Excerpt
Christmas Spirits:
Chapter One
“What’s
this, Grams?”
Emily Chadwick watched Olivia’s tiny feet shuffle across the
kitchen floor as she approached with a small globe nestled in her hands. She
stood back from the stove and brushed a lock of frizzy bang away from her eyes.
The beef stew was nearly ready as meat, carrots, onions, and potatoes simmered,
a perfect winter meal. She flicked the back of her hand and Olivia stepped away
from the stove.
“What do you have there?” She pulled out a hand-carved chair
from the kitchen table—always meaning to replace them with something lighter
and modern—but she couldn’t bring herself to rid the house of any furniture
Michael had made. She stretched out her arm as her granddaughter placed the
piece of glass into her withered hands.
“Huh.” Emily caught her breath. “Where did you find this?”
“In the attic. I was looking for Cleo. She ran up there when
I opened the door to let some cool air into the hallway upstairs.”
The heat was difficult to control in the house, built in
1850, and the attic door proved more efficient at controlling the heat than a
thermostat.
Emily held the ornament to the light. Snow filled the globe
as she twirled it between her fingers. “Your grandfather made this when we
first met.”
“It’s pretty.” Olivia squinted her eyes. “Is that you and
Grandpa on the lake?”
Emily nodded. “Yes it is. He was a stickler for detail. He
didn’t make much blown glass so this is very special. He focused mainly on
furniture.” She fought back a frown as she glanced at the silent guitar in the
corner next to a chair by the kitchen fireplace.
Olivia stood back, away from the table, and clasped her
hands behind her back. “I’m not touching it ever!”
“You’ll have to at some point because it’ll be yours.” She
laughed.
“Nope, give it to Mom.”
Emily knew her granddaughter couldn’t appreciate the
sentimental value the ornament possessed, but she could tell Olivia knew it
would be a bad thing if the ornament broke.
“You look sad, Grams.”
She walked over to the sink and opened the window. Dust
flitted through the room as the cool outside air merged with the heat from the
kitchen fireplace. It was a constant battle to create a comfortable temperature
in the old house. “Sit down, dear.”
She strolled over to the kitchen table and pushed a plate of
fudge walnut brownies toward her granddaughter. Olivia poured them each a glass
of milk. Emily wrinkled her nose in silent protest but couldn’t refuse the
gesture. It was good for her, no matter how much she hated the taste and smell
of milk.
Emily watched Olivia scoff down a brownie quicker than she
could say the word. She enjoyed the time spent alone with her granddaughter.
Soon, the day would come when Olivia wouldn’t want to spend time at her
grandmother’s house to help bake Christmas cookies. Emily had seen it happen
with her own daughter and she doubted that Olivia would be any different.
It had been years since she’d made a holiday dinner but
every year she insisted on baking. It helped to keep her mind busy and not miss
Michael so much.
“I wish you could have known your grandfather.” She turned
the ornament to catch the light. Fake snow swirled about the skaters on the
lake.
“Mom talks about Grandpa a lot. I know she misses him.”
Olivia snatched another brownie.
Emily smiled. “I bet she does. All she ever had to do was
ask for something and he jumped to help her.” She picked up a brownie and
nibbled the edge of the crusty confection. “That was his way. Always eager to
help someone.” And that’s how he died.
She closed her eyes and remembered that day.
Michael just had
to go out into the blizzard and pull his buddy out of a ditch. But that’s how
he was. No one anticipated the cable line snapping and knocking him down the
hill into a cluster of trees.
She couldn’t be mad even though she missed him. He was doing
what had made her fall in love with him, being generous, kind, and giving. She
pushed the memory aside and sighed a deep breath of relief.
“I would have liked to meet him.” Olivia took another
brownie from the plate and shoved it into her mouth. “Tell me about him.”
Emily swept her hand through the air, then pointed about the
room. “Your grandfather bought this house for me and restored it himself right
after we got married. He made nearly every piece of wood furniture that fills
the rooms of this old place.”
Emily picked up the ornament and cupped it in her hands.
“But it was what he did before our wedding day that took my breath away and
stole my heart forever.” Tears filled her eyes.
“What was that, Grams?” Olivia knelt on the kitchen chair
and her ten-year-old face glowed with excitement.
“Well, it all started in the late ’60s…”
Timeless Keepsakes:
A
Collection of Christmas Stories
Ruth A. Casie, Lita Harris,
Emma Kaye,
Nicole S. Patrick, Julie Rowe
Genre: Historical, Contemporary, Time Travel,
Military, Medical Romances
Publisher: Timeless Scribes Publishing
Date of Publication: November 11, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-09910520-0-4
Number of pages: 270
Word Count: 65,000
Cover Artist: Alchemy Book Covers and Design
Book
Description:
The magic of Christmas is in the memories
we hold dear and those precious treasures that remind us of the past. Join
us as our Timeless Keepsakes take us on five remarkable journeys that heal old
wounds, remind us of days gone by, play matchmaker, sweep us back in time and prove
that love can conquer all.
~~~~~~~
Mistletoe
and Magick ~ Ruth A. Casie
She would give her last breath for him. He
would give up everything to guard her well and love her more.
About Ruth A.
Casie:
Ruth started reading romance books while traveling
the world for business. Traveling alone can be daunting but she found a book in
hand could see her through long waits at the airport as well as being good
company at dinner for one. For some of her longer treks, she pared down what
she packed to make room for books. Her favorite genres are romance and
adventure.
A seasoned professional with more than twenty-five
years of writing experience in communications and marketing for a large
financial institution, she gave way to her inner muse and began writing a
series of historical fantasy romance novels. Ruth is published by Carina Press
and Harlequin Books.
When not writing you can find her home in Teaneck,
New Jersey, reading, cooking, doing Sudoku and counted cross-stitch. Together
with her husband, Paul, they enjoy ballroom dancing and going to the theater.
Ruth and Paul have three grown children and two grandchildren. They all thrive
on spending time together. It’s certainly a lively dinner table and they
wouldn’t change it for the world.
You can read more about Ruth online at
www.RuthACasie.com , on Twitter at twitter.com/RuthACasie, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RuthACasie
Christmas
Spirits ~ Lita Harris
A widow's everlasting love is renewed by
the memories of the holiday season.
About Lita Harris:
Lita Harris spends her time between New
Jersey and the Endless Mountains region of Pennsylvania, where she writes most
of her books. She also lived in Alaska for a short time
just for fun. An avid crafter, unused supplies clutter her
basement and attempts at making pottery, jewelry, and stained glass
are proudly displayed in her house, usually behind a picture or
holding a door open. She also makes candles and homemade
soap. With enough books to stock a small library she may need to construct
a building to store her literary obsessions.
She writes in
multiple genres, including women’s fiction, contemporary romance, paranormal,
and cozy mysteries. For more information about Lita, please visit her website
at www.LitaHarris.com
or at twitter.com/litaharris
and facebook.com/litaharrisauthor.
Granting Her
Wish ~ Emma Kaye
She doesn't belong in his time and he
doesn't belong back home. Could they belong to each other?
About Emma
Kaye:
Emma Kaye is married to her high school sweetheart
and has two beautiful kids that she spends an insane amount of time driving
around central New Jersey. Before ballet classes and tennis entered her life,
she decided to try writing one of those romances she loved to read and
discovered a new passion. She has been writing ever since. Add in a playful
puppy and an extremely patient cat and she’s living her own happily ever after
while making her characters work hard to reach theirs.
For more information on Emma, please visit her online at www.emma-kaye.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/emmakayewrites,
or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/emmakayewrites.
Letter from
St. Nick ~ Nicole S. Patrick
She’s trying to save her home and he’s
never had one until now. Can an unexpected gift lead their hearts to the same
place?
About Nicole S. Patrick:
Nicole S. Patrick has always loved to read, and in
her teenage years, she “borrowed” her mom’s books to sneak away and become lost
in the world of romance. After more than ten years in the corporate world of
tech recruiting and HR management, she decided to stay home and raise children.
But with so many romantic stories and characters floating around in her head,
when the kids napped, she was compelled to put those words on a page and pursue
this crazy dream of becoming published. Nicole writes romantic suspense and her
heroes are those alpha males in uniform. She lives in New Jersey with her
real-life hero, her husband, and her two sons.
For more information about Nicole, please visit her website at www.nicolespatrick.com
Secret Santa
~ Julie Rowe
A nurse grieving the death of her twin
brother receives an usual gift at the staff secret Santa party: the bullet that
killed him along with a message of hope and love.
About Julie
Rowe:
Julie Rowe’s first career as a medical lab
technologist in Canada took her to the Northwest Territories and northern
Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include medical details in her
romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write about all her medical
experiences because, “No one would believe them!” In addition to writing
contemporary and historical medical romance, and fun romantic suspense for
Entangled Publishing and Carina Press, Julie has a short story in The Mammoth
Book of ER Romance (September 2013). Her book Saving the Rifleman (book one of
the War Girls series) won the novella category of the 2013 Gayle Wilson Award
of Excellence. Her writing has also appeared in several magazines such as
Today’s Parent, Reader’s Digest (Canada), Canadian Living, and Romantic Times
Magazine.
For
more information about Julie, please visit her online at www.julieroweauthor.com, on Twitter @julieroweauthor, or at her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JulieRoweAuthor.
November 11 Group Day Focus on Entire Anthology
November 11 Spotlight
Beverly @ The Wormhole
November 11 Spotlight
Musings and Ramblings
November 11 Spotlight
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com
November 11 Spotlight
The Simple Things in Life
November 11 Spotlight
Fang-tastic Books
November 11 Spotlight
Adrienne Woods books and reviews
Nov 12 and 19 Mistletoe and Magick ~ Ruth A. Casie
November 12 Guest blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
November 12 Spotlight (review later)
Adrienne Woods books and reviews
November 19 review
Beverly @ The Wormhole
November 19 Spotlight
Lisa’s World of Books
Nov 13 and 20 Christmas Spirits ~ Lita Harris
November 13 Spotlight
Roxanne’s Realm
November 13 Spotlight (review later)
Adrienne Woods books and reviews
November 20 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair
November 20 Spotlight
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
Nov 14 and 21 Granting Her Wish ~ Emma Kaye
November 14 Spotlight
Lisa’s World of Books
November 14 review
Beverly @ The Wormhole
November 21 Guest blog
Roxanne’s Realm
November 21 Spotlight (review later)
Adrienne Woods books and reviews
Nov 15 and 22 Letter from St. Nick ~ Nicole S. Patrick
November 15 Spotlight (review later)
Adrienne Woods books and reviews
November 15 Review
My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews
November 22 review
Beverly @ The Wormhole
November 22 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm
Nov 18 and 25 Secret Santa ~ Julie Rowe
November 18 Guest Blog
The Divas of Desire
November 18 review
Beverly @ The Wormhole
November 25 Spotlight
Reviewing in Chaos
November 25 Spotlight (review later)
Adrienne Woods books and reviews
2 comments:
thanks for the giveaways
Thank you for stopping by, Danielle.
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