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The Nutcracker Ballet: sparkling costumes and
snowflakes
One
of the many things that says “Christmas” to me is The Nutcracker Ballet. When I was a little girl, my parents would
take my three sisters and me to Playhouse Square in Cleveland to see the ballet
in December. Dressed in holiday taffeta and velvet, it was beyond special for
the four of us. I loved the music and the dancing, but my favorite things were
the costumes.
From
my seat, I would try to count how many layers of tulle and net each ballerina’s
skirt held. The very best costumes in the show, in my opinion, were during the
Sugar Plum Fairy’s dance and the Waltz of the Flowers. When the snowflakes fell
on stage and the ballerinas swirled in layers of white, it was heavenly.
I’ve
always felt this way about costumes. My dolls had envious wardrobes I made
myself. I’ve sewn costumes for local musical theater in my spare time for over
twenty years. When I see a show, I see costumes. A few years ago, I went with
two of my sisters to see Wicked at
the Gershwin Theater in New York City. It was one of the most spectacular shows
I’ve seen, of course, and wow, the costumes. Glinda’s gowns were gorgeous, as
they should be. But I admired the black gown worn by Elphaba. No woman can be a
villain in layers and layers of black fabric. Although my seat was some
distance from the stage, I know I saw sparkling beads on that black gown and I
could practically hear it swish against the stage floor.
Because
of my love affair with costumes, I was excited to work with Dana Mentink and
Roz Denny Fox to create three love stories set during a production of a holiday
classic, The Nutcracker Ballet. My
main character, Jenny Roberts, is new in Christmas Town, and she pours her
lonely heart into creating and re-creating shimmering costumes for the local
production of the ballet. When she meets a quiet carpenter building the sets,
she finds another reason to love the holidays. We hope you’ll love A Heartwarming Christmas.
A Heartwarming Holiday
This holiday season,
warm your heart with 15 connected sweet, clean & wholesome holiday romances
set in Christmas Town from 15 Harlequin Heartwarming authors who are USA Today, national bestselling, and
award-winning authors.
There are five
connected books in A Heartwarming Holiday.
That means each set of three novellas shares characters and storylines! This
collection of PG-rated holiday romances are all set in Christmas Town, Maine, a
location introduced in the 2014 Harlequin Heartwarming release Christmas,
Actually. A Heartwarming Holiday will bring you laughter, tears, and
happily-ever-afters.
Book 1: Once
Upon a Holiday by Anna Adams, Anna J Stewart & Melinda Curtis
Book 2: Holiday
Heroes by Leigh Riker, Tara Randel & Cari Lynn Webb
Book 3: 24
North Pole Lane by Carol Ross, Amy Vastine & Cheryl Harper
Book 4: Magic
Moments by Tara Taylor Quinn, Shirley Hailstock & Liz Flaherty
Book 5: Nutcracker
Sweethearts by Dana Mentink, Roz Denny Fox, & Amie Denman
5 comments:
Even better with this set is there's a coupon worth $1.00 off any Heartwarming title from Harlequin.com.
I can't wait to read this story, Amie!
Amie, even though I've read your story informally I can't wait to see and read the entire set. It's going to be a great holiday treat.
Loved this post. Nothing shouts "Christmas" more than "The Nutcracket!" Thanks for the post.
LOVE the whole idea of these stories around The Nutcracker. Thanks for a great post, Amie! Yay for Heartwarming!
Thanks for hosting me today and for helping spread the word about our Christmas set!
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