#COOKING WITH CLORIS - AUTHOR KRIS BOCK’S ROCKY ROAD FUDGE BARS AND A BILLIONAIRE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS

Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Learn more about Kris and her books at her website where you'll find links to her other social media and also sign up for her newsletter to receive a free 10,000-word story set in the world of her Furrever Friends cat cafe, a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the novels, and an Accidental Detective short story and bonus material. 

Who wouldn't want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves.

 

How did you get the idea for this series?

When browsing the top sellers in Kindle romance, I saw lots of billionaires and cowboys, and a few billionaire cowboys. I wondered, how might a cowboy (or rancher anyway) realistically become a billionaire? They’d hardly have enough free time to develop and promote an app that would become the next Tik-Tok and get a billion dollars. 

 

I came up with a family of four brothers and their mother. She plays the lottery, not expecting to win, but simply so she can spend an hour dreaming about being rich. And then she wins. Everything changes, and not necessarily for the better. Friends and family demand a share of the winnings. Strangers come up with scams and sob stories. 

 

People who win huge lotteries are advised to go into hiding, which you can’t really do when you have to take care of animals. This setup allows me to play with questions of dreams, choices, and responsibilities.

 

This is the first book in the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series. The family tries to stick to some Christmas traditions in order to relieve stress – such as the annual cookie exchange. Here’s one of the sweet treats they make.

 

Rocky Road Fudge Bars

NOTE: Carefully read the entire recipe before starting this one; notice that frosting has to be ready when bars come out of oven. Makes 3 to 4 dozen bars.

 

Bar: 

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate 

1 cup sugar 

1 cup flour 

1/2 - 1 cup chopped nuts 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs 

 

Filling:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened (one box, but reserve 2 oz. for frosting)

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup chopped nuts

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

 

Frosting:

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate

2 oz. reserved cream cheese

1/4 cup milk

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Heat oven to 350°. Butter and flour 13 x 9-inch pan.

 

In large saucepan over low heat, melt 1/2 cup butter and 1 square chocolate. Add remaining bar ingredients and mix well. Spread in prepared pan. 

 

In small bowl, combine 6 ounces cream cheese with next five filling ingredients. Beat 1 minute at medium speed until smooth and fluffy; stir in nuts. 

 

Spread filling over bar mixture in pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

 

While bars are baking, make frosting.

In large saucepan, over low heat, melt 1/4 cup butter, 1 square chocolate, remaining 2 ounces cream cheese, and milk. 

 

Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. 

 

Remove bars from oven and sprinkle with marshmallows. Bake 2 minutes longer.

 

Immediately pour frosting over marshmallows. Use a knife to swirl toppings together. 

 

Cool. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. 

 

The Billionaire Cowboy’s Christmas

The Accidental Billionaire Cowboys, Book 1

 

He has everything this Christmas, but all he wants is the quiet ranch life he’s losing…

 

When Josh Tomlinson’s Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery, the formerly tight-knit family is suddenly on edge. Seeking advice, Josh reluctantly contacts family friend and now attorney, Carly Garza. His business is serious, yet he can’t believe Carly’s morphed from a long-legged colt of a girl to a sophisticated woman. Besides, he knows the intelligent Carly has no interest in a quiet, rugged cowboy like him.

 

Carly’s crushed on Josh for years, and she plans to ask him out now that she’s back in Last Stand. She’s hoping he’ll finally see her as someone other than his younger brother’s middle school girlfriend. But when Josh needs advice on how to handle his family’s lottery win, his client and billionaire statuses put him firmly out of reach. If only her heart could ignore the sparks that flare between them.

 

They’re already keeping the family’s lottery win a secret from the town. Can they also hide their budding romance during the most magical time of year?

 

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--ROMANCE AUTHOR K.M. FAWCETT WHIPS UP A CHRISTMAS CASSEROLE AND A HOLIDAY ROMANCE

K.M. Fawcett writes contemporary, sci-fi, and paranormal Romances featuring underdogs and fish-out-of-water characters who find their place in the universe. When not writing about true love conquering all, she can be found teaching Isshinryu karate and weapons with her husband at their dojo in NJ. Learn more about K.M. and her books at her website where you can also find articles on self-defense. 

Thank you for inviting me to the blog today to share Lacey Wilde’s Christmas Casserole recipe from Wilde Christmas. Wilde Christmas is part of the Candlewood Falls shared-world series, a unique world of connected stories by three different authors whose characters, business, and events appear in each other’s stories. How fun is that? We like to think of it as a literary soap opera. The Candlewood Falls books can be read in any order, as every book features a new couple who finds love. 

 

Lacey Wilde’s Christmas Casserole Recipe

 

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced 

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

8 eggs

12 oz evaporated milk (1 can)

2 cups shredded cheese (Lacey uses a cheddar and Monterey jack mix) 

1 - 28 oz package of frozen Tater Tots (Lacey prefers mini Tater Tots)

 

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking oil and set aside.

 

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Sauté diced peppers, onion and salt and pepper to taste until onion are translucent (about 4-5 minutes).

 

In large bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in evaporated milk. Add cheese, Tater Tots, and sautéed vegetables. Mix well. 

 

Pour mixture into the baking dish and place in oven for 1 hour or until eggs are set. Serve hot.

 

Lacey’s Christmas Casserole can be enjoyed anytime of the year. You can even try adding other vegetables (broccoli works well) or add some diced ham. However, the red and green peppers makes this egg casserole a little more festive for the holidays. Enjoy!

 

Wilde Christmas: A Candlewood Falls Novel

Small Town Wilde Romance, Book 2

 

Christmas is about to get Wilde!

 

All Lacey Wilde wants for Christmas is to open her long-awaited bed & breakfast. When her only guest is a sexy stranger who claims her adopted Military Working Dog is his, Lacey isn’t about to lose her fur baby—or her heart—to charming Marine veteran Dean Hunter.

 

But the K-9 controversy is the least of their troubles. Danger lurks in the shadows of Candlelight Inn, and someone will stop at nothing to steal Lacey’s heirloom ornaments. Can Dean protect the woman he’s fallen for against a deadly threat, or will this Christmas be their last?

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--ROMANCE AUTHOR VICKEY WOLLAN BAKES UP AWARD-WINNING CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Vickey Wollan writes sweet and clean Christmas-themed contemporary romance. Her short stories appear in the annual fund-raising anthology series Romancing the Holidays for the First Coast Romance Writers. Learn more about Vickey and her books at her website. 

Do you have a fond memory of your holiday traditions as a child? I do. My mom would remind my sister and me that our maternal grandmother handed down this recipe and manual cookie press. It’s a metal cylinder with caps on each end and an inner snug fitting disk that pushes out the dough when one presses the handle. It seems simple and ordinary. But, when you add your decorating flair and cookie baking love, this recipe can win contests.

 

In December of 2019, as pictured, this platter of cookies won the First Coast Romance Writer’s annual holiday cookie competition. All the party attendees voted. The moistness of the cookie’s texture and level-up decorations were the prime reasons for the crowning glory.

Olga Vogel, the protagonist in A Snowflake Christmas – The Nutcracker is known for baking gingerbread men sold in the gift shop at the tree farm, Christmas Trees of Snowflake, which she recently inherited. A native of Snowflake, a fictitious, snowy, rural Montana mountain town, Olga participates in or hosts the Twelve Days of Christmas celebrations. She’s focused on her business, but two attractive men keep trying to romance her.

 

The spark of an idea came to me while driving from Grand Teton National Park traveling to Yellowstone National Park in May of 2018. The small rural towns along the way had fewer than three-hundred residents each according to signs that boasted their populations. Then I drove past their downtown. Blink, and you’d miss it. That fueled the idea for the setting for the A Snowflake Christmas series. The plot points became clearer while hiking into the snowy elevations of the mountains.

 

Snowflake Currency is an ongoing theme in the series. Bartering favors and kindness to help your neighbors through the rough winters is a theme. Seeing how the residents of this area treated tourists and each other galvanized how my characters would act toward one another.

 

Each novel in the series has a mystical element to keep the joy-of-the-season shining all year round. The legend of the nutcracker says a nutcracker given as a present will protect the home of the recipient. Olga thinks one of her nutcrackers is faulty. She gifts it at no charge to a young boy, Quinn, who cherishes it beyond words. The toy seemingly answers Quinn's questions. When the arm springs forward on its own, that means yes.

 

Butter Cookie Recipe

1 egg

2 sticks butter (1 cup creamed)

3/4 cup white granular sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla OR other flavored extracts like peppermint, almond or walnut.

1 & 1/2 teaspoons food coloring (or more as preferred)

2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

 

Bake 5-6 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Decorate immediately after taking cookies out of the oven. Snow effect via powdered sugar can be added anytime, or not at all.

 

Using a mixer, blend ingredients in a bowl in the order that they are listed above. Add flour in small amounts, not all at once. If you add more extract or food coloring add more flour to make the dough a stiffer consistency. Use a manual or electric cookie press to make the shapes.

 

Pictured are almond-cinnamon poinsettias with a dusting of snow where almond extract made the poinsettias come to life and peppermint-chocolate trees with snow covered branches decorated with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to create bountiful trees.   Enjoy!

 

A Snowflake Christmas: The Nutcracker

Olga Vogel, a native of small-town Snowflake, Montana, knows the value of hard work and focused determination. When she finds herself the sole inheritor of the Snowflake Christmas Tree Farm, she decides her personal life must wait while she concentrates on successfully running the business. Olga turns to her father for support and is astounded when he questions her management suitability.

 

Olga’s decision to step away from romance gets complicated when Eric Lund, a sexy single father seems determined to capture her attention. Then Grant Miller, who broke up with her to become a college football star, returns to Snowflake acting as if he wants to rekindle their relationship. Drawn to each man individually, Grant’s charisma and Erik’s giving nature, Olga struggles with decisions about her future. 

Can she run a prosperous company, and find her one true love?

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AUTHOR GINA DANNA'S ROMANTIC REGENCY CHRISTMAS

Gina Danna spent hours devouring historical romances, always dreaming of writing one of her own. After years of writing historical academic papers to achieve her undergraduate and graduate degrees in History, and then for museum programs and exhibits, she found time to write her own historical romance and is now a bestselling author of historical romances. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

Christmas, Love & Oops!

 

Christmas – Time for families, get-togethers, friends and lovers – the joy of the season!

 

As an author, to write a yuletide novel, we must start long before the season is even considered. And for a historical love story, one must consider how it was celebrated during that time. Before Queen Victoria set Christmas trees the rage, the time was a religious celebration and without all the commercial hype of today.

 

This story was also a ‘vacation’ for me. My latest series, Hearts Touched by Fire, is a Civil War historical fiction with romance storyline, full of research and research and study with long, involved novels the result. To Catch A Lady is Book 1 of a Regency romance novella series, and while needing research for it, it was also a nice mental break from the horrors of war. It is a story with a happy-ever-after, of love found, lost and recovered. The dream we all have and fun to write!

 

Originally, it was part of an erotic-style Christmas box set that is no longer available. But I realized it is not erotic. There are hot scenes involved, but nothing that truly went with its original title of A Merry Wicked Christmas. So this is a ‘re-launch’ as To Catch A Lady. This novella ties in with two other novellas in the new series of Lords & Ladies & Love – Regency love stories. This one and To Kiss A Lady are Christmas love stories. 

 

So come and meet Phineas and Marina and his pet fox as they discover that their romance during a Yuletide house party is a true gift, despite her being promised to an elder lord. Phineas refusal to allow himself to marry may make him lose his new love. His realization came late and now he’s racing against time. Can he catch her heart before she’s gone for good? To Catch A Lady – can love win?

 

To Catch A Lady

Lords & Ladies & Love, Book 1

 

London, 1815. 

 

Phineas vowed to never marry after his last engagement ended sourly. Hosting a winter party filled with ladies will not sway him. 

 

Lady Marina meets her host and dreams of a future. Snowed in alone with him, sparks fly, ruining her, only to die when he won’t marry her.

 

Phineas finds Marina gone and with her, his heart. With the odds stacked against him, can Phineas turn fate into a never-ending love story?

 

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--ROMANCE AND MYSTERY AUTHOR KATIE GRAYKOWSKI OFFERS UP CINNAMON ROLLS AND A FREE HOLIDAY ROMANCE BUNDLE

The Christmas Network

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Katie Graykowski. I write romantic comedy, cozy mysteries, and my YA novel is coming out early next year. Among my family and friends, I’m known more for my baking and less for my writing. Notice I said baking … not cooking. Another dry and terrible Thanksgiving turkey, but this year I’m proud to say that a fire extinguisher wasn’t necessary. Believe me, that’s a vast improvement. 

 

Today, I’m sharing my Christmas morning orange cinnamon rolls. No matter if we’re home for Christmas or in Grand Cayman, these cinnamon rolls are as much a part of Christmas as my grandmother’s manger scene and fighting over who has to clean up all of that wrapping paper. 

 

Usually, I make the cinnamon roll dough on Christmas Eve and let it rise in the fridge overnight. If you choose to do that, make the dough, then put it in the fridge. Take it out the next morning and let sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes before baking.

 

Merry Christmas to you and have a Happy New Year.

 

Katie’s Orange Cinnamon Rolls

 

Dough

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon sugar

1-1/4 teaspoons salt

3-1/4 ounces active dry yeast (7 1/2 teaspoons)

1/2 cup orange juice

5 large eggs

Zest from 2 oranges

8-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may need up to 9-1/2 cups depending upon the weather)

 

Filling

2lb. bag light brown sugar

4 sticks of butter

1/4 cup cinnamon

 

Icing

2--8 oz. bricks cream cheese at room temp.

zest of 2 oranges

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted (may use up to 4 cups)

 

For the dough, heat the butter with the milk, 3/4 cups of the sugar and the salt in either a small saucepan or in the microwave, until the butter is melted. Set aside to cool. 

 

In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm orange juice and add the remaining teaspoon of sugar, stir and set aside for 10 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly. 

 

Add the lukewarm milk mixture, orange zest, and the eggs, beating until well combined. 

 

Add the flour a cup at a time, stirring and using enough flour to form a stiff dough. 

 

Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and satiny, approximately 10 minutes. (Or place in the bowl on a heavy-duty electric mixer and knead with a dough hook until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, approximately 5 minutes). 

 

Place the dough in a very large buttered bowl, turn to butter the top and allow to rise, covered loosely with a kitchen towel, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, approximately 1 hour. 

 

Punch the dough down and roll out to a large rectangle, 24" x 36". 

 

Butter two 9" x 13" baking dishes.

 

For the filling, beat together the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon until well combined. Spread evenly over the surface of the dough. 

 

Roll up lengthwise and cut at 2" intervals to make 12 rolls. Place 6 rolls in each buttered dish. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for about 20-30 minutes or until puffed and browned. Cool to room temperature on racks.

 

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese, orange zest and vanilla until well combined. Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat until smooth and soft, not stiff. 

 

Frost the rolls and serve immediately.

Christmas Network Box Set, Books 1-2

 

Welcome to Christmas, Texas

Christmas, Texas has as much magic as it has charm and only reveals itself to those who need it. The town was settled 1820 by the original Winter Texan, Santa Claus. He kissed the snowy North Pole goodbye and moved his whole operation to the sunny Texas Hill Country where there are never blizzard warnings and the only thing icy is his iced tea.

 

When Lana Green crashes her car into the Welcome-to-Christmas-Texas-you’re-not-lost-you’re-exactly-where-you’re-supposed-to-be, sign she doesn’t necessarily agree with the town slogan. She was on her way to Fredericksburg for a business meeting when she got lost in a thunderstorm. Since she has no intention of sleeping in her car during a thunderstorm and she has zero cell reception, she pulls her suitcase out of the trunk and marches toward town. When it comes to hating Christmas, she could give Ebenezer Scrooge a run for his money so visiting Christmas, Texas the week before Christmas is bound to be a lesson in torture.

 

Sheriff Nick Van De Berg is out on patrol when he runs across a Lexus wrapped around the Welcome sign. But the car’s empty. Surely the driver didn’t walk to town through the thunderstorm. As the storm gathers in intensity, so does his fear that something bad has happened to the driver. After checking the fast-swelling river, lower water crossings, and every single road in town, he stops by the Christmas Tree Inn where he finds Lana Green, his college sweetheart and the one that got away, sipping a mug of hot chocolate.

 

His Christmas wish every year since they broke up has been a second chance with Lana. 

 

Now his wish has finally come true.

 

Can he convince Lana to take a chance on him and on Christmas, Texas?

 

Return to Christmas, Texas

When veterinarian, Jules McCowan’s best friend marries Santa Claus’s oldest son, Jules has no idea that her life is about to change forever. It’s been less than a year since she found out that Santa is real, reindeer can fly, and that Santa Claus traded in the snowy North Pole for the sunny, mostly snow-free Texas Hill Country.

 

Chris Van De Berg likes being Santa’s second son. He’s inherited all of Santa’s charm with none of the responsibility. When St. Nicholas blessed his family with eternal life, he was also blessed Chris with the gift of compassion. He can look into a person’s heart and feel what they feel … except for Jules McCowan. When he looks at her, all he sees is the person with whom he’d like to spend the rest of his life.

 

His Christmas wish has always been to find his soulmate. 

 

Now that he has, how’s he supposed to get Jules to fall in love with him? Around her all of the charm he’s used to get people to do exactly what he wants is completely gone. In fact, he can barely get two coherent words out so how’s he supposed to convince her that they belong together? Plus, if they do get married, she’ll have to leave her life in the real world behind forever.

 

When Santa asks Jules and Chris to fly to France to check on Pere Noel’s donkey, they leave immediately.

 

Chris has forty-eight hours outside of Christmas, Texas to persuade Jules that she’s his destiny. If he doesn’t return to Christmas, Texas within forty-eight hours, he’ll never be able to return again and The Spirit of Christmas will die.

 

Will Jules take a chance on Chris and leave her life behind? Or will Chris have to choose between her and The Spirit of Christmas?

 

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AUTHOR CATHERINE KEAN ON A MEDIEVAL CHRISTMAS CUSTOM THAT GAVE BIRTH TO A ROMANCE

Catherine Kean is an award-winning author of more than twenty medieval romances, but when her Muse encouraged her to venture into other romance genres, she had the good sense to listen. Learn more about Catherine and her books at her website.

Setting a story in the Middle Ages around Christmastime poses some challenges, since eight hundred years ago Christmastide, for the most, part was celebrated as a religious holiday. However, when I stumbled upon information on the Lord of Misrule, I knew I’d found the perfect inspiration for A Knight’s Redemption, the sixth book of my Knight’s Series.

The Lord of Misrule tradition may have originated from the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which took place in December and involved a sacrifice, feasting, wild reveling, and appointment of a king who ruled over the festivities. In Medieval times, a man chosen from among the lower classes—say, a peasant or servant—was picked days before Christmas to become head of the household. He would rule as lord for a few days, weeks, or even months. 

Can you imagine a humble farmer, who’d struggled to feed his family and care for his livestock, suddenly being given all of the authority and privileges of his noble liege? It obviously provided an opportunity for abuses of power, but also added to the Christmas merriment.

The Lord of Misrule oversaw the Christmas feasts, pantomimes, musical entertainment, and general revelry. According to historical sources, celebrating the Lord of Misrule often led to widespread drunkenness, trickery, gambling, and licentiousness, which sounds a bit like some modern parties.

In A Knight’s Redemption, my hero, a fourteen-year-old squire, is shocked to be appointed the Lord of Misrule for Branton Keep. Bolstered by the wild cheering of the folk in the great hall, and intrigued by the shy, visiting Lady Mary Westbrook, he demands her kiss. He’d never be able to kiss her otherwise.

Mary is really in no position to refuse. But, believing that kisses are acts of love, she does say no, and for her defiance, is locked in the castle dungeon. 

Embarrassed to have been spurned by her, Holden only intended for her to be locked up a short while, but a fire in the town draws him away from the keep and only later does he return to let her out. She never wants to see him again. Nevertheless, Fate brings them back together six years later. 

Will Holden be able to right what went wrong at Christmas years ago? Holden and Mary’s story tugged at my heartstrings, but I do believe they got the perfect Christmas happily-ever-after.

A Knight’s Redemption

Knight’s Series, Book 6

Six Christmases ago, after refusing his kiss, Lady Mary Westbrook was locked in the dungeon by Lord Holden Kendall, a squire at Branton Keep. When an attempted child abduction days before Christmas brings Holden back to the castle, Mary must confront again what happened between them.

Holden is a grown warrior now, and he resolves to not only make matters right with Mary, but finally win her kiss. Yet, as peril ensues, Mary must risk far more than a chance at true love.

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS WITH ROMANCE AUTHOR REGGI ALLDER

Suspense and contemporary romance author Reggi Allder writes joins us today to talk about her family Christmas celebrations. Learn more about Reggi and her books here. 

I love Christmas, music, lights, food and decorations. Every year I’m thankful our family members are able to be together.

I’ve lived in large cities and small towns. Both places have their own appeal. Wherever I am, Christmas dinner is the same. Some family members like turkey, some prefer ham and a few are vegetarian, so faux turkey works for them. Dessert can be a challenge. One relative can’t eat anything with milk, others want to cut back on sugar. However, everyone agrees on my recipes for from-scratch almond cake, pumpkin pie, and apple pie. I don’t bake too often, but during the Christmas season, I like to do more.

Apple pie isn’t a traditional choice for Christmas, but it’s a family favorite. There are many varieties of apple available from around the world. The Granny Smith, Macintosh, or Golden Delicious work best for pie—not too sweet.

Traditional songs like Silent Night and Oh Holy Night are usually played in our home, but I heard a song that was more country. Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy is a song co-written by Buck Owens and Don Rich in 1965. The song has been covered by several country music artists, including Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley among others. This tune rings a bell for me because when the kids were young, my husband always dressed up in a Santa suit on Christmas Eve. He would knock on the front door carrying his bag of gifts and come in to hand them out. Later, he’d excuse himself by saying he still had many homes to visit. Afterward, he would return dressed as dad again.

One year, our youngest said he could tell it was Daddy because Santa wore the same glasses as dad did. The jig was up, but the kids still wanted him to wear the suit the next year. Now there is a three-year-old and a five-year-old in our extended family, so the Santa suit will be used again.

When I needed an idea for a farm in Her Country Heart Christmas Edition, an organic apple farm fit the criteria. No food acknowledges the conflict between a man and a woman better than the iconic apple. The fruit signifies the battle between males and females and the temptation of being drawn to someone who has opposite goals.

Her Country Heart Christmas Edition

Sierra Creek Series, Book 1

After being downsized and losing her apartment in the city, Amy Long hopes to find a fresh start in the small town of Sierra Creek. Though she has no experience farming, she returns to run her late grandmother’s organic apple farm.

Cowboy Wyatt Cameron has a vow to keep and knows Amy belongs in the city. She’s in the way of his plans and as executor of her grandmother’s will, he has the power prevent her from staying on the farm.

Will hearts break when opposites attract?

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ROMANCE AUTHOR COURTNEY J. HALL TALKS COOKIE DAY

Courtney J. Hall writes contemporary romance. Her novel A Holiday Wish is the first in the Silver Bells series of sweet Christmas romances. Today she joins us to talk about one of her favorite holiday traditions. Find out more about Courtney and her books at her website. 

Christmas is the one time of year where no matter how old you are, no matter where or how you live, chances are good that you have traditions. Maybe it’s a Secret Santa at work or a White Elephant Gift exchange with your friends. Maybe it’s dinner at a nice restaurant with out-of-town relatives come to visit, or a small house party with your nearest and dearest. No matter what it is, nine times out of ten, it will involve food. Which brings me to one of my favorite holiday traditions…

Cookie Day

Cookie Day usually falls on the Sunday before Christmas. In the weeks leading up to it, my sister and I pore over recipes from previous years and search Pinterest for new recipes. While we usually stick with the tried-and-true, those traditional cookies, which never fail to please—like chocolate chip and oatmeal—we also like to branch out and go a little more adventurous to keep it interesting. She adds bourbon and toffee to her chocolate chip cookies, while I like trying different variations on the cookie version of gooey butter cake. Almond is always a big hit, but gingerbread has gotten the most rave reviews. 

And for a pop of color on our cookie trays, I love making batches of cherry gems with green and red candied cherries, while my sister’s claim to fame is raspberry almond shortbread thumbprint cookies. If we’re feeling really brave, we’ll even attempt candy—mint, raspberry, or orange truffles for me, and slow-cooked candied pecans for her. 

The day begins with me packing a giant bag with my supplies and heading over to her house, where we inevitably forget to coordinate oven temperatures and wind up trying to bake one recipe that needs 325 and one that needs 375 at the same time. 

With a Christmas playlist going in the background, we sample each other’s recipes, trying not to eat more than one—four at the most—and drink wine out of the Christmas wine glasses we only break out on Cookie Day. 

My sister actually doesn’t like baking all that much, so typically after a few hours she’s bored so we break for a quick dinner. Then, after cleaning up, I pack my cookies into the tins I’ve brought and cart them home, where they’ll sit until I divide them into smaller tins for my neighbors and hide the rest from my husband so I have something to serve as dessert when I host Christmas dinner.

We can all agree that the holiday season has become commercialized to the point where its original meaning is almost unrecognizable, but it’s still a time of year to do fun things with the ones you love.

A Holiday Wish

Silver Bells, Volume 1

Noelle Silver has been a wedding planner for six years, and in all that time, the only bride she’s failed to get down the aisle is herself. Abandoned by her fiancé and disillusioned with love, Noelle is ready to pack it in and leave town when Brooke St. John, orphaned heiress, offers her a staggering amount of money to organize Brooke’s Christmas Eve wedding to a much older man.

Noelle is reluctant at first, but the payment Brooke offers is more than enough for Noelle to start a new life. It’s also an opportunity for Noelle to prove to herself—and her former fiancé—that despite her broken heart, she still has what it takes to pull off a wedding worthy of an heiress in the two months Brooke has given her. 

But the best man, Brooke’s older brother Everett, is dead-set on stopping the nuptials. Will he succeed, driving the final nail into the coffin of Noelle’s career as a wedding planner—and shattering what’s left of her expectations of love?

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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. 

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