This week here at RR, we’re going to be kicking off the holiday season just a bit early! We’re holding a contest to celebrate the release of the Harlequin anthology Mistletoe Kisses, featuring stories by Elizabeth Rolls, Deborah Hale, and our own Diane Gaston. Starting Monday, comment on posts all week for the chance to win 1 of 3 autographed copies. Check here tomorrow for more details!
I’m so excited about this anthology! Every year at this time, I used to buy the annual Signet Regency Christmas anthology (sadly missing this year), and hoard it away for an emergency. The emergency usually consists of Holiday Bickering Relatives Overload (the dreaded HBRO), or acute psychosis on hearing “Jingle Bell Rock” one too many times. The only cure is a cup of hot cider, a fleece-y throw blanket, and a Regency Christmas novella where there is no “Jingle Bell Rock” (and won’t be for more than a hundred years. Lucky Regency people). I’m happy to have my emergency stash this year in the form of my own copy of Mistletoe Kisses.
When I was lucky enough to get to write a couple of Christmas novellas myself (“A Partridge in a Pear Tree” in Regency Christmas, see cover on this post, and “Upon a Midnight Clear” in Regency Christmas Magic), I was very excited, but didn’t realize the unique challenge it would pose. For one thing, I was researching holiday traditions in July, when it was 100 degrees outside. I was thinking about swimming pools and flip flops, not snow and holly and wassail bowls! Listening to the Chieftain’s Christmas CD over and over helped. For another, the shorter word count presents its own challenges in characterization and plot developement. The characters still have to be well-rounded, the plot fairly complex, plus all that darned Christmas Cheer in under 50,000 words. But I did enjoy it very much, particularly with Upon a Midnight Clear because it featured my own favorite heroine (of my own devising, that is!)–Antoinette Duvall. The Jamaican daughter of a freed slave, she appeared as the heroine’s friend in A Loving Spirit. I liked her so much, and wanted her to find her own happy ending. She nagged me for it through a few more books, before she finally found her dashing naval captain one snowy Christmas night. Helping Antoinette have a cheerful holiday made me hope for one of my own. Even in July.
Another reason I’m so excited about this anthology (Warning! This post now becomes All About Me!) is that I found out I’m going to be joining Diane in her Gaston guise as a Harlequin author! Last week they bought 3 of my historical romances, 2 Renaissance-set and 1 Regency. Look for the first one, A Kiss of Poison (Renaissance Venice during Carnival! Masks and poinson and intrigue–plus really great clothes!) in the summer of ’07 from Harlequin Historicals. I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot more about it from me before then. 🙂
Be sure and visit us all this week for the contest! And let us know what some of YOUR favorite Christmas novellas have been.
Big congrats on your sale, Amanda!
Janet
I am so thrilled to welcome Amanda into the Harlequin Historical world! The reading public have been deprived of Amanda too long.
I love Christmas anthologies and Amanda’s are among my favorites–if you can snag a copy of her two anthologies, do it.
Imagine my thrill to have had the chance to write my own Christmas story. I was lucky. I wrote mine during last Christmas season.
See you all this week!
Congratulations Amanda. I love Christmas stories.
Woo-woo, Amanda! Yay for you, excellent news for us all.
And the Renaissance, too! How cool is that?!?
(Like you weren’t intimidating enough. Knowing about neck ruffs and all that hoo-ha).
Amanda, this is such FABULOUS news, and you were so quiet over it on the blog. No caps, no blink-blinks, so razzmatazz. Well, since I don’t seem to be able to load a picture, I’ll just have to send our Seattle-special Fran’s chocolates to your virtually!
Winning autographed bookssss… Me. Me. Me. Oh, pick me. Pweez. 🙂
Woohoo, Amanda!!!!!!!
Can’t wait to read the Renaissance story. Though I love, love, love Regency, I love to visit other eras, too.
Congratulations Amanda!!
I too love Christmas stories. 🙂
LOL, Megan–neck ruffs AND Hello Kitty. I’m a genius. 🙂
I’m so excited to be able to explore a variety of eras, and to try out a new direction. Let’s just keep fingers crossed it all goes well! And Keira, I will accept chocolates at any time… 🙂
YAY, AMANDA!!!!!!!! Woo hoo!!!!!!!!!
Definitely looking forward to your new books!!!
Cara
Congratulations, Amanda, on your forthcoming Harlequin books! (Say, if you could work Commedia dell’Arte into one of your books, you could have a Harlequin within a Harlequin. Hmm.)
I have very fond memories of the Regency Christmas anthologies. My Darling Wife and I used to read the stories aloud to each other on a cold winter’s night, snuggled up in front of the fire. (OK, well, since we moved back to California the winter’s nights haven’t been all that cold, and the last time I tried to light a fire I filled the house with smoke, but the basic idea is there.)
All good wishes for your success!
Todd-who-is-still-coughing-at-the-memory
BTW that woohoo was from me. I’d forgotten to switch off my admin hat.
Here it is again.
Woohoo for Amanda!
Despite being a touch miffed about not receiving a personal e-mail about this news, I couldn’t be MORE excited for you, Amanda!
BTW – the word verification word was pry which seems kind of funny.
COngrats!! 🙂 And hmm, let’s see. . . I dug out my Christmas books for next month, and boy do I miss those Signet Anthologies! 🙂 I only started with that and the Zebra line a couple years, but I did manage to get a couple more books than that. Love those Borders. LOL 🙂 But my favorite. . . I’m not sure just yet.
This is the first year that I only have a couple of new ones, so I’ll be rereading a lot of my older ones, and those I haven’t reread yet. So I’ll get back to you. LOL 🙂 I have this annoying habit of pretty much forgetting a book I just read. I think it’s because I read too much. Even one I loved so incredibly much, as soon as I get into the next one, I forget it. So I really don’t remember the past anthologies. 🙂 BUt it will be loads of fun rereading them! 🙂
Lois
Congrats on the sale, Amanda, and I’m glad to hear there will be another anthology. I love the anthologies for traveling and we always go somewhere for Christmas. I’ll watch for it before we leave on our trip this year.
Yes…yes, yes, YES!!!!!!!!! It sold, it sold – one of my fav books of all time will be shared with the world!!! (in case you’re wondering I’m one of Amanda’s critique partners – lucky me!!)
This is a MUST-read, people. I couldn’t even comment on it, I was so enthralled.
Congrats, my friend – see what a cute little spyder in your corner does for you? I gotta go comment on my blog now – people *must* hear and prepare to purchase!!
Hehehe
~pinkie
In case you’re wondering….yes, I’m taking credit for Amanda’s sale – I’m a spyder and I can do what I want!
hehehe
~pinkie
Fifty thousand words?? Clunk!! Elizabeth staggers to feet dizzily and curses as she realises that she burnt the (dead) parrot’s feathers yesterday in the name of research.
Oh, the luxury of having fifty thousand words to play with in a novella! Congratulations on selling to Harlequin, Amanda. But a word of warning; when editorial invites you to a Christmas party you only get 33 000 words to play with. Officially that is. (Lowers voice) – I have to admit, A Soldier’s Tale is just a teensy bit more!
Congrats again and I’ll look forward to seeing your books Down Under.
Elizabeth Rolls
http://www.elizabethrolls.com