Deep In December, It's Nice To Remember

Kathleen here, wishing you Happy December!

There's no holiday greeting card quite like a a love story, straight from the heart of writer to reader. Granted, there's a bit of a reversal of fortune--from reader's pocket to writer's--but with the cost of greeting cards these days and the discounts at online retailers like Amazon, you can almost get a book for the price of a card. And the writer worked really hard to give the reader a truly delicious experience.

I'm really proud of this particular package. So Happy, happy holidays! ONE COWBOY, ONE CHRISTMAS officially goes on sale today. (Since there are already a couple of reviews available at Amazon, I guess it's been available for a week or more.)

Just look at him--the down-and-out cowboy on the outside looking in. Zach Beaudry is the quintessential rolling stone. He's the adventurer, the rebel without a cause. The younger brother of responsible, dependable Sheriff Sam (IN CARE OF SAM BEAUDRY), Zach has pushed his body just past the limit by the time he literally stumbles onto Ann Drexler's porch. See the woman in the window? That's Ann. Zach thinks he's about to meet her for the first time, but he's wrong about that. And Ann remembers their first meeting all too well. You can sample the first few pages of this tasty holiday package at my website.

I didn't set out to write connected books, but Zach popped up in his brother's story, and I had to find out what happened to him. By the time I finished Zach's story, I had another character who deserved a happily-ever-after on my hands, which comes at the hand of COOL HAND HANK in February. And I'm working on a fourth. I do love those horses and cowboys and Indians and the rugged beauty of the Dakotas

And I love good Christmas stories. One of the most romantic stories ever written is "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. That first Christmas together is magical for a young couple. I thought maybe we could share some of those stories. Remember the first Christmas you spent with the love of your life?

Here's my story. Clyde was drafted and shipped out a month after we were married. A little over a year later he was due to come back and be reassigned, but the Army couldn't quite make up its mind when that would happen. The all-volunteer Army was coming down the pike, and nobody knew what they were going to do with the draftees who were "short-timers." We thought we'd be spending Christmas apart. I was rooming with another dewy-eyed second-year teacher from the East, (gone West to the Dakotas to save the world) in what was called the Employees' Club--basically a dorm for teachers on the reservation, which is ever short of housing. Everyone had gone home for Christmas except me. I was waiting for a call that might not come. I had a sad little tree decorated with my homemade ornaments, and I can still see it in my mind's eye and hear the phone ringing late that Christmas Eve. Clyde was in Seattle. His name had been called to get on the next plane, and hadn't had time to call before he left Korea. I picked him up at the airport on Christmas morning. Quite a Christmas present. (Well, I was, too. I was wearing the cutest miniskirt!) And we had the whole Employees' Club to ourselves for Christmas break.

Got a bit of true holiday romance to share with us? Yours or your mom's, sister's or best friend's. An autographed copy of IN CARE OF SAM BEAUDRY is waiting for one of you. A comment will do, too. I'll choose a random commenter. Let's share some holiday treats!