away into contemporary, historical, and paranormal worlds where love prevails. So, savor the authors featured in this enchanting book and bet your heart on some romantic cheer while you enjoy these twelve ways to fall in love.

Proceeds from this novel benefit First Coast Romance Writers, a non-profit chapter of Romance Writers of America that helps writers hone their craft and expand their knowledge of the publishing industry. A portion of the proceeds are also donated to FeedAmerica.org.

**EXCERPTS**

“Valentine’s Day in Atlantis” by Alyssa Day:

Tagline: The very first Valentine's Day in Atlantis… What could go wrong? (Hint: Everything!)

Snippet:

Atlantis

Neela slammed open the front door and marched down her front walk, not taking time to enjoy the flowers she'd so carefully planted to border the small but welcoming porch of the little house she loved so much. Not thinking about all the reasons why confronting Marcus right now—or ever—was such a bad idea.

Not even surprised when, as if her anger had conjured him like an evil spirit—a ridiculously handsome, masculine, hard-bodied, evil spirit—he suddenly appeared from around a turn in the path, coming from the direction of the park.

She stopped, fists clenched at her sides, and waited for him to come to her, telling her traitorous heart to stop it, now, when it leapt at the sight of the light in his dark green eyes when he saw her. The touch of silver in the rich, black hair at his temples only served to emphasize the hard lines and sharp angles of his striking face, and his lips—she would not think about his lips.

Nothing about his lips. Ever.

The light in his eyes turned to caution as he slowed and then stopped directly in front of her, no doubt instantly picking up on her body language—he was a trained warrior—and realizing this was going to be no happy encounter of old friends.

"What in the nine hells are you doing telling my son he can train with the warriors when I have specifically and repeatedly told him he cannot?"

A slow, wickedly sexy smile spread across his unfairly gorgeous face. "Nice to see you, too, Neela. Happy Valentine's Day."

When Atlantis's fierce warrior and captain of the king's guard Marcus finally decides to go after the woman he's loved for more than a decade, the only thing stopping him is the very odd human ideas about how to celebrate Valentine's Day… and the lady herself. Can a love that's deeper than the ocean find its way in a second-chance romance? Find out in Valentine's Day in Atlantis!

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday your wrote about in your short story?

I polled my reader group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/DayDreamersAlyssaDay/) and they voted for me to set the story in my Atlantis world of Poseidon's Warriors. I quite enjoy having my fierce Atlantean warriors experience human holidays for the first time (Halloween and Christmas were so much fun!) and Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect holiday for a second-chance romance.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

The hero Marcus, the captain of the king's guard, and the heroine Neela, the head palace housekeeper, have been in many of my Atlantis stories. It was time for them to have their own story told!

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

I didn't realize it at the time, but Neela's son, Nicholas, turned out be based quite a bit on my son, Connor, who started law school today. We are great friends, and I'm now an empty nester for the first time in 23 years, so I think some of that ball of mixed emotions--pride, love, and loneliness--wound up in my story.

“Faking it for the Holidays” by Lia Davis:

Snippet 1:

Julius probably shouldn’t be as happy as he was about his parents going on a cruise the week of Christmas. But he was. For the first time since he met his best friend and future wife—although she didn’t know that yet—he would be able to spend a normal, quiet, holiday season with Tara.

Just the two of them.

Was it wrong that he wanted to spend Christmas with his best friend, alone?

They didn’t have to listen to his parents, especially his mom, go on and on about how they should get married and give her beautiful grandbabies. It was embarrassing and made things awkward between them for the whole trip to Oregon to spend Christmas with his parents.

Tara had always been fantastic about his crazy family, which made her even more perfect for him. She never complained. She fit right in with them and humored his mom when she started in about the future of their lives and how they weren’t getting any younger.

The whole thing made him hesitate to ask Tara to marry him. He didn’t want her to think he was pressured into proposing, which he wasn’t. He loved her from the moment they met as kids.

He wanted to show her how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, without the pressure of his family lurking and watching them. Yessir, this year was going to be different.

He had Tara to himself.

His cell rang and he snatched it up from the kitchen counter where he was prepping movie-night snacks for him and Tara. It was their usual Saturday night “date” to make fun of bad movies. Not looking at the screen and thinking it was Tara, he said, “You better not be backing out on tonight.”

There was a long few moments of silence. Jules’ heart dropped to his feet. She wasn’t coming over. He’d spent all week gathering the courage to finally tell her how he felt. That he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and not as just her best friend. He wanted more. “Tara?”

“Oh, no silly. It’s your mother. Don’t you check the caller ID?”

Damn. “Mom. How are you? Are you on the ship?”

She let out a disappointing sigh. “Sadly, no. The cruise was canceled last minute. That means we’re staying home for Christmas. You’re coming, right?”

Snippet 2:

He ran a hand through his hair. No, he didn’t want to go. He had plans, damn it. “I have plans with Tara.”

“You know she is welcome. You always bring her anyway.” His mom lowered her voice and said something to his dad as she pulled away from the phone.

“I was hoping just to stay home this year and spend some time alone with Tara.” Did that sound rude? He loved his parents, but he loved Tara too. And he hated doing anything last minute.

“Why is this year different? It’s Christmas, we’ll be home, so you and Tara can come to visit.” Her voice cracked, and he felt like an ass. And cue the mom guilt trip.

“I love you, Mom. You know that. This year I had something special planned and now you’re asking me to change my plans.” He switched the phone to speaker and laid it on the tray of snacks before moving to the living room.

“What could you possibly be doing…Oh! You asked her to marry you. Or you’re going to.” His mom squealed a little and Julius started to panic.

“No. Mom, that’s not what I meant.”

“Don’t try to backpedal on me. I knew it would happen one day. You’ve been in love with that girl since you met. It’s about time you asked her.” She pulled the phone away and yelled, “Frank. Our baby boy is getting married.”

“Mom, no. That’s not—”

“Of course, it is. Now you and Tara have to come. I have to go call your sister. The whole family needs to celebrate together. Have you set a date? It might be too soon. We can talk more when you get here in a few days.” Then she hung up.

Snippet 3:

But pretending to be his fiancée for the holidays was a perfect opportunity for her to show him just how much he meant to her. She had to know if he felt the same way. As much as losing him would hurt, she couldn’t go on being just his friend. They were in their mid-twenties with their own careers, and soon one of them would find someone they wanted to get serious with.

She had to make a move soon or lose him to someone else.

“Other than being excited that we are getting married, how is your mom?” Tara pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. The situation thrilled her and made her giddy and nervous. She smiled and giggled when she was nervous. It was better than running in fear or crying.

“She’s good. She sounded sad that the cruise was canceled, but that changed quickly.” He rolled his eyes, making her laugh again.

Jules was looking forward to staying home this year but Tara never understood why he distanced himself from his family. She didn’t have a family. Living in a foster home since she was a toddler made her see what others didn’t realize they had–a loving family.

Sure, her foster parents were great and gave her everything she needed. But that stopped when she turned eighteen and was forced to get a job and “be an adult.” Luckily, Tara had Jules’s family for support.

“I could pretend to be sick, and you’d have to stay to take care of me.” Tara leaned her head on his shoulder and grinned at him.

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her, holding her there. While they weren’t shy about showing affection towards one another, something was different in the way he held her at that moment.

“Mom would move her holiday plans here and insist on taking care of you.” He rolled his eyes. “We’re trapped with those people.”

“I’m more than okay with that.” Tara settled against him, getting comfortable as the movie started.

With any luck, she would be engaged for real by New Years’. She just had to seduce Jules into seeing that they belonged together.

“An Elf’s Challenge” by Vickey Wollan

Tagline: A long standing feud dowses the embers of an attraction, until Santa intervenes.

One-liner: Figures her mystery host would be Zack, the hottest woodworker, no hottest elf, at the North Pole.

75 Word Blurb:

Angelina Tinsel, toy painter, didn’t know her father forbid Zack Holly, woodworker, from speaking to her. A generations-old feud between the two departments causes ongoing elfin-relations issues. An all seeing Santa knows about the elves’ attraction and decides encouraging it might help end the fighting. When Santa’s Claus High assignment lands Angelina in the woodshop, how will she work past family loyalties and stereotypes to find love?

Snippet:

“Why are you being so nice to me?” She stared straight at him and lifted her chin. Angelina was determined not to be the first one to blink. Then, she noticed he hadn’t blinked either.

“I can do this all day. Remember, sawdust in my eyes regularly – no biggie.” Zack raised his lids and brought his nose inches from hers. “You had me at operational efficiency. I’m hoping you’ll return the favor, let me into the Paint Drying Zone.” He winked.

Angelina’s mouth went dry. No amount of soda could fix it. “Of course!” Oh, dear. What did I just do? What will my father think of me bringing a dust-covered woodworker into the paint shop?

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

Currently all of my writing has a Christmas holiday theme. It is a strategy for me to break into the well populated romance market.

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

Some writers create short stories based on the cast of their most recent series. At the moment, my short stories are all self-contained and may become an anthology. An Elf’s Challenge is a light hearted way to generically address discrimination. Hopefully this story will encourage people to fact check what they have been told by people of authority. One generation forwards a bias to the next and that predisposition can perpetuate even though the reality is or has always been different.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

I wanted to use the troupe forbidden love and have the two main characters be young. Within the Christmas themed romance genre, elves bit that need very well. Both characters struggle to find their own identities as they are put into situations that require them to bring their fledging maturity to the forefront.

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

An Elf’s Challenge has two secondary characters that are pivotal to the story. The all-seeing Santa Claus forwards facts in a way that moves the plot forward. Mr. Tinsel, the heroine’s father, portrays a villain-like role, but also finds a way to his happily-ever-after.

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

I am a plotter, but there is a pantser side to my creative style. I do allow the characters to guide the story’s emotions within scenes as long as they stay within the borders of the original plot.

“Grave Promises” by Melody Johnson

One-Liner: What does a witch, her former high school crush, and a ghost have in common? They’re stuck in the same house on Halloween, and no one is getting out until everyone resolves their unfinished business.

Snippet: “You sure you don’t want to keep it? Some people would be thrilled to have a legit ghost in their home for Halloween.”

Charles Ashley Henderson III scowled through his gray-rimmed glasses and across his rather long nose at Terra Grum darkening his doorstep. From her high-collared, sleeveless lace top and tight jeans to her spike-studded combat boots, she was dressed in unrelenting black. He’d blame the holiday, except he knew from their six years of elementary school, three years of middle school, and four years of high school together that this was her normal everyday attire. And apparently in the five years since graduation, her monochromatic style hadn’t changed.

“I’m sure,” he said dryly. “I can’t leave the house until this ghost is...” Removed? Exterminated? He shook his head.“Exorcised.”

“Only evil spirits, like ghouls and demons, can be ‘exorcised,’ but we can try to lay your ghost to rest,” Terra offered.

“Whatever. As long as it’s gone afterward.”

Terra raised her left, platinum blond, nearly translucent eyebrow, just the one, until it disappeared behind the fringe of her black bangs.

If her eyebrow hadn’t been visible to begin with, did it count as disappearing?

And there he went. Less than one minute after opening his door and being reunited with his secret high school crush, those oddball questions she’d always inspired began to resurrect.

Ash would have determinedly kept his feelings for Terra and her goth hair, cupid bow lips, that sassy tongue, and all his damned frustrating unanswered questions about her buried to rot. But there was the ghost to consider. Terra was the only person he knew who would believe him, even if he had thought her slightly insane for the past twenty-four years.

So, he’d called her. Now here she was, regret and temptation personified.

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

Grave Promises features three characters: a witch, her high school crush, and his ghost. As unlikely a trio as these three people are, they have something in common: they’re stuck in a haunted house, and no one is getting out until everyone resolves their unfinished business. What better holiday than Halloween to stage this southern gothic romance?

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

As my backlog of novels can attest, I’m a huge paranormal and sci-fi romance reader. My Night Blood series features vampires, my Love Beyond series features aliens, and the reason I’m so drawn to the genre besides the obvious—danger, action, and adventure—is the world building. I love taking a beloved genre and putting my spin on it with my rules in a world of my creation. For a while now, I’ve been drawn to stories like Crimson Peak and The Shape of Water (I’m a huge movie buff in addition to being a book worm!), and gothic romance is a genre adjacent to my paranormal alley. So inspired, I decided to create my own gothic romance.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

When I develop my main characters, the hero and heroine in particular, I always do so as a pair, so that I can mirror, balance and create conflict in their personalities and backstories. Unlike usual, Terra and Ash were the first couple I’ve written that had a shared backstory. I usually prefer to write my cute meet on the page, so readers can experience their relationship from the very beginning as it unfolds. For the theme of dealing with unfinished business, however, I knew that Terra and Ash were going to have a second chance romance. Their relationship (the first time around) sparked and died as a high school crush gone wrong, but the lingering passion between them is undeniable. Their restraint in the face of that passion and their journey as a couple—unraveling how they’d wronged each other, the understandable and unavoidable motivations behind what had happened all those years ago, and discovering how they could possibly heal from that hurt—was by far the most delicious part of writing this story.

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

Yes! The secondary character that helped this story come to life, ironically, was my ghost. She’s the entire reason why Terra and Ash are trapped in the haunted house, forcing them to confront their feelings, deal with the old festering wound of their break up, and find the courage to work together in the attempt to escape both the house and their past. Discovering the ghost’s motivation for her haunting was fun as well. I hadn’t anticipated diving into her character as much as I did, but fleshing out her backstory, emotions and relationships was nearly as much a revelation for me as it was for Terra and Ash.

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

I’m a pantser who forces herself to plot. I’ve made the mistake of pantsing my way through an entire book, and the end result was not a pretty sight. In order to get from point A to a logical point B, I need to know what point B actually is, but how my characters get to that destination is typically discovered as I write it. Specifically for Grave Promises, I knew that Terra and Ash had history. I knew that he’d need a powerful motivation, like being trapped in a haunted house, to call Terra, and I knew that Terra would agree to help him because being a witch, she’s the only person in town who would believe him. However, I didn’t know who the ghost was or if/how everything would resolve until I wrote the story and discovered the ending for myself.

Question 6: How was this story different compared to what you typically write?

Paranormal romance is my go to genre, but usually, I write full-length novels. Writing this short story was both fun and challenging. Fun because writing it was a bit like a naughty affair, taking a break from the project I’m currently working on, but challenging because I had to develop a relationship, motivation, and high stakes, and find a satisfying resolution, in only thirty pages. In this limited space, no action or word can go wasted. Everything, from character description and their banter to setting and action, needs to drive the plot to its conclusion. Compared to the long distance pace of writing a novel, writing this short story had the intensity of a sprint. It was exhilarating, and I’m actually planning to use what I learned from this experience to infuse my full-length novels with a similar intensity.

“A Friendsgiving Riot” by Karen Renee:

Snippet:

Turk’s eyes widened with exasperation, and the next thing I knew he pulled me to him and kissed me.

His warm mouth on mine surprised me, but my mouth opened and he slid his tongue along mine. My breath hitched, and I tangled my tongue with his. Turk tasted great, faintly of beer mingled with a flavor all his own. My hand roved up his torso while my other arm wrapped around his back. His arm tightened and the hand at my face slid into my hair where he yanked gently, but enough so I would pull away from him.

His heated brown eyes narrowed at me. “That say ‘just friends’ to you?”

“No,” I breathed.

“Your head finally outta your ass, Susan?”

My lips pursed, and my eyes widened. I tried to jerk out of his hold, but his grip tightened.

“Bryant Hughes, my head was never—”

He pressed his body against mine to kiss me silent. Even though it was shorter, the second kiss surpassed our first.

When he pulled away, a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

“I don’t want to ruin what we have, but what really scares me is possibly losing you, Turk.”

His hand in my hair let go so he could cup my cheek. “We could make what we have better. Suzy, I don’t want to lose you either. But I can’t bide my time any longer. Had we eaten turkey together last night, I’d have told you you’re what I’m most thankful for, and we’d have damn sure taken the next step. That didn’t happen, so ultimatums aren’t normally my style, but either you want this with me, or you don’t.”

Before I could respond, he added, “And another thing, Suze, don’t think using my given name gets my attention. If anything, it’s less likely to do it. Now, let’s go.”

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for many reasons, and much like Suzy, I only came to appreciate it after I hit adulthood. A close friend told me about her college business fraternity holding a “Friendsgiving” celebration every year, and I had never heard of that tradition. It stuck in the back of my mind and I knew it was something the Riot MC men would celebrate because let’s face it, bikers never need an excuse to party! 😊

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

The last third of my book Starting the Riot inspired me to write this story. Turk shows up there, and he intrigued me, but I knew he didn’t want a full novel. He also shows up in one of my other books, and I knew he had a thing for Suzy but hadn’t expressed it… yet.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

I don’t consider myself the creator of my characters so much as I have the privilege of having my characters come to me. And if that happens at three in the morning, that’s the price I have to pay! I reviewed the scenes from my other books where Turk shows up, but he’s so much on the periphery that I started writing and let him set the tone.

As for Suzy, I knew certain things about her from a prior novel, though she has not shown up in the Riot MC series at all. When I first sat down to write the story, I found her and Stephanie talk far more about their deceased mother, which I had to cut because it wasn’t moving the plot forward quickly enough and I needed to adhere to the word limit.

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life? Yes.

Secondary characters are my ‘jam’ so to speak, and Suzy’s sister, Stephanie, absolutely helped make the story come to life. She’s in a relationship with a biker, and she helps her sister interpret the behavior of Turk and his alpha-male ways.

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

I know I’m a pantser. It helps me create since I experience the story similar to the way the reader does. Pantsing also allows my characters to drive the story.

“Labor Day Moonlight” by C.L. Thomas:

Tagline: Jessica discovers that the monster Mckale saved her from isn’t the only beast she should fear.

75 Word Blurb: Drunk, and possibly drugged, Jessica Cane has no choice but to trust Mckale, a gentleman with kind eyes, to get her home.

It's a morning of revelations when she wakes in a strange cabin and her savior rescues her from a creature that poses as human.

Attraction grows between the pair, but when the moon rises, she discovers that the monster he saved her from isn’t the only beast she should fear.

Mini-Snippet:

“Damian drugged her as if she were one of us. I brought her here and nursed her back to health. This interrogation is unwarranted,” Mckale said through a series of growls.

“You should have let her die,” a voice from the group said.

Snippet:

Mckale, a total stranger, was there for her and not her date. All Damian did was buy her drink after drink, which seemed like a good idea earlier in the evening, but not so much now.

“Thank you,” she said as she lost all strength and leaned into him. He had an earthy musk scent, better than Damian who had drenched himself in cologne.

A commotion started in the corner of the bar. Damian lay on the floor, a knife in his abdomen and blood pooled below his body.

Pain ran up her arm, and she stumbled as he pulled her out the back door and down three steps. “Stop,” she said.

“We must leave,” Mckale said as he dragged her through the nearly dark parking lot with the only illumination being the three-quarter moon.

She attempted to pull away from him, but he yanked her along.

“Get them,” someone yelled from behind.

Suddenly, she was upside down, slung over his shoulder. A citrus taste exploded in her throat and she covered her mouth to keep the martinis from reappearing. Her entire body jostled violently.

Pain radiated along her entire back as she was thrown down. Metallic bumps were spaced evenly under her body. How dare he dump her in the back of a pickup!

The truck vibrated as the engine roared, then something slammed into the back of the vehicle. Looming over her was a pitch-black outline of a man.

Grrrrr

The truck shot forward. She crashed into the tailgate and the growling man was gone.

She pulled herself up to peer behind them, then tossed her cookies over the side. When she was finished, she was able to think a tiny bit clearer.

She’d been abducted. To save herself, she would have to jump.

Hair whipped around her face and the truck increased speed. If she bailed, it would be a death sentence.

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

Before I knew anything about my story, I had to decide on the holiday. I sat down with a calendar and listed the holidays, and Labor Day seemed to jump out at me, so I had to run with it.

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

When I brainstormed ideas for Labor Day Moonlight, I didn’t see shifters as any of the characters. As a matter of fact, I originally thought it would be a mystery when Damian was found stabbed in the first scene, but when Mckale and Jessica ran from the scene, I was thrilled to discover they were being pursued by wolf shifters.

The very first novel I wrote was about wolf shifters, but it was never ‘good enough’ for me to pursue publication. I think my unconscious desire to complete a shifter story creeped into this story before I actively knew this was about a shifter pack.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

The heroine, Jessica was easy to create. She immediately came forward and came to life before I formed a single sentence. The hero, Mckale was extremely hard to work with and to understand. For several days, I believed another character, Damian, was the love interest, but once the story unfolded, I could see I was mistaken.

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

Yes, Damian. Damian is the villain of the story, and true to form, he presented himself as if he were the main character when he was plotting against Jessica from the beginning.

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

When anyone asks, I always say I am a plotter, but my best stories have been created when I wrote without a plan or idea of where it is going. I guess that makes me a wanna-be-plotter. Labor Day Moonlight was written without a clue as to what was taking place, or how it would end.

“A Ghost of a Chance on Love” by Gloria Ferguson

Snippet:

“How about a little kiss for Santa?” Rico asked, caressing a strand of her hair.

She recalled the goodnight kiss they shared at her front door after their first date. Her body tingled for hours afterward until she finally drifted off to sleep, solo in her bed that night with visions of sexy Rico swirling in her head. She missed that feeling. She longed for another kiss.

In a moment of weakness, she recalled Tracy’s advice about taking a chance and going for it and shrugged. “Why not?”

Big mistake.

That’s when he came in for the kill and pressed his lips against hers. She savored the sensation of his mouth upon hers. Moist. Tender. Teasing. With a hint of steamy desire brewing just below the surface, just like she remembered. She was in heaven. And on the fast track to hell.

“Hey Sis, you got a minute?” Bill said, as he swung open the closed door leading from his office into the hallway where the couple stood.

She pulled away from Rico and fixed her mussed hair. “Oh! Gosh! Sure. I was just telling Santa, I mean Rico, thanks for his help today.”

“That’s a strange way to say thank you. Rico, please excuse us. I need to talk to my sister in private. In my office.”

That didn’t sound good. She hoped Bill wouldn’t give her another one of those big- brother lectures. She had enough of him looking over her shoulder, watching her every move for years. Trying to protect her. She was a big girl. He had to butt out of her personal life.

Inside Bill’s office, she slid into a chair across from him.

“What’re you doing, Sis?”

She shrugged. She had no defense. She longed for another kiss from Rico.

One-liner 1:

Rico doubted his agreeing to play Saint Nick would garner a second chance at love with Kate either. But heck. He was Santa. And he still had a trick or two up his sleeve and a heart full of hope.

One-liner 2:

Kate fanned herself with her hand as heat rose along the back of her neck. Luckily, she left the mistletoe behind. No need to tempt Fate with her heart pumping double-time.

One-liner 3:

Leave it to her mom to try to find her eldest daughter an earthly soulmate from beyond the grave. Kate would find her own Romeo.

On her own terms. And in her own time.

And it would not be Rico.

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

I chose my holiday, Christmas because it is my favorite time of year. It's a magical time for love.

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

I was inspired to write the story, a humorous one, after taking a tour of a distillery, where my story is set. After the tour, my brain started thinking "What if ?" Instantly, the story came to life.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

I created my two main characters in the following way: The heroine I fashioned from someone who is not like me. She is afraid to take risks, but in the end, by letting go and taking a chance, she finds romance. For my hero, he is partly drawn from real life experiences and partly from my imagination. Bottom line, I wanted him to be fun, as well as have the standard hero qualities that all readers love.

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

My secondary character, a ghost, helped to move my plot along and add just a touch of the paranormal, as well as facilitate the romance between the hero and heroine. In the end, the ghost got her "mission accomplished".

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

I consider myself a pantser--big-time. this helps me create as I am "seeing" developments in the story as my reader would. It's fun to go on the journey to find out what happens next. The downside of this is: it takes lots of extra time, as sometimes I go in the wrong direction, and later have to correct that.

“A Pug Thanksgiving” by Leah Miles

Snippet:

Janny moved the heavy purple carrier to her other shoulder and powered thru the exit at a brisk pace. “You have to behave. Absolutely no barking, understood?”

The pup ignored her. Her shiny black eyes were swiveling joyfully in all directions as she wiggled against the constraints of the too-small bag. From half a block away, Janny could see Echo squinting in their direction and laughter bubbled up her throat.

“There he is Roxy.” She waived in his direction and picked up her pace.

She’d met the handsome Echo after joining San Diego fitness and promptly signed up for his morning training sessions. It was a stretch on her budget, but she needed the exercise and the motivation of tall dark and handsome helped to get her out of bed. Her heart soared at the thought that he might return her interest.

“Hi! Sorry I’m late.”

“Haven’t been here long.” Echo straightened away from the wall and quirked an eyebrow. “Whatcha got in the bag?”

“Oh, this is Roxy. Roxy meet Echo.”And I just introduced my dog like an actual person.

Echo watched as the pug rolled enormous eyes, head and shoulders straining at the opening of the bag as she rocked it with what he had to assume were full body wags.

Eyes crinkling at the corners, Echo rubbed his chin with a serious expression. “I’m not sure dogs are allowed inside, unless they’re service dogs. Is she by any chance a service dog?”

Janny grinned and tapped her lip with one finger as if considering the question. “She isn’t an actual a service dog, but I did purchase a certificate online designating her as an anxiety companion; so technically, she could be a service dog or maybe a dog with a fake ID.”

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s a chance to connect and share new recipes while creating memories with friends and family alike. Also, decorating is not required!

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

As a fledgling author, FCRW has been a springboard of information for me. The anthology is a fundraiser for this group that is dear to my heart.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

I went to the gym with my very physically fit husband and it felt like I was working out with a Navy Seal. It gave me the idea of a soldier training a group of housewives and this is just a glimpse of two of the characters.

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

The Pug was the catalyst that propelled the two of them closer. Dogs are the best!

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

I make extensive outlines and then virtually ignore them when I’m writing. Music is essential to getting me in the headspace for different stories. I generally have two or three things going at once and I like to create a playlist of songs for each one.

“The Luckiest Hat” by Sara Walker

Snippet:

The sound of her voice carried across the empty beach and Dr. Dino Dudley couldn’t help but smile at the picture the small woman made chasing her flyaway hat. The pair were moving fast in his direction and there was no chance she was going to catch up with her wide-brimmed possession before it landed in the water.

“No, no! Stupid hat! Don’t do that! Not into the water!” She was jogging beneath it, pleading as the hat caught another updraft. The trailing ribbons tipped the front of the hat in a perfect imitation of a giant delta kite and gained more height.

“Tarnation!” The woman stopped to stomp a bare foot in frustration.

He squinted to see her better. She was slim and attractive, probably close to his own age of fifty-six with her long loose skirt now clutched in one fist as she jogged down the beach.

Glancing back at the sky, Dino realized the hat was on a trajectory that would bring it fairly close to his location.

“Tarnation is right.” Dino scrubbed a hand over his short blonde hair, reluctant to get involved. People liked their privacy after all. But the infernal hat was heading his way, long colorful ribbons streaming close to the sand.

He really wasn’t so young anymore and leaping would probably trigger his vertigo, but the pretty lady was in distress. And as a former Boy Scout, he’d always been taught to do the right thing.

Decision made, Dino set off at a fast jog toward the bright yellow hat, calling out. “I’ve got it!”

As soon as he was close enough, he leapt, barely managing to grasp the edge of the trailing ribbons. “What the…?”

Instead of just a fistful of soft cloth, he’d grabbed a cluster of paper flowers which were attached to the ribbons by shiny straight pins.

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

What better holiday than one where you allowed, traditionally, to overeat while spending time with children and grandchildren for a few days.

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

This Anthology is primarily a fundraiser for FCRW, a group that is dear to my heart.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

Who doesn’t love a second chance at love?

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

The young granddaughter showed a different side of both the main characters.

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

I’m a pantser who uses plotting outlines.

“A Magical Fall” by Debby Grahl

Snippet:

Sabrina stepped through the door and stared at the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Smoky gray eyes gazed into hers, and she couldn’t look away. “Thank you,” she stammered as he held the door for her to pass.

“My pleasure, miss. Can I help you with those packages?”

Sabrina opened her mouth to speak, but her tongue wouldn’t work. Say something, you ninny. “I’m, I’m fine. My buggy is right there.” She pointed.

He smiled and Sabrina’s knees went weak. His teeth were straight and white and there was a cleft in his chin. Oh, Goddess help me,” she prayed. Get me to the buggy before I embarrass myself any further.

Sabrina nodded, hurried to the buggy, and, without a backward glance, headed toward home. Sweet Goddess, what a fool she’d made of herself. He wasn’t the first handsome man to cross her path, but the first to cause her mental faculties to scatter to the four winds. She’d been drawn to him with a force that both thrilled and frightened her.

Sabrina frowned as she recalled what she’d seen but her muddled brain hadn’t taken in. Obviously, he was the U.S. marshal Priscilla had told them about. It was the translucent figure standing behind him that interested Sabrina. Throughout her life, she’d encountered ghosts, but this one pulsated with desperation.

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

I love Halloween, and I love to use witches and ghosts in my stories. They’re both very versatile as characters. They can be friendly or mean, visible or invisible, have great power or be clumsy. I’m going to tell my age, but my favorite shows were Bewitched and Casper the ghost.

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

When the First Coast Writers offered members an opportunity to be part of this anthology, I was thrilled. Not only to be included with a group of talented authors, I also wanted to be part of something that was helping a charity.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

Since the story takes place at Halloween, I needed a witch so Sabrina Duncan was born. I decided the time period would be the late eighteen hundreds and the setting Colorado. When I came up with the plot, handsome Marshall Jake Malory fit perfectly.

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

Yes, I think the ghost Clarence ended up with more of a role than I had anticipated.

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

I’m definitely a pantser. I do an outline with the location, setting, plot, and character development, but from there, my characters take over.

“The Honeybee: A Samhain Tale” by P. K. Brent

Snippet 1:

“As a married man, I look forward to winters now.” Jimmy-John gave a knowing smirk. “Now I’ll be plowing the field I want to plow best.”

Connor choked on his mead and hastily changed the subject. “I must say hello to my sister, who just arrived.”

Jimmy-John nodded good-bye to his friend. Connor hastily went to refill his mug. He did not care to be reminded that for him, winter would be long and lonesome.

Unfortunately, Connor had been striking out with the lasses, ever since his sister wed and moved into her husband's home. Now he, Connor, was left to do all the housekeeping by himself. His cheeks reddened at the thought of Kirstie Grier laughing in his face a few minutes earlier, while he looked down her loosely-laced bodice at the lovely mounds of her creamy breasts.

Her disdain had been humiliating. "Go home with you to that rat's nest you live in? So you can ride me all night and then ask me to scrub your pots and cook breakfast the next morning? I'll save myself the trouble! I have better offers."

Fortunately, Connor was not easily discouraged. The heaving hindquarters of Kendra Grant, as she frolicked and bowed in jest at the other maids gave him plenty of inspiration. Connor grabbed an extra cup of mead, refilled his cup, and just like a good sheepdog, cut Kendra out of the pack.

Snippet 2:

Truth be told, Connor longed for far more than food, ale, and gaiety. A long cold winter lay ahead, and he would be alone in his cottage, with no one for company or to share the long nights. Connor glanced at the women as they danced with lively partners, passed around the food, or gathered up the crockery. None suited him and he suited none of them. Most were either too young, too old, married, engaged, or otherwise attached. The ones he admired most were also the ones most out of reach. News travels fast and everyone knew that Connor paid an outrageously large dowry to the man his sister married, which made him damaged goods for more reasons than one.

“Your fortune for a penny?” A creaky voice startled Connor who looked down at the crone sitting on a bale of straw near the fire. She was so small and bent that she barely reached the tabletop. He recognized her as the old woman who set up a cart in the village, peddling herbs, and tinctures, while offering to tell fortunes. Connor felt sorry for her.

“What are you called, old Mother?” Connor handed the crone a penny.

“You may call me, Mother Fae. Now, hand me your palm and I will read your fortune.”

Connor knew that the crone had not eaten. Perhaps she did not have the coppers required to purchase a plate.

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

I mostly write paranormal romance and dark fantasy, often with a celtic twist, so I chose the most paranormal of all celtic holidays -- Samhain. Nowadays in our culture we call this day Halloween. During this time the veil between the worlds is said to be the thinnest.

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

I can't say. Ideas pop into my head. I purposely left it ambiguous whether the culture involved was Irish or Scottish, because my family comes from both places and I did not wish to exclude one. I had been pondering my own family history, so that perhaps spilled over into my story. My great-great-grandmother, Lucy McMahon, came from a comfortable home in Ireland. Lucy enjoyed parties and nice things. She had an understanding with a young man in town. However, when Lucy's father died, her brother became head of the family. The dowry system was in effect and the brother did not want to pay the dowry requested by the young man's family. He made a better deal and married Lucy off to a widowed farmer. The story of Lucy's despair has been handed down through the family. Lucy was devastated when she first glimpsed the primitive farmhouse where, without any say in the matter, she was forced to spend the rest of her life. She met her husband only once prior to the marriage. Lucy was destined to spend the rest of her life working in the fields while her mother-in-law took care of the house and children.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

Mother Fae was fun to write. It was fun to put poor Connor through the trials imposed by Mother Fae. The trials chosen involve animals and symbols that frequent Celtic mythology. These also represent the four elements -- air (to know), fire (to be), water (to dare), and earth (to be silent).

Bees popped into my head as a useful vehicle and they have a rich mythology, so I kept them. In celtic mythology, bees are considered to be very wise. They act as messengers between the worlds of the living, the dead, and the gods. Bees are thought to safeguard the knowledge of the druids. In addition, bees are associated with fertility. They are often found embroidered on wedding dresses and veils.

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

It is unusual that the bride, Orla, played only a minor part in the story. Most of the time she was a fat, fuzzy bee. Jimmy-John did a good job of poking fun at Connor. If I were to expand this story, then I would develop these and other characters.

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

I am a total pantser, which gets me into trouble. So I force myself to write a little then plot a little. Forcing myself to plot helps to keep me on track.

“His Christmas Rose” by Maggie FitzRoy

Snippet:

“One moment, Mother Fae. I’ll be right back.” Connor returned a minute later with a plate full of roast pork and roast chicken, bread, and mashed turnips. The crone gave him an appreciative look and cleaned the plate faster than Connor imagined was possible. Then she grabbed his hand.

While examining his hand, Mother Fae nodded and sang a lilting song to herself in a language Connor thought he knew but somehow could not entirely recall. He was nearly asleep when the crone stood up to leave.

“Well, Mother Fae, what do you make of my fortune?”

“Oh, this one’s pretty,” Rose exclaimed as she dashed over to a tall pine. “What about this one?”

Jack grinned. “Nah, too scrawny.”

She twirled around and pointed to a squat fir. “This?”

He laughed. “Nope. Too short.”

“How about this one?” Rose dashed over to a towering spruce with full, majestic branches. Her smile did something to his heart that no woman’s smile had ever done before. “This one’s perfect.”

Jack gave a quick nod and hurried through deep snow toward her, brandishing his axe and flashing a wide grin. “I agree heartily. You have good taste in trees, Miss Robinson.”

She beamed, her eyes dancing, as snowflakes drifting from the sky landed on her hair. In her rush to join him on his quest, she’d forgotten her hat, and locks of her shiny-brown curls had come un-pinned.

They locked gazes.

“Please call me Rose,” she whispered, stepping toward him.

He grinned. How long had he been wanting to do that? He moved closer. “Rose. And Rosy…I might even call you Rosy…” his grin widened. “Because your cheeks have a tendency to turn rosy-pink when the slightest chill kisses them. Did you know that?”

He wanted to kiss her.

“It’s not the cold…Mr. Cardelle. It’s me blushing, whenever I’m near you.”

“Jack.”

And then he did kiss her. Reaching for her hands, he took her into his arms and put his lips to hers as feelings of love and passion flooded through him such as he’d never felt before.

This was love. True love. He was ready, and he sure hoped she’d say “yes.”

He pulled back and looked into Rose’s amazing face. “We better start lugging that tree to the house,” he said, his voice husky, “or they’ll come looking for us.”

Questions and Answers:

Question 1: Why did you choose the holiday you wrote about in your short story?

I chose Christmas because to me it’s the ultimate romantic holiday, full of wonder and joy. Since I wanted snow and ice skating in the story, I set it in Vermont. I write historical romance, since I love whisking the reader back in time, to where love is an adventure. I chose December 1899 because it’s a week away from the dawn of a new century, with new possibilities and new beginnings. It must have been an exciting time, and it certainly is for my characters!

Question 2: What inspired you to write this short story?

Thinking about Christmas in the Victorian era, I saw in my imagination a young woman who was alone in the world, focused on survival, needing love. And how she received the best Christmas gift of all.

Question 3: How did you go about creating your two main characters?

They just came to me as I wrote, beginning with the heroine, on a train trip to her new life, which led to the amazing man who picked her up at the station.

Question 4: Was there a secondary character that helped this story come to life?

Yes, the hero’s sister. Also, in many ways, his grandmother.

Question 5: Do you consider yourself a plotter or pantser? How does that help you create?

I consider myself a plotter. I see scenes from the story unfold in my mind, and then start plotting, alternating back and forth between creating a 3-Act Structure outline of scene ideas and character bibles, one for each character. I use a combination of two well-known plotting techniques in the fiction craft: Snowflake Method and Save the Cat method. They really work for me; they give me a map to follow, and the confidence that I will be able to get where I want to go. That allows me to relax and have fun while watching each scene unfold as I write.

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