Making Christmas & Santa Baby
Making Christmas
by Nancy Fraser
Santa Baby
By Peggy Jaeger
Holiday Romance (Vintage)
Prequel Joint Blurb:
Welcome to our 1980’s Dickens Christmas stories!
Two sweet vintage romances set in the New England town of Dickens where small town charm is on full, holiday display.
Both stories are prequels to stories found in last year’s holiday anthology, Christmas Comes to Dickens. Beginning October 18th, the Ladies of Dickens will release six brand-new, full-length Dickens holiday romances (one per week) to celebrate the season.
In the meantime, we hope you’ll enjoy Making Christmas by Author Nancy Fraser and Santa Baby by Author Peggy Jaeger. Both are guaranteed to whet your holiday appetites for what’s to come!
Making Christmas by Nancy Fraser
A 1980s Vintage Romance ...
It’s been five years since William Barrett returned to Dickens to take over as CEO of Wil-Bar Toys. He’s spent these past years helping build Wil-Bar into a leader in creative, handmade toys. His work ethic and drive has left him little time for a personal life. Or, perhaps he’s still pining for the one who got away.
Catherine Gates moved away from Dickens six years earlier. Now a staff reporter for a woman’s magazine, she’s returning to Dickens to do a story on Wil-Bar Toys new production methods and get the scoop on their upcoming holiday line.
When Will and Cat meet up again for the first time in years, it’s as if they’ve never been apart. Rekindling their friendship, and attraction, becomes more important than Cat’s article, or even the secrecy of the new toy lines.
Can these two childhood friends make up for lost time and pursue the romance they missed out on years earlier? Or, will Cat’s story expose too much and put them at odds with one another?
Santa Baby by Peggy Jaeger
Individual Book Blurb:
It’s Christmas Eve morning in the tiny New England town of Dickens.
Santa’s arrival is imminent, and a hint of snow is in the air.
Amy Dorrit is just about to open her popular diner for the breakfast rush when she discovers an abandoned baby on her back doorstep.
Amy knows she should call the authorities and turn the infant over to them, but she just can’t. Thoughts of her own abandonment as a baby flood through her and she wants to keep the little one out of the hands of the authorities until the mother – hopefully –returns.
But will the mom come back? And if she doesn’t, what is Amy prepared to do about the baby who has, already, claimed her heart?
Making Christmas by Nancy Fraser
Excerpt:
September 1985
Wil-Bar Toy Factory
“Isn’t it a bit early for Christmas carols?” William asked, motioning skyward where the factory speakers were blaring a string of both classical and modern holiday songs. “If we don’t vary it every once-in-awhile, I’m going to end up ripping the wires out of the ceiling.”
His father shot him a pained look. “Is it ever too early for Christmas music in a toy factory where we spend every working hour up until the beginning of December getting ready for the rush?” Waving his hand dismissively overhead, Wilfred Barrett added, “Besides, it keeps the production line moving like clockwork.”
“How’s the new head of design working out? What’s his name? Gibson?” Will asked.
“Ted Gibson. He’s got some great ideas for sure. Including inviting that magazine editor to send someone to write an article on our new state-of-the-art assembly line.”
“Somehow I don’t picture an article in a woman’s magazine doing justice to the mechanics involved in creating toys like our latest designs.”
Giving a shrug, Wilfred admitted, “It can’t hurt. Besides, it’s women who do most of the buying, especially for the children. If the article can convince these mothers that our toys are safe and won’t come apart with one day of rough play, then it’s as much as we can hope for, I suppose.” Pushing aside the ledger in front of him, he added, “I’d like you to be the one to give them the tour.”
“Why me? Let Gibson do it. After all, it was his idea. Or, you do it—it’s your company, after all. I’d much rather keep my focus on these sales and shipping projections.”
“You’re the new face of Wil-Bar Toys, son. The younger—what’s the term—hip version of a toymaker. Not that I don’t still love it, but these young mothers would much rather see your picture accompanying the article than mine.”
“Ted’s young too. And, if the women crowding around the watercooler are to be believed, quite a catch.”
His father leaned back in his chair, a sure sign the discussion was coming to an end, his decision made. “The magazine is sending one of their staff writers to do the interview. She’ll be here day-after-tomorrow.”
Will turned toward the door to his father’s office. “I feel the flu coming on,” he groused. “I may have to call in sick.”
“You might be a grown man, but I’m sure your mother would love to have you home all day long,” his dad quickly pointed out, a grin lighting his face. “She can stuff you with chicken noodle soup and fuss over you to her heart’s content.”
“You can be downright mean when you want to be, Pops” Will said, chuckling. “No doubt, you’d suggest she read to me too.”
Review:
It's difficult for me to accept that the 1980s are vintage. Aside from this, the book was a good read. I enjoyed reading about the characters and their lives. How they were childhood friends and now there is a chance meeting and friendships turn to crushes and relationships.
The characters are believable and well-written. This was a cute story and I look forward to their next adventures together.
Santa Baby by Peggy Jaeger
Excerpt:
As she moved through the breezeway connecting the diner to her apartment, Amy heard a mewling sound at the back alley door. Her cook, Willie, often left scraps out for strays, especially in winter, and sometimes when she took the trash out at the end of the day, Amy would find a mamma cat searching for something to feed her kittens.
Amy opened the door, expecting to see a hungry animal looking for a handout, and got the shock of the century when she found a baby carrier, complete with a crying infant nestled in it.
She gasped, her head flicking right, then left, to find the person responsible for leaving a baby out in the frigid night air.
“Hello? Is anyone here?”
The still sleeping and silent town surrounded her as shoe impressions in the fresh snow indicated the baby hadn’t been there for long.
The infant’s howl echoed in the quiet.
“Oh, you poor thing. Let’s get you out of the cold.”
Review:
A baby is left outside a diner in the early morning hours. The owner has recently been licensed for foster care. Her boyfriend, coincidentally a police officer, agrees to not call child services until the end of his shift. It's her hope the mother of the child changes her mind and returns for the baby.
It's a cute story and a very short read. The characters were interesting and I'm looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.
About the Authors
NANCY FRASER—Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.
Like most authors, Nancy began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.
Nancy has published over forty books in full-length, novella, and short format. When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
Contact Links:
Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes Romantic Comedies about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. If she can make you cry on one page and bring you out of tears rolling with laughter the next, she’s done her job as a writer!
Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.
When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.
As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go "What??!"
Contact Links:
Universal Purchase Links:
Other Links:
Making Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle Link
GIVEAWAY
Nancy Fraser & Peggy Jaeger will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thank you for sharing our two prequels with your audience. And for the reviews. I will check back later for comments.
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ReplyDeleteThankyou for introducing our books to your readers and followers, and for taking the time to review the books. It's greatly appreaciated.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading stories set around Christmas time. Very cute covers. Thanks for the chance.
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