Christmas Down
Under falls in summer. It’s hot. Sometimes very hot. Sometimes so hot the thought
of cooking dinner in a sweltering kitchen becomes untenable and Aussies head to the barbecue to cook the festive feast. (Except in my English heritage family
where anything other than the full-on traditional Christmas dinner is non-negotiable!)
A summer Christmas
Down Under also means vacation—our summer vacation is when school and university
have their long break. Holiday time runs from late December all the way through to the end of
January. It means for people living on the coast time on the beach, for those
inland on rivers and lakes and mountains.
With all the sun,
the heat, the relaxing the holiday season is a great time for romance. I’ve had
a lot of fun collaborating with a fabulous group of Down Under authors to
produce a boxed set of seven brand new, never published before novellas around
the theme of Hot Christmas Nights, which launched on December 1.
 |
| Wonderful, original novellas by Rachel Bailey, Michelle Douglas, Louisa George, Helen Lacey, Stefanie London, Jennifer St George and me. What fine company I'm in! |
Best selling,
award-winning and rising start authors all contributed stories for this
collection. They live in Australia or New Zealand but their novels, published by
international publishers, go all around the world. They’re a really nice bunch
of people and working with them was a great delight. The stories in Hot Christmas Nights range from sweet to
super steamy and all “hot” in terms of romance!
My novella Millionaire Under the Mistletoe is a
reunion romance—one of my favorite types of stories to write. There’s something
that really appeals to me about giving a second chance at love to two
people who so obviously should be together but made mistakes that tore them
apart. With the magic of Christmas, and a little help from a cat named Morris,
in Millionaire Under the Mistletoe, two
lovely young people find their way to the happy-ever-after they deserve.
“London-based chef Carly de Luca and Sydney millionaire Dylan Burke
broke each other’s hearts four years ago—but old feelings reignite when she
makes a surprise visit home for Christmas. Can Carly and Dylan let go of past
hurts and take a second chance on love?”
I couldn’t pick a favorite from the six other stories in the collection.
Each is sensual, emotional and beautifully written. The glowing reviews we’re
already getting are gratifying!
For my December
post I would like to wish everyone a very happy festive season and holiday—to
those who celebrate Christmas and those who don’t.
And a very
special wish and thank you to Lee Hyatt for hosting me at Tote Bags 'n' Blogs.
I look forward to seeing everyone next year!
What's your ideal Christmas? I'd love to hear about it! Make a comment if you'd like to be in the draw for one of two e-book copies of Hot Christmas Nights Please include you email address and whether you'd prefer mobi or epub download.
Kandy Shepherd is
an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives
on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and
a menagerie of four-legged friends.
Visit Kandy at her website
