No matter what holidays you may celebrate this time of year—winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern—we’re getting into crunch time when it comes to shopping and shipping.
Our family celebration is shifted this year to around New Year’s Eve, which I must say is a much easier time to travel, even to the frozen tundra of Michigan. Lighter traffic, smaller crowds, and substantially less stress all around.
But the biggest advantage might be that we have a crucial extra few days to get gifts delivered on time!
Don’t despair, though, certainly when it comes to yourself and the readers in your life.
E-books don’t require postage, packaging, or the potentially unpleasant surprise of needing to upgrade to expedited shipping. They arrive in inboxes with lightning-fast speed and no worries about reindeer droppings on your roof.
And the 2023 Good Cheer StoryBundle is bursting with amazing quick escapes to carry you through this year and into 2024!
This bundle includes ten books, each full of short story magic from some of the best writers working today. And I have to say I’m super proud of Uncommon Holidays, the anthology Jason and I have in the bundle, and that two of our stories are in WMG Publishing’s Holiday Spectacular volume Winter Holidays, also included!
Even with all that, you won’t need a bucketful of cash for so much reading joy. You can grab all ten books for as little as $20, with the option to add more if you’re feeling generous. And you’ll get a chance to help Toys4Tots bring holiday magic to kids who need it most.
The ten stories from us definitely showcase our slightly off-kilter view of life and the holidays, and we had a fantastic time writing them. Since six of these stories were professional sales, I figured I’d let our StoryBundle curator Kristine Kathryn Rusch tell you more.
But don’t wait too long on this chance to stock up on the kinds of delightful tales you can devour in quick, refreshing bites during such a busy time of year.
This wonderful StoryBundle is only available for a short time, so be sure to grab one for yourself and check off those last minute gifts so you can settle back for some seriously good holiday reading!
Uncommon Holidays: A Different Side of the Season, Special StoryBundle Edition
Between them, Kari Kilgore and Jason Adams have written dozens of holiday stories. I have no idea how festive their home is during the holiday season, but I imagine that it's probably quite relaxing—except when the two of them are working on their wonderful fiction. They've included off-beat holiday stories here, featuring not just unexpected holidays but unexpected guests as well. Enjoy.
WMG Publishing’s Holiday Spectacular Winter Holidays
When I started putting together seasonal anthologies, I knew I didn't just want Christmas stories. Everyone writes Christmas stories, and yet there are forty other holidays that people can celebrate between Thanksgiving and New Year's, and I might be undercounting. So I asked some of the best writers I know to give me stories about winter holidays that aren't Christmas, and I compiled some of the best right here.
The Magic Cat of the Hidden Springs Inn and Spa
I know the Hidden Springs Inn and Spa doesn’t exist except in Kari’s imagination, but I sure want to visit. And taste the fudge. And pet Zortea, the magic cat of the title. But since I can’t, I’ll do the next best thing, and read about them.
You might want to rustle up a bit of fudge and maybe put some Vince Guaraldi on repeat as you read this.
Finding Sanctuary
Kari sets the story on the longest night of the year, which is tonight (12/21/2020). She imagines this night as a night of healing, a night of forgiveness, a night for warmth even amidst the cold.
Sure, The Sanctuary is imaginary, but its power is real. I hope this story’s gentleness helps you transition out of this very hard year, and move back towards the light.
Andrew and Shichi-Go-San
...this story is so heartfelt and so heartwarming, I had to include it in the volume. I hope you enjoy this little celebration as much as I do.
Pungent Justice
Set in the early 1990s before cell phones became ubiquitous (gasp!), this story looks at a different kind of holiday, the kind where an entire family is hanging on by its fingertips, trying to make the best of everything...
Now time to travel back thirty years to a gray Midwestern day, where you’ll find some very pungent justice.
