A Winter Holiday Gift For You

Public Domain Art via Creative Commons

Hello, everyone. I hope that you are having a delightful Christmas at home (if you celebrate), or are otherwise having a splendid day.

Starting today, and ending January 1, 2019, all of my eBook titles are available for free on Smashwords. This is my holiday gift, to thank you for being my readers. I hope that you find something to enjoy.

Simply click this link to see the entire catalog. Select your favorites, and use the coupon code to download. There are formats available for any eReader, or to read on-line or via your computer as a PDF.

Thank you, and happy holidays!

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Music Monday: “Angels We Have Heard on High”

Courtesy of fellow author Mara Purl

I’m not going to lie; I’ve really struggled with getting into the holiday spirit this year. Turns out, many of my friends are in the same boat. For whatever reason, it’s been a real reach. It’s part of why I didn’t do a full-on Blogmas this year; I just couldn’t get into it.

Then, I went out to brunch with fellow authors Dover Whitecliff and T.E. MacArthur yesterday, and all of the laughter and fun that bubbled over put me right where I needed to be. Suddenly, I felt the holidays in my heart.

I’m off work for 9 more days, and am looking forward to writing, doing some necessary chores, and feeling good again.

Here is this week’s song, “Angels We Have Heard on High,” as performed by the gifted Jonny May. Enjoy!

 

Sample Saturday: Joyeux Noël

This is one of my favorite short pieces. Enjoy!

Sharon E. Cathcart

This story appears in Through the Opera Glass.  The custom cover image for the tale was created by Linda Boulanger.

Author’s Note: The carol Erik sings at the end of this story is a popular French carol, sung to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”

Christmas, 1891
Just outside Avignon, France

Claire rose to an unusually chilly house. She rubbed her aching back as she eased herself out of bed. Spring, and the baby’s birth, could not come fast enough for her. The house was unusually cold; she hurried into warm, fur-lined slippers and a woolen wrapper. Erik still slept; she was glad of it. His ever-worsening cough sometimes kept both of them awake.

Claire struck a lucifer to light the fire in the grate; the wood had been laid the night before so that it would be ready first thing. The winter winds had buffeted the little house; Erik…

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Weekend Reads: “A Gift from Bob”

A Gift from Bob: How a Street Cat Helped One Man Learn the Meaning of Christmas by James Bowen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was trying to save this book for the holidays, but I just couldn’t. James Bowen’s tales of his life with Bob the Street Cat are just too charming to sit and wait.

In this book, Bowen shares stories of Christmas past as an addict and how the current Christmas of which he was writing was different. He attributes much of his strength and determination to get clean and sober to having Bob to care for, and as usual shares many stories of Bob’s antics as the two went busking or sold The Big Issue homeless newspaper.

In the course of reading this series of three books, I learned a great deal about how different the services available to those with addiction or who are homeless are in the UK from the US. I have a great appreciation for how much work it is to survive day-to-day, even with the far greater services available to those in need.

In any event, the stories told are poignant and heart-warming at the same time, and Bowen’s love for his ginger cat friend come through in every word.

Highly recommended.

View all my reviews

Music Monday: “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”

This is just too much fun!