Welcome to our 1980’s Dickens Christmas stories!
Two sweet vintage romances set in the New England town of Dickens where small town charm is on full, holiday display.
Both stories are prequels to stories found in last year’s holiday anthology, Christmas Comes to Dickens. Beginning October 18th, the Ladies of Dickens will release six brand-new, full-length Dickens holiday romances (one per week) to celebrate the season.
In the meantime, we hope you’ll enjoy Making Christmas by Author Nancy Fraser and Santa Baby by Author Peggy Jaeger. Both are guaranteed to whet your holiday appetites for what’s to come!
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Making Christmas by Nancy Fraser
A 1980s Vintage Romance ...
It’s been five years since William Barrett returned to Dickens to take over as CEO of Wil-Bar Toys. He’s spent these past years helping build Wil-Bar into a leader in creative, handmade toys. His work ethic and drive has left him little time for a personal life. Or, perhaps he’s still pining for the one who got away.
Catherine Gates moved away from Dickens six years earlier. Now a staff reporter for a woman’s magazine, she’s returning to Dickens to do a story on Wil-Bar Toys new production methods and get the scoop on their upcoming holiday line.
When Will and Cat meet up again for the first time in years, it’s as if they’ve never been apart. Rekindling their friendship, and attraction, becomes more important than Cat’s article, or even the secrecy of the new toy lines.
Can these two childhood friends make up for lost time and pursue the romance they missed out on years earlier? Or, will Cat’s story expose too much and put them at odds with one another?
***
Santa Baby by Peggy Jaeger
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?
Read an Excerpt from Making Christmas
Catherine made her way through the front doors of Wil-Bar Toys and toward the reception desk.
“I’m here to see Mr. Barrett. I have a ten o’clock appointment.”
“I’ll buzz Margaret and she’ll come to get you,” the young woman said.
Catherine waited for Margaret, obviously a new edition to the staff since she didn’t recognize the name.
Moments later, a woman who looked to be in her late twenties entered the lobby. “Hello, I’m Margaret Weatherby. If you’ll follow me, please.”
She fell in step behind the woman, going through the heavy oak double doors she remembered from her childhood. They continued down the hallway leading to the main offices, coming to a stop in front of the desk outside the large corner suite.
“How long have you worked at Wil-Bar?” Catherine asked.
“Two years now. I was originally hired to work for Mr. Wilfred Barrett but when the younger Mr. Barrett’s secretary left to get married, I took over for her as well.”
“That must keep you very busy.”
The woman nodded. “It does, especially this time of year. However, it’s such a wonderful place to work, I couldn’t see myself going anywhere else.” She paused, then added, “I’ll let Mr. Barrett know you’re here.”
“I’d appreciate—”
Her words of appreciation were interrupted by a man’s booming voice. “Margaret, do you have the report I left for photocopying earlier?” The voice was followed by the man’s appearance outside the office door, his footsteps coming to a halt when he saw her standing there.
She lifted her head, meeting Will Barrett’s intense gaze head-on.
“Cat? Cat Gates. I’ll be dam...darned.”
“Hello, Will.”
“You two know each other?” Margaret asked. When they both nodded at the same time, Margaret added, “Well, that certainly saves time on introductions.”
Will motioned for her to follow him into the office. “You’re the journalist they’ve sent to write a story on Wil-Bar?”
“Yes,” she said, taking the seat he offered. “I assume they thought I’d have an inside track on the place since I’m from Dickens.”
His chuckle sent a flurry of butterflies rushing her stomach.
“Inside track. I’d say so. You know every nook and cranny of this place—or at least you did before we remodeled.”
“Some I knew all too well, given I spent more time hiding than you and Tommy did seeking.”
“Sorry about that,” he said with a broad grin. “We were pretty mean to you back then.”
About the Authors:
Like most authors, Nancy began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.
Nancy has published over forty books in full-length, novella, and short format. When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
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Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.
When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.
As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go "What??!"
Purchase Links:
Universal Purchase Links:
Making Christmas
Santa Baby
Making Christmas Trailer:
Making Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle Link:
Santa Baby Trailer Link:
Santa Baby Jigsaw Puzzle Link:
Giveaway:
$25 Amazon/BN GC
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4 comments:
Thank you for hosting today!
Thankyou so much for introducing our books to your readers and followers. It's greatly appreciated.
Thank you for sharing our books with the readers of your blog. I look forward to checking back later for more comments.
I've enjoyed the tour, thanks for all of the great posts along the way!
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