Spirit of Christmas “All I Want for NaNo” BlogHop

It’s NaNoWriMo again, the most wonderful time of the year! I did it last year for the first time, and I absolutely loved it! I’m so lucky to have such a supportive husband, who helps me out those days when he gets home from work and I still need to get in my word count. I couldn’t do it without him.

This year for NaNo, I’m hoping to finish the entire first draft of Miss Match–about 75k words. Last year I wrote about 58k during November, so that’s stepping it up quite a bit! It’s an ambitious goal (for me) but I feel confident I can accomplish it if I just stay focused. All I want for NaNo is 1) for my muse to come back so the words come easily, 2) for the twins to take good naps so I have time to write, and 3) to have a completed manuscript come December 1st! (I said completed. Not polished.) I’ve been struggling a lot with writing lately, and I need all the help I can get.

To celebrate NaNoWriMo, my friend and fellow critique group member David Powers King, along with authors J.A. Bennett, Cassie Mae, Kelley Lynn, and Jessica Salyer, are releasing The Spirit of Christmas: An Anthology. The cool thing is all the proceeds from sales will go to The Office of Letters and Light, an organization that encourages children in literary and writing ventures. David let me beta read his story in the book, and it was excellent! I’m sure the others are just as fantastic, and I can’t wait to read them all!

They’re doing a blog hop to spread the word, and giving away some awesome prizes. Check out the other participants at the bottom of this post, and sign up if you want to!

Back Cover Blurb
It’s the most wonderful time of the year … but not for everyone. 
Celebrating the holidays isn’t easy when your flight is canceled, or when you’re working nights at the big box store, or when you’re being haunted by the ghost of a deceased brother. These and other stories await five characters whose lives are about to change for the better when they discover The Spirit of Christmas. 
This collection of five novelettes is our way of saying “Thank You” to the people behind nanowrimo.org. Every purchase of this anthology will go toward their ongoing efforts to help writers achieve their goals each year. 

Individual Story Blurbs: 

MUSIC & MISTLETOE: Gentry Knight wants to spend her Christmas vacation with her headphones jammed in her ears and her guitar in hand. Instead, her mother forces her into community service at the Sunny Dale Rehab Center. Just as Gentry is convinced her vacation is ruined, she meets the super hot Luke Freeman. Maybe volunteering isn’t so bad after all. 

A SIMPLE GIFT: Returning from a visit with their father, Grace, and her older sister, Amber, get stuck at the Detroit airport on Christmas Eve. They take a shuttle to a nearby hotel where the guests refuse to let the fact that they’re stranded get them down. An impromptu Christmas Party is thrown, with lights, music and a special gift Grace never expects. 

BROTHER CHRISTMAS: When Christmas time is near, nine-year-old Evan Emerson is the only member of his family who can see his deceased brother, Maverick. But this year, they are both about to discover why–even if it costs Evan his life. 

THE BEST GIFT EVER: When KeLynn’s family is killed in an accident on Christmas day, she’s left alone to pick up the pieces. As the one-year anniversary of their deaths inch closer, it gets harder and harder to live, let alone celebrate Christmas. That is until, the cute geek next door tries to help. The only problem. . .he says he talks to her dead mother. 

FLIRTING WITH THE PHOTO GIRL: Cash is stuck working on Christmas, but he’s not big on the holiday so he doesn’t mind too much, especially since the girl he’s wanted to ask out is also working. But when Tami tells him all the things she’ll miss about the holiday while they’ll be stocking boxes, Cash does what he can to make it special for her, while finding meaning in the season for him.