It's a little disappointing there simply hasn't been time to write Christmas codas this year. Thank heavens for all the wonderful pinch hitters we have amongst you! There has been no shortage of delightful and heart-warming fiction this season.Today I'm giving away two copies of All I Want for Christmas. Basically it's the print collection of (mostly) happy holiday memories for a lot of your favorite stories. They've been edited and a number of them have been expanded. In addition to all the codas written through last year, it's got a bunch of fun recipes for food and cocktails that tie in with the stories. It's a very nice extra for your Josh Lanyon collection!
So to be eligible for the random drawing you have to write the first paragraph of a holiday coda for your favorite Josh Lanyon couple. :-D
Come on! It'll be fun! It's good to get those creative juices flowing. It can be silly or serious or whatever. It's up to you. And who know, you might like your coda beginning so much that next year you finish it and contribute it to the calendar.
Hey, stranger things have happened!
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I LOVED every single one of these coda beginnings. The dark and stormy starts, the judgmental reindeer, the fireside snuggles and midnight rescues and staycations, the nervousness and anticipation and delight...these were wonderful. :-)
Our two randomly selected winners are...
Natasha and Jacquie Sawyer.
Don't forget to send me your mailing addresses, so I can get your books out to you!
It was a dark and stormy night when Swift closed his notebook.His fingers were smeared with ink. It was time to light the candles. They might be needed for more than the romantic atmosphere. Swift rose and walked to the table, elegantly set and waiting. Swift was waiting, also. Max would soon be home, smelling of the outdoors and love.
ReplyDeleteNow to totally embarrass myself 😁
ReplyDelete“I don’t know about this”, Griff sighed. Griff, who was still trying to get used to the idea of being an Arlington heir, looked down at the green and red sweater accented with fluffy snowmen and judgmental reindeer. “I’ll look ridiculous and you really think that Pierce will wear one too?. I don’t think so.” “You two will look adorable!”, said Diana, Pierce’s sister. “You know there’s a reason they call it an ugly Christmas sweater party? Plus it’s for charity. It will be fun!” Minutes later, a wary Pierce walks into the house. Frowning, he looks between his sister and Griff. “Ok, what’s up with you two?” “Well”, says Griff, “you did remember the charity benefit is tonight right?” “That’s tonight? Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready to go”, Pierce said. Clearing his throat, Griff throws the identical holiday sweater his way. “Oh no, this is not happening! No way I’m wearing this hideous thing!”
Ok..... not my usual thing but as I'm reading "The Mermaid Murders".....
ReplyDeleteSoft dancing reflections played on the sheen of sweat on Sam’s thigh, the air a heady mix of sex and pine tree. Jason’s head nestled in the crook of his arm as they lay before the log fire as it gently spluttered resinous flames skywards.
“Merry Christmas partner” Sam whispered into the soft curls by his lips
“I hope you enjoyed your present” came the satisfied reply.
Four days they had been in the cabin, four days of unrestricted indulgence in each other and the Christmas provisions they had brought with them, but now they had business to attend to, a rising situation that would test their relationship to it’s very limits.
Favorite couple of all time: Rob and Adam from Winter Kill.
ReplyDeleteRob was surprisingly nervous as he offered the brightly wrapped gift to Adam. Light from the fireplace glinted off the gold and silver wrapping cinched by a large red bow, curling ribbon snaking in all directions and a silver bell no less to round out the ostentatious display. The store’s wrapping department had gone beyond festive into Christmas mania. That’s what you get for waiting until the last shopping day - Santa’s elves had nothing on the seasonal worker stressed out from the overload of too much glitter, faux fir scent and one too many peppermint lattes. He didn’t want to admit why he waited so long to shop. Adam could be so hard to read even after over a year together. So yeah, he was nervous. What was the worst that could happen?
I wasn't going to participate, but the voices in my head said otherwise.
ReplyDeleteFraser's grip on my hand tightened as we watched the crime solving cat, Mr. Pinkerton, approach where we waited in the cozy alcove of the mystery section. I returned the squeeze and shot him a quick, reassuring (I hoped) glance. He looked at me and grinned a mix of his usual cocky "I got this" and panic, "I can't believe we are interviewing a cat". He faced forward again when as the cat jumped up a low coffee table in front of us. Fraser drew in a deep breath and seemed to relax. He had this, I had every faith.
"So, Mr. Pinkerton," Fraser began.....
The ringing of a cell phone broke through the night. He grabbed it from the side table and brought it to his ear.
ReplyDelete"Riordan."
"Ah, I'm stuck. I need you to come NOW," whispered the voice on the phone.
"Adrien?" he asked as he looked at the empty spot on the other side of the bed. "Where the hell are you? It's the middle of the night on Christmas Eve! And why the hell are you whispering?"
"Half-way out of Warren's basement window. Hurry! Before he or his parents wake up," Adrien urgently whispered.
"No.You need to tell me what you're doing at your sister's ex-boyfriend's house. Is she there with you?" Jakes asked. He jumped out of bed, hastily got dressed and grabbed his keys.
"Of course not. She's pregnant. Jesus," Adrien said.
"I'm on my way. Explain."
"I couldn't sleep so I was working on my book when Nat called. Crying, might I add. Her mother left them each letters for certain occasions. Nat got one for when she gets married and one for when she has her first child. Warren stole them to use as leverage. He's keeping them hostage until she get an abortion. I had to get them back, Jake," he whispered.
"God Damnit, Adrien! I would've gone with you to get the letters from that asshole in the morning, not breaking and entering someone's house! I thought you were done playing boy detective. This seems like deja vu with you sneaking in someone's house for letters."
"Hurry, Jake," he said before hanging up.
Elliot and Tucker were relaxing by the fire with eggnog in hand as they had spent the day getting everything ready for tomorrow's Christmas Dinner. Sheba was curled up in her bed watching the flames flicker away.
ReplyDeleteSwift smiled happily as he closed the door of the oven. Quiche was fun to prepare, but it also helped to soothe his nerves. Swift had lost himself in the recipe, cooking with love a very special meal for a very special night. But now the meal was ready, the table set and Max in the shower about to come down, so Swift felt the nerves like butterflies in his stomach again. Because tonight, after sharing the delicious dish, Swift had a very important question for Max...
ReplyDeleteAt two days until Christmas, the epic Lance and Mills Plan to Take A Christmas Vacation began. Well, at one-and-a-half days to Christmas, really, as Elliott and Tucker each took a good four hours to wrap up paperwork, set themselves up for what they would need to hit the ground running two days *after* Christmas. Elliott lingered at the office as Tucker headed out to start on the extensive provisions list, just so he could duck into Tucker's workspace and attempt to frighten his coworkers into not calling. He was less than successful.
ReplyDeleteBy the time they met at the (ferry? boat? I'm working from memory here and I can't remember), they were both heavy laden with delicious packages: wheels of camembert and blocks of romano with mozzarella tucked carefully on top; beef for steaks and a ridiculous number of crabs, salmon and whitefish caviars, yuzu, and of course the copious amount of winter-harvest greens that were cheap and fresh this time of year.
As they slid away from the marina, Tucker said, "Here's to our Christmas getaway!" "Or staycation," Elliott joked, "and don't jinx it."
Wow. I'm looking at these again a year late and they were REALLY good!!!
ReplyDeleteLATER not late.
ReplyDelete