Christmas Kisses: An Echo Ridge Anthology by Lucy McConnell, Cami Checketts, Rachelle J. Christensen, Connie E. Sokol, Heather Tullis:
We are so excited about this wonderful Anthology!
Let’s take a look at the 5 authors that put this together!
Rachelle J.
Christensen is a mother of five who writes romance and mystery/suspense and
solves the case of the missing shoe on a daily basis. She graduated cum laude
from Utah State University with a degree in psychology and a minor in music.
She enjoys singing and songwriting, playing the piano, running, motivational
speaking, and, of course, reading.
Rachelle is the award-winning author of six books, including
Wrong Number, Diamond Rings Are Deadly
Things, and What Every 6th
Grader Needs to Know, as well as the Rone Award-winning novella Silver Cascade Secrets. She and her
family live on a farm in Idaho.
Social Media
Links
Facebook Author Page http://www.facebook.com/rachellechristensenauthor
Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/rachellewrites
Blog http://rachellewrites.blogspot.com/
Author Website http://rachellechristensen.com/
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3327139.Rachelle_J_Christensen
Amazon Author Page for Rachelle:
http://www.amazon.com/Rachelle-J.-Christensen/e/B002UO5H48/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1427567936&sr=1-2
Author News signup: http://eepurl.com/eFD3o
Connie Sokol is a mother of seven, and a
favorite local and national speaker for over fifteen years. She is a TV core
contributor “Studio 5 with Brooke Walker” and a national blogger for www.ksl.com. She is one of seven female hosts of
The Living Room, an online value-based radio show where they dish on life,
loving, and learning (www.fromthelivingroom.com). Mrs. Sokol is a bestselling author
who has written 14 books, including her fiction: Christmas Kisses: An
Echo Ridge Anthology, and Caribbean Crossroads; and her
nonfiction: What Every 6th Grader Needs to Know, Faithful, Fit
& Fabulous, Simplify & Savor the Season, Create a Powerful Life Plan, and 40 Days with the Savior. Mrs. Sokol
marinates in time spent with her family and eating decadent treats. For her TV
segments, blog, podcasts and more, visit www.conniesokol.com.
Social media links:
Lucy McConnell has always been a reader
and a writer. Once caught up in a story, she disappears into a cave until the
first draft is done. She writes fantasy, clean romance, Christian romance,
historical fiction, and cookbooks (under the name Christina Dymock.) Her
Christmas romance, Blue
Christmas, was a top seller in seven Amazon categories on its own and
in thirteen as part of the Christmas
in Snow Valley Anthology.
When she’s not writing, you can find her volunteering at the
elementary school or church; shuttling kids to baseball, soccer, basketball, or
football, depending on the time of year; skiing with her family; wakeboarding;
cycling; baking; cooking; or curled up with a good book.
You can sign up for her newsletter and get the latest news here: http://wordpress.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=bdba9ddb2c66cd77463f64638&id=9c679d9a1a
HEATHER
TULLIS has been reading romance for as long as she can remember and has been
publishing in the genre since 2009. She has published more than twenty books.
When she’s not dreaming up new stories to write, or helping out with her
community garden, she enjoys playing with her dogs and cat, inventing new ways
to eat chocolate, and hanging out with her husband.
Social
Media Links:
Cami Checketts is an idealist
who dreams of helping children around the world but can't keep up with the four
in her own home. Cami lives in a beautiful valley in Northern Utah where she
enjoys running, biking, and swimming during the two months of the year it isn't
snowing. A portion of the proceeds from Cami's books will be donated to The
Child & Family Support Center. For more information on this worthy cause,
please go to www.cachecfsc.org
"Christmas Kisses is a collection from
five bestselling and award-winning authors. Set in the snowy town of Echo Ridge
in upstate New York, these inspirational romances are sure to delight while you
sip cocoa by the fire and listen to Christmas carols."
Pick up your copy today!
Let’s get a sneak peek into one of
these great stories!
5 Random Facts about Rachelle and
her story
1. Rachelle loves multi-colored
Christmas lights on the tree and as a child used to love getting under the tree
and looking up through the branches at the lights and ornaments.
2. Her first visit to New York
state was when she was seven months pregnant with her fourth child and
attending a writing conference in Chautauqua. She also visited Niagara Falls.
3. She met her husband on
Halloween at Utah State University.
4. Rachelle loves chickens and
cats and they get along well together on her little farm in Idaho.
5. She is brainstorming the next
novella for Echo Ridge and is super excited to tell the next love story from
New York.
Rachelle’s
snippet from Hope for Christmas:
“Stupid
Christmas tree,” she muttered. If it weren’t for Megan, she’d skip Christmas
altogether. The holiday was a slap in the face to someone like Anika— a
divorced, single mom with a deadbeat ex. She hadn’t been able to locate Jimmy
after he’d been released from jail the last time, but she was tired of hiding
from him. When she moved to Echo Ridge a year ago, she decided a fresh start
would be the best solution to her problems. The sleepy little New York town had
been full of promises and hope, but after losing her job two months ago when
Megan was hospitalized with pneumonia, everything had changed. Although the
state had helped pay for Megan’s treatment, Anika had fallen farther and
farther behind.
Her
chest tightened when she thought about what was around the next corner. This
job was temporary, and Anika had run out of options. If she didn’t find
something soon, she’d be evicted from her one bedroom apartment.
She
pulled the tree trunk upright and began putting together the sections of the
tree. It took much longer than it should have with bits of the white flock
crumbling and sticking to her clothes. One of the branches refused to
straighten, the end was all twisted and it took her nearly ten minutes to
smooth out the kinks. Anika grumbled to herself about the fake tree and its
apparent mission to annoy her by not snapping together correctly. She fiddled
with the pre-lit strands that had to be connected in several places. There were
three different cords to test the lights, but she couldn’t get them all to work
together. The box said the lights were supposed to twinkle, but Anika couldn’t
even get more than one strand to turn on at a time. She grumbled and stepped
back— on Megan’s dolls. Anika’s foot turned, she gasped, and fell forward into
the tree with a shriek.
Before
she could react to the fake evergreen needles poking her in the face, strong
hands pulled her back from the mass of lights and cords.
“Are
you hurt?”
Anika
blinked and looked up at the man who had spoken. Her mouth opened and closed,
and she shook her head. If Enrique Iglesias had come to her rescue then she was
definitely going to thank the blasted Christmas tree. She rubbed a hand over
her face and saw that he wasn’t Enrique, but with the shadow of scruff along
his chin and his slightly mussed black hair against caramel skin, he could be
Enrique’s younger brother. Anika shook her head. She was gawking, and hadn’t
answered his question. “I’m not sure,” she said.
“Let’s
get you away from this tree. I don’t think it likes you.” He cupped his hand
under her forearm, carefully lifting her off the ground.
Anika
winced when she put weight on her foot. “Ouch. I kind of twisted my ankle.”
“Sit
down right here and I can take a look at it.” His dark hair matched his
chocolate brown eyes and Anika found herself wondering again if Enrique did
have a younger brother.
He
helped her sit, leaning next to the wood paneling of her checkout station. He
crouched down and held out his hand. “I’m Carlos Rodriguez. I’m a volunteer
fireman, so I have some medical training. Mind if I take a look?” He had a
Spanish accent, not heavy, but alluring, and Anika listened to him
appreciatively.
“Oh,
it’s just my ankle. I’m sure it’ll be fine in a few minutes.” Anika winced
again when she moved her toes. “My name’s Anika Fletcher.” She held out her
hand and Carlos shook it, his grip firm, yet gentle at the same time. Anika
tore her eyes away from him and reached down to examine her ankle. It didn’t
appear to be swelling, but every tendon around the bone ached. Maybe she should
have him look at it. “Ugh, this is just what I didn’t need tonight.” She leaned
over and massaged the tender side of her ankle. It wouldn’t cost her anything
to have him look at it. “Okay, maybe I’d better have you look.” She moved back
so that Carlos could see her ankle.
He
leaned over and gently pulled her pant leg up. His fingers were warm, and he
pressed lightly around her ankle. Anika’s heart sped up— it was hard to ignore
the flutter in her stomach as he carefully examined her foot. He looked over at
her and smiled. “There might be a little swelling later, but it’s a good sign
that it’s not turning colors. You need to ice it and wrap it to stabilize the
area.”
Anika
let out the breath she’d been holding when he released her foot. “Okay, thanks
for your help. I was trying to get that dang tree figured out. It definitely
doesn’t like me and the feeling is mutual.”
Carlos walked over to the
tree, now standing almost ten feet tall, and shifted a few branches. Then he
crouched down by the electrical outlet. “You know, this could be considered a
fire hazard.”
And now a Q&A with the Author.
1. What is your favorite part of writing?
I
love it when I'm excited about a new story! When I have a solid outline
and can speed through scenes that I've rehearsed in my head, I feel
like I'm on a writer's high. I love creating something new.
2. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
In
Hope for Christmas, I wanted to show a different side of the holiday
from the point of view of Anika who sees Christmas as something to dread
rather than enjoy. I wanted her to feel like a real person--one that we
can be on the lookout for this Christmas.
3. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I've
always loved writing. When I was a little girl, I would take a spiral
bound notebook and sit in the horse pasture dreaming up poems and
stories. After I graduated from college and had a little free time to
write something other than essays and term papers, I rediscovered my
love of writing.
4. Give us an insight into how your writing day/time is structured?
Laugh
with me for just a minute because once upon a time, I had a thought
that I could have a structured day of writing in my lovely office at
home. Reality check with five kids means that I write in the car during
piano lessons, hole up in a hiding place for twenty minutes for a
sprint, and schedule write-ins at my parent's house to meet my goals. I
still kind of have a dream that life will settle down and work with my
"schedule". In the meantime, I squeeze in writing wherever I can.
5. Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I
always learn so many interesting things from writing my books. I love
the little research gems that me and this awesome group of authors
shared about upstate New York, small towns, old-fashioned department
stores, soda fountains, and more.
6. What
is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you
defeat it? I really struggle with my desire to have time to write down
all the ideas in my head. There's so much work involved with each book,
and it's not just writing. There's tons of marketing, promotion, events,
and other parts of producing a book that often aren't seen. Sometime I
go days without writing anything on my novel and I feel rotten about my
progress, but thank goodness I have an amazing husband who is very
understanding. He does his best to help me get time and keep things in
perspective. Together we work to make my writing possible and at the
same time I can feel good about spending time with my family and always
putting my family first. Hopefully, I have a lot of years left to write
so I'm working on balance and hoping the words will come out all right
in the end.
Follow
along on the Facebook event page to get an inside look at all the stories in
this Anthology.
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