#christmasbook

When Friends Join Forces…Christmas Magic Happens!  from Misty M. Beller

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We’re thrilled to have guest Misty M. Beller back in the corral again. Welcome, Misty!

 It’s such an honor to visit with my Petticoats and Pistols family again! 

Do you love Christmas books as much as I do?  

Ever since I was young, Christmas stories have held a special place in my heart. The charm and warmth they exude, coupled with the enchantment of the holiday season, make Christmas books a captivating combination I find irresistible. Can you relate? 

I’m beyond thrilled to share that I’ve joined forces with my good friends and author heroes Jody Hedlund and Lacy Williams to release Christmas Bells and Wedding Vows, a brand new Christmas novella collection featuring marriage of convenience stories! Y’all, I’m over the moon excited about this book!

I’ve long been a HUGE fan of Jody Hedlund and Lacy Williams. I’ve read so many of their books over and over! Joining them for this Christmas novella collection has been a dream come true for so many reasons. And not only are these three marriage of convenience stories set on the Rocky Mountain frontier (my favorite place!), each of these novellas is an exciting extension of the current series we’re each writing. 

Jody’s novella is the finale to her Colorado Cowgirls series. We meet both the hero and heroine of this Christmas story back in book 4. You don’t have to have read Jody’s series to fall in love with them here though! 

Lacy’s novella tells the story of a character from a new mail order bride series she has coming soon. This prelude is a fantastic taste that will have you swooning as you eagerly await the rest of the books! 

My own contribution features Two Stones, the Coulter family’s best friend from the Brothers of Sapphire Mountain Ranch series. I love having the chance to tell his story, even though he’s not ‘officially’ one of the brothers.  

If you’ve read any of these series—or if you just love Christmas books like I do!—you’ll definitely want to read the novellas in Christmas Bells and Wedding Vows. It’s our collective holiday gift to you, the readers—intertwining familiar settings and characters with the joy and love that the festive season brings. We hope these tales bring you the same warmth and joy we’ve felt while penning them.  

To whet your appetite for Christmas Bells and Wedding Vows, I’m excited to give away a signed paperback of my book Healing the Mountain Man’s Heart!

This is book 1 in my Brothers of Sapphire Ranch series, and the book where we first meet Two Stones (whose stories is in this Christmas collection)! 

To be entered for the giveaway,

I’d love to know your favorite Christmas reading tradition!

Do you like to reread old Christmas favorites? Or do you binge read all the great new Christmas stories?

Leave a comment below to enter.

 

 

I write romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

My husband and children are the loves of my life, keeping me both grounded and crazy, sane and out of my mind.

I was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so my Southern roots run deep. Growing up, my family was close, and we continue to keep that priority today. My husband and 5 kiddos now add another dimension to my life, keeping me both grounded and crazy.

God has placed a desire in my heart to combine my love for Christian fiction and the simpler farm life, writing historical novels that display His abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of my characters.

Writing is my passion, and my family—both immediate and extended—is the foundation that holds me secure in my dream.

Learn more about Misty on her website: https://mistymbeller.com/

The Adventures of Ollie and Tip

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Once in a blue moon, I get a crazy idea that I have to pursue.

My latest was thinking I could publishing another children’s book for the holiday season this year, but without a fabulous illustrator.

I did not want to depend on Unlimited Graphic Design Services. I wanted to do the whole book myself – the story, the graphics – everything.

Crazy, right?

Especially when I can’t draw, not even a lick.

Thank goodness for graphic design programs and YouTube tutorials!

I started kicking around the idea of a children’s book based off two little animal characters from my Baker City Brides sweet historical series. I wanted them to be the stars of the show.

Ollie is a raccoon and Tip is a fox, and they both got to play the part of a hero in their respective stories right alongside the human hero.

I knew I wanted this story to rhyme, because who doesn’t enjoy reading a rhyming book. My little nephew and his joy of rhyming stories is what inspired that idea.

I knew I wanted a hidden character on each page of the book, which turned out to be a cardinal. My mom loved cardinals and it’s my little way of including her in the story even though she’s no longer with us.

And I wanted the book to be something special for my readers to enjoy for Christmas.

Once I sat down and wrote the story, it was time to dig in and start working on the illustrations. When I dove into this project, I had no idea how much I would learn and how far this would stretch my talents (and sometimes my patience!).

But it was a lot of fun, so I thought I’d show you few samples of how the book came together.

Using Adobe Photoshop, I used photographs of foxes and raccoons and through a process (of about a dozen steps for each photo), I turned the photographs into graphics. Then I turned each graphic into a full-page illustration.

For example:

This photo of a raccoon became

This page in the book.

And this photograph of a fox turned into

This page.

Christmas Keepsake: The Adventures of Ollie and Tip

I truly enjoyed working on this sweet little story full of Christmas cheer and I hope you’ll enjoy reading it. You can find it on Amazon in digital, hardback, and paperback versions. It’s also enrolled in Kindle Unlimited for those with subscriptions.

What is your favorite children’s Christmas story?

I used to love reading The Littlest Angel and The Littlest Christmas Tree.