I would be remiss if I didn’t get at least one Christmas post up this holiday season. Life is super crazy right now between my day job, my kids’ extra curricular activities, and other duties. And with 2 days until Christmas, I really want to take a break from all of that and write. So I’m going to take the time to write about my favorite Christmas decoration: Nativity Scenes.
Nativity Scenes show the core of the Christmas season for those who are religious: the birth of Jesus Christ. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the first Nativity scene was displayed in 1223 in Italy. St. Francis of Assisi set up a manger with hay, an ox, and a donkey in a cave and invited people to come and view the display. During the viewing, he preached about the birth of Christ. From there, Nativities spread, eventually including live performers as Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels, and the wise men. My own family has the young children perform the Nativity each year.
Growing up, my mom had a frosted glass nativity set that sat in the center of the dining table every Christmas season. I thought it was so beautiful. It was my favorite decoration. I positioned it so the figurines faced me where I sat to eat. And as I studied those glass followers of Christ, I began to plan and dream.
I have envisioned and designed the perfect Halloween House and perfect Christmas House since I was a preteen. Now that I have been in my own home for four years, both are slowly coming to fruition.
The inside of my home will be covered in Nativity Scenes. All available space will one day sport a nativity scene, and no number is too many (though my husband may disagree with that second statement, but he just sighs and lets it happen). I currently have 21 and counting!
I enjoy a diverse style and size. I have “traditional” sets, themed sets (i.e. snowmen), large sets, and small sets. Each one makes me smile as I unbox them, and throughout the month look at them.
What’s your favorite Christmas (or other winter holiday) decoration? Let me know in the comments! And have a wonderful holiday season.
It’s Christmas and holiday cheer is in the air, but Krista Hartley and Derek Weston from my steamy New Adult romance, Mistletoe in the City, are too stressed to care. She needs a breather from her overbearing parents, so she’s out apartment hunting and spending the weekends at a craft fair to make some extra money. Derek is super busy as the groundskeeper and handyman at his mom’s apartment complex to even worry about decorating his own place. When Krista winds up as his new tenant, he’s determined to right the wrongs from his and Krista’s shared past, but will they find a happily ever after this snowy holiday season?
Hi, everyone. I’m Amber Daulton, the author of Mistletoe in the City. Christmas is my second favorite holiday, right behind Halloween, so I was thrilled to write this hot holiday novella. Actually, I wrote it several years ago as part of a Christmas anthology with my former publisher, but the rights have reverted to me, so I’m re-releasing it with a fresh edit, blurb, and cover. Also, it’s twice as long as it used to be and now clocks in at about 35,000 words with new scenes, subplots, and revised characterizations.
Krista and Derek are your average young twenty-somethings struggling to make their way in an uncertain world. From overprotective parents and peer pressure from some not-so-good friends, they have their work cut out for them in trying to build a real relationship. With Christmas right around the corner, they’re each trying to live up to their family’s expectations and still be true to who they are. That’s not always so easy, and I’m sure readers can relate to feeling stressed and wishing the holiday season would fly by sooner rather than later.
For good or bad, Christmas is here again. Let’s hunker down and brave the wintery chill as best we can, hopefully with a new book to keep us grounded and relaxed in our off-time. Thanks for reading!
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats. Follow and connect with Amber at her website: https://amberdaulton.com/
Derek’s world is about to change forever—again. After his father’s stroke, Derek Weston dropped out of college and returned home to help his parents with the family business, Oak Landing Apartments. Now living on the premises as the groundskeeper and handyman, he never expected the girl he’d secretly crushed on in high school to move into a unit right before Christmas or stir up desires he thought long gone. Krista Hartley needs a fresh start away from her overbearing parents, but falling for the tattooed hottie who ignored her back in school wasn’t in the plans. Despite old hurts, Derek’s hot kisses and strong arms offer the shelter she craves. When another woman sets her sight on Derek and drives a wedge between him and Krista, they’ll have to decide if their relationship is real, or just a winter fling.
Today is Friday the 13th, and my husband and I have been married for 13 Halloweens. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and even as an adult, I still love dressing up. I love matching costumes, and my husband has been a great sport letting me choose what he is each year – or at least what theme he has to choose from. So I thought it would be fun to share the past 13 years of couples/family costumes.
2010 – Pictures exist of this year. I have seen them. But I can’t for the life of me find them. Gerson and I were newlyweds, both working part-time customer service jobs, and going to school full-time. So, our costumes were not elaborate. I had a pair of Tinker Bell wings from our honeymoon to Disneyland and Gerson had a Captain Jack Sparrow hat. While the two aren’t in the same series, they both are Disney and both fall under a pirates theme; so they worked on our limited budget.
2011 – I was a witch, Bellatrix Lestrange to be exact. And Gerson was a witch hunter from one of his video games.
2012 – I was heavily pregnant with my first baby during this Halloween, and pre-made maternity costumes weren’t what I was looking for. So, I made my own Cleopatra costume and Gerson was Marc Antony. We repeated this costume when I was pregnant again in 2017.
2013 – This was our first Halloween with our oldest son, and we started family costumes with a bang: Boo, Mike, and Sully from Monsters Inc.
2014 – Another family theme: Sesame Street. The Count and The Countess took Elmo trick-or-treating for the first time.
2015 – A month before Halloween, we added a daughter to our family, so now we had four people to dress up! That year we picked traditional Halloween monsters: Death, a witch, a vampire, and a black cat. Grandma also joined in as a zombie.
2016 – This would be the last year that our children willingly matched with mom and dad, and I didn’t even know it! Gerson and I were Pokemon masters, and our kids plus Grandma and Uncle were Pokemon.
2018 – This is probably one of my favorite set of costumes. My mom, my brother, Gerson, and myself were the four houses of Hogwarts. I was Ravenclaw, Gerson was Slytherin, my brother was Griffyndor, and my mom was Hufflepuff.
2019 – We bought our house that year, and had no money for elaborate Halloween costumes. So I threw together a bunch of random stuff and was this (I don’t think Gerson dressed up. I can’t find a picture of him from that year):
2020 – The worst year of the 21st Century. I turned 30 that year and was supposed to have a masquerade Halloween party. But I couldn’t invite all the people I wanted to. I still spent the better part of the year sewing a medieval royal dress from scratch to be Anne Boleyn. Gerson was Henry VIII. This is definitely a costume that I plan on adding to and improving and wearing again in the future.
2021 – Another dream couples costume that we’ll definitely reuse down the road: Bob and Linda Belcher. The faculty at the school I teach at have a theme each Halloween. That year it was TV show characters. It was the perfect opportunity for Gerson and I to be the cartoon couple who is so much like us.
2022 – I’m not an amazing seamstress, but I’m good enough. Several years ago when I walked out of the theater from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I wanted Queenie’s pink coat. I dreamed of making it for a Halloween costume. That was before I started a full-time career. Last year, I couldn’t wait to be Queenie any longer and purchased a pre-made coat. And I don’t regret it. Gerson was obviously Jacob; which was perfect because I often joke that he is a muggle. We looked great, and will once again be keeping these costumes in the rotation.
And that’s 13 years of Halloweens! I’d love to hear from you. What’s your personal stance on Halloween costumes? Do you go all out? Are you happy to just wear a pumpkin shirt? Or is it just a normal day for you? Let me know in the comments!
There are two holidays in A Boy and his Dog, actually, and both are integral to the plot. The first is New Year’s Day, when a bombing at a Kosovo parade forever changes the lives of Sergeant Grant Calloway and his bomb detection dog, Mojo.
The main holiday featured is the Fourth of July. The small town in the Colorado mountains charms the heroine, Hope Hernandez, as the community decorates for the upcoming celebration. I wanted to invoke that carefree childhood feeling of summer: the fireflies, the awe-inducing fireworks, running around at picnics, and swimming until our lips turned blue. Hope really wants a place to belong, to call home. However, she’s working in the ER as a summer “audition” intern, and her holiday is spent stitching up accident victims, unaware that her newly-adopted ex-military K9 will have PTSD triggered by the fireworks, and that the dog’s former handler is desperately searching for him.
Chloe is a military physician-turned-novelist who writes the things she loves to read: steamy, fun stories about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, smart women and men who aren’t jerks. About friendships, whether it’s close women or a good bromance. She wants all the feels: the thrill of a smoldering gaze or the barest brush of fingertips, the shocked gasp at the underhanded villain, the angst of heartbreak, the joy of reunion, and of course, happily ever after!
Chloe enjoys delivering a sneak peek into intriguing scenarios, drawing from her background (military personnel, medicine, aviation) as well as other cultures like Greece. A bit of danger always gets her going, so many of her Romances have a suspense subplot.
She hates to read the same old thing, with only the names and places changed, so her goal is to bring folks a fresh, fun, new story every time, with NO CLIFFHANGERS!
More than anything, she wants to craft a rollicking, great story readers can’t put down, one where love prevails in the end, one that will whisk people away from their own tribulations.
Come join her at https://www.chloeholiday.com/! and sign up for her newsletter to download a free copy of Finders, Keepers.
Medically separated from the Army, bomb tech Grant Calloway will stop at nothing to track down his former K9 partner. But the lady doctor who’s adopted Mojo doesn’t want to let him go.
If Dr. Hope Hernandez were any more exhausted, she’d be the one on the gurney. Her drive for perfection leaves her scrambling to juggle an insane ER schedule, studying for boards, and her boyfriend—whoops! Ex-boyfriend.
Fine. One less thing demanding her attention. Hope buries her pain in work. The truth is she’d get more affection from a dog, with less risk to her heart. Safe and uncomplicated. The second she sees the forlorn, retired military K9, Hope falls hard: he’s sad and alone, just like her. They head to Colorado, aiming for a fresh start—ifshe can score the coveted ER job. Yet when a scorching hot veteran shows up to lay claim to her dog, he disrupts her careful plan. He’s anything but safe—he’s dynamite. And he’s oh, so wrong if he thinks he can charm Hope into giving up her loyal companion.
Bomb disposal technician Grant Calloway’s whole life blows up after an IED detonates at a Kosovo parade. He and his working dog, Mojo, save hundreds with their off-duty heroism, but reality bites hard: Mired in red tape, then bounced out of the Army for hearing loss, Grant’s blindsided when Mojo’s adopted out by a civilian who won’t understand the needs of a military-trained dog. Grant’s best friend deserves better. Grant turns his back on a lucrative job and instead hits the road for Colorado to track down his dog.
He thought finding Mojo would be the hardest part, but the woman who took him won’t listen to reason, and Grant’s charm has no effect. Refusing to be diverted by her big brown eyes and gorgeous smile, Grant lays siege to reacquire Mojo—by whatever means necessary.
Like what I did with Mother’s Day, I want to highlight some excellent fictional fathers and father figures for Father’s Day. Unlike with my fictional moms post, this one was harder to write. It turns out, there aren’t as many great fictional fathers as I anticipated. It seems that writers really like to have absent or subpar fathers in their stories (which I am guilty of). But I was able to find three for this first year of Favorite Fictional Dads.
Rubeus Hagrid from Harry Potter is arguably one of the best father figures in fantasy. Without having ever met baby Harry, Hagrid braves the wreckage of the Potter’s destroyed home to rescue him and deliver him to Dumbledor. Hagrid didn’t know what danger he could possibly face by doing that; after all, no one really knew what happened. Ten years later, he would jump back into Harry’s life to tell him he was a wizard and take him school supplies shopping.
Harry enters Hogwarts knowing no one but Hagrid. Hagrid frequently invites him to tea to give Harry a safe space to share his feelings about this new world. Hagrid is always understanding, but will offer advice and correction when needed. He also serves as a father figure for Hermione. While Hermione isn’t an orphan like Harry, her parents are muggles, so she is braving the wizarding world alone as well. In the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron and Hermione spend several weeks fighting, and Harry semi-takes Ron’s side. Hermione spends many nights crying in Hagrid’s cabin. Even though Hermione met Hagrid through Harry, Hagrid views her as her own person and continues to care for her regardless of her friendship status with the boys. I imagine that Harry, Ron, and Hermione aren’t the first lonely Hogwarts students Hagrid has befriended.
Charlie Swan from the Twilight series can be a complicated situation. When I was a teenager, I hated Charlie in Eclipse. But the older I get, the more I see things from his perspective. Charlie is a single father whose teenage daughter decides to move in with him when her mother marries a traveling baseball player. Charlie doesn’t really know how to be a dad, but he loves Bella unconditionally and he wants to protect her.
One of the many things my own father taught me was that no matter how much a man may dislike the boy dating his daughter, he never wants his daughter’s heart broken. Charlie doesn’t know what the reader knows. From his point of view, the boy his daughter is dating continually puts her in dangerous situations. She makes erratic decisions for Edward. And there is always the chance of Bella’s heart being broken, again. In Charlie’s, he has very good reasons to distrust Edward and want him far away from his daughter.
And even though, to Charlie’s utter dismay, Bella stubbornly sticks with Edward, Charlie will support her. When Bella breaks her hand punching Jacob in the face, Charlie tells her he’s going to have to teach her how to throw a proper fist. He says that no one should kiss his daughter if she doesn’t want it. When Bella marries Edward, Charlie walks her down the aisle and provides his mother’s comb for her “something old” and “something blue”. And in the end, Charlie wants to be in Bella’s life so much, that he will accept the supernatural that she is now a part of, even if he doesn’t understand all of it.
Charlie is the protective father who will support his daughter no matter what.
William Stafford was real. He was the second husband of Mary Boleyn. However, his character adaptation in The Other Boleyn Girl is fictional. When comparing Philippa Gregory’s caricature of him and the historical facts that Alison Weir dug up for her biography on Mary Boleyn, Philippa Gregory’s version is fictional, so he can be part of my fictional dads post. (This isn’t a criticism of Philippa Gregory’s work. I highly admire her as a historical fiction author, and will probably write a post dedicated to her in the future.)
In The Other Boleyn Girl, William comes into Mary’s life after her first husband has died and she’s been cast aside by the king for her own sister. William gains Mary’s trust and love by how he treats her two orphaned children: Catherine and Henry.* William teaches both children how to ride a horse and becomes the father they never had. In a society where children are used for what they can bring the parents, William is simply a loving stepfather. He doesn’t care that these children are of royal blood. He doesn’t care to get Catherine an advantageous marriage. He doesn’t care that Henry could serve the future king (if Anne can give birth to a living son). He just wants to raise them safely.
Mary and William marry in secret and are forced to admit their “sin” when Mary becomes pregnant. This is William’s first biological child, but in his mind baby Anne** is his third child. He has always viewed Catherine and Henry as his. As the children grow and the court becomes more dangerous, William protects his children from their royal bastard status. When Anne is taken into the tower, William secretly rides to the palace Henry is living with other noble boys his age, and brings him home. Anne makes Catherine serve as her lady in waiting while in the tower.*** But as soon as Anne’s head is off her body, William sneaks up to the platform, pulls Catherine down and gets her on the road back home.
In the fictional version of the Tudor court, William Stafford was the best stepfather the Carey children could have had. He raised them with love. He played with them. And as they grew and their lives became dangerous, he protected them and prepared them to survive their cousins’ reigns.
*In the book, both are the illegitimate children of King Henry VIII that William Carey (Mary’s first husband) was forced to pretend were his. In real life, most historians agree that Catherine was most likely fathered by Henry VIII and accepted by William Carey, but Henry was most definitely William Carey’s biological child.
**In real life they had a son, but in order to keep them with the court so that Mary could be a witness to Anne’s fall and execution, Ms. Gregory made their baby a girl. Mary marrying in secret and giving birth to a son when Anne was struggling to carry a baby to term, caused Anne to cast her sister out of court. And Mary and William moved to Calais until she became the sole Boleyn heir after Anne and George were beheaded.
***Once again this detail is also fictional. Catherine served as lady in waiting to Elizabeth I, not Anne Boleyn.
Happy Father’s Day! Give some love to the men in your life.
Thank you for letting me introduce a Mother’s Day rom-cozy (a romance/cozy mystery) to your readers!
Pick of the Litter is in the Holiday Pet Sleuth series, which includes authors from across the globe. Each story centers around a holiday mystery where a pet plays a big role. I’ve actually written three of them, A New Year’s Cat-aclysm (New Year), Pick of the Litter (Mother’s Day), and Framed by the Fireworks (Fourth of July).
Pick of the Litter is about Fiona Milton, a widowed history professor in her thirties. As Mother Day approaches, she learns that her plans to adopt have fallen through. Fiona feels like her life has derailed—until one night when she and her faithful terrier Macbeth discover an abandoned litter of purebred pups in suspicious circumstances.
Hunting down the owner of these puppies gives Fiona a mystery to solve and a much needed distraction—but that’s only the beginning. When Fiona discovers that the puppies were stolen as an act of intimidation against Blake Wells, a reclusive craftsman, she is determined to find out what he has that would invite such an attack.
Blake Wells is hiding something precious. Someone precious—Hannah, a beautiful little girl Blake is fostering and hopes to adopt. She means everything to him, even more than the puppies he breeds. He’s willing to lose everything to keep Hannah safe from a dangerous criminal claiming to be her father. When Fiona and Blake work together, they uncover the secrets of Hannah’s past and help piece together their own furr-ever family.
This story highlights the different ways we can form a family, especially at a time of the year, Mother’s Day, when people struggling with loss or infertility might feel like something is missing in their lives. With a strong message of faith and a Hallmark-worthy happy ending, this story solves a mystery, helps a mother dog reunite with her puppies, and gives Fiona, Blake, Hannah, and even Macbeth the family they were looking for. If you’re a fan of Jan Karon, Debbie Macomber, or the Hallmark channel, this one’s for you.
I personally was inspired to write this particular world and characters after growing up with my mother, a young widow, in a college town. I can relate to Fiona myself as I’m a history-teacher in my thirties who also struggled with infertility and would feel so alone and miserable on Mother’s Day. But, just like Fiona, the heroine of this cozy mystery-romance, I poured my heart into my passions and was eventually blessed with two wonderful children through adoption and medical treatments.
Bestselling author M. Culler can’t stick to just one genre. She writes fantasy, mystery, and all flavors of romance. M.Culler lives in historic Chester County, Pennsylvania, where potentially haunted battlegrounds and 18th century buildings serve as never-ending inspiration. M.Culler lives for her two brilliant children (mini-bookworms), her gorgeous husband, her endlessly entertaining students, and her wonderful community. If she’s not hunched over a laptop, you’ll find her baking up a storm in the kitchen, playing board games, or watching Brit Coms. Soli Deo Gloria.
A litter of puppies. A mysterious craftsman with a beautiful secret. A stubborn, spunky terrier. Can Fiona solve a Mother’s Day mystery?
Spring means it’s time to bloom, but Fiona Milton is stuck in “blah.” Her love life has stalled, her dreams are on hold, and even Macbeth, her faithful terrier, can’t tug her out of this rut.
But a litter of puppies left in her yard might just do the trick! The hunt to find their rightful owner soon has Fiona helping a handsome stranger with a precious secret he needs help to protect. Could Fiona’s life be back on track—or will disaster rip it away just as she opens her heart?
Join Fiona and Macbeth as they solve a mystery that will lead to adventure, romance, and a new chance at finding a fur-ever family.
Pick of the Litter by M. Culler is a cozy mystery with a twist of holiday romance that you’re sure to love! Check out the other books in the Holiday Pet Sleuths series!
For Mother’s Day each year, I’d like to highlight three amazing fictional moms/mother figures. This debut year I’ll be showcasing Molly Weasley, Linda Belcher, and Violet Bridgerton.
Molly Weasley comes from the Harry Potter series. On the surface, Molly appears to be the typical frumpy housewife. She’s popped out seven children on her quest to give birth to the coveted daughter. Her husband, Arthur, works a dead-end job while she runs their magical household. And their wild children are constantly getting into trouble. But underneath all that stereotype, Molly loves her family fiercely and will do anything for them. She is also kind and compassionate to those in need
Despite their poverty, the Weasleys never go hungry. Molly is an amazing cook, and her magical talents allow her to summon, transfigure, and multiply enough food to feed an army. She figuratively adopts Harry in the Chamber of Secrets when her sons bring Harry to their home in a flying car. From that book on, Molly makes sure that Harry has a place in her family.
Molly’s biggest flaw is her refusal to support Fred and George’s dream of opening a joke shop. In the Goblet of Fire, she does something that is very hard for many parents: she apologizes. She yells at the twins about their attempt to sneak joke supplies out of the house on their way to the Quidditch World Cup. Disaster strikes the World Cup, and fearing for her family’s safety, Molly feels guilty that the last thing she said to her boys was negative. When they get home safe and sound, Molly hugs them and apologizes. She still isn’t perfect as the Order of the Phoenix is full of drama, but she ultimately supports Fred and George dropping out of school and opening their joke shop.
Molly’s hidden strength is showcased in the Battle of Hogwarts in the Deathly Hallows. Up until that final battle, Molly has been the one staying home having a hot meal ready for the surviving warriors. Not this time. She is there fighting alongside her family for the survival of the wizarding world. It is Molly who vanquishes one of the most evil characters in the entire series, Bellatrix Lestrange. And what did Bellatrix do to earn Molly’s wrath? She threw the killing curse at Ginny, Molly’s daughter.
I could write several posts on Molly’s character alone, but I’ll leave it at this for now. To dive deeper into Molly’s character, read the books!
Linda Belcher is not a literary character, but I love her so much, I had to include her. She is one of the main characters on the TV show Bob’s Burgers. Linda and her husband, Bob, own a struggling burger restaurant somewhere on the east coast. They have three children, Tina, Gene, and Louise, who work in the restaurant after school.
The reason why I love Linda so much is because she is so positive and supportive of everything her kids enjoy and want to do. She attends all of their extra curricular activities: capoeira classes, school musicals, and street bands. She showcases her children’s art during Art Crawl, defends their “abnormal” creative writing projects to the school counselor, and coaches their independent study swim class.
Even though Linda focuses on her kids the majority of the time, she also has her own passions and believes she deserves to be happy and fulfilled. Linda loves to sing, so she writes a short musical and gets her children and their neighbor to perform in it with her. The show is a disaster, but Linda has a blast and feels successful at the end of the episode. She also drags her family through an attempt to run a Bed and Breakfast, mother-daughter bonding, and the perfect Christmas party.
Linda Belcher is my soul sister. The similarities between her marriage and mine have my husband and I cracking up every time we rewatch the series – which is often. She has moments where she goes overboard, but her energy and passion make her so likable.
Violet Bridgerton is the mother of eight energetic and cunning children. She is the dowager Viscountess Bridgerton. In the original eight books, she is already a widow, so we only know her in her later years. Her husband, the late Viscount, died from anaphylactic shock to a bee sting; but this was before allergies were understood so his death remains a mystery. Violet was pregnant with their eighth child, Hyacinth, when her husband died; making her oldest, eighteen-year-old Anthony the new Viscount.
The Bridgertons reside in London during the early eighteen hundreds, and upon reaching adulthood, participate each year in the courting culture called “the Season”. The purpose of the Season is to find a spouse by attending as many balls, musicals, and other parties as possible. With eight children to marry off, Violet is a very “determined mama”. However, unlike most of the other mamas of the ton, Violet is not as concerned about status and wealth in the spouse of her children. Kate’s meager dowry and bottom of the totem pole status does not prohibit Violet from accepting her as a daughter-in-law and the new Viscountess. Sophie’s unsavory parentage (her mother a servant and the mistress of her father) doesn’t even make Violet raise an eyebrow – though she is matter of fact with Benedict that he and Sophie will never be accepted by London society, so she supports their need to move to the country after they marry. And though Hyacinth never tells, I am sure that Violet would not have cared that Gereth was the product of his mother’s affair with her brother-in-law.
Because Violet’s marriage was a “love match”, she desires the same for all of her children. Even though she desires her children to find true love, her wish for them to find it quickly, and to give her grandchildren, causes her to sometimes jump the gun and encourage matches her children have no desire for. Though every once in a while she hits the mark – like her constant push for her sons to be nice to Penelope Featherington.
Violet is loving, kind, and compassionate; but when her children mess up, she’ll let them know. She doesn’t raise her voice or demean them. But presents a loving sternness when they need a lecture or advice. Her children love her and know she loves them. The Bridgertons are a tight knit, loyal and protective family, with Violet at the center.
Happy Mother’s Day! Give some love to the women in your life.
The magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child is my favorite thing about Christmas. Ever since I became a mom almost ten years ago I have been saying, “I liked Christmas when I was a kid. But I love Christmas as a parent.” I love planning, shopping, and wrapping gifts for my kids. Watching them get excited at bedtime the night before, waking me up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning, and the energetic unwrapping is so fun. Leading up to Christmas, we make desserts, watc movies, and play games.
Because of this child centered Christmas in my home, my favorite books about Christmas are children’s books. Allow me to introduce to you my top 4.
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
I think this may be the most popular of the four books on my list. Script writers even added extra plotlines to turn this story into a full length movie. A little boy is struggling to fall asleep on Christmas Eve. The sound of a train brings him outside of his house, and sure enough, a train is sitting there. The conductor invites him on and the train is filled with other children, and the train is taking theml to the North Pole. The North Pole is a large city – quite different from the small village it is more commonly depicted in other stories. The train’s passengers get to watch Santa take off for his flight around the world. The little boy – who is the narrator, so we don’t know his name, but the movie gives him the name of Billy – is chosen to ask Santa for a gift. He chooses a bell from Santa’s sleigh, it is the first gift of Christmas. On the train ride back home, the boy realizes that his bathrobe had a hole in the pocket, and the bell fell out. He is devastated, but the next morning, opens a present that has the bell in it and a note from Santa. His parents can’t hear the bell ring and think it’s broken. He and his sister can. As they grow up, his sister also loses the ability to hear the bell, but he never does because he believes.
Drummer Boy by Loren Long
A little boy gets an early Christmas present: a little drummer boy. The child’s love and attention warms the drummer boy’s heart, and he plays his drum for the boy when they are alone. One morning the dog’s tail accidentally knocks the drummer boy into the trash can, and the drummer boy goes on an adventure. On this adventure he plays his drum for a rat in the dump, baby owls in a nest, the entire city on the top of a bell tower, the stars while impaled on a thorn bush, a snowman, and a cemetery. The entire time he misses the little boy. The next morning in the cemetery, he hears, “Merry Christmas, Grandpa.” It’s the little boy! While visiting his grandfather’s grave, the boy sees his missing toy and takes him home. The child places the drummer boy in the nativity decoration, and the drummer boy plays his drum for the baby Jesus and his heart feels warm.
The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt
In this story, three large and tall trees are growing near each other, and talk about their dreams for the future.The first two trees want to be chopped down and built into a treasure chest and a powerful ship. The third tree hopes to remain in the ground and grow as tall as he can. He wants people to think of heaven and God when they see him. All three trees are chopped down. The first two are made into versions of their dreams. The one who wanted to be a treasure chest is presented to a baby filled with fine things of the ancient world. The one who wanted to be a powerful ship is made into a fishing boat. One day a man who can control the storm and walk on water sails in him. The third one is made into a feeding box for animals. One special night, a baby is laid in him. And in that moment he knows he will inspire people to think of God.
Santa’s Book of Names by David McPhail
It’s Christmas Eve, and a young boy, Edward, has woken up to Santa delivering presents to his house. He sneaks out to the living room, but Santa is gone. Edward finds a book he can’t read, but correctly guesses it’s Santa’s book. He tries to catch Santa before he takes off. The best he can do is draw a giant “B” in the snow. Santa returns, and Santa has lost his glasses, so he enlists Edward to read through his book to tell him what gift is assigned to whom. Edward’s night with Santa helps him improve his reading skills.
All four of these heartwarming stories have a similar theme: belief. “Billy” from the Polar Express keeps his belief all through his adult life, allowing him to always hear that Christmas bell from Santa’s sleigh. The drummer boy believes in his song, and after half a dozen practice audiences, knows that it is a valuable gift to the Savior of the world. Though the three trees did not get their original visions of their futures, they all served Jesus Christ and believed he was special. And Edward learns to believe in himself just as his parents and Santa believed in him.
In April 2022, debut author B.L. Allen’s first book, To Haunt or Be Lost was made available for readers. I read it in October of this year, and when I got to chapter 21, I immediately knew that I wanted to highlight her book as one of my November posts. Chapter 21 highlights Thanksgiving, and while I’m sure other authors have done so in their work, it’s not something I have come across often in the books I read.
Before we get to that chapter, let’s summarize To Haunt or Be Lost. The main character, Lori, is an only child in her early years of college. Lori has social anxiety and is studying art. Her younger cousin, Agatha, comes to live with Lori’s family when Agatha’s parents die in a car accident. Agatha and Lori don’t get along, and now have to live together and share a car. This puts Lori riding the bus to college every day where she meets a young man named Gabriel who she develops feelings for. Simultaneously, Lori gets thrown into Agatha’s desire to get vengeance on the other driver involved in the accident because they survived. And all of this requires Lori to dig up difficult memories from her past and finally heal from them using the help of the last beings she believed in: ghosts.
Agatha and Lori have a rough past. They are both only children, and were forced into frequent sleepovers when they were kids. Agatha believes in ghosts and witchcraft, and Lori does not. During one of their sleepovers, an incident occurred where one of Agatha’s magical seances physically harmed Lori and sent her to the hospital. Not believing in magic, Lori is convinced that Agatha purposefully injured her; while Agatha stays firm in her claim that a spirit had possessed her and hurt Lori. Both Agatha’s and Lori’s parents believe Lori, and the two girls are no longer forced to see each other anymore. The next time they do see each other, it’s Thanksgiving at their grandparents house, and Lori is prepared to defend herself.
Lori packs pepper spray because her parents have decided to forgive the whole incident, and she is expected to do the same. During dinner, Agatha makes faces at Lori from across the table, and even draws her finger across her neck while glaring. Towards the end of dinner, Agatha’s mom proposes everyone say what they are thankful for. It starts out as normal stuff: family, home, health, jobs, etc. When it gets to Lori, she says:
“I am thankful for pepper spray, which I can use to defend myself with if I’m in danger.”
Lori’s comment causes a short awkward silence. Then it’s Agatha’s turn, who says:
“I am thankful for this body that I am able to live in.”
And with those two comments, Thanksgiving was ruined. But was it really? Is it really Thanksgiving if that crazy family member doesn’t say something?
I enjoyed To Haunt or be Lost. I’ll admit, it took me a while to like Lori. I thought she was a judgmental spoiled brat in the beginning. But her redemption arc is well done. So, I reached out to B.L. Allen – okay, I admit, she’s my cousin, so it didn’t take much to send her an email – and she agreed to a digital interview! So, for the rest of the post, enjoy getting to know B.L. Allen.
How did you come up with the storyline for To Haunt or Be Lost?
To Haunt or Be Lost was an idea that came to me rather quickly, in a way that I’m not sure I can fully explain. It was October of 2015 and I knew I wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo, which was only a couple weeks away. I had other story ideas, but I wasn’t excited about them at the time. One day I was goofing around with my husband when I threw a blanket over my head and said “I’m going to bury myself alive to cheat my way into the spirit world!” and at that moment a whole story started to click in my head, or at least that’s when a bunch of separate ideas conglomerated into one. I made a quick outline for the idea in a notebook, and then wrote the first draft that November.
Several key parts of the story were actually inspired by real life events, which is perhaps my way of taking “write what you know” a bit too literally. For example, when I was in college I took public transportation to school, which is at the center of a major plot point in the story. When I took the bus, there was this older woman who would sit next to me on the bus nearly every day, which lasted a few months I think. She never said anything to me, but she’d come straight to the seat next to mine and sit down quietly for a few stops before getting off. I thought maybe I felt like a safe person to her, since there are often creepy individuals who take the bus and it can be scary to talk to them. We had a strange unspoken agreement that we were “bus buddies” keeping each other safe, and I liked that. So in To Haunt or Be Lost, I took that idea of an unspoken friendship/agreement and made it a romance.
The story also involves repeated mentions of a worry doll, which I had no knowledge of until I was visiting my sister’s work one day. One of her co-workers had just come back from a trip to Guatemala, and had bought a bunch of worry dolls as souvenirs for everyone in the office. My sister and I each got one, and I really liked the concept of speaking to this tiny doll about your worries, putting it under your pillow, and letting it worry for you so that you wake up with a weight lifted off of you. Regrettably, I seem to have misplaced my worry doll, but I’m sure it’s in a box somewhere and I’ll find it again one day.
But perhaps the main focal point of To Haunt or Be Lost is the relationship between the main character, Lori, and her cousin, Agatha. At this point it shouldn’t be surprising that Agatha’s personality was directly taken from people I know in real life, although I won’t name names because if they’re reading this it might be awkward. I had one friend who was quite bubbly, but I also often butted heads with her. She was more of a friend who was convenient, but not really someone I meshed with very well. Lori and Agatha’s relationship is strongly inspired by my relationship with that particular friend. I had another friend who enjoyed witchcraft, and would teach us fun witchy things like how to predict the number of kids you’ll have and what letter your soulmate’s name will start with. This friend also would do tarot card readings for our group, which was especially fun around Halloween. I’m sure my mom wasn’t too happy about that, but it was all in good fun. Ultimately I combined my bubbly friend and my witch friend together into one character, and Agatha evolved into my favorite character in the book. Lori, on the other hand, happens to be my least favorite, but it might be because she’s a bit of a self-insert.
When it comes to communicating with the deceased, how much of the technique that Lori and Agatha do is research based and how much did you create for world building?
As far as how much of the spirit communication was made up and how much was based on research, I’d say it was about fifty-fifty. Some aspects I invented specifically as a means to progress the story, and other things I based on what I had read about. When it came to Bloody Mary, I tried to keep it as close to what the childhood game of summoning Bloody Mary might be like. The candles, the chanting of her name, the turning in circles and waiting for something to jump out and scare you…it was all part of that familiar sleepover experience many kids attempted with their friends and dared each other to do at one point. When I was a kid, my friends and I even went so far as convincing ourselves that our elementary school was haunted by Bloody Mary. Strange spots on the wall? Must be blood. A classmate acting strangely? Must be possessed. We were invested in this conspiracy and wholly believed we were ghost hunters on a mission to protect the school.
Agatha also performs seances, which do have some truth surrounding what a seance might look like such as holding hands and creating a circle of candles, but as far as chanting in Portuguese and painting blood symbols go, I’m pretty certain I made those things up if I remember correctly. Also something that’s central to the story is that believing in ghosts is what causes a person to be able to see them, thus explaining why Agatha can see ghosts, but Lori cannot. This was made up for the sake of the story progression, but I quite like how it played into certain plot twists.
One of the ghosts that Lori meets is Bloody Mary, who is supposed to be Mary Tudor or Mary I of England. When it came to her physical appearance and personality, how much was based on the historical record, the paranormal record, and your own imagination?
The chapter where Lori meets Bloody Mary is actually my favorite chapter in the book. She is strongly inspired by Mary Tudor and it’s implied in To Haunt or Be Lost that that’s who she was meant to be in life, but in reality it’s not entirely known if the legend of Bloody Mary stemmed from Mary Tudor or some other Mary. I based her physical appearance mostly on Mary Tudor, although I chose to describe her hair as black because I thought that might be creepier. As far as personality, I based it off of the supposed paranormal experiences surrounding Bloody Mary. Primarily, Bloody Mary is described as an evil and dangerous spirit, although sometimes is seen as friendly. I leaned into her evil side more, but also attempted to humanize her. I asked myself: if she was a real person, and if she were, for some reason, waiting to be summoned from bathroom mirrors at sleepovers all over the world, what might she say to these people? Anger and misery felt like the most appropriate emotions for her. Angry it’s a game to people, miserable to be haunting the earth forever, but also accepting this fate in a strange and twisted way.
Out of all the holidays you could have highlighted, what made you choose Thanksgiving?
The honest answer, which is a ridiculous answer but is absolutely true, is that it was Thanksgiving at the time I wrote it. Because it was a book I was writing for NaNoWriMo, which takes place in November each year, I was staying at my husband’s grandparents’ house for a few days that month while still trying to churn out the first draft of my story in only a month’s time. I was stuck and didn’t know how to progress the story, so what did I do? I took from my surroundings, which is a common trend for me. Because Thanksgiving was what was going on at the time, that’s what I wrote about. So stupid, but it actually turned out well in the end I think. It gave me an opportunity to highlight family dynamics that otherwise may have never been highlighted, especially since Agatha’s parents are known to be deceased at the start of the book. The Thanksgiving chapters, which are set in the past, help to show her parents and their personalities more, making it an extra gut-punch knowing that in the present time they are actually dead. I also had a unique opportunity to make Thanksgiving a little bit…creepy. Sure, Halloween might be the go-to holiday for ghosts, hauntings, and spooky things, but taking a holiday of gratitude and giving it a sinister twist with Agatha’s creepy behavior was strangely satisfying.
Is there anything from Lori’s Thanksgiving dinner that was inspired from your own Thanksgiving memories? What are your Thanksgivings like?
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that varies from year to year. It all depends on which side of the family I’m spending it with. In my husband’s family, they have the tradition of going around the room and asking everyone to name one thing they are grateful for, which is exactly what Lori’s family does as well. Fortunately though, my Thanksgivings don’t typically feature a crazy cousin out to kill me.
What’s the next step in your writing career?
I’ve now had a taste of the self-publishing world and have learned a lot. I’ve done some things right, and some things horribly wrong, but going into it I knew that the first book was primarily going to be a learning experience. I should probably note I was only 21 when I wrote the first draft of To Haunt or Be Lost, and I’m nearly 28 now. To say my writing has evolved tremendously over the years would be an understatement, and my next book will have so many more layers and depth than past stories I’ve written. Although I suspect that my second book will be a learning experience as well, I already know many ways I’m going to approach my next book differently. I’m currently working on another standalone book, and this time it will be longer than my first book and will also be less inspired by people and events in my personal life. In fact, it’s more largely inspired by various religions and cultures around the world, and of course it’s a ghost story because those are the types of stories I like the most. Get ready for heavy topics like suicide, familiar legendary beings like the Grim Reaper, as well as heartbreaking backstories for a wide array of characters. Don’t worry, I’m sprinkling in some dark humor and an overarching theme of hope as well. I refuse to believe the afterlife is meant to be bleak, although perhaps it can seem that way. I will be self-publishing again, and my next book should release sometime next year, although I do consider myself a professional procrastinator. Once I feel like a more seasoned author, I might try my hand at traditional publishing.
I hope you enjoyed learning about B.L. Allen and her writing inspiration. To Haunt or Be Lost currently averages 4.17 stars on goodreads and 4.6 stars on Amazon. It can be purchased as a digital copy or paperback.
Unlike Harry Potter and Pretty Little Liars, my final fictional Halloween is not a larger series where Halloween has a small highlight. This one – and best one – is a movie whose plot surrounds Halloween: Hocus Pocus.
Hocus Pocus has everything I love about Halloween: fun costumes, witches, magic, trick-or-treating, and parties.
I’m sure you know this story very well, but let’s do a quick summary. Max and his family move to Salem, Massachusetts just before Halloween. Max isn’t into Halloween, but gets roped into taking his younger sister trick-or-treating. In an effort to impress his crush, Max shrugs off his dislike for the holiday and disbelief in the town’s legend about three cursed witches, and lights the fabled black flame candle; bringing back the very witches that are meant to be a story for tourism.
And here we have some of our favorite Halloween witches that have inspired countless trick-or-treating, party, and cosplay costumes: Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson. These three sisters stay young by sucking the life out of children, and they have their eyes on Max’s sister Dani. On the surface, this is a really creepy and evil plot, but the delivery is so comedic, that the story can be enjoyed by all ages.
Throughout the rest of the movie we follow Max, Dani, and Allison (Max’s crush) as they try to evade the Sanderson Sisters while figuring out how to get rid of them. They get help from a black cat named Binx (who is really a human cursed by the Sanderson sisters) and a zombie named Billy. They sneak into the school, crash the party their parents are at, and do lots of running in the woods. There is also the constant hilarious reminder that Max is a virgin. As a child, I never noticed that. As an adult I find it hilarious and cringe at the same time. And as a mother, I pray my children don’t ask me what that means for several more years.
I want to dissect a few scenes that were inspired by historical beliefs about witches.
First is the scene where the Sanderson Sisters are hailed by a man wearing a devil costume. In the time of the witch trials, it was believed that witches made a pact with the real devil. Lucifer/Satan/The devil was a very real fear back then. Christians believed him to exist in the flesh, and that he could physically harm them. Christians believed that witches signed their name in a real book and that the devil would visit them and feed from them (a large mole indicated that was where the devil sucked, like a nipple). Witches were the devil’s bride the way nuns were Christ’s bride.
To make this scene more tame, the Sanderson Sisters bow to the fake devil and he invites them inside. The man’s marriage is clearly on the rocks, so he enjoys their attention, thinking he’s playing pretend. His wife arrives and kicks them out. But since the Sanderson Sisters believed this man to be the real devil, it goes without saying that in the Hocus Pocus world, the devil is real.
Throughout the movie, Allison runs around with a container of salt, believing it will protect them from the witches. Salt has always been used to ward off evil throughout history.
In the end, Max sacrifices himself to save Dani. He drinks the potion that allows the Sanderson Sisters to suck his life force out. Luckily for him, the sun rises before Winifred can finish, and she and her sisters turn to stone and explode into dust.
Hocus Pocus is almost 30 years old, and it remains a beloved Halloween tradition, and I imagine it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Chelsey M. Ortega 