Virtual Tour + #Giveaway: The Nick Before Christmas by K.L. Brady @GoddessFish

The Nick Before Christmas

by K.L. Brady

GENRE: Romance

BLURB:

Will an angel's dire warning, a quest to discover a second act by Christmas Eve, and a touch of Christmas Magic lead Nickie Wright back to the one that got away?

Nickie Wright is ready to celebrate the big 5-0 for Christmas in July, but a hot flash leads her to a sobering revelation: her life has hit rock bottom. Her successes--the home and the car--feel empty. Her vision board has been a waste of time, her job is unfulfilling, and she's mulling over a proposal from Smith, who she's not sure she likes. The best day of her life spirals into the worst. During a near-death experience, a meeting with her guardian angel presents Nickie with an ultimatum - either go to heaven or return to Earth and find her second act by Christmas Eve. If she fails, her future's bleak -- her life will be filled with days no better than her worst.

Her second act sets her on a collision path with Evan Goodman, the man who makes her content, and Jordan Devlin, the first love who drives her crazy. She's torn between two worlds--contentment and safety, passion and excitement.

Time is running out for Nickie.

She only has from Christmas in July until Christmas Eve to find her calling, follow her dreams, and figure out which romantic interest will help Nickie embrace the best of herself.

The Nick Before Christmas is the perfect romantic comedy to help you find your calling and renew your faith. It delivers unforgettable moments of self-discovery and romance. It's an enchanting story to fill your heart with joy this Christmas.

Excerpt:

The voice and the name paralyzed her.

One person (in this world or any other) referred to her by that name.

It couldn’t be her.

“Nickie Boo?”

Her body stiffened. She was more shocked than afraid. Uncontrollable streams of tears flushed from her eyes. She glanced from side to side. No one. Nothing, but the faint hope of seeing her mother again after fate stole her only chance for goodbye. Nickie found out about her mother’s illness only six weeks before her death and thought she had more time.

“Mommy?”

Almost as soon as she called out to Nickie Boo once more, an angelic form descended from the sky in a dramatic drop; her arms were folded across her chest. Upon first look Nickie couldn’t discern the face, but her voice was exactly the same as she remembered.

The more the form came into view, the more visible the feathery wings appeared. But the face, she knew the face like her own. Same auburn skin, same bright eyes, same natural thick hair. Her mother’s eyes smiled but her lips didn’t, at least not at first.

“It’s me, Cupcake. Merry Birthday.”

An inexplicable calm washed over her…on the outside. Inside she was scared crapless. Nickie reached for the angel’s arm and pinched her, gently. “Are you real, or am I crazy?”

“Yes,” her mother replied, “and yes.”

Mom angel?

Nickie laughed. No one else could make her chuckle in the middle of paralyzing panic and fear.

Interview with K.L. Brady

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I’ve now written 20 romances, 23 books total. I love my Christmas books most of all. All of them. My mother passed away years ago, but she was the ULTIMATE Christmas crazy. Living and remembering her Christmas traditions is how I hold onto her memory and honor her. Writing Christmas stories allows me tap into those happy feelings all year long. I would say The 12 Daves of Christmas and The Nick Before Christmas are my favorites. I tend to write quirky, spunky characters who are going through life crises or just trying to figure life out. Both stories capture the quirkiness with a lot of humor and love.




Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

I’ve written maybe six Christmas romances. While they all stand alone, all except one is set in the Washington D.C. area and feature some of the local traditions, such as visiting the White House and Capitol Christmas trees or visiting the WunderGarten Winterfest. So, they are connected in a way. Washington is where I was born, so I love writing stories that remind people it’s not only a political city and the seat of government.




How did you come up with the title for your book?

I usually think of a title while I’m coming up with a concept for the book. The title is a play on The Night Before Christmas. With all that said, there is a very specific fictional origin for the story in the book, but I can’t share that because it’ll give part of the story away. You have to read to discover that little bread crumb.




How long did it take you to write this book?

I worked on two Christmas books at the same time for nearly two years. I fought with bouts of writer’s/creative block and a lot of distraction because of a fairly significant 9 to 5 job change. I never gave up on the stories. Finally, this year I reached a breakthrough on both of them, and The Nick Before Christmas just happened to be first. The second, Sincerely, Santa, will follow shortly.




What does the title mean?

The main character’s name is Nickie, which is a very Christmassy name. The core of this book is about change later in life. In any change there is a before and after and we see Nickie transform her life in her quest for her second act. Her thinking changes. Her ideas change. She opens up to a new world of possibility with courage…and, let’s face it, a pretty dire threat.




What did you learn when writing the book?

Sometimes people (and I am “people’) believe that as we get older, we’re locked into who we are. We run out of time to find our callings or pursue new dreams. While writing this story, I learned that it’s never too late to change or pursue your dreams.




What surprised you the most?

The final chapter. It was not at all planned. I saw the story ending in the previous chapter, but the words just kept coming. Also, I never knew that obituary writing served as the foundation for other kinds of writing. I don’t think anyone grows up aspiring to be an obituary writer, but it is a steppingstone for so many other journalistic endeavors. It’s also a craft that holds untold value for the families of those departed from this world.




Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

Yes. In a future book I have outlined, I’m planning on taking out a character very early. It’s a very beloved character. I believe that death is in part why it has taken me years to write the story. I’m stalling…but I have to finish the story.




What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?

I hear voices. My characters yammer in my head all the time when I’m in creative mode or in the middle of a story. The challenge is not necessarily getting into their heads but getting them out of mine…and they don’t leave until they’ve said everything they’ve had to say.   

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

USA Today Bestselling author K. L. Brady is a D.C. native and award-winning author of 20 novels. She self-published her first book, THE BUM MAGNET, after an Oprah "live your best life" moment, which was picked up by Simon & Schuster in a two-book deal. She’s been publishing romantic comedies ever since.

K.L. is a Washington football fan and professed nerd-girl who loves all things Star Trek, Star Wars, and Big Bang Theory. She lives to write stories involving hilarious quirky characters looking for love. She's hard at work on her next several projects, including Sincerely, Santa, a heartfelt romantic comedy that also celebrates the special friendship between her late mother and grandmother.

Sign up for her newsletter at: http://klbradyauthor.com/sign-up/

Connect with K.L. Brady

Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ BookBub ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads

The book will be on sale for $0.99.

 

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon/BN GC 

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