I’ve shared before how inspiration can strike from anywhere when it comes to me writing a story.
Two Christmas seasons ago, I was happily decking my halls for the holidays and listening to a traditional Christmas music station.
A song started to play—one I’d never heard—and I literally stopped in the midst of hanging a holly garland and listened to Bing Crosby croon about a “Sleigh Bell Serenade.” If you’ve never heard the song, it’s so cute and you can listen to it on YouTube.
Anyway, by the time the song ended, I knew I wanted to write a story with that title and have one of the main characters do something with sleighs or sleigh bells.
It wasn’t until I started writing The Snowman’s Sweetheart, which released in January of last year, that I figured out how to run with the sleigh bell idea. In this book, the hero, Ky, has a best friend named Bo who is a rancher, but also runs a sleigh tour business during the winter months.
Sleigh Bell Serenade is book two in the Winter Wishes sweet romance series, and shares the story of Bowen Jensen and Juniper Haynes, a hot-shot real estate agent who is really ready from a break from her big-city, fast-paced life.
The book releases tomorrow!
He keeps his heart heavily guarded.
She meets everyone with a friendly smile.
Will the attraction sizzling between them pull them into the space between their two worlds?
Burdened by too many responsibilities, Bowen Jensen struggles beneath their overwhelming weight. Between raising his teenage sister, running their family ranch, and managing Sleigh Bell Tours, he barely has time to sleep let alone do something just for himself. He can’t even recall his last date. Then a chance encounter with a beguiling woman leaves him pondering if there isn’t more to life than trudging through one lonely day after another.
Juniper Haynes appears to have it all with a successful real estate career and a picture-perfect life. In reality, she’s tired of dealing with demanding clients, wary of her so-called friends, and secretly longs for the peace she finds at her sister’s mountain home. After a magical New Year’s Eve kiss with a cowboy she barely knows, she realizes true happiness might only be found outside her comfort zone.
Can Bo and Juniper find the courage to embrace change and explore the possibility of a future together?
Find out in this sweet winter romance full of small-town charm, memorable characters, laughter, hope, and love.
Annoyed by his infatuation with Juniper, he took a step back, uncertain what to say.
Words had never easily come to him. He was more of a doer than a talker. In his younger years, his best friend, Ky, had always filled the gap since he could talk to anyone, anytime, about anything. Ky had received the gift of gab, while Bo had been given the gift of brawn and endurance.
But at that moment, an idea or two of something witty to say would have been helpful.
“Do you live around here?” Sassy asked as Bo stood there like one of the snow carvings that would fill the town next month at the Winter Fest.
“Cedar lives in Faraday with her husband. I live in Portland,” Juniper said. “I’m just visiting through the holidays.”
“So you’ll be around for New Year’s Eve?” Sassy asked.
Heaven help him if the girl decided to take it upon herself to ask Juniper to go out with him to ring in the new year.
Juniper nodded uncertainly.
“We’re hosting a little gathering of friends that night. Would you like to join us?” Cedar asked, smiling at Bo and then Sassy in invitation. “It’s very casual and informal. We’ll have finger foods and things like pizza and jalapeno poppers, and family-friendly games.”
“Why is this the …” Juniper started to speak, but Cedar gave her a quelling look that made her snap her mouth shut.
Bo might have laughed if he hadn’t been certain there was matchmaking afoot. Under normal circumstances, he would have run in the opposite direction as fast as possible, but he really wanted to see Juniper again. A party with her sister and friends seemed harmless enough.
“We’d love to come,” Sassy said with enthusiasm before he could respond. “Thank you for inviting us.”
Do you have a favorite winter memory?
Sleigh ride? Sledding? Nailing a smug sibling with a snowball?
Share your comment for a chance to win a digital copy of Sleigh Bell Serenade!
