It’s never too early to
think about Regency Christmas novellas. My personal opinion is that these
stories are a terrific invention, and I’m grateful to whoever came up with the
concept.
Again this year, the
Cotillion imprint of EC’s Blush line will feature five of these gems – each as
an individual e-book, then all of them together in a print collection,
tentatively titled A Cotillion Christmas Feast. Indeed!
Devotées of these stories
will recognize some of the authors listed here, many of whom are old favorites.
Of course, there are also new names, which is always encouraging. The
individual e-books and their release dates are as follows:
10/16/14 - Christmas Fête - Barbara Miller
10/23/14 - Her Very Major
Christmas - Saralee Etter
10/30/14 - The Size of the
Scandal - Jillian Chantal
11/6/14 - It's Never Enough -
Cynthia Moore
11/13/14 - A Christmas Scheme -
Vivien Jackson & Christa Paige
We’ll tell you about three
of these stories this month; then the remaining two, plus a small glimpse into
team writing, in August.
First up In mid-October
is A
Christmas Fête by Barbara Miller, who tells us: A Christmas Fête
is a search for the magic of Christmas. As a kid I was always trying to
make Christmas perfect. I have since realized this is an impossible mission.
For this novella, which I actually drafted during Christmas week 2013, I put my
child self in the place of the heroine Dinah so that she could come to that
realization that it’s how we handle ourselves when things don’t work that
matters more than perfection, that feelings are more important than food and
laughter takes precedence over gifts.
Here is a brief
synopsis of the story: Ross Chandler
reluctantly offers marriage to his despairing neighbor, Ophelia Loukes, only a
day before he meets the love of his life, Dinah Claypool. Dinah has actually
come to rescue Ross’s intended bride and mother by telling them they may stay
at Hammersmith Hall, the property her father has inherited.
Just as her brother
George falls head over heels in love with the ethereal Ophelia, Dinah finds in
Ross all the qualities she has ever hoped for in a husband. Sadly he puts off
telling her about the engagement until Christmas Eve, then brings all her
dreams for a perfect holiday crashing down around her head.
The scandal of her
father’s broken engagement years before keep Ross and Dinah from considering an
elopement while they wait for a Christmas Day miracle to save their future.
You’ll just have to
read the story to find out what happens! But it IS Christmas, after all, isn’t
it? A time for dreams to come true.
Her Very Major Christmas by Saralee Etter presents a different
kind of dream. Saralee says: I just love the idea of a
real English Christmas feast -- the way a tradition pulls together everything
that it means to be part of a family, of a community and a culture. But what
would it be like for a person who is a bit of an outsider to her own heritage?
I think she would be even more aware of the details, seeing a familiar
celebration with fresh eyes.
My family moved to
Mexico when I was seven years old, so as I was growing up, things that were typically
American were very rare and extra-special to me, my siblings, and my school
friends. So I made Rosalind an Englishwoman who was born and raised in India
and gave her some of those same feelings about this very English tradition.
Plus, I just love a man
who is a strong, capable warrior but who also needs support from a strong and
capable woman. My hero, Major Harry Joslin, is still recovering from the wounds
he received in battle, and also searching for a new way to define himself now
that he is no longer serving in the military.
So while the story did
evolve slowly, I took inspiration from elements in my own life. I hope that
readers will enjoy the story as much as I did while writing it! Here is a brief
summary of "Her Very Major Christmas":
Young widow Rosalind
Joslin has dedicated herself to helping others to get over her grief -- she's
skilled in making healing lotions and salves, jellies and candies. Raised in
India, she's always longed to experience a proper English Christmas with holly
and the traditional feast and Christmas pudding.
Rosalind's late husband's cousin, Major Harry Joslin, is recovering from the wounds he received at Waterloo -- wounds both physical and emotional. A career soldier, he's also dealing with a sudden inheritance: His cousin died unexpectedly and now he has a title and all the trimmings.
They meet for the first time during this Christmas season, and discover both love and healing.
Rosalind's late husband's cousin, Major Harry Joslin, is recovering from the wounds he received at Waterloo -- wounds both physical and emotional. A career soldier, he's also dealing with a sudden inheritance: His cousin died unexpectedly and now he has a title and all the trimmings.
They meet for the first time during this Christmas season, and discover both love and healing.
The Size of the Scandal by Jillian Chantal
features a rather headstrong young miss.
Charlotte Greystone is a disaster waiting
to happen. She can't seem to stay out of trouble and when her father betroths
her to a man she hasn't seen in over ten years, she decides to run away. Never
mind that it's a couple of days before Christmas, bitterly cold and she has no
survival skills. She makes a dash for freedom anyway.
When she's almost crushed by a horde of
hunters on horseback, a handsome man on a black stallion comes to her rescue.
Not thinking of the scandal of being alone with a strange man, she allows him
to assist her in returning to her home. While riding with him, she's indiscreet
in her conversation.
The next day, Charlotte is appalled when
the butler announces the entry of her betrothed. The man is the same as the one
she shared a horse with the day before. Terrified that he will tell her father
of her scandalous behavior or cause an even bigger scandal by breaking off the
engagement, Charlotte is knocked off-kilter and remains that way until
Christmas night.
One month from today, we’ll tell you about
the other two stories, and maybe even be able to show you some of the covers!
Happy
Christmas in July!
Hetty
St. James