BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AUTHOR KRIS PEARSON HAS YOUR LAST MINUTE GIFT-GIVING COVERED

Is there someone on your holiday gift you forgot about? Do you need a last-minute gift for an office gift exchange? Kris Pearson has your back. Kris is the author of eighteen romances and two cozy mysteries, and she returns today with an great idea for the romance readers on your gift list. Learn more about Kris and her books at her website. 

A Very Crafty Last-minute Gift

No glitter, twine or beads needed – simply two minutes of your time and 99 cents US.

Here’s an easy and different idea for a ‘little extra’ for your special people. If you have friends or family members who are keen readers, give them an Amazon online gift voucher for this e-book anthology of eleven Christmas-themed novellas. Your gift can be bought right up until Christmas Eve and it’ll still arrive on time. No postage required!

Romancing the Holidays 2019 follows on from the 2018 edition by some of the same writers. It’s a collection of romantic stories from award-winning southern hemisphere authors. Each story is a third to a half the length of a novel. Each is guaranteed to be a warm read with no explicit details. Aunt Elsie will not be offended.

The authors are friends online, but many have never met face-to-face. They’ve really enjoyed making each offering distinctly different for you, choosing the cover photo, and sharing the jobs of promoting the collection to the world. A little money and a lot of effort from each of them means the whole is a lot bigger than the sum of the parts. 

Romancing the Holidays 4

Sunny with a Chance of Romance by Susanne Bellamy 

Journalist Charli Jones is close to cracking the biggest financial news story of the year when her boss tasks her with fulfilling a boozy bet for him: she must bring a champion surfer to the media awards night. 

Her former neighbor, Damian Bartholomew—her best friend’s older brother and Charli’s secret teenage crush—fits the bill in more ways than one. But Damian is hiding a big secret, and Charli finds herself embroiled in a shocking conflict of interest.  

A Christmas Twist by Kris Pearson 

The Bennett twins spell double trouble for Gabriella Clifton, and a year of study in London with the handsome brothers ends with souvenirs she never expected.

More than twenty years later, home in New Zealand, a surprise visit from Donny Bennett turns her world upside down. Can she guard her heart against his unrelenting charm offensive?

As the Christmas sun shines down on the big old house by the sea, Gabi must decide the shape of her future.

A Second Chance for Christmas by Anne Kemp 

Ellie Briggs and Nick Harrington went their separate ways when her career pulled her in a different direction to his. Now she’s a social media diva in New York, while he stayed on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts to build his life. With Ellie’s current relationship crumbling, she heads to St Kitts for Christmas. She plans to catch up with old friends - but might luck re-unite her with Nick, the love of her life? Will a sprinkle of holiday magic be enough, or will they need a true Christmas miracle?

Christmas with the Boss by Annie Seaton  

What’s Christmas without a sexy surfer boss, a mysterious visitor, and things that go bump in the night?

Jilly Henderson was looking forward to her Christmas break. A week of bliss at the beach—alone, no work and no one to bother her. But her boss turns up, and he’s ditched the suit and turned into a gorgeous surf god. Can Jilly resist Dominic...and the secret visitor who won't leave her in peace?

A Very Aussie Christmas by Ebony McKenna 

Australian teenager RayChill is a Christmas Grinch. The mood at home is strained. She blames her dad for a lot that’s wrong in her life, including the crazy spelling of her name. It’s hot, and the air-con is on the blink, so she’s much happier working overnight on Christmas Eve at the warehouse. What good luck Jonno, the cute American she’s crushing on, is the only co-worker to turn up to shift.

It’s going to be a challenge keeping her mind on the job when it’s just the two of them and he’s so distracting. 

Plus stories by:

Shirley Wine 

Sofia Grey 

Susan Downham

Ashley Logan

Gudrun Frerichs

Monique McDonell.

Buy Link  

Just click on ‘Give as a gift’, fill in your recipient’s email address, write a quick greeting, and you’re done. Giving was never so easy.

ROMANCE AUTHOR LAVADA DEE OFFERS AN ANTHOLOGY OF SEASONAL SHORT LOVE STORIES

In our continuing series featuring holiday books, we welcome Lavada Dee today, author of The Season of Love: Stories of Living and Loving. Learn more about Lavada and her books at her website. lavadadee.com

I have always been an avid reader, and can’t imagine being without a book. With the holiday rush fast approaching, I find I have less time to read. When I’m reading a full-length novel, and can’t get my nose out of it, I can easily burn dinner, among other things. I’ve found at especially busy times an anthology is better for me. 

 They say to write what you read, so I was inspired to write a collection of short stories. Since I’m especially busy at Christmas time, I set the stories around the holiday season. Life can be stressful during the holidays, and when relationships are in peril, the season can be brutal. These stories feature couples re-finding themselves and restoring love to their lives. The collection is designed so that you can start and finish a story in one sitting. Some of the stories are also available on their own at most online retailers. 

The Season of Love

Bahama Christmas
It has been two years since Maddie’s fiancé’s death, and it’s Christmas, the time of family and couples. She is tired of feeling like the fifth wheel. Solution, a cruise. Santa Claus or maybe the Christmas Angel has a gift in store for her.

A Divorce For Christmas 
Unable to get pregnant, Lori Harper is taking getting there to a new level. With How-To books in hand, she has become a woman with a mission. With ‘things’ down to the clinical, Brad is feeling anything but amorous. In fact he has had enough of the command performances and wants out.

The Age of Love
Ariana doesn’t know how she let it happen, but she’s fallen in love with Joel, who is eight years younger than she is. The relationship is complicated by the fact that Joel’s mother is Ariana’s best friend. Joel presses for marriage, but Ariana can’t bring herself to come out with their relationship. The only solution Ariana see’s is breaking off with Joel. He isn’t giving up on them and sets about bringing their relationship out in the open.

No Perfect Marriage
When Kade gets a call in the middle night from his wife, saying their teenage son is in jail, he knows he needs to take a position. The marriage is over, so they need to make it official. But first they need to get Josh home, and to do this they need to present a united family image to the judge. Is the house big enough for both of them, and can they live together until after the holidays?

Spontaneous Love
Leah and Dean Coogan feel that their marriage is in trouble but can’t seem to stop the downward spiral. Leah’s solution is to make everything perfect for Dean. The perfect house, perfect meals, perfect everything. The harder she works, the more Dean feels left out. She doesn’t hear him when he tries to explain that he wants her to do things with him, not for him. 

Thank you for the opportunity to blog on your site today, Anastasia. Wishing you and all your readers happy reading now and throughout the holidays. 

Buy Links

paperback 

ebook 

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR VICKI BATMAN BAKES UP TOMATO SOUP FRUITCAKE

Photo credit

Award-winning, bestselling author Vicki Batman has written numerous romantic comedies and two humorous romantic mysteries. She describes herself as an avid Jazzerciser, handbag lover, Mahjong player, Yoga practitioner, movie fan, book devourer, chocaholic, and Best Mom ever. Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking, "What if?" Learn more about her and her stories at her website/blog. 

Vicki's Grandmother

I Confess: My Love for Fruitcake

When I grew up, our family baked and crafted special things at Christmas time. Mom and her best friend spent hours and hours making oodles of divinity, and yes, it was divine. My sisters and I wrapped gifts for Wrap-a-thon. My grandmother baked her special holiday dessert: Tomato Cake.

The interesting ingredient in the cake is tomato soup. Sounds…strange, but you know what? If you didn't know soup was an ingredient, you'd love it too. I’m serious. You can’t taste tomato anything.

Tomato cake’s texture is dense, like regular fruitcake, and could be labeled a “fruitcake” when fruit is included. If you research online, you will see a bundt cake version. Grandmother mixed in raisins, walnuts, and chopped dates. And once, she got all radical and threw in chopped canned pears. She always baked hers in a loaf pan, yet, she didn’t frost it. Today’s version is topped with a decadent pineapple cream cheese frosting.

Our family believed Tomato Cake to be a wartime recipe. (Link to the original)

Before you get all weirdly freaked out about tomato soup in a cake, know this: I was a finicky eater; however, I loved this dessert. In fact, I adore fruitcake. There are many varieties of fruitcakes; some aren’t made with the candied fruit or alcohol we've come to associate with the treat.

Care to be daring and try a variation on Grandmother's holiday cake?

Tomato Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves in a large bowl.  Add the soup, shortening, eggs and water.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed just until blended. Increase the speed to high and beat for 4 minutes. 

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. 

Frost with:

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:

½ C crushed pineapple with juice

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened 

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. 

Beat in the confectioners' sugar. 

Add the pineapple and juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is the desired consistency. 

So why all this chatter about fruitcake? I wrote a hilarious short story entitled "The Great Fruitcake Bake-off” which is included in the Whispers of Winter holiday anthology:

The Great Fruitcake Bake-off

When five-time champion Samantha Greene teams up with her new neighbor, Dixon Roberts, for The Great Fruitcake Bake-off, they discover baking a prize-winning entry is complicated, bad guys are plotting to take the crown, and first prize isn't just about a ribbon.

Other authors in the Whispers of Winter anthology are: Nicole Morgan, Stephanie Morris, Caitlyn Lynch, Maya Bailey, Krista Ames, Sharon Coady, Donna R. Mercer, Jan Springer, Carma Haley Shoemaker, Livia Quinn, Amber Skyze, Rebecca Fairfax, Jane Blythe, Suzanne Jenkins, Stacy Eaton, Rene Webb, Marie Mason, Joann Baker & Patricia Mason, Karen Cino

Buy Link 

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR BETTY GORDON

After careers as a dance instructor, sculptor, and legal assistant, Betty Gordon followed her dream to write books that would entertain and challenge readers. Learn more about Betty and her books at her website.

I greet the Christmas holiday season with the same delight as the young and the young at heart. I enjoy everything about these festive days: shopping, decorating, cooking, looking at neighboring Christmas lights, and visiting with family and friends.

Christmas is truly magical for me and filled with childhood memories: putting cookies and milk out for Santa, quietly sneaking into the living room by the Christmas tree to catch a glimpse of the jolly old man in the red suit, and baking cookies with my mother and grandmother, which inspired “The Magic Apron.”

I was also motivated to write this short story collection because of a love for the elderly who are lonely and need simple contacts from their loved ones (“The Phone Call”), a fondness for clowns who bring smiles and laughter (“Santa’s Clown”), a love of history and the mysteries of what is possible in this life and beyond (“Christmas Past: A Forgotten Bride”), the mysteries of a pirate ship and the mystical union of two lovers (“Eternity”).

Holiday Meatball Appetizer

8 oz. can pineapple tidbits (drained)

1 jar (5 oz) pineapple preserves

1 small jar honey dijon mustard

1 cup dark brown sugar (packed tight)

1 tsp. curry (optional)

1 pkg. frozen Italian meatballs

Place first five ingredients in small saucepan and bring to boil.

Place meatballs in slow cooker. Pour the boiled mixture on top of meatballs. Cook 4 hours on High, stirring only twice.

The Magic of Christmas

This is a collection of five stories—suspense, fantasy, paranormal, and romance—which offer surprising twists and turns, embracing discoveries, hopes, and love. The include:

"The Phone Call"—One day and one minute in the life of Agnes Riley. Chicago winters can be cold and lonely for those in their twilight years. Case in point, ninety-one year old Agnes Riley.

"The Magic Apron"—A remarkable granny, a magic apron, and a tiny fairy guide a family toward forgiveness and unite them with love.

"Santa’s Clown"—Samantha covers her face with paint, wears a seductive sequined costume, pokes fun at sadness and creates laughter, but not everyone enjoys her antics in this tale that celebrates understanding and acceptance.

"Christmas Past, A Forgotten Bride"—A Christmas tradition and a young woman’s search for spirits lead to a story filled with fear, love lost, and mystical discoveries.

"Eternity"—Hurricane devastation, the Gulf of Mexico, a pirate ship, and a magical meeting between a handsome man and beautiful woman bring this story to life in an unexpected way.

Buy Links

paperback 

ebook   

TRAVEL WITH SERENA--GUEST AUTHOR GEMMA JULIANA AND THE MAGIC OF TRAIN TRAVEL

Gemma Juliana is a multi-published author who lives in an enchanted cottage in north Texas with her handsome hero, teen son and a comical dog. She loves making new friends and hearing from readers. Exotic coffee and chocolate fuel her creativity. Today Gemma joins us to talk about the magic of train travel. Learn more about Gemma and her books at her website. 

The Magic of Train Travel

A few months ago my dear friend of forty years treated me to a train trip that started in Seattle and ended in Los Angeles. We took a break for a few days in San Francisco.

Maybe it’s because of The Orient Express of old, and more recently The Polar Express, but I have always considered trains a mysterious and glamorous form of travel that has languished in recent years.

Is it because we are all in such a hurry? Sure, you can fly from Seattle to San Francisco in two hours as compared to a day and a half on the train. Granted, it doesn’t make sense to take the train if you are on a business trip or are limited for time. It’s not even the way to go if you are on vacation unless you envision the train ride as part of the joy of your time off.

  

For me, I haven’t been on a train in about twenty years. The last train I rode was in Europe, and that was an entirely different “high speed” experience.

Driving down the west coast was always on my mental list of dream things I’d like to do one day when I had time. When my friend suggested this train trip, I jumped for joy like a girl again. It would be better than taking a car. I’d get to spend quality time with my friend, chat, doze, play games, read… we could eat in the dining car—another dream experience for me—and watch the scenery change from urban to rural, flatland to mountain, field to forest.

Trains are romantic, and an aura of déjà vu cloaks them in a mystique that belongs to bygone times. As we move ever faster in our very functional world, we risk losing appreciation for things that take time. We can even forget that it isn’t always about getting from A to B, but sometimes it’s about the journey itself.

When I was invited to contribute a short story to Volume 1 of A Holiday Anthology by Exquisite Quills, my summer train ride came to mind right away and my contribution, Shooting Star Holiday Express, was born. This time I saw the journey as a winter trip. Bella White and her daughter Julie were traveling south to San Francisco for Christmas. Julie doesn’t know her mom just lost her job, and Bella doesn’t have the heart to cancel the trip. Since her husband died, nothing has brought a sparkle to Julie’s eyes except this train trip. Christmas magic blends with train magic when something unexpected happens on their journey.

If you like a slightly longer read, I’ve written an autumn novella, AutumnMasquerade, and a Christmas ghost love story, Christmas Spirits.

Do you have a train trip to share with us? 

CRAFTING WITH ANASTASIA--GUEST AUTHOR AND CRAFTER E. AYERS

E. Ayers is a multi-published, bestselling author of contemporary romance and contemporary and historical western romance. She’s also a crafter and joins us today to share a bit about one of her latest books and directions for making Christmas Kissing Ballls. Learn more about E. and her books at her website. 

Thanks so much for inviting me. I am part of the Exquisite Quills A Holiday Anthology, A Collection of Winter Holiday Tales by Exquisite Quills Authors and Friends. I know, what a mouthful!

The Exquisite Quills are a group of authors who have known each other for years. We've traveled down the publishing road helping and supporting each other. Recently, we started the Exquisite Quills Yahoo loop for readers and writers. We share info on the industry and announce releases and blog postings. We've also created the Exquisite Blog to share with our readers everything from “first kiss” excerpts to author interviews. We write everything from sweet to hot sexy romances, but we keep the blog and the loop friendly for all readers, no matter what heat level they prefer.

For fun, this international group of writers decided to extend our friendship in the form of a free holiday anthology as our holiday gift to our readers and everyone else.

I wrote the story The Kissing Ball for the anthology and then discovered that many people had never heard of such a thing. So I hope to enlighten everyone and give a glimpse at something that is more than just a Christmas decoration. For those who aren't as crafty, kissing balls are available on the web or from your local florist. But they’re so easy to make and can be used in a variety of ways.

Over the years, I've heard them called Victorian Balls, New Years Balls, Wedding Balls, Williamsburg Balls, etc. I've seen them hung, and I've seen them pushed onto painted dowels and "planted" in flowerpots. I've also seen them carried by flower girls at weddings. So there are endless possibilities for these balls. Since we're not going to be covering them in live flowers for this post, I'll stick to the basic instructions.

The traditional Christmas Ball or Kissing Ball is usually made with small pinecones and nuts with a touch of mistletoe. But it can be made of almost anything for any time of the year. I've seen them done with seashells, flowers, greenery, empty cotton boles, or any other material you desire. You start with a Styrofoam ball available at any craft store. The average is usually made with a six-inch ball, but you could use a smaller one or a much larger one for a dramatic effect.

In my story, my heroine is making hers with a bag of mixed nuts, pinecones, and red ribbon bows. She uses an artificial spring of mistletoe. A glue gun, florist pins, and wire will make almost any sort of ball you desire. A can of clear coat will help to keep your nut and pinecone ball looking good for years to come. (Just hide it from the mice!)

The easiest way to keep a hanging ball stable and hanging, is to use a long piece of wire folded in half and pushed through the ball to the bottom. For a six-inch diameter ball, use about 18 inches of wire folded in half, push it down until it comes out the other side. You can poke a hole through the ball with something skinny such as a coat hanger or even a cake tester if you are using a narrow gage wire. Make certain that the wire will have the strength to hold the ball. It will get heavy.

Put the wire through the hole and extend the cut edges so that you leave only a small loop at the top. Bend the wires so they extend in opposite directions, then poke the tips into the ball. A little glue over the wire ends will hold them in place. They will be covered with glued decorations, which will also help stabilize the wires and keep them from pulling out.

If you intend to "plant" the ball in a flowerpot, there's no need for the wire loop just mark the spot for the dowel by pressing the dowel into the ball enough to make an indentation. You will push the dowel several inches into the ball after you’re finished decorating it. Remember these balls can be quite heavy when you're finished so you want a sturdy piece of dowel, probably about the thickness of your forefinger or at least 3/8 of an inch. The dowel can be painted green or stained brown.

Using a combination of small pinecones and nuts, cover the ball so that the Styrofoam no longer shows. It's a fun puzzle to put together. Don't forget to leave a tiny bit of space around that wire loop or where the dowel goes. It doesn't take much space just enough to access the wire with a length of ribbon for hanging. It's up to you how you arrange the pinecones and nuts. You can line the pinecones up to create a design or mix everything. I prefer to mix everything. Most craft stores carry bags of mixed small pinecones, or you can gather them from the yard or off trees. Simply glue them into place leaving space between each one so you can add the nuts. Once the pinecones are in place, add some glue to the ball, then wedge the nuts between the cones. When you are done, you can add simple narrow satin bows attached to pins to cover any tiny barren spots, thus hiding the foam below.

I like adding bits of greenery. This time of year, the craft stores usually have artificial/silk bits of boxwood or holly with berries, and other such things. You want to keep the thickness of the ball fairly uniform so that it retains its shape. The extra touch of color and change in texture adds depth and character to the ball. Don't forget the sprig of mistletoe for a Kissing Ball! And who doesn't want a little holiday luck?

These balls also make wonderful gifts and can be customized to match any décor. For those of you in warm climates, you might want to make the balls of silk flowers or bits of things native to your area. Use your imagination and have fun.

The Kissing Ball is available in the Exquisite Quills Holiday Anthology which is free through Smashwords.

NOTE: Flower ball and seashell ball by Petals By Xavi http://petalsbyxavi.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/feature-friday-kissing-balls/

Pinecone Ball by Judy Stephenson http://www.etsy.com/listing/88514905/pine-cone-kissing-ball