Over a dozen ways to fall in love at the holidays…
Looking for a Happily Ever After? How about fourteen of them?! Romancing the Holidays, Volume 2 is a collection of romantic short stories all with the happy ending you crave. Genres include: contemporary, historical, paranormal, romantic suspense and young adult.
And what better time to find romance than during the holidays? Escape into these Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Three Kings Day and Valentine’s Day adventures, and swoon anew with each couple as they fall in love.
Proceeds from this anthology benefit First Coast Romance Writers, a non-profit chapter of Romance Writers of America that helps writers hone their craft and expand their knowledge of the publishing industry.
FIND ROMANCE FOR THE
HOLIDAYS
“We all need a little escape from reality sometimes, and I hope this anthology of short stories will help readers get into the holiday spirit,” says Melody Johnson. “The holidays are sometimes a reminder of the people or traditions that one has lost, but through the magic of storytelling, we are never alone.”
Melody is one of fourteen First Coast Romance Writers (FCRW) contributing to Romancing the Holidays, Vol. 2, the second installment in the group’s holiday anthology series. This compilation of short stories transports readers from Halloween and Thanksgiving antics to Christmas and Valentine romantics with over a dozen unique happily-ever-afters, ranging from sweet to steamy. Readers who enjoy contemporary, historical, or paranormal romance will be whisked off their feet and away to worlds where love prevails.
“Usually, I write
full-length novels, so participating in this annual anthology is both fun and
challenging,” says Melody. “Fun because I love taking a
break from the project I’m currently working on to return to Witchy Business, a world I’m already in
love with. But challenging because developing a relationship, motivation, high
stakes, and finding a satisfying resolution in only thirty pages is a wild
ride. I hope people take as much pleasure in reading these stories as we did in
writing them.”
In addition to Melody, the other contributing authors in this anthology include: Debby Grahl, Elise Darby, Barbara Whitaker, Maggie FitzRoy, Leah Miles, Karen Renee, Sara Walker, Vickey Wollan, Abigail Sharpe, Gloria Ferguson, Laura Salas, P.K. Brent and Candese Nieves. All fourteen women are members of FCRW, and proceeds from this anthology benefit their organization, a non-profit chapter of Romance Writers of America®, that helps writers hone their craft and expand their knowledge of the publishing industry.
“I’ve been a member of First Coast Romance Writers for six years. I’m a past Event Coordinator, Treasurer and President of the chapter, and have helped to bring publishers, agents and other industry professionals in person to speak to our members. But participating in this anthology is the accomplishment I’m most proud of,” says Melody. “It just feels right that we are writers raising money for our chapter by doing what we’re most passionate about: writing romance.”
Melody’s contribution
to this year’s anthology is Fated by
Fire, a Halloween romance and the third installment in her Witchy Business short story series. When
the hero of Fated by Fire, Marcus
Kyle, stops to assist a stranded driver change a flat tire, the last person he
expects to face is Jenavieve St. Clair, the young witch whose unnervingly
accurate visions consistently cast him as the harbinger of death and
destruction for their covens. Crossing paths with her is unsettling, but
perhaps fate has intervened on his behalf, granting him the opportunity to
prove to her that he’s just a man, not the monster that her visions predict him
to be.
“I chose to feature Halloween for this anthology because what better holiday to frame a romance brimming with witches, sparking with magic and fighting against fate?” says Melody. “I’m a voracious paranormal romance fan. My heroes are Laurell K. Hamilton, Chloe Neill, Anne Rice, and Karen Marie Moning. Besides the obvious perks to the genre—danger, action and adventure—I’m drawn to paranormal romance because of the world building. I love taking a beloved genre and putting my spin on it with my rules in a world of my creation.”
In addition to her contributions to Volumes I and II of Romancing the Holidays, Melody has also published the “out of this world” full-length sci-fi romance novel Beyond the Next Star and the gritty, four-book paranormal romance Night Blood Series with Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Press. The New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Lynsay Sands "laughed out loud" reading Beyond the Next Star, and Kirkus Reviews praised is as, "an engaging and unusual otherworldly tale."
Romancing
the Holidays, Vol. 2, releases the first day of fall, September 22, 2021, and is
available online in e-book and paperback formats. Preorders are available at https://books2read.com/RTHVol2.
Fated By Fire
Excerpt (The “first look” scene)
Melody Johnson
Rumor had it Dr. Marcus Kyle could siphon as
well as merge magic, and if he chose to, he had the power to drain entire
covens to husks with a single, powerful flex of his will.
In her vivid and
increasingly—frighteningly—accurate visions, he was often testing the limits of
that power in a parody of Carrie,
wearing the blood of his slaughtered witches and warlocks with trembling glee.
In reality, his cheeks dimpled when he smiled.
Jen stood to face him, leaving her lug wrench
on the asphalt where she’d dropped it mid-spin at the sight of him. No need to
call attention to the fact that in addition to the lug wrench, she’d also
dropped her car, having stuttered on her levitation spell. Goddess help her if
he’d noticed.
He paused at her rear tire, looking a bit
sheepish. “You’ll have to excuse the get up. I was on my way to a costume
party, but I couldn’t pass by without asking if you might need help changing
that tire?”
Breathe. She’d seen Dr. Kyle’s face in her mind’s eye
for years, but her visions hadn’t prepared her for the heat of his direct gaze
nor the distraction of his angled jaw. From the curls of his faux hawk to his
perfect teeth, beaming at her from behind those lush, parted lips, and every
smooth-as-caramel, baby-faced feature in between, he was fresh and friendly.
Adorable, even.
She supposed the wrath and violence in her
visions had prevented her from truly appreciating his appearance because before
this moment, she would have described Dr. Marcus Kyle as dangerous, vicious,
and volatile. Now that he was before her in the flesh, the phrase “cutie pie”
came to mind.
And holy mother of Earth and Rain, she wanted a
bite.
ABOUT FIRST COAST ROMANCE WRITERS:
First Coast Romance Writers, an affiliate of Romance Writers of America®, is an organization for both published
and unpublished writers, as well as any individuals involved in the writing and
publishing industry. The membership includes writers of all levels, from those
working on their first manuscripts to multi-published, award-winning authors. The
chapter is dedicated to promoting excellence in romantic fiction through
monthly meetings and workshops in a comfortable forum where published and
unpublished writers share knowledge about the constantly evolving publishing
industry. FCRW strives to
help writers become published and establish careers with innovative programs,
networking opportunities and pertinent information on effective marketing
techniques for members’ novels. Find
FCRW online at https://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com
Romancing the Holidays (Vol. 2)
A First Coast Romance Writers Anthology
ON SALE: September 22, 2021
Holiday Romance / $2.99
/ B09881F57V
What a great way to raise funds to help other writers. This sounds like a wonderful anthology. I am intrigued by the fact that it is multi-genre and multi-holiday.
ReplyDeleteLove reading holiday books any time :)
ReplyDeleteI particularly enjoy holiday themed books close to the holidays.
ReplyDeleteI love that this is helping writers hone their craft. I love that everyone is welcome to write no matter what genre.
ReplyDeleteLove holiday anthologies.
ReplyDeletedenise
I am a fan of holiday anthologies. And it is a terrific thing that y'all are doing this to aid other writers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for introducing me to another author. Y'all are so kind to me.
Hope everyone is well and happy and safe.
I love supporting these charity-based books. This sounds like a wonderful anthology.
ReplyDeleteI love anthologies for 'meeting' new to me authors! I especially appreciate when I'mhelping support others when I buy something. I am intrigued by the excerpt. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love anthologies and Holiday anthologies are often the best out there. I like that this one has such a wide variety of genre and holidays represented. From the excerpt, it will be interesting to see what her visions really mean and what happens. Are the rumors really true? Is something entirely different going on?
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a wide mix of genres for an anthology. Sounds like great fun to read!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like an intriguing anthology. I added it to my tbr, thank you!
ReplyDelete