What is your Holiday Wish? by Josie Riviera

 

“We are all capable of looking up and making a wish on a star.”- Unknown 

Wishes. Defined as a hope or desire for something you want to happen or receive. 

For those around us, we may wish them a Happy Birthday, to be well, or have safe travels. For our family the wishes may be to accomplish their dreams, to feel loved, or to know their self-worth.

For ourselves, it may be to feel appreciated at your job, to lose those five pounds gained over the holiday, or to take a dream vacation.

Then there are the bigger wishes, beginning with world peace.

Large or small, there are more wishes than stars in the sky.

As we enter the holidays, wishes take on a more innocent and magical feeling. This year we may be wishing for traditions--baking cookies with loved ones, shopping and wrapping gifts with friends, or enjoying marathon game nights.

Many of us are wishing for life o go "back to normal." While normal may be a way off, the holidays are still full of magical wishes.

Children help keep the magic alive. Their sweet faces are full of belief that wishes will come true, and their faith is pure joy.

My wish for you this season is to enjoy the simple pleasures. Take a moment, look up to the night sky, and make a wish upon a star.

Happy Holidays!

Do you have a special holiday wish? Please leave in the comments below.

My holiday sweet romance, A Chocolate-Box Christmas Wish, is on pre-order for only 99¢!

He's been all over the world. She's a home-town girl. Can a holiday wish bridge the gap?

Available in ebook, Paperback, and Large Print Paperback.

Josie Riviera is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband. They share their home with an adorable shih tzu, who constantly needs grooming, and live in an old house forever needing renovation.

"Like" her Facebook page.

And remember to join our Sweet Romance Cafe.

All Kinds of Love.... by Christine Bush

 I have a new novella that is out this week that is a book of my heart.  This is a sweet holiday romance titled “Christmas with the Crazy Cowboy”.  Of course, I am in love with my hero and heroine, Gracie and Blake, as they face the challenges of life and dare to love.

But that’s not the only point.  There’s a child in this story, Gracie’s 7 year old son, Sammy.  Sammy is an “Aspie kid”.  This means, he has been diagnosed with “Asperger’s Syndrome”, a high functioning form of Autism.

 

Aspie kids are often extremely brilliant, and can be powerhouses of knowledge, especially about a subject that is their focus.  They are, however, quite literal in language, so prone to misunderstanding the many colloquial phrases many use (ie. It’s raining cats and dogs!). They  often have difficulty in picking up on social cues that makes communicating with others a challenge.

 

 My sister, Cindy Schneider inspired me to write this story.  Cindy has spend a lifetime in education, working with many kinds of special needs kids in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Her dedication and advocating for children, especially those on the “Autism Spectrum” earned her a prestigious award at her formal retirement.             

                                              

But her path didn’t stop there.  Many years ago, Cindy founded an organization called “Acting Antics”.  Using her extensive educational experience, along with her talent in community theater, she developed a series of programs, camps, workshops and theatrical productions that teach, encourage, and then spotlight kids on the spectrum.  Her belief is that becoming confident on stage, and being affirmed by peers, teachers, family and audience, develops self esteem and communication skills. And the truth is, it’s just plain fun.

 

Being one of her major cheerleaders, I’ve gotten to experience the amazing growth and joy in the members of her workshops and productions.  I’ve gotten to see her organization grow and flourish. You can check out Acting Antics at  www/actingantics.org.  You can also check out her book chock full of activities and suggestions for kids on the spectrum on Amazon: Acting Antics: A Theatrical Approach to Teaching Social Understanding to Kids and Teens with Asperger Syndrome - Kindle edition by Schneider, Cindy, Attwood, Tony. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

In my new book “Christmas with the Crazy Cowboy”, widowed mom, Gracie, is beginning a new life for herself and her son, as she learns his needs and abilities.  It’s a story first, of a mom’s love.  And then, life circumstances bring an energetic but emotionally worn cowboy to her door in a blizzard. 

 

 

Christmas with the Crazy Cowboy - Kindle edition by Bush, Christine. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

I hope you love this book.  I hope, in this challenging time we are living, that you can cheer for Gracie and Blake as they find love, and cheer for Sammy as he grows and finds his place in the world.

And I hope you cheer for Cindy, and the people like her, who share their love every day with kids on the spectrum and help them grow and smile.

 Do you have special kids you love in your life? I'd love to hear!

Christine Bush is the award winning author of over 20 stories of romance, romantic mystery, and suspense. She also writes Middle Grade Fiction.  When she’s not writing, she can be found teaching Psychology at a local college, working with clients as a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, having fun with her husband and 12 grandchildren, and (currently) chasing two rambunctious, Christmas ornament stealing cats around the house.  Life is grand!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Bush-Author/213919128638762
http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Bush/e/B001KHSLRG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1392688497&sr=1-2-ent

Decking the Halls by Kristin Wallace

Are your holiday decorations up yet? Are you one of those people who puts up a tree and lights right after Halloween? I don't know why, but just pulling everything out of the storage boxes is enough to warm your heart. Every piece evokes memories of your childhood or when your kids were little. They might make you think of your parents or grandparents. 

We all have traditional decorations that must be set out every year. I now have two places to decorate...my apartment and my parents' house. My parents have all the ornaments and decorations that I grew up with. We collect the Hallmark dated ornaments, which started waaaaay back in 1976. 

As you can imagine there are quite a lot of them at this point. There are also ornaments that my brother and I made, including a set of nativity characters. 

My apartment is a little more eclectic as it's a mix of my things and those of my roommate. 

 

Do you have special decorations that must be put up every year? Where did they come from and what do they remind you of? 

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She is the author of the three popular series, Covington
Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales. 

Looking for a great read that will put you in the holiday mood? Download the Christmas in Shellwater Key box set, on sale for only 99 cents. Enjoy three fun & festive holiday tales set in sunny Florida. 

Who's Up for a Holiday Scavenger Hunt? ~ Jean C. Gordon

Merry Christmas! Welcome to my blog leg in this Christmas Round-Robin! 

Here's how it works: At each author’s blog post, you'll find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Correctly answer the questions for every author in the round-robin, and you'll be considered to win the $350 first place prize, $250 second place prize or $150 third place prize in Amazon gift cards. [Note: these prizes are USD values. If you are not a U.S. resident, you will get a gift card from the Amazon store for your country; however, it will be valued at these USD amounts.] 

At the end of my post, after my question and the entry form link, there's a link to the next blogger, who'll provide a link to the next blog, etc., through the 35+ authors to the last author's blog.

My featured book is Caro's Gift. This book is part of the Small-Town Christmas Wishes series, which is written by six of the Sweet Romance Reads Blog authors.

Small-Town Christmas Wishes
Welcome to Snowflake, Colorado—a small town where wishes come true! When six old high school friends receive a letter that their fellow friend, Charity Hart, wrote before she passed away, their lives take an unexpected turn. She leaves them each a check for $1,500 and asks them to grant a wish—a secret wish—for someone else by Christmas. It sounds simple but the friends soon discover that it isn’t as easy as it seems! With the clock ticking, will they make it happen in time?

Caro's Gift
Friendship, memories and wishes are powerful things and in the small town of Snowflake, Colorado they combine to form a memorial to a lost friend. Following her death, Charity Hart left six of her close high school friends, including Caro Price, fifteen hundred dollars each and an assignment to use that money to grant someone else’s secret wish by Christmas.

Temporarily back in Snowflake to help her beloved grandmother recover from an illness, nurse practitioner Caro is on the hunt for a recipient for her secret angel gift. A chance encounter in a specialty store focuses Caro’s interest on a red-headed little girl fascinated by a nativity scene.

Caro’s grandmother has matchmaking on her mind as she pushes Caro and her neighbor, Simon Novak, together. It turns out that Simon coaches the little redhead’s older brother at the high school. With Simon’s help, Caro tries to learn more about the family and it quickly becomes apparent that the widowed mother and her two children are struggling financially. But is there more going on than meets the eye, for Caro sees flashes of fear in their eyes.

Christmas is the season of wishes, and Caro, with God's guidance, is determined to make one little girl’s dream a reality! And, maybe, just maybe, fulfill a dream of her own!

This story has such a wonderful holiday premise that it was a joy to write, and it warms me to be able to share that joy with you.

So, back on to the hunt! Go to Caro's Gift on Amazon at this link. Check the free preview of the book, and find the answer to this question:

What is Caro's Grandmother's Name?

When you have the correct answer, click HERE to enter it on the entry form and head on to the next blog!

Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Linda Brooks Davis   who's telling us all about her Christmas book A Rock Creek Christmas Novella Collection. You can find Linda's blog at this link. Remember that you must answer every question from all 36 authors in this collection and that the round-robin will end on December 12th at 11:59 PM EST!

December - A Month Filled With Holidays by @Donna_Fasano

I realize it is very early in the month, but I only get one day in December to blog so I’d like to spend it talking about the holidays. I love celebrating the season of Advent, the 26 days before Christmas that are spent in prayerful contemplation as we await Christmas, one of the holiest days of the year for Christians. 

However, I have friends and family who celebrate their own cherished holidays during December. I am always surprised by the number of religious and secular celebrations that take place this month. Here’s a list of a few of them.

• Hanukkah is the well-known Jewish holiday also known as the Festival of Lights.
• Kwanzaa is a Pan-African holiday that’s celebrated in the U.S. from the 26^th of December until the 1^st of January.
• Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day on the 8^th, celebrating the day Buddha became enlightened.
• Las Posadas takes place between the 16^th and the 24^th as a house-to-house procession of celebration and prayer in a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.
• Hindus spend 5 days this month celebrating Pancha Ganapati, honoring Ganesha, which begins on the 21^st.  
• The Winter Solstice, also known as Mother’s Night, Mōdraniht, Yalda, and other names, is a holiday that takes place on or around the 21^st and is celebrated by many people, religious and secular, alike.
• Boxing Day (the 26^th) and Human Right’s Day (the 10^th) are both secular celebrations that, in my opinion, honoring our friendships and concern of others.
• Humanists celebrate “a vision of a good future” on the 23^rd called Human Light.
• December 31^st—New Year’s Eve to most of us—is observed and celebrated the whole world over and is also known as Ōmisoka (Japanese), Hogmanay (Scottish), and Silvester (Eastern Europe). This is a time for fireworks, feasting, and late-night revelry.

And these are only a fraction of the holidays that take place this month. If you’d like to learn more, go tothis extensive list of multinational holidays and festivals. Whichever celebrations you commemorate this month, please know I send you my…

Warmest Holiday Wishes!

I am offering several holiday stories on sale for just 99¢. I hope you’ll look for them.

Christmas Reading and Fun Jokes to Share by Vickie McDonough

Christmas is in the air, everywhere! My tree is up, and I have much of my Christmas shopping done. It's too soon to start my holiday baking. What's a person to do? How about reading a good Christmas story.

A Christmas Romance Collection

Vickie McDonough, et al

Just 99 cents/Free on KU

Get in the mood for Christmas with six heart-warming holiday romances from best-selling, award-winning authors!

The Fruitcake Scandal by Vickie McDonough

Pastor Clayton Parsons waited a year to bring his fiancée, Karen, to his new church post. They plan a Christmas wedding, but in the meantime, Karen helps the church ladies with various projects, including a bake sale. But revealing her fruitcake recipe could spell disaster for her future with Clay

Click to purchase

A Joyful Christmas

Vickie McDonough, et al

A Christmas Collection to Warm the Heart
Grab a warm cup of tea and watch as romance is kindled and joy is restored to broken lives during six bygone era Christmas celebrations.

An Irish Bride for Christmas by Vickie McDonough
When Jackson Lancaster’s brother and wife die, he takes his three-year-old niece home. But a meddling busy-body makes the judge give her custody “because an unmarried man shouldn’t raise a little girl.” Now Jackson has until Christmas to find a bride or lose his niece forever. Larkin Doyle is grateful her employer took in the orphan and believes Jackson abandoned his niece. When her heart says otherwise, will romance blossom? 

Click here to purchase 

The Prodigal's Shotgun Wedding

Vickie McDonough

A prodigal’s hope for a happy homecoming is derailed.

Clay left home after his brother’s death—a death for which he was responsible. After years away he’s finally returning, hoping for reconciliation with his father. But when the stagecoach he’s riding in wrecks and he is injured, he finds himself in a fight for survival.

Jolie is fleeing a nightmare situation. She desperately hopes becoming a mail-order bride doesn’t land her in a worse place. When the stage crashes and she spends the night alone with a wounded man, she wonders if her intended will still want her. If he doesn’t, what will she do? She has no money and nowhere to go.

Click here to purchase - Free on KU

We had a fun time sharing Thanksgiving jokes after our big meal. Here are some Christmas jokes you can share with your family.

Why did Santa's helper see the doctor?
Because he had a low "elf" esteem!

What do you call Father Christmas when he's at the beach?
Sandy Clause!

Did Rudolph go to school?
No. He was Elf-taught!

What song do you sing at a snowman's birthday party?
Freeze a jolly good fellow!

Why are Christmas trees so bad at sewing?
They always drop their needles!

Lyn Cote Asks the December Question

 Image by Vincent Ciro from Pixabay 

This is going to be an unusual holiday season, (meaning Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.)

 My question: In this time of covid, what holiday traditions in your family and friends are you going to preserve? 

I’m already planning my holidays to be safe but not lose my holiday spirit or those treasured traditions. Click here to read and see what I'll be keeping. 

Let’s encourage one another!

Mistletoe and Sage-Unexpected Destinations, Loving Winter and Beneath Northern Lights. 

Visit my website for more info on each.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY READING!--Lyn Cote