Christmas Stocking Sweethearts with Winnie Griggs!

 

Hello, everyone, and welcome to our Cowboys & Mistletoes celebration! This year, we’re doing things a little differently—spreading our celebration over two weeks instead of one. For this first week, we’re thrilled to introduce a fun new Christmas series, Christmas Stocking Sweethearts, which we wrote specifically for this event. The connecting thread for the series is that the hero or heroine of each book is a former student of the same piano teacher, Melody Nightingale. At the opening of each book, the hero or heroine receives a package from Melody containing a very personal, handcrafted Christmas stocking and a letter written on the back of the sheet music for a Christmas carol.

Once we had our premise, we realized it would be helpful to explain a bit of the backstory about who Melody Nightingale was and why she would send these gifts to her former students. That’s how this first story came to be. I’m very pleased to present to you Melody’s story.

CHRISTMAS STOCKING SWEETHEARTS Book #1!

CHRISTMAS MELODY kicks things off with a story that not only introduces Melody, but gives us a peek into who the characters in the other books were as children

Stitching melodies of love, one stocking at a time…

In 1854 Nightingale, Texas, nineteen-year-old Melody Nightingale feels trapped by her family’s expectations. As the only daughter of the town’s founding family, she’s expected to make an advantageous marriage and take her place in society. Instead of attending the endless round of tea parties, Melody longs to share her love of music with others. She also has no interest in the eligible suitors her mother parades before her, she’d much rather discuss her favorite books with shopkeeper John Hartley.

When she discovers her housekeeper’s daughter secretly playing the piano, Melody makes an impulsive decision to give the child lessons—a choice that defies the strict social boundaries of her time. And in doing so she helps shy young Zoe find her confidence through music.

Melody realizes she’s finally found her own path, one that leads far from her family’s carefully laid plans. Ignoring her parents’ disapproval, she becomes the town’s piano teacher. It’s a calling that she pursues with great enjoyment and passion, eventually touching the lives of hundreds of students. And perhaps even that kind-hearted shopkeeper…

This heartwarming story of love, music, and finding one’s true path launches the Christmas Stocking Sweethearts series, introducing readers to the remarkable woman whose handmade gifts will touch lives for decades to come.

From now through the end of the year, this book will be available for only 99 cents!
PURCHASE HERE

 

Yes, we know. It’s that time of year when we sometimes feel less kind than we should.

Re-write the sentence in red to something less naughty and more nice.  For example:

NAUGHTY:  “Grandma’s eggnog is too thick and chunky.”

NICE: “Isn’t it wonderful Grandma is still with us to make her eggnog?”

THE TREE IS LOSING NEEDLES.

You might win this piano ornament that plays
Hark The Herald Angels Sing!

All entries will be eligible for our oh-so-beautiful Grand Prize, too!

Winners announced Sunday, December 15!

(USA Winners only, please.)

Website |  + posts

Winnie Griggs is the author of Historical (and occasionally Contemporary) romances that focus on Small Towns, Big Hearts, Amazing Grace. She is also a list maker, a lover of dragonflies and holds an advanced degree in the art of procrastination.
Three of Winnie’s books have been nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and one of those nominations resulted in a win.
Winnie loves to hear from readers. You can connect with her on facebook at www.facebook.com/WinnieGriggs.Author or email her at winnie@winniegriggs.com.

137 thoughts on “Christmas Stocking Sweethearts with Winnie Griggs!”

  1. I love having a live Christmas tree, it fills the house with the refreshing scent of pine. I don’t even mind cleaning the needles that fall off, it’s worth it to have such a beautiful tree.

  2. With all the beautiful ornaments and fresh pine scent, you barely notice the fact that you are losing needles.

  3. Isn’t it wonderful that this Christmas tree has brought us so much joy, given us such happy memories, and made this Christmas special?

  4. A live Christmas tree would have been nice but with asthma the rich pine scent would not have been such a good idea so we settle for a fake one that we put together every year and make it look beautiful.

  5. It’s a joy to clean up the dishes with my daughter after our wonderful Christmas feast! I’ll be tired tomorrow! LOL

    And I loved Melody’s story! Can’t wait to read the others!

  6. The tree is losing needles so why not pick them up and make something crafty with them like a wreath.

  7. Even though our Christmas tree is losing a few needles, this is the best tree and Christmas we have ever had!

  8. The tree is losing needles, but it is much better than an artificial one, because it smells very good!

  9. The tree is losing needles, but maybe we can collect them and make some wreaths for those in need of one!

  10. The tree is so beautiful even if a few needles have begun to fall off the lights and ornaments still sparkle.

  11. Our tree, even though it is starting to lose needles, is one of the prettiest and fullest we have ever had!

  12. Even though it might have been messy and dropped needles I still prefer the real trees we used to decorate. They just smelled like Christmas!!

  13. Even though our real tree is losing a few needles it is still lovely and brings back so many beautiful memories when we were kids and would go out and cut down our own tree and bring it home.

  14. I love a real Christmas tree – it smells so good and we are so blessed to be able to have one! I love collecting the “spare” needles it gives us to add to the simmering potpourri.

  15. Aren’t we blessed to live in a time with electricity! Electric lights to light up our Christmas tree, and the power of a vacuum to clean up any needles that may fall. 🙂

  16. Our Christmas tree is lovely with it’s tree skirt surrounding it. The needles that fall into it makes the house smell heavenly!

  17. Needles, needles? Who needs needles? With less needles on the tree there is more room for the ornaments Granny Dot sent me until the day she went to heaven above.

  18. I still want a live tree this Christmas even if it loses it needles because I love the natural pine smell of it.

  19. The needles on the tree smell so nice.
    Thanks for the chance to win these prizes. I just finished Sarah Lamb’s book yesterday. I truly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

  20. I’m sure if we remember to keep the tree watered and check it often then we will be able to enjoy the lovely needles that will stay on the tree. So we can experience the spectacular ornaments and lights!

  21. “Isn’t it wonderful to have a real live Christmas tree this year? Even if it loses a few needles here and there, look at that beauty.”

  22. The tree is losing its needles but oh my! the pine scent just makes the house smell so Christmasy?

  23. The tree is sharing with me! I’ll pick up all of the needles, tie them in little bundles, and spread them throughout the house to make all of the rooms smell like the outdoors!

  24. We found out when I was a kid that my youngest sister was allergic to pine so from then on we have had the fake tree along with the color wheel to make things more fun and colorful and now I have pre-lit tree with different color lights in my opinion whether you have a real tree or fake tree I still celebrate the real reason for Christmas which is Jesus. Love that quilt it’s so beautiful hopefully I win it

  25. The tree is loosing its needles so now it won’t be so heavy to carry out after Christmas.
    This is going to be a fun week. Ordered Christmas Melody Nov. 18. Can’t wait to have them all so I can binge read the series. Thank you.

  26. The scent of our Christmas tree is so refreshing, I hardly even noticed the needles on our tree skirt!

  27. Having family surrounding us at Christmas as we all enjoy the smell of the tree, the beauty of the ornaments makes cleaning up pine needles a joy.

  28. The smell of our fresh pine Christmas tree fills the house so nicely that I don’t even mind vacuuming all the pine needles that fall.

  29. A tree’s needles drop like happy tears,
    letting you know that this is such a wonderful magical time of the year!

  30. I love a live tree! Despite the extra “mess”, there’s nothing that smells like Christmas, as the smell of an Evergreen in my home!

  31. I have wonderful memories of cutting down our Christmas tree. The family bonded around decorating it’s fragrant boughs not worrying about a few dropped needles.

  32. The tree is losing it’s needles, but what a great reminder of finding just the right tree in the woods to cut down & decorate. Many memories were made! I don’t even mind cleaning them up 🙂

  33. The tree was doing its best to add to the ambience by adding fragrant , all natural green glitter to the surroundings.

  34. “O Christmas Tree … O Christmas Tree, How lovely are your branches … “, I’ve spread a tree skirt to catch your needles! No Problem.

  35. I love the smell of those pine needles on the floor! They remind me of the days when my parents were alive, Santa Claus was very real, and a Christmas stocking was waiting on Christmas morning!

Comments are closed.