Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Guest Author: Kay Stockham

I first met Superromance author, Kay Stockham, at last year's RWA conference. She was a RITA finalist for her second book, Man with a Past, and I was a total newbie geek. The Harlequin party was my first as a published author and Kay made me feel so welcome. Oh, and I'll never forget her shoes. LOL She wore theeeee most stunning black sandals I think I've ever seen. Spike heels, black satin ribbons ... I think she even danced in them.

Anyway, she's a truly lovely lady who writes wonderful books and knows her dress sandals! Here's Kay ...

Christmas Carols

First off I want to say a big thank you to Helen for inviting me on the cyber road trip in the convertible. I've always wanted a convertible. Give me hat, though. You don't want to see my naturally curly hair get the windblown look, trust me! I'd scare small children.

I actually took a short road trip not long ago and discovered some of my favorite music on the radio. Can you believe XM is already playing Christmas carols on their Holly station? I'm in heaven! I loooove Christmas carols. The cheeriness, the joy. The happy times. No matter the mood I'm in, certain carols can come on the radio and I'm humming along. Jingle Bells, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Winter Wonderland, Santa Baby. You're humming them now, too, aren't you?

No, it's not even Thanksgiving yet---but I'll make a confession. As of Sunday evening we have our twelve-foot Christmas tree up in our great room. Yes, I'm one of those people. Forget Halloween and Thanksgiving (well, no, not really, but you know what I mean). For me, it's Christmas all the way, baby! LOL You can't get those ornaments and decorations out early enough for me because I LOVE Christmas and all its meaning.

Christmas is about hope and forgiveness and love. Who can't use more of that this time of year? That's part of the reason why I think A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER, my current release, means so much to me. It's a redemption story with an amnesia twist and I hope you'll check it out. For a sneak peek at the book video, go to www.kaystockham.com. It's on shelves now and if you pick it up, please drop me an email and let me know what you think.

But before you go check out the video, answer this:What are YOUR favorite Christmas carols? What gets you humming to beat at 3 AM when you hit the Black Friday sales? Share your favorites with us. I'll choose a name from those who post and they'll win a copy of A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER!

Thanks for letting me come play today. I soooo loved riding in the convertible!
Kay

30 comments:

Helen Brenna said...

Hi, Kay. Thanks for coming today!

Silver Bells and Silent Night do it for me. But then, I think my favorite part of Christmas is the carols. Could listen all year round.

And guys, do check out Kay's trailer, if you have a minute. It's beautiful!!

Helen Brenna said...

Apparently, folks are having problems commenting. Kay, too. Must be blogger - keep trying!

Debra Dixon said...

Welcome, Kay!

I'm one of those folks who loves the Christmas romances. Historical and contemporary.

I also have a wide range of Christmas albums. My singing is less than stellar, so I have to wonder if my husbands gifts of Irish instrumentals is a hint!

Cindy Gerard said...

Hi Kay and welcome
I think I remember those shoes!!! Amazing.
Congrats on your new release. Hope it sells like crazy
And I envy you your Christmas tree :o)
We have 2 new puppies and one of them is a thief. she'll lift anything that isn't nailed down. I'm afraid to even think about putting up a tree this year. :o(

Anonymous said...

Hi gals!

Helen, thanks again for the invite.

Deb, do you have any idea how many plot holes you've helped me fix? I love your workshops!

Cindy! So good to see you again. I had such a great time chatting with you at the shooting range in Atlanta.

LOL on remembering those shoes. My feet still remember those shoes! ;) They were so pretty I couldn't resist, though.

Silent Night is one of my all time favorites, too. And I'm with whomever said they couldn't sing. Oh, boy! My singing is considered torture, but when I'm alone and I only have the dog for company I sing away. ;)

Kay

Virginia Lady said...

The song that hits me for the season is a song by Clint Black, Til Santas Gone. It just has some terrific imagery and always brings a smile to my face.

And as for singing, when my #2 son was about a year and half I went to tuck in him and his brother and he said, "Mommy, please don't sing. It's really not good."

That about sums up my talent. :-)

Debra Dixon said...

Kay! I live to serve. (g) It's always nice to hear authors who've been around the block comment that they've gotten something from the workshops. Makes a girl feel "special!

What's your favorite Christmas detail in A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER?

Unknown said...

Welcome Kay! I LOVE the cover of your new book. Christmas and Romance go together like. . . Christmas and Romance!

I've never done the Black Thursday shopping thing. . . until this year! I'm rousting my sister out of bed at three or so and we're going to the local outlet mall for some mad shopping. Afterward, I'll buy her breakfast. . . and maybe she won't disown me!

All the while I'll be humming "Sleigh Ride" and "Winter Wonderland."

Michele Hauf said...

My favorite carol isn't one of the holly jolly upbeat songs, but the deeply resonate O HOLY NIGHT. I love that song, and collect different versions of it for my iPod. Must have over a dozen right now. The version by Point Of Grace is just magical.

Not a Black Friday shopper either, except for last year when The Boy worked for Best Buy and we got to use his discount! This year he's at Subway; probably don't care about a subway sandwich at five in the morning!

Kathleen Eagle said...

Welcome, Kay! I clicked over to your trailer and love the premise--Christmas, amnesia, wounded warrior, secret baby--all the great hot buttons. What a great package!

I get all nostalgic when I hear "The Christmas Song." I can't say that I've ever roasted chestnuts, but I can just smell them over that open fire. The song is full of wonderful images. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" brings Daddy's voice to mind. I inherited his monotone, but not his whistle--boy, could he whistle. I hear my mother's voice in my favorite Christmas hymns--lovely soprano I can only wish I'd inherited.

I've always decorated up a storm for Christmas, starting on "Black Friday" since no way will I be out there vying with the power shoppers. I'm happy to let Thanksgiving be Thanksgiving. I love that it hasn't been commercialized, which is probably why it's become such a big travel time. It's still about families getting together, which is lovely.

Harlequin's holiday books have become a sweet tradition in the last, what? 20 years or so? I had a story in the second or third Silhouette anthology, and I love seeing them come out every year. Like the turtle says: "Ah, me time."

PatriciaW said...

Hi Kay and the Riding Ladies!

I'm not a Black Friday person but I love Christmas Carols. O Holy Night, The First Noel, Joy to the World... You name it.

Anonymous said...

Virginia Lady, LOL on your singing. I can sooo relate!

Deb, favorite detail? Hmmm... It would have to be the process of Marley's mom coming back to the family. (Can't give away too much without spoiling things!) In the process of her doing that, you see her spirit for the Christmas season return as well. Sweet moment. :)

Kay

Anonymous said...

Betina, LOL on mad shopping. I love it! I wish I could join you. It's always best to go in packs--unless of course you're shopping for the same thing. Then things could get tricky. ;)

Michelle, I love O Holy Night. See what I mean? There are so many fantastic songs that are all-time favorites. Thanks for posting!

Kay

Anonymous said...

Kathleen, thanks for posting. LOL You're very smart to stay home. Last year I personally witnessed one fist fight and one older lady who ended up falling because of said fight and breaking a leg. Not exactly the way you want to start off a holiday. :( Love your favorites.

My dad can sing. He has a deep baritone that is just beautiful. Me? Blech. LOL I make squeaky noises. ;)

Patricia, so good to see you here! Thanks for stopping by. Love your favorites. Sounds like we all have similar taste here. :)

Kay

Fedora said...

Hi, Kay!

I do love Christmas stories, and Christmas music (as long as it's at least November before it gets piped in over the PA...)

I think my Christmas favorites are Little Drummer Boy, Do You Hear What I Hear, and What Child Is This. My kids' favorites are Rudolph and Jingle Bells, so guess what we're singing on the way home from school? ;)

And I do love most of the carols--they're just so singable, whether my singing voice is worth listening to or not! (Mostly not!)

CrystalGB said...

Hi Kay. My favorite Christmas carols are Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives, White Christmas and Winter Wonderland.

tetewa said...

I have a couple of favorites, my first being Silent Night and then to pep it up a little how about The Twelve Days of Christmas. Glad to see you here today Kay and hope you have a great Christmas.

Christie Ridgway said...

Hi, Kay! Thanks for joining us. I love the carol, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." Love it.

I'm also a Christmas person, but we wait until the Sunday after Thanksgiving to decorate. We're also very big on Halloween around here. And I host Thanksgiving. So can't skip any of it!

I don't go out early on Black Friday, though. I did once with the dh and he thought I was making it up, that people would be out and about at dawn. Silly man.

Maureen said...

Joy to the World and The First Noel are two carols I might be humming around Christmastime.

Anonymous said...

Hi all!

Ugh. Blogger problems again. *sigh* If I disappear for good, you'll know why, right?

Michele, sorry for misspelling your name earlier. I sent it and then caught the mistake.

flchen, I love Do You Hear What I Hear? I actually remember the first time I heard the song as a child and it made me cry. *sniffle*

Crystalgb, Burl Ives appears a lot on XM. Love it!

Christie, thanks for having me here today! LOL on your dh thinking no one would be out and about. ;)

Maureen, Joy to the World is yet another favorite. Thanks for stopping by!

Kay

Cherie J said...

Hi Kay,

Great post. Some of the many songs I love are The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole, Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant and White Christmas by Bing Crosby. Now I have to go dig out my CD's since you got me in the mood. :-)

Unknown said...

I also love the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD's. I think I have all of them and we begin listening to them the day after Thanksgiving. So upbeat and contemporary-- but I swear I can hear the jinglebells on Santa's sleigh!

I also LOVE the Canadian Brass. And Robert Shaw's famous and much copied Christmas "album" really puts me in the mood. Joy to the World and O Holy Night. . . favorites.

But if I NEVER hear all 12 verses of that song with all the gifts (what's it called?)my true love gave to me. . . I'll be a very happy woman. Don't know why, but it SO reminds me of 99 bottles of beer on the wall. And occasionally a novelty song comes along that delights us for about 5 minutes and then torments us forever after. . . like "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer."
Aghhhhhhh!

Anonymous said...

I love books about Christmas and songs about Christmas and everything else about Christmas. My favorite song is White Christmas but I also like Silent Night, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Do You Hear What I Hear.
I do not shop on BLACK FRIDAY!!!!! There is so little Christmas spirit on that day that I avoid it.
When my parents were alive we would all gather at their house for Christmas day. Now I spend the day with my older brother and his family.

robynl said...

My fav's are O Holy Night, Silent Night, We Three Kings, I'll Be Home For Christmas, Angels From the Realms of Glory.
I also love Christmas stories; a wonderful time of year for stories and music.

Lily said...

I don't really have a favorite... I like all christmas music :)

Nathalie said...

Who does not love Silent Night and O' Holy Night :)

Anonymous said...

I must be the exception... I really don't enjoy christmas music... it is possible that I have heard too much of it in my youth.

Anonymous said...

Hi all!

Sorry for disappearing for a while.

Thanks so much for adding your favorite carols! It's 8:15 here but I think you guys are an hour behind? I'll wait until around 10PM my time to choose a winner so if you haven't posted, please do.

Kay :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for leaving us one hour... I am here... and I just want to say I usually love christmas stories and I am going to be picking your super soon :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Maggie,

Thanks for joining us today! Better late than never, right? ;)

I've had a blast chatting with you ladies, and hope I'll be invited back soon. The convertible is so much fun. ;)

And the winner of A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER is.... Virginia Lady!

Virginia Lady, please contact me at kay@kaystockham.com with your mailing address. Congrats! I hope you like it and will drop me an email when you get a chance to let me know what you think.

See you later, ladies!

Kay