A Christmas Tradition - by Magdalena Scott

Here at Sweet Romance Reads, we have an annual tradition--we put out a boxed set of brand new holiday novellas. It's hard to believe that this is the fourth year. But it must be true, because this year's collection is called SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 4. I'm very fortunate to have a story in each of them.

It's on pre-order now, with a September 26th release date!

Here's the blurb:

Usher in the holiday season with 14 heartwarming all-new, stand-alone stories from New York Times, USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors. Sweet Christmas Kisses 4 takes you from the Pocono Mountains to sunny Florida, and as far away as Portugal.

Curl up with your favorite hot beverage and enjoy this sweet romance boxed set that’s sure to put you in the mood for Christmas.

Mona Risk, In Time for Christmas
Dr. Sylvia Reynolds promised to be at her parents’, in time for Christmas dinner, but her priorities change after she meets a motherless baby and her gorgeous uncle.

Beate Boeker, Unique Christmas
Chiara hopes to spend a solitary Christmas all by herself. But when a man jumps through her office window to save her from an accident, things spin away—beyond her wildest dreams.

Christine Bush, Christmas with the Cat Lady
Carly is happy living alone in her mountain house with her cats. Can the handsome author who rents a room over the Christmas holidays change her mind?

Lyn Cote, Loving Winter
At her cousin’s wedding, Winter Woodard, owner of her family’s garden center, isn’t expecting to meet her match in local football coach, Clay Dixon, (she isn’t IN to sports!) but he stands by her through a holiday season fraught with unexpected setbacks.

Denise Devine, Once Upon a Christmas
Small town girl returns home to find love and success, but can she outlast the mistakes of her past?

Raine English, Christmas in Walnut Creek
Will a Christmas blizzard reunite a couple and give them a second chance at love?

Jean C. Gordon, A Team Macachek Christmas
Sparks fly from a Christmastime reunion of motocross racer Jesse Brewster and his ex-girlfriend Lauren Cooper. But is it the wrong time for their love?

Shanna Hatfield, Saving Mistletoe 
A stubborn cop, a hotshot attorney, and a little girl determined to see her father need a miracle to make this holiday season jolly and bright.

Milou Koenings, The Gift of Yesterday
When Bailey returns to Green Pines to open a pastry shop, Joe Hudson sees all his Christmas wishes coming true—if only he can convince her to risk her heart again.

Josie Riviera, A Portuguese Christmas
The holidays—like love—can sneak up on you. And sweep you away like a riptide.

Roxanne Rustand, A Christmas in Montana
Kristen Weatherby goes to Montana to get her late grandmother's house ready to sell, but finds much more than she bargained for: a house she can't let go, a charming mountain town, and a handsome veterinarian who just might steal her heart.

Magdalena Scott, A Cowboy for Christmas
Hannah Kincaid is in love with Jacob Hollingsworth, and will overcome her fear of horses and his bossy brother Michael to get a Christmas happily-ever-after with the cowboy of her dreams.

Kristin Wallace, Loving You at Christmas
Annaliese Matheson is convinced she’ll never love again. This Christmas will become the opening act for her holiday happily ever after. 

Merrillee Whren, Puppy Love and Mistletoe
Can a little girl and a fluffy black dog bring a reluctant couple together in a Christmas miracle?

Does it sound too good to miss? I think so, too! You can pre-order SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 4 for 99 cents here:

Amazon: http://a.co/600caJ1

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xgU0sG

Google: http://bit.ly/2viH7g4

Nook: http://bit.ly/2g8xyO8

~*~

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Childcare

Who takes care of the children when the parents go to work?
This is such a big issue for so many parents.

My son and his wife hired a nanny. They were lucky to find a middle aged woman who came from Ukraine to work as an interpreter and knew English fluently. Natalia too care of my granddaughter when the little girl was only three months and her mommy had to go back to work. Two years later when the family welcomed a baby boy, Natalia was delighted with her second little charge. Three years later, both children attended school. Their loving nanny bid them goodbye and returned home. She still corresponds with the parents and grandparents and often watches "her" children over Facetime.

While my daughter-in-law was lucky to find the perfect babysitter for her children, my daughter went through all type of difficulties. I stayed with my first granddaughter for six months and then the parents put her in a daycare center. Three weeks later the baby was sick. For a better long-term solution, my daughter hired an au-pair student from Peru, but the young woman fell in love with a local young man and left them to get married. A new au-pair came from South Africa and stayed only six months. A nanny replaced her. Unfortunately she got sick and had to leave, and the children were enrolled in daycare again. Eventually my daughter moved to Florida to be next to us and I took care of my granddaughters.

How do young parents manage to provide reliable care for their young children when they both work? Please share your thoughts.

In my story, twin toddlers are left with a teenager who is on her phone while babysitting and...
ON CHRISTMAS EVE is a sweet novel and part of Holiday Babies Series.

She banished him from her life and her dreams. But fate throws him in her path again and his tender gaze erases her loneliness. Can they forgive each other and create a new future?


ON CHRISTMAS EVE is also my contribution to SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 3

All 17 authors in this boxed set write sweet romances and are members of Sweet Romance Reads, a group of authors whose books contain no sex, violence, or strong language. While the emotional stakes are high as the characters’ relationships grow, these stories are wholesome. Think movies rated G or PG. Therefore, Sweet Christmas Kisses 3 can be enjoyed by romance readers of any age. Snuggle into a chair by a cozy fire with a cup of hot chocolate and allow these bestselling and award-winning authors to bring the holiday season alive as they warm your heart.
 Purchase the book at your favorite online retailer:  
Kindle: http://amzn.to/2aMrYfN
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/z6nr25q
iBooks: http://apple.co/2aFTjN3  
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aGREsk  
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2baWaSj

Mistletoe and Sage, Lyn Cote's preview of her holiday novella

Here's my novella preview. Have you bought your copy of SWEET CHISTMAS KISSES 3 yet?17 sweet holiday romances by Sweet Romance Authors!

Mistletoe and Sage

Lyn Cote

Chapter 1

Why was she letting the new hire disturb her peace? Deputy Sage Dietz hurried inside the warm kitchen, shaking the snow from her hair, trying to shake the man’s image.

“Mama!” Little Tucker ran toward her, his arms lifted high. “Mama!”

She swept him up into a fierce hug. “How’s my guy?” For the millionth time she wished her late husband could be here. She kissed her son’s dark hair, enjoying the best moment in her day, ignoring the tug of grief. Or trying to.

Plus-sized “Ma” Havlecek stood at the stove, stirring what smelled like a pot of beef soup. Her dapper husband Bruno politely rose from his place at the round table to greet Sage.

“Was Tucker good today?” Sage asked the woman who had helped raise her, many others, and now her little son.

“He’s always good,” Bruno said. “Ma and I don’t know what we’d do without our little buddy.”

“Take off your coat.” Ma ordered. “You’re both staying for soup.”

Tucker struggled to be put down so Sage released him. He ran to the table and grabbed a paper and handed it to her.

“You finger painted today?” she asked.

Before he could answer, her phone rang. She lifted it out and touched the screen. The night dispatcher was calling. “Hi, what’s up?”

“Sorry to bother you, Sage, I know you’re off duty,” the dispatcher, an older woman, said. “But we’ve got a big fight at Flanagan’s and a bad multi-car accident on the highway and we just got a call from a property manager in that new development near Ma’s. Since he knew you’d be close, Rodd asked if you’d be willing to go there to assist the new guy with the crime scene. He’s just gone off duty too. But we’re stretched pretty thin.”

Assist the new guy—Garrett Connolly? The last thing Sage wanted to do. Not to mention she’d waited all day for these moments here in this warm kitchen with her little boy and people she loved and who loved her.

She swallowed a sigh. She had no choice. “Okay. What’s the address?” She jotted it down. “Got it. Is Connolly there yet?”

“He’s on his way.”

Sage touched the smartphone screen and then looked at Ma. “I’ve got to go help at that new subdivision down the road.”

“That fancy new place for folks puttin’ on airs?” Ma was clearly displeased. Tucker clutched Sage around the knees as if he understood she was leaving again. Bruno came over and lifted the little boy into his arms. “Your mom will be right back.”

Tucker wailed his displeasure.

His shrill tones prickling her nerves, Sage grabbed her parka, hurried outside again, and drove off into the November darkness. Snow still fell, but lazily. She drove up the county road to the new subdivision of nearly twenty houses, “Lone Lake Lodges.” Navigating the circuitous lanes, she noted by her SUV lights that some houses were still under construction and others were standing new and proud in the wooded area that ringed Lone Lake.

She parked in front of the address entered on her phone and got out. To loosen her tense neck and back, she tightened and then relaxed the muscles. She could not let on that the new deputy had made a definite impression on her.

A man in a faded jacket and tan work clothes waited in the drive. No doubt he’d been hired by one of the out of town owners to regularly check on the seasonal homes in this new area.

She walked up to him, triggering the motion-activated light that had just timed out. She didn’t like what she saw behind him—neon yellow-green paint had been sprayed on the three doors. The first said: WE, the second: DON’T WANT, and finally the third: YOU. She frowned. Some of the local residents didn’t like the new influx of more affluent residents. Nearby communities had a history of tourists and seasonal visitors and residents, the Steadfast area not so much.

“You the police?” he asked, ignoring her uniform.

“Yes.” She introduced herself. “I’m Deputy Dietz.”

“This is bad,” he said.

After living away for six years, she no longer knew practically everyone in the Steadfast-LaFollette area, so it didn’t bother her that she didn’t recognize this man. She’d come back at the beginning of spring while the new deputy Garrett Connolly had just come in late October.

“It’s certainly unfriendly,” she agreed wryly.

“Well, I guess we should have expected some— ”

Hearing the sound of another car, she held up a hand to stop the man from pouring out all he had to say about the vandalism. “I’m just here to assist.” She turned. “Here comes Deputy Connolly.”

And right behind him came a silver dually pickup with “Gallagher Development” blazoned in black on the side punctuated by a stylized cluster of fir trees around the last word.

Sage knew who the driver was, the new bigwig in town, Ron Gallagher. He hustled out of his truck, met the deputy, and walked him up the drive. The developer of Lone Lake Lodges, the man who was bringing in new people and new money to the county, was barrel-chested and had a lot of curly salt-and-pepper hair.

Deputy Connolly—just a head taller than she and very solid-looking—strode up to her. He had thick dark brown hair, close-cut. He looked at her with his very green eyes.

She had wondered why two deputies were needed for a simple case of vandalism. But one look at Gallagher’s red face gave her a hint. Two deputies showed that the local sheriff was taking this seriously. “Hi, I—” she began.

But Gallagher’s booming voice drowned hers out. “What a mess! Do you know how expensive those garage doors are? Their factory finish has been compromised.”

So she stepped back. She was off duty, after all.

Connolly nodded once in her direction and then turned to Gallagher. “This is a crime scene.” He held up his hands, stopping the man from going closer. “You can’t come any farther.”

“You know who I am?”

“From the writing on your truck, I’d say you’re Gallagher. I’m Deputy Connolly from the sheriff’s department.”"

TO READ THE REST OF CHAPTER ONE, click here.  Still on sale for 99 cents!

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/jf8jjha

Itune/Apple: http://tinyurl.com/jvc9n76

Kobo Books: http://tinyurl.com/hhwm2c5

Google: http://tinyurl.com/z5qzshr

A Q&A with the Sweet Christmas Kisses Authors

The release of Sweet Christmas Kisses is tomorrow! To celebrate, this week will be devoted to getting to know the books and characters in this set! The authors of Sweet Christmas Kisses have joined us today to share what got them excited to write their story.

Every comment this week on our blog will earn an entry into a book prize package (see below), winner to be announced on Saturday! Comment every day to increase your chances of winning!

First up is Donna Fasano, author of An Almost Perfect Christmas. Hello Donna! What got you excited to write An Almost Perfect Christmas?

Donna: "Hello! The first character from An Almost Perfect Christmas to come to me was 8-year-old Izzie. She started chattering to me (as little girls often do) about how she wants her daddy to have Christmas all year long. I simply HAD to write her story."

Thank you so much, Donna, for sharing your story.


Next up is Ginny Baird, author of Mistletoe in Maine. Welcome, Ginny! Tell us a little about the inspiration behind Mistletoe in Maine.

Ginny: "Thank you! I'd spent some time on vacation with my husband in Maine, and really fell in love with its beauty. So many stories set in Maine take place on its rugged coast, but I was excited to write about a lesser known area... its isolated northwestern corner. It made the perfect romantic backdrop for a holiday tale, complete with skiing, dog sledding, horse-drawn sleigh riding, and of course lots, and lots of snow!"

Thank you, Ginny! That seems like a wonderfully romantic setting for a holiday story.

Helen Scott Taylor, author of The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby, joins us now. Welcome, Helen!  What led to the creation of this story?

Helen: "Hello everybody! Sean Fabian, the hero of The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby, is a hotshot army surgeon who operated on a child in one of the other Army Doctor books. A tall, blond, blue-eyed heartthrob, I knew the moment he stepped into the series he must have his own book."

I'm sure readers are glad you gave Sean his own book! Thank you for sharing!

The next author to join us today is Beate Böker, author of Stormy Times. Hello there, Beate! What can you tell us about your story inspiration?

Beate: "Hello! After a very exhausting trade fair in NYC, my fiancee and I took three days off to drive to Long Island. It was so beautiful and so serene that I fell for the area and immediately decided to set a book there!"

Thank you, Beate, for sharing that experience with us!


I would now like to welcome Melinda Curtis, author of The Christmas Promise. Thank you for being here today! Why did you write The Christmas Promise?

Melinda: "Hi! My friend Kim went to Ecuador to create an organic chocolate snack. Kim encountered bugs, downpours, and snakes-- nirvana for a comedy writer. A fish-out-of-water story was born!"

It sounds like your friend is having quite the experience! Thank you for sharing with us.


The next Sweet Christmas Kisses author to join us is Aileen Fish, author of Christmas in White Oak. Hello, Aileen, tell us a little bit of the story behind your story.

Aileen: "Hello! This was my first book in my Small Town Sweethearts series where a main character had a child, so I was eager to put the feeling of a family Christmas into a story. I love huge family gatherings, especially at Christmas!"

Thank you Aileen, Christmas is a wonderful time of year for family to come together. 


Mona Risk, author of Her Christmas Cruise, joins us now to tell what her inspiration was.

Mona: "Hello all! Vacationing on a cruise is heaven for me. I relax and watch the people around. Honeymooners in love, retired couples enjoying their free time, elders fulfilling a bucket list. Many love stories start in the romantic atmosphere provided by a cruise. Her Christmas Cruise was written during a Mediterranean cruise."

That sounds like fun! Thank you for sharing your inspiration with all of us!


Let's welcome Magdalena Scott, author of Small Town Christmas! Hello, Magdalena.  It's a pleasure to have you here. Can you tell us the story behind Small Town Christmas?

Magdalena: "The pleasure is all mine! The plot started as a brainstorming session when I was training my replacement at the day job. We both had a “goose bumps” moment when I suggested the final scene. I dedicated Small Town Christmas to her."

I'm sure that was a great honor to her! Thank you for sharing Magdalena!

Last, but certainly not least, let's welcome Kristin Wallace, author of By Christmas! Thank you for joining us Kristin, what was the motivation behind By Christmas?

Kristin: "The heroine of my book (Noelle Robinson) had a minor role in my first book. She was a jilted bride. I loved the idea of giving “poor little Noelle” a happily ever after. Adding the element of the Christmas holiday and her having to run the town’s festivities just made the story all the more fun."

By Christmas sounds like a wonderful holiday story! Thank you, Kristin, for sharing!


I would like to thank the authors of Sweet Christmas Kisses for joining us today and sharing such fabulous backstory! It's always interesting to see the inspiration behind the stories we read. Come back tomorrow for more fun with Sweet Christmas Kisses!

*****

Sweet Christmas Kisses, a bundle of PG-rated romance novels and novellas from USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors.

Sweet Christmas Kisses takes you from small-town USA to England, Scotland, and even Ecuador; from the beach to snow-capped mountains, and to the wild--sometimes magical--west. The Sweet Christmas Kisses bundle will bring you laughter, tears, and always joy, for more than 1600 pages. Foreword by New York Times bestselling author, Brenda Novak.

~Available Now~

Amazon | BN | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play

Every comment this week on our blog will earn an entry into a book prize package shown here, winner to be announced on Saturday! Comment every day to increase your chances of winning!

Prize pack contains: 2 autographed sweet romances from friends of SRR (The Promise of Rain by Rula Sinara, Mountains Apart by Carol Ross), a book bag from Rula Sinara, an Alaskan key chain from Carol Ross, a purse-size first aid kit from Roz Denny Fox, a heart-shaped stress ball, a Sweet & Heartwarming bracelet, a bee set of salt & pepper shakers, sweet wooden embellishments (hello, darling, cute, friends, sunshine, lovely).

 

Looking your Best.

As far as I can remember my mother repeatedly told her daughters they should never leave the house without looking their best best. For Mom, looking your best meant fashionable clothes and shoes, stylish hair-do, and of course make-up and jewelry.

After being hospitalized so many times I lost count, Mom moved to an assisted living facility. She used a wheelchair to move around, had to raise her legs most of the day, often inserted an oxygen tube in her nose to breathe better…and swallowed so many pills my stomach hurt for her.

Looking your Best. My mother practiced what she preached. Although in her late eighties with a failing health, she was always perfectly well dressed in pantsuits and twin sweaters, and would never forget to wear her earrings, bracelets, necklace or rings. Although she was a teacher, my mother’s hobby had been fashion designing and sewing her clothes and her daughter’s clothes.

Before moving to assisted living, she gave us her precious jewelry, and bought fashion jewelry to replace the real ones. My mother professed that being nicely dressed, combed and jeweled helped her forget she was a very sick person.

There was a beauty salon in her assisted living residence. So Mom had her hair set and her nails done once a week. Salesmen from a couple of stores came twice a month to expose and sell clothes in her facility. My mother was their best client. The other residents complimented her and tried to follow her example. The assisted living staff admired her positive attitude.

Mom would beam when one of the male residents in a wheelchair paid her a compliment and added with a smile, “I wish I was ten years younger to take you out.” Who cared if she was close to ninety herself?  

If I neglected to wear makeup when I went to visit her, Mom asked me if I was sick. “You’re so pale.” When I confessed I forgot because I was too busy, I regularly received a lecture. Basically, it went as followed: You don’t have the right to neglect yourself when you’re healthy. You should realize that an agreeable face and a nice smile go a long way to cheer people who are confined to their living quarters; a presentable person projects a good impression and commends respect.

Mom is gone now, but her words still resonate in my ears.

 

Needless to say, I’m always aware of what people wear around me. Including my characters. While authors describe their hero and heroine’s eyes, hair, figure, I make a point to mention their clothing as well to better characterize them and situate them in a scene.

In AN UNUSUAL CHRISTMAS, my heroine, Dr. Jillian Burton is a physician on a mission to Belarus. You will find her dressed in dark suits that match her important profession. When she’s attracted to Dr. Fyodor Vassilov, she will let Tatiana, her sassy driver, talk her into buying more stylish, colorful outfits and of course a Russian mink chapka (hat) to warm her during the freezing Belarusian winter.

 

In BABIES IN THE BARGAIN, my first medical, Holly, the pretty resident lives in scrubs but wears a tight long black dress, slit up to her thigh, when the hero invites her to the opera. The dress is a killer and the hero can’t resist.

In NEIGHBORS AND MORE, the heroine Alexa is a divorcee, living in a condo on the beach. She changes clothes four or five times a day. It’s part of her character. The only time she’s not appropriately dressed for the occasion is so out of character, people around her realize something is really wrong. When she falls in love with the sexy Italian Mafioso, she sheds her stiff classy appearance and learns to relax in comfortable jeans.

And of course in WEDDING SURPRISE, my contribution to the TEN BRIDES FOR TEN HEROES, I paid particular attention to Claire’s rehearsal outfit and splendid wedding dress.

Are you a fashionista when it comes to your characters? How do you dress them? Do they look like the picture on your cover? Or do you avoid mentioning what they wear?

From chemistry in the lab to chemistry between people. 

Mona Risk left a scientific career to share with readers the many stories brewing in her head. Her books won Best Romance Novel of the Year at Preditors & Editors; Best Contemporary Romances at Readers Favorite; Epic Award Finalists; and many stellar reviews, and are Amazon Bestsellers. She received the 2013 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVER Award at Affaire de Coeur Magazine for her "Wonderfully written books about true love." ~ Happy Ever After Reviews 

Never Forget

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

Celebrate & Remember

USS New York

USS New York was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center.

It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite , LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, 'those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence,' recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. 'It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.'

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the 'hair on my neck stood up.' 'It had a big meaning to it for all of us,' he said. 'They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back.' 

The ship's motto? 'Never Forget'. 

Please keep this going so everyone can see what we are made of in this country!

From chemistry in the lab to chemistry between people. 

Mona Risk left a scientific career to share with readers the many stories brewing in her head. Her books won Best Romance Novel of the Year at Preditors & Editors; Best Contemporary Romances at Readers Favorite; Epic Award Finalists; and many stellar reviews, and are Amazon Bestsellers. She received the 2013 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVER Award at Affaire de Coeur Magazine for her "Wonderfully written books about true love." ~ Happy Ever After Reviews 

Mona Risk writes sweet contemporary romances, such as the three novels in Holiday Babies Series, Christmas Babies, Valentine Babies and Mother's Day Babies.

 The fourth book in this series, Wedding Surprise, was written at her readers' request. 

Wedding Surprise is part of the Ten Brides for Ten Heroes,

A 10-book bundle by New York Times, USA Today, and National bestselling authors at a bargain price. Get ready to toss the bouquet and say, "I do!" as ten brides risk it all to find their happy ever after.