The Magic and the Wonder by Debra St. John

The Magic and the Wonder

I love Christmas and everything that goes with it.

Well, not everything…I guess I’m not much of a Christmas shopper. Don’t get me wrong, I love buying presents for people. However I don’t feel the need to be part of the Black Friday or any other holiday crowd. In fact I usually cheat a little and start accumulating Christmas presents in early Fall.

One of my favorite parts of Christmas comes after the shopping is done. I love wrapping presents. I set up a card table in the loft, gather my supplies (paper, tissue, ribbons, boxes, etc.), turn on the holiday music, and lose myself in the joy of creating pretty packages. If all goes well, I like to have this done a couple of weeks before Christmas, so I can admire the presents under my tree before giving them away.

Christmas music is another favorite part of the season. For me, not one Christmas song gets played until the Friday after Thanksgiving. Every year I think long and hard about which CD I’ll play first that morning as we start to decorate the house. We’ve amassed quite a collection of holiday music, so this is never an easy decision. Except for this year. This year to coincide with my new release, A Christmas to Remember, the choice for first song was a no-brainer. I went right for Kenny and Dolly’s Once Upon a Christmas and set it to track 6: You guessed it… “A Christmas to Remember”, which happens to be the inspiration for my story.

I’ve always loved Christmas stories. The ones you read curled up in front of the fireplace with a steaming mug of peppermint hot cocoa. There’s something about Christmas that makes the happily ever after of a romance even more special. For years I always told myself I was going to write one of my own. Finally, earlier this year, I did. A Christmas to Remember was released last month. Not only was it my first Christmas book, but it was my first attempt at a novella. All in all, I have to say I’m pretty satisfied with the results. (And I hope readers will be, too!)

Merry Christmas, everyone! I wish you all the magic and wonder of the season!

A Christmas to Remember  (Available from The Wild Rose Press).

by Debra St. John (www.debrastjohnromance.com)

Blurb:

Newly single, Heather Morgan gathers her courage and decides to take a Christmas ski vacation on her own. However, the festive holiday atmosphere reminds her how dispirited and alone she feels. When she meets a mysterious stranger, her lonely vacation takes an unexpected turn.

Sam is at the resort at the urging of his brother, who thinks he needs to get out and have a little fun. Having no desire to get involved with anyone, Sam needs a way to get his brother off his back. The intriguing Heather seems like the perfect solution to his dilemma, so he makes her an offer she can't refuse.

Sam restores the joy of the season to Heather. Their time together is magical, something she'll never forget. Soon her feelings for him deepen beyond their romantic holiday fling. But Sam has a secret, one that could prevent the fantasy from ever becoming real.

Excerpt:

“So, I guess I’ll be spending Christmas by myself. Well, not all by myself. Actually I’ll be spending Christmas with Jimmy Stewart.”

“No, you…” Sam’s brow furrowed and he stopped. “What?”

Heather gave a short laugh, but didn’t meet his eyes. “I found a channel playing an It’s a Wonderful Life marathon.”

“Ah. Well with no disrespect to Mr. Stewart, he’ll be without your presence because you’ll be spending Christmas with me.”

Her gaze snapped to his. “Oh, no, I couldn’t. I mean, aren’t you spending it with your brother?”

“You can join us. He won’t mind.”

“No, thank you. Christmas shouldn’t be a part of our deal.”

“I’m not asking you to spend Christmas with me as part of our deal.” On impulse Sam placed his hand over hers. “Look, as far as I’m concerned, our deal is off.”

She shifted her gaze from his hand covering hers to look at him, but she didn’t pull away. “Why?” Did she sound disappointed?

“Because I want to spend time with you just for the pleasure of being with you. And I want you to do the same. Not exchanging dinner for skiing lessons. But just because we like being together.”

She smiled. “That sounds nice.”

He ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I’d very much like to spend Christmas with you.”