Skip to main content

For the love of holiday romances...and giveaways!!

Let me start by saying that I LOVE writing holiday romances.  It's true.  If I could, I would do it year-round.  Unfortunately, not everyone loves reading about Christmas in June so I try to stick to writing and releasing them during the winter holiday season.  To date, I have written ten.

I once said very early on in my writing career, that readers could always count on me for a holiday novella and so far, I've stuck to that.  And I've loved every second of it!  Lol!

Today I released my tenth holiday novella - A VERY MARRIED CHRISTMAS.  It is book three in my Silver Bell Falls series and I have to admit, I almost didn't get to do it this year.  You see, I released HOLIDAY SPICE - which is a full-length novel - last month and while it is a holiday romance, it wasn't my usual kind of story and I felt like I really needed to do a novella for the readers that was more on track for what I always do.  And so A VERY MARRIED CHRISTMAS was born!
Silver Bell Falls was created as sort of a Christmas-Year-Round town.  They take their namesake seriously and during the holiday season, "Silver Bells" can be heard all over town.  In the first book CHRISTMAS IN SILVER BELL FALLS, my heroine Melanie shows up in town reluctantly after finding out a house there is her inheritance from her grandmother.  The only problem?  She hates Christmas.  Seriously, she's a female Scrooge.  So to have her stuck in a town where everyone lives and breathes Christmas was a LOT of fun!  She and the local sheriff have a surprise meeting while Melanie's in the tub and...well...let's just say it's one of my favorite meeting scenes ever!  Was it any wonder I had to give readers their wedding story?  And that's what A VERY MARRIED CHRISTMAS is - it's Melanie and Josiah's wedding story.

Here's a small excerpt:


He chuckled softly and placed another kiss on top of her head.  “Mel, we already know we want to get married.  We have the place and it’s decorated beautifully.  We’ve been living together almost since we met.  I don’t think we need to wait another year for a wedding. Personally, I don’t want to wait that long.”  Then he shifted so he could look at her face and smiled softly.  “I want you to be my wife.  The sooner the better.”
Her heart kicked hard in her chest and that’s when it hit her.
She wanted to be his wife sooner rather than later too.  Waiting another year just meant obsessing about things for a longer period of time. 
“I don’t want to wait another year either,” she began carefully.  “I love you and I want to be your wife, but…can’t we at least talk about another date?  Something that doesn’t have to do with the holidays?”  And before he could comment, she quickly added, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a date that is just ours?  Something we aren’t sharing with the rest of the world?”
He sighed and she knew he was disappointed.  Truth be known, she hated to be the one to make him feel that way, but she also knew she’d feel worse if she kept her feelings to herself.  This was going to be their wedding and it should be on both of their terms.
The silence was beginning to make Melanie nervous, so she looked up.  “Josiah?”
Another sigh.  “I get what you’re saying and I guess I thought we had crossed that hurdle and you were over your whole hating of all-things-Christmas.”  He shrugged.  “In my head, I thought it would be the perfect way for you to have a whole different view of it—something positive and happy to wash away all the negative memories.”
Rolling over, she placed her hand on his chest directly over his heart.  “You have done so much to make that happen and I really have learned that not everything about Christmas is bad, but…it doesn’t mean I want to share the happiest day of my life with it.  Think about it, Josiah.  As magical as it all sounds in your head, think of the reality of having it as our anniversary.  We’d never get to celebrate it on its own—it’s always going to be a holiday to celebrate something else.  And when we have kids, our anniversary will get lost in the shuffle.  Is that really what you want?”
By the look on his face, he hadn’t thought about these things.  Melanie knew how much Josiah loved Christmas and everything about it.  Living his entire life in Silver Bell Falls, how could he not?  It was like living in a giant Christmas card year-round! That’s why she felt it was important for him to be open to looking at other dates.  While she could completely concede that Christmas and everything that went with it could be wonderful, there were also a lot of other wonderful times of the year for them to consider.
“How about this,” she began, hoping to encourage him a bit.  “Let’s go and have some breakfast, break out the calendar and start looking at it.  How does that sound?”
He considered her for a long moment.  “Do you mind if I take a shower first?”
Not quite the response she was looking for but… “Sure!  I’ll go get out all the makings for pancakes and get them started.  Sound good?”  She knew pancakes were one of his favorite breakfast foods and she hoped it would work in her favor by putting him in a good mood while they talked about potential non-Christmas dates.
Just as she was about to move away from him, Josiah surprised her by wrapping her in his arms and twisting them until she was beneath him.  He kissed her thoroughly, deeply and left her completely breathless.
“Wow,” she said, trying to catch her breath.  “The thought of pancakes got you that worked up?”
He laughed softly.  “No.  The thought of marrying you did.”
Winding her arms around him, Melanie hugged him close.  “Breakfast can wait a little while longer, right?”
And by the sexy grin on his face, Josiah completely agreed.

BUY LINKS:

And don't forget to mark your calendars!!  My very first Christmas book - THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE - is coming to the Hallmark Movies & Mystery Channel on December 9th at 9:00!!  You can get all the details here: http://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/the-most-wonderful-movies-of-christmas/holiday-movies-2017-preview/11#listheader

You didn't think I forgot about the giveaway part, did you??  I have TWO holiday boxes to give away!!  Each contains a signed copy of either A VERY MARRIED CHRISTMAS or THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE along with some swag and holiday goodies!  So don't miss out!!  To enter, comment below with what you love most about holiday romances!  And for a second chance to win, go over to my Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaChaseFanClub/ - like it and leave a comment there that says CASABLANCA AUTHORS SENT ME!  That's it!  Easy-Peasy!!

Happy Reading, Friends!!

Comments

  1. I like the magical element -- the spirit of Christmas that appears in a holiday romance. The memories and little touches that make the holiday novels relate able to readers -- tree trimming, baking cookies, family meals, mistletoe.

    So excited to watch The Christmas Cottage!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love Christmas romances all year long. Christmas is a magical time of the year. It feels like anything can happen at this time of year.
    im2early4u(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love knowing that they're going to make my heart feel full and leave me with a big ol' smile on my face! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  4. Christmas is such a happy time and I just love having that vibe in a romantic story. I think romance stories always enhance any time of year, but adding it to the magic of Christmas just makes it that much better!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the magic of Christmas and it's even better with romance!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh I love the Christmas romances....they always put me into the holiday spirit! Nothing is more romantic to me than Christmas time...fills you with love and hope...and that happily every after!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love all the lights, colors and smells that bring to mind a magical time of year. A story that has all that and more is a winner for me. Love to read holiday romances year-round.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The sweet yet spicy plots from Christmas novels that suck me into their characters' lives. Books that leave behind an impression are the best.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the feel of them. It's not just romance (which I love), but also surrounded by laugh, lights and everything I associate to Xmas (which I also love).

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think the holidays make the romances a little more magical. Love all of Samantha’s Christmas stories 😊

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like reading the Christmas stories because it gets you in the spirit and I love the magic that surrounds the story

    ReplyDelete
  12. What's not to Love? Most Christmas romances avoid most of the stresses associated with that time of the yeatt and help me de-stress

    ReplyDelete
  13. I enjoy holiday romances because I get to still be in the moment of the holiday and yet be able to take a much needed mental/emotional vacation from the difficulties that surround the season.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment