Happy Christmas in July! Welcome to the seventh blog in this Christmas in July Reader Giveaway, which runs July 12-23, 2021. At the bottom of each author’s blog post, you will find the secret words. Write them all down and provide the provide the entire answer on this Google form. See below for a list with links of all participating authors!
Note: You must grab all the secret words from every author in the Christmas in July Reader Giveaway to be eligible to win a $400 Amazon gift card. At the end of this blog post is a link to the next blog, and so on, to the final blog post (20 in all). At each blog stop, the author will also give away copy or copies of their featured Christmas book.
My publisher came to me with the idea of doing a special Christmas novella for my Heroes of the Tundra series, because Book 1, Northern Deception, ends in November, with an epilogue at the end of the winter in March. They thought putting a story within my tundra world at Christmas time would be a great idea and I agreed with them, even though I’d never tried to write a Christmas story before – never mind a novella!
I was already writing Book 2, Northern Protector, which is set in the following summer right after Northern Deception. It was a challenge to switch horses and think about Christmas and what that might look like in Churchill, Manitoba, which is a real town. I decided to make it as similar to a Hallmark story as I could, with a simple but interesting timed mystery, and a budding romance. I knew that the town of Churchill does an annual Santa Claus event at their Town Centre so that every child in town receives at least once present for Christmas, so I used that as my ending and wrote backwards.
It was fun to come up with my own twist on Christmas traditions, as I made my hero and heroine complete opposites: Jake Miller is an older chef who’s used to running the business and settled into his career and life in the northern wilderness. Kali McIntyre has dreams of opening her own dessert bar in the big city, and is a firecracker with visions of how to completely re-do everything that’s been “working” for The Great Northern Lodge up until her arrival. I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but I had a ton of fun coming up with her wacky methods of changing Christmas traditions that had stood the test of time in the north.
Here’s the back cover blurb:
Wealthy socialite Kali McIntyre dreams of opening her own dessert bar, Sassy Sweets, in downtown Winnipeg—until her father crushes that dream when he cuts her off financially. He’s determined to get her to use her law degree to join the family’s high-powered law firm. She’s determined to do anything but that. And when an unknown-to-her aunt dies in Churchill, Manitoba, leaving her an unbelievable inheritance, Kali’s on the next flight up north to make her dreams a reality. Chef Jake Miller has lived in Churchill for the past ten years, working hard to keep The Great Northern Lodge afloat through some tough times. But then his business partner dies unexpectedly, without telling him that she’d changed her will or that she had a niece who is set to inherit everything. Now, Jake and Kali have thirty days to work together and decide—who will stay and who will go—before Christmas rolls around. Secrets, attempted murder, and a new menu all add up to a Christmas unlike any other.
For your chance to win 3 E-book copies of NORTHERN HEARTS, please leave your family’s favourite Christmas tradition in the comments. Is it something baked? Something decorative? A family activity?
(I’m giving away E-books because I value all of my national and international readers!)
Now, it’s time to for the secret words: the guilty
Save the secret words, and when you reach the final blog, enter all the secret words on this form for a chance to win a $400 Amazon gift cards!
Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Carol Stratton and her Christmas book “The Littlest Bell Ringer” – a middle grade novel . You can find it at this link. Remember, this Christmas in July Reader Giveaway will end on July 23 at 8 PM EST!
Here’s a list of all participating authors with their links, just in case something goes wonky. Enjoy!
- Sarah Hamakerhttps://sarahhamakerfiction.com/2021/07/10/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway-dangerous-christmas-memories/
- Jill Kemererhttps://jillkemerer.com/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Dennis Baileyhttps://dennisbaileyfiction.com/2021/07/08/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Peggy Sue Wellshttps://singlemomcircle.com/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Terri Weldonhttps://terriweldon.com/blog/
- Jennifer Chastain https://jenniferchastain.com/2021/07/11/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Laurie Wood’s secret words: the guilty, (her blog isn’t working right now)
- Carol Strattonhttps://www.carolgstratton.com/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Terri Reedhttp://www.terrireed.com/2021/07/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway.html
- Anne Greenhttp://anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com/
- Pam Greenhttps://pamgreenwrites.com/2021/07/11/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Izzy Jameshttps://enotsilent.wordpress.com/2021/07/11/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Nancy J. Farrierhttps://nancyjfarrier.com/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Dana Mentinkhttps://dmentink.wordpress.com/2021/07/10/christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
- Hallee Bridgemanhttps://www.halleebridgeman.com/christmas-in-july
- Susan Lyttekhttps://sajlyttek.com/blog/1526-Christmas-in-July-Reader-Giveaway?sel=1-0
- Zoe McCarthyhttps://zoemmccarthy.com/activities/christmas-in-july-reader-give-away
- Sherry Kylehttps://www.sherrykyle.com/forever-yours-this-christmas-christmas-in-july-reader-giveaway/
