Calling all holiday-themed readers! It’s more than evergreens and twinkly lights at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s fifth annual Christmas in July Fête. 44 Christmas, Hanukkah and holiday-themed books featured plus a chance to win a $75 Amazon (US) gift card.
I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My book,SANTA BABYis featured today!! Here’s the link: SB
Wait until you read what I love most about the holidays. You won’t want to miss it.
Santa Baby releases into the novella-reading world today via all digital markets.
This little story was a joy to write and it sets up the full length FIXING CHRISTMAS that comes out on 11.9.2021.
As part of the Dickens Holiday world, SANTA BABY is set 38 years in the past on a snowy Christmas Eve in the tiny town of Dickens – somewhere in New England. Amy Dorrit, owner of Dorrit’s Diner, discovers an abandoned baby -literally – on her doorstep before opening her eatery for the day. What happens next sets up the rest of Amy’s life – and the future Dorrit’s Diner books.
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?
Here’s a little peek inside the covers….
“What in the name of all that’s holy are you holding, Amy Dorrit?”
Willie Jackson stood at her office door, a lit cigarette dangling from a corner of his mouth, his leather jacket hanging open and his eyes as big and round as his county-famous blueberry pancakes.
“What does it look like?” Amy dug around in the carrier searching for a bottle, pacifier, something, to soothe the baby’s cries. “Lose the cigarette. It’s a baby and I’m pretty sure it’s hungry.”
He lifted those shocked eyes to Amy’s face. “Girl, you been keeping secrets from ol’ Willie?”
“Oh for Pete’s sake. Are you nuts, William Jefferson Jackson? It’s not my baby. I found it at the back door when I came downstairs.”
“Whose is it?”
“No idea.”
“What is it?” Holding the small bundle like a football in one arm, she shoved the piece of paper she’d found at him. “Same answer. I haven’t looked yet. Here, read this. I found it tucked inside the blanket.” Once he had it, Amy placed her pinky finger over the baby’s lips. It immediately rooted, then latched on to suck.
“I knew it. It’s starving.”
“ ‘I’m sorry,” he read aloud, ‘but I can’t take care of her—’ well, we know it’s a girl –‘I have no job and no way to hold on to one with a baby. Please forgive me for leaving her like this, but I saw how kind you were yesterday and I know you’ll take care of her like I can’t.’” Willie scratched his head. “Well, shit. We got us a real abandoned baby, here, Ames ol’ girl.”
“Don’t curse in front of her.” She shot him an annoyed glare, her left eyebrow inching up her forehead to her hairline.
“It ain’t like she can understand me. She’s a baby, fer Chri-” Her other eyebrow followed its twin. “Er, pity’s sake.”
“I need something to feed her with.” She glanced around her office. “Can you get me one of the cake decorating bottles? The ones with the plastic tip? I think that’ll work.”
“What’a’ya gonna feed her? Frosting? You ain’t got no mother’s milk and you can’t feed her coffee creamer.”
“Dam-I mean, drat. You’re right. I can give her a little water to hold her over until I can run out and get her some formula.”
“Shouldn’t you call the police? I mean, she’s been abandoned, ain’t she? You can’t just keep her.”
Fellow Sistah-Dickens author Nancy Fraser has a Dickens prequel releasing, too, on June 14th – Making Christmas, that’s available for preorder now.
That’s some post title, isn’t it? Anyone else channeling Dorothy Gayle right about now? LOL
So, let me ‘esplain the title.
I love Pinterest. I truly think whoever came up with the idea had me in mind. I usually construct boards for every book I pen while I am plotting. I am such a visual person. I really should be working in film, but…maybe in my next life. Seeing how I want my characters to look, getting a feel for what the setting will look like, and any other little visual item that I can construct in my mind, helps me write better, faster, and with more accuracy.
For my upcoming June 7 release of SANTA BABY ( A Dickens Holiday Romance prequel – Dorrit’s Diner) I went old school in my characterizations. Here’s the page devoted to the book: Pinterest/Santa Baby board. As you can see, if you click onto the board, I chose two of my all time favorite actors to portray the main peeps, Amy Dorrit and Andy Charles. Katherine Hepburn is absolutely the embodiment of free spirit and independent Amy, while Cary Grant is the perfect Andy. Luckily, these two worked together many times during their careers, so I had no difficulty finding pictures of them together to pin.
You may notice a craggy Kris Kristopherson in there, too. He’s the perfect embodiment of cook, WIllie Jackson.
Small town New England is, IMHO, a perfect place to live, evidenced by the scenery pictures on the board. And every small town has a local diner, considered to the beating heart of gossip in the community. In SANTA BABY, that diner belongs to Amy and is called, obviously, DORRIT’S DINER ( I bet you guessed that from the title of the book, Hee Hee)
Pinterest is a gold mine for authors, it truly is. And I have to think it’s made me a better writer, too, because I can flesh out every aspect of the book and use descriptions to enable the reader to actually “see” the words on the page as I envision them.
Pretty cool.
So, SANTA BABY is up for preorder right now across all digital media, here: UNIVERSAL LINK.
If you’re on Booksprouts, you can also read and review a copy before publication here: BOOKSPROUT
If you read the novella ( it’s short, only 57 pages) I hope you enjoy it and you’ll want to come back and read the full length sequel, FIXING CHRISTMAS, on 11.9.2021. But don’t worry – SANTA BABY is a standalone book – no cliffhangers, no unanswered questions at the end, and a total HEA.
And remember I said maybe I should be working in film because I’m such a visual person? My good friend, Nancy Fraser, produced the book trailer ( kinda like a movie trailer) for SANTA BABY and I think it’s just perfect. Check it out:
Since I’ve got a new holiday novella releasing next month, I figured today would be a good time to put up a little tease from it.
SANTA BABY( A Dickens Holiday Prequel – Dorrit’s Diner) was a joy to write – took me a week plus a few hours to get the first draft down. Amy Dorrit, owner of Dorrit’s Diner, was one of my favorite drive-by characters in Angels Kisses and Holiday Wishes from the first Christmas Comes to Dickens anthology and I sosososos wanted to give her a great backstory and HEA. SANTA BABY is the prequel to this years full length romance from Dickens from me, FIXING CHRISTMAS, but more on that in months to come.
SANTA BABY is a short – only 57 pages – sweet romance novella set 38 years ago. In the world of book publishing that makes it an historical read!! HEEHEE. No cellphones, iPads, or laptops in this story, kids. Just two people who love each other and an abandoned baby.
I hope you enjoy this little teaser…
Here’s the blurb and then a little tease from the pages….
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?
…..
“I know that look like the back of my hand,” Andy said. He shook his head as he closed the door behind him. “It usually means there’s a come to Jesus lecture about to be spoken and I should bow my head and fold my hands.”
When a corner of his kissable mouth lifted, her annoyance fled. Andy took two steps forward, his arms outstretched and she went into them willingly and without hesitation.
As she breathed in the scent of leather from his uniform jacket, Amy closed her eyes.
“Sweetheart, why didn’t you call me right away? You know I would have been here in a blink, sirens blaring if I had to.”
She pulled back, quirked an eyebrow and asked, “And this would be because you carry formula and diapers in your patrol car, would it?”
He had the grace to look sheepish. “Well, no. But I could have run out and gotten them for you.”
It took her a millisecond to realize he wasn’t so much angry as hurt he hadn’t been her first call. She cuddled into him again.
“The only reason I called Corrine and Matilda is because I wanted to talk to my mom. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.” His arms tightened around her waist. “Since those two are like mothers to me, I called them.” She shifted so she could look into his eyes. “I figured they’d know what to do, what I’d need. And they did. That’s all it was.” She cupped his cheeks and placed a sweet kiss on his mouth.
He sighed against her lips. “It’s a good thing your door is closed because if anyone saw me kissing you while I’m on duty, I’d never hear the end of it from the Chief.”
She kissed the tip of his nose and then pulled out of his embrace.
Intrigued? I hope so. You can preorder the novella now and have it delivered right to your device on June 7!
Easy Peasy.
And because I’m such a visual person, I love a good book trailer, and Nancy Fraser produced the perfect one for me. Check it out:
Peggy Jaeger, Author 