Oh, the weather outside is frightful…
Well, no. Not true, in my opinion. I love autumn and winter, especially those nippy days when a fire is blazing the woodstove, soup or chili is bubbling away, and I’m curled up under a cozy blanket, weighed down by warm animals, with a good book in hand.
Speaking of good books, Kari and I are part of a fantastic new offering, the 2023 Good Cheer StoryBundle.
This smashing bunch of books contains several dozen holiday-themed short stories, from a bundle of equally smashing writers. Dean Wesley Smith, Annie Reed, T. Thorn Coyle, Rebecca Cantrell, Robert Jeschonek, Ron Collins, a volume of WMG Publishing’s Holiday Spectacular, and an anthology from Lyn Worthen. Not to mention stories from our fabulous curator, Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
As far as Kari's and my offerings, you’ll get to read all eight stories in an exclusive
special edition of Spiral Publishing’s Uncommon Holidays: A Different Side of the Season, plus a story from each of us in WMG Publishing’s Winter Holidays anthology. Kari will tell you all about hers, and I’ll give you a hint of mine.
You’ll start by visiting Wentworth Manor in Ballerinas and Super Cats, where a petty criminal is foiled by a pair of Amazing Super Cats, whose super powers are shared by cats the world over. Oh, and they have a tiny bit of help from a pair of clueless humans, who might be sharing their own twinkle of holiday light.
Next, in The Twelve Steps of Christmas we’ll take a trip to Halfway Home, where Chuck Cantrell faces his first sober Christmas in many years. Recovery is a dang hard road, but those who work at it often find they can get a ride from time to time.
Then you’ll head back in time to that ancient year of 1976. Andrew and Shichi-Go-San tells the tale of a lonely little boy newly arrived in a far-off land, where the holidays are very different. This story is an ode to all the military brats out there, as well as to those teachers who teach far more than what’s in the school curriculum.
On to Atlanta for A Convenience Store Christmas. Of all the stories I write, the ones I feel closest to are those where the misfits find each other and forge new families. In this case, the crew at Stuart’s Stop ‘n Shop get to enjoy a wonderful family Christmas, courtesy of the conniving between a smug teenager and her favorite customer.
In the same vein, A True Family Holiday—part of the Winter Holidays anthology—is also set in Atlanta, with a cast of black sheep who find and embrace each other, reminding us that with a little luck we can always find a home that suits us down to the bone.
You can find the 2023 Good Cheer StoryBundle at www.storybundle.com/holiday. Pay as little as $5 for four books, or $20 for the whole 10-book bundle. In addition to supporting your own reading habit, you’ll also have the option to help Toys4Tots, and spread a little of your own holiday cheer to deserving kiddies.
And if holiday shopping is on your mind, StoryBundles make excellent gifts!
So pour a good strong cup of cocoa, put on a pair of extra-warm socks and prop up your feet. Settle in with your own favorite companions and enjoy a hefty dose of holiday reading.
And the happiest of holidays to you and yours from all of us!