Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Get Ready for Holiday Reading

As we wrap up the summer and the school bell rings, it's not too early to start planning for our holiday reading. Today we welcome to My Writing Corner, Leigh Riker  the authors of a new holiday boxed set from Harlequin Romance, which is available now for pre-order.


What's in A Name

I admit it. I have a thing for character names—meaning the absolutely perfect name. Nothing else will do. I have several name-the-baby-type books, and I even used them to name my own two real-life boys. Those books are a bit dog-eared by now but still come in handy. And whenever I see a list of current favorite names in a magazine or the newspaper, I always save it. Right now Charlotte seems to be very popular, presumably after Prince George’s baby sister, the adorable new little princess in Great Britain.


Oh, and what about movies? TV shows? The rolling credits often contain some really interesting names that just might fit into a story someday. I like to jot them down.


But sometimes serendipity also plays a big part. Recently, I had to come up with the just-right name for my hero in this year’s A Heartwarming Holiday and voila, there was Asher Kincaid. Easy-peasy. Ash just popped into my head. My heroine was even easier; Jill Morgan appeared last year in A Heartwarming Christmas as the best friend of my heroine. Right away I knew Jill, a young widow, needed her own story.


But then, I hit a snag. Serendity doesn’t always save the day, and it failed to provide names for some  of the secondary characters who weren’t being cooperative. This time I renamed several of them more than once to finally get the effect I wanted. In my story, Thankfully Yours, Jill and Ash, a wounded former Navy SEAL, struggle to find their new place in the world and, along with those supporting players now under control, I had such fun helping them work things out. Through the renovation of a rundown ski resort, they come to deserve their happy ending and I was more than happy to give them one. Like all the stories in A Heartwarming Holiday mine takes place in Christmas Town, Maine. I hope you’ll enjoy it and the other two novellas in our pod called Holiday Heroes (more Navy SEALs!) by authors Tara Randel and Cari Lynn Webb.

These stories should certainly get you in the mood for the coming holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas to a New Year’s wedding. Enjoy! They will be coming from Harlequin n October but they are available for preorder now.

This holiday season, warm your heart with 15 connected sweet, clean & wholesome holiday romances set in Christmas Town from 15 Harlequin Heartwarming authors who are USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors.
 
There are five connected books in A Heartwarming Holiday. That means each set of three novellas shares characters and storylines! This collection of PG-rated holiday romances are all set in Christmas Town, Maine, a location introduced in the 2014 Harlequin Heartwarming release Christmas, Actually.
 
 A Heartwarming Holiday will bring you laughter, tears, and happily-ever-afters.
 

Book 1Once Upon a Holiday by Anna Adams, Anna J Stewart & Melinda Curtis: Three former college roommates start a business to bring the magic of the holidays to everyone in Christmas Town.  

Once Upon a Thanksgiving by Anna Adams, award-winning, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

Once Upon a Christmas by Anna J Stewart, award-winning, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

Once Upon a New Year’s Eve by Melinda Curtis, award-winning, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

Book 2Holiday Heroes by Leigh Riker, Tara Randel & Cari Lynn Webb: Three former Navy SEALs come together to restore an outdated resort.
 
Thankfully Yours by Leigh Riker, award-winning, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.

 

Cooking Up Christmas by Tara Randel, Barnes and Noble bestselling, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.

 

Countdown to Romance by Cari Lynn Webb, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.

 
Book 324 North Pole Lane by Carol Ross, Amy Vastine & Cheryl Harper: Romance is being delivered to 24 North Pole Lane this holiday season.
 
Hers by Thanksgiving by Carol Ross, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 
Peace, Love, and Baby Joy by Amy Vastine, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

Never Say Never on New Year’s by Cheryl Harper, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

Book 4Magic Moments by Tara Taylor Quinn, Shirley Hailstock & Liz Flaherty: Three different times, three different stories. They all bring magic to Christmas Town.
 

Christmas Past by Tara Taylor Quinn, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

It Only Happens in Christmas Town by Shirley Hailstock, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

The Magic Stocking by Liz Flaherty, USA Today bestselling, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

Book 5Nutcracker Sweethearts by Dana Mentink, Roz Denny Fox, & Amie Denman: As the stage production of the Nutcracker unfolds in Christmas Town, three couples find love with the help of a little holiday magic!
 

Thanksgiving Duet by Dana Mentink, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

Christmas Curtain Call by Roz Denny Fox, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 

Set for New Year’s by Amie Denman, Harlequin Heartwarming author.
 
If this boxed set appeals to you, look for our previous holiday anthology: A Heartwarming Christmas.

 





 
And don't forget, included in A HEARTWARMING HOLIDAY is an exclusive coupon worth $1.00 off any Heartwarming title from Harlequin.com.  


2 comments:

  1. Leigh, Love the post. Looks so festive on the red background, too. That coupon off is great.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Leigh, love this post! I'm so happy to hear that other authors give so much thought to names, too. I often change them (several times) when something isn't working or they don't seem to fit the character I've created. I have a Charlotte in my WIP. Love that name!

    ReplyDelete

Fighting the Mid-Story Blahs

It happens to all fictional writers. Sooner or later we hit the wall with our current story and we suffer through that old, well-known, fear...