Overview:
HEART OF THE STORM by Shannon Stacey
Brody Rollins is back in tiny Tucker's Point, Maine, for the first time in five
years, and now he can't escape from former neighbors, old
regrets or maddening glimpses of his ex-fiancée.
I welcome NYTimes Bestselling author Shannon Stacey to The Reading Frenzy
Shannon, hi Welcome
to The Reading Frenzy
Thank you for inviting me!
Tell us a little
about your novella in Snow Day-Heart of The Storm.
“Heart of the Storm” brings Brody Rollins back to Tucker’s Point to meet his sister’s newborn son. He thinks he’ll get in and out without running into anybody he used to know, especially the woman whose heart he broke, but Mother Nature has different plans. As the storm worsens, Delaney Westcott thinks wrangling her neighbors at the emergency shelter will be the hardest part of her job. Then Brody shows up and there’s nowhere to run.
Who was your favorite
character in the novella?
I fell in love with almost everybody in this novella,
including Delaney and John (the hero’s dad), but my favorite character would be
Brody. In making the decision to leave Tucker’s Point to save not only himself,
but Delaney, from a bleak future, he hurt a lot of people and now he has no
choice but to face the damage. He honestly believed he was doing the right
thing for both of them and realizing he didn’t is a hard lesson.
What is the most
special part about the holidays at the Stacey home?
We like to make our own traditions and I think those are what makes the holidays special for us. We have a quirky assortment of tree ornaments, including an M&M dressed like Darth Vader, a frog riding a train, and a Lego Spider-Man that spends the season playing hide-and-seek in the branches. And our traditional Christmas dinner is cheeseburgers and tater tots, because we like those more than turkey and squash. Someday, when my sons are married, my future daughters-in-law might find that odd, but I’m guessing they’ll like cheeseburgers, too.
What is your favorite
holiday activity in your hometown?
Our schools do a holiday fair every year for the district’s
families. There are Christmas crafts to make, some holiday shopping to benefit
the PTO, and pictures with Santa. It’s a fun and festive opportunity to share
the Christmas spirit with the community.
Shannon thanks for
answering
It’s been my pleasure. I hope you and your readers have a
wonderful holiday!
Happy Holidays!!
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SEEING RED by Jennifer Greene
Stranded at her grandfather's seaside cottage, Whitney Carr prepares to face the blizzard alone. But unexpected help soon arrives—in the form of her secret high-school crush.
Please welcome Award Winning author Jennifer Greene to The Reading Frenzy
Tell us about your novella in Snow Day, Seeing Red.
The three of us created the
imaginary town of Tucker’s Point…we all wanted our stories to be independent,
but hoped readers might enjoy the anthology more if there was a memorable
setting that pulled them together.
(I love working with other authors! It’s like having temporary sisters!)
For my
story—SEEING RED—I wanted to play with the old ‘first love’ theme. I think we all remember the first boy
we kissed…the first boy we had a serious crush on….the first time we knew we
were in love. Stories bring back
those wonderful feelings, even if, like my characters, they couldn’t possibly
make it together when they were young.
Red’s the blue collar type; Whitney’s the classy princess type—another
theme I love to work with…the pull of opposites, and why they’re attracted to
each other.
You also have a Special Edition Christmas novel out. The
Bonus Mom.
Tell us about this. (ps I’ll be adding my review courtesy of RT for this one)
The Bonus Mom is the last story
in the Whisper Mountain trilogy about the Mackinnon family. I invented the mountain—but not the
area. I’m in love with the
mountains in South Carolina, and loved having the excuse to explore more about
the area for these stories.
The
Bonus Mom, though, challenged me in new ways. It was meant to be a Christmas story-but I wanted something
‘different’ than the same-old Christmas traditions. I LOVE tradition, but just thought readers might want a fresh take that they hadn’t read before.
My Rosemary needed a ‘secret’ that was worth keeping, something
seriously tough, something that took a frightening amount of trust for her to
share.
What special holiday traditions do you follow Jennifer?
One of my favorite traditions
is to cook or bake recipes that come from loved family members—especially those
loved ones we’ve lost—my mom, my grandmother, the kids’ fraternal grandmother,
etc. For the same reason, I try to
use a dish or something on the table unique to those we’ve loved and want to
remember. I didn’t think the
family noticed—until one year I dared to NOT make a salad in the ‘sacred’ glass
apple bowl. (I didn’t make THAT
mistake again!)
What is your favorite holiday event where you live?
I love
my tree—my daughter, mom, and I, made each individual bulb—so she’s a
beauty. But truthfully, I’ve never
cared where we have the holiday as long as we can share it together. I love everything about Christmas—from
the cookies to the lights and presents—but honestly, the priceless thing every
year is being with my loved ones.
Sharing. Helping. Remembering. And just doing a major hug thing as often as possible.
Jennifer thanks so much for taking the time to answer these
questions.
Happy Holidays!!
My review of Bonus Mom
courtesy RT Reviews
RT Rating
THE BONUS MOM (4.5) by Jennifer Greene: Holed up in her family’s lodge for a self-imposed, soul-searching Christmas, the last thing Rosemary MacKinnon expects is twin tornadoes and a man crashing her holidays and changing her life. Whit Cochran and his daughters are spending Christmas on Whisper Mountain S.C., away from home and the daily reminders of their terrible loss. Little do they know a woman who will steal their hearts is there, too. Will these damaged souls make a love and a family connection? Greene combines tender humor and wit in her fabulous romance, but it’s her characters who really shine. The couple pulls on your heartstrings and the pair of magpie twins will win you over with their antics.
Reviewed By: Debbie Haupt
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LAND'S END by Barbara Dunlop
Tessa
Ambroise is desperate to ditch the charming, infuriating hotelier circling her
late aunt's century home like a vulture. But the snow piling up outside the
mansion puts both their plans on hold.
Please Welcome USA Today bestselling author Barbara to The Reading Frenzy
Barbara Welcome!
Tell us about your novella in the Snow Day Anthology Land’s
End
New Year’s, in the seaside town of Tucker’s Point, Tessa
Ambroise is cleaning out her family’s two hundred year old castle, Land’s End, discovering a treasure trove
of precious memories. When she’s realizes
her brother wants to sell the property, she is devastated. When she discovers her ex fiancé Colton
Herrington plans to buy it, she’s angry.
Then a snowstorm moves in, and she’s stranded at Land’s End with Colton.
While she fights with him for her
heritage, she’s forced to reveal her secrets and vulnerabilities. In turn, she learns what he’s been
hiding from her all these months.
Barbara, as far as I’m concerned romance and Harlequin make
the world go round.
Why did you choose to write romance?
I love anything romantic: films, songs, stories even photos
and paintings. When you combine a
love of romance with a love of writing, the choice of genre is very easy.
Do you have any family holiday traditions that you follow?
I have a big, extended family, and we try to get as many
members together as we can over the holidays. We love fine food, fun drinks, and traditional decorations,
some of which have been passed down through the generations. We live in the wilderness, so we enjoy
tromping out into the snowy woods with the kids to cut down a tree. It’s often well below freezing, but we
build a big fire and pour mugs of hot chocolate.
What’s your favorite holiday event where you live?
Wow, it’s hard to pick just one. We’ve done everything from a Christmas Eve snow mobile ride,
to skating on a frozen lake, bonfires out in the snowy woods to driving through
town to enjoy the lights. But I
think my favorite part of the holiday is the chance to visit with family members who are strung out across the country.
Thanks Barbara for answering these questions
Happy Holidays!!!
Thanks! Happy
Holidays to you, too!
Friday January 24th Author Interview with Zack Mason and his newest non-fiction The Gospel According to Nature
