Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Christmas Spirits by Lita Harris : Spotlight and Giveaway


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.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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:

Unknown said...

thanks for the giveaways

Anonymous said...

Thank you for stopping by, Danielle.