DECEMBER ~ Bringing Home the Christmas Tree

“Who we are is where we’ve been, who are parents are, where we lived, who are friends were and are. All these influence what we see and how we see it, how we talk and what we say, how we think and what we think about, what we believe and what we value. We are our histories.”  
                                  ~ Jerry Apps, Renowned storyteller, author, educator and historian
                                                                                               ~ from Living a Country Year

As December rolls around, often into a snowy wonderland for northern states’ residents like myself, we look forward to holidays and the simple joys of country living. When I was growing up, it was an exciting time for farm kids to get the family Christmas tree. Never was there any discussion about visiting a Christmas tree farm or buying one. Bundled up and with boots on, we trudged through the white stuff, searching our own woodlands for an evergreen tree to fit in its rightful place in the corner of our dining room. Even a less-than-stellar, often lopsided, Charlie-Brown-like pine or spruce tree would do. After all, we were going to position it with its best side looking outward, weren’t we?

Our ornaments were glass, shiny, and old—and in all the colors of the rainbow along with silver, white, pink and other variations. We also had small plastic Rudolph reindeer ornaments to add to the seasonal vibe. Mother usually let us decorate without any interference, except with the warning not to throw the icicles on the tree, as we were apt to do as we tired of the final step. The plug for the light was one set into the floor. We were also sternly reminded not to drop anything into it—like tiny metal hangers used to fasten the bulbs on the branches. 

The tinsel on the tree was silver and thinner those fluffy ones of today and served to help hide the holes between the branches. Our colored light bulbs each had a reflector with mirrors on each point of the star to send up a dazzling display. Beneath the tree was a white skirt with a manger scene and a score of cardboard houses where a bulb from a string of lights could be inserted in the back of each to illuminate the vivid paper windows. On top, a lighted angel sat looking out and guarding our cozy farmhouse. When we finished, our tree was sometimes gaudy, but always a lovable one. The lights were a merry sight to behold when lit in the evening. The fresh pine scented the air with a pleasing, clean smell. 

Now, with the multitude of new and various holiday decorations for trees and our homes, I wonder whether we’ve lost the true delight and excitement of digging out all the boxes with old treasured ornaments and re-engaging in the fun of discovering familiar things that were so much part of our past and traditions. The humble tree reflected a multitude of joys in many Christmas celebrations of long ago.  

It truly was a part of who were, where we’ve been, how and where we lived, what we believed, and what we valued. It was our histories.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Award-winning novella, ADELENE ~THE VIOLINIST, 

is Book 2, in the “Musical Christmas Series,” and took first place in the
2023 Oklahoma Romance Writers’ of America Contemporary Short Awards. 

Just $1.99

Will Adelene Almanza discover the long-forgotten secrets of the old schoolhouse 

hidden away in its boarded-up attic? And will the sparks of love 

ignite a second time for her and a long ago love?

 

NOVEMBER - The Holidays Are Around the Corner

The holidays are around the corner. This is the time when we start thinking of delicious foods, gift-giving, family fun, and merriment. 

November is my favorite holiday with celebration of Thanksgiving when friends and families gather just to enjoy camaraderie and good food. Bring on the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberries and more. This is the time to give thanks for all our blessings of the past year, such as fruitful harvests, safe journeys, excellent health, and other good fortunes we've experienced. 

This month I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, but I'm also spending the month re-introducing my  holiday novellas in the "Musical Christmas Series," which include JUNE ~ The Pianist, ADELENE ~ The Violinist, and LUCY ~ The Clarinetist.  All three novellas are stand-alone works that can be read out of order. They are heartwarming, sweet romances with a hint of mystery and humor to add to the intrigue and charm. If you love holiday stories, please take a peek below at my first book:

JUNE ~ The Pianist

 

Here's the blurb for JUNE ~ The Pianist
which is Book 1 in the Musical Christmas Series
and which is a clean wholesome romance for only $0.99.

A sweet Christmas novella to warm your heart!

     When concert pianist June Westberry inherits her late grandfather’s music shop, she returns to her small hometown in New York to renovate and manage it. But she never expects to clash with the town’s ornery old music teacher, Nettie Jones who demands she find a lost, fifty-year-old holiday musical score.
     Single parent and contractor, Leo Ciaffonni, enjoys restoring old buildings, and the A# Music Shop with its pretty new owner is no exception. When he’s injured, June finds herself caring for Leo and helping his little daughter bake cookies for her class.
     As the holidays close in and the shop’s renovations continue, the problems June tries hard to solve only seem to become more chaotic. A# Sharp Music Shop is broken into. A harvest recital for her new students requires multifaceted planning. And the perpetrator and the lost musical score have not been found.
     Will she be able to find peace and order in her new life this Christmas—and the love she’s always dreamed of? 

LINK to JUNE - THE PIANIST     

 

                                                 LINK to my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

 

 

KEY TO LOVE - Summer Reading and Oldie from the Past

"Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness," so says Oliver Wendell Holmes. . . and the father of Elise Springer, the main character.  http://www.amazon.com/Key-to-Love-ebook/dp/B00DNO9S8K

KEY TO LOVE is an oldie from the past and a romantic mystery full of snappy, humorous dialogue. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll race against the clock with Elise as she tries to find the person who murdered a state trooper.

The cast of characters include the heroine, Elise Springer, an architect; hero Lucas Fisher who owns a car restoration garage and drives a restored Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am; and Lucas’s little orphaned nephew, Todd, who’s addicted to animal crackers and The Fox and the Hound storybook. 

 

You'll laugh with Elise’s grumpy, but astute father, her wise-cracking brother, Fritz, and a no-nonsense director of Child and Youth Services, Twila Pedmo.

BOOK BLURB:

When architect Elise Springer's father is injured, she immediately leaves San Francisco to care for him. The last person she expects to encounter in her Pennsylvania hometown is her childhood friend, Lucas Fisher. 

Lucas is investigating his brother's mysterious death, and Elise can't resist lending a hand. Lucas longs for the close family ties he never had. He's back in Scranton to set up a classic car restoration business and build a future. The torch he carries for Elise burns brighter than ever, but before he can declare his love, he must obtain the legal rights to adopt his nephew--and prove his brother's death was no accident.

As they unearth clues to find the murderer and a missing stash of money, Elise faces a dilemma. Is her career on the West Coast the key to her happiness, or is it an animal-cracker-eating four-year-old and his handsome uncle instead? 

                              ~ * ~                                                   

 

 SWEET KISS

NOW ON SALE FOR A LIMITED TIME - $0.99 

Part of the Stand Alone Candy Hearts Series!

 Can one sweet kiss revive an old love?

Hard-working Kate Clark opens a thriving coffee shop that quickly becomes the local hang-out for students and the community. Her one wish is to eventually buy out her sister’s share of the old Florida home they inherited. However, Violet is need desperate of cash and has other plans.

Tappe Vanderberg, Kate’s childhood friend and high school sweetheart, has sold his lucrative internet security business to return to Little Heron Shores and fulfill his dreams of owning a marina. Now the handsome Dutch-born businessman is making waves with single women all over town—including loony, post mistress Eva May Poole who’s in search of husband number three.

But it’s Kate Clark who’s wreaking havoc with Tappe’s heart, not Eva May. Can he find away to shake the dingbat post mistress and convince Kate to give him a second chance and the sweet kiss he remembers from an earlier time?

Judy's Amazon Author Page Link

Sweet Kiss Link

WILLIE, MY LOVE - An Excerpt and Rafflecopter

Can two stubborn hearts find love under the tall white pines?

EXCERPT:

He broke the stillness first. “Did you recognize him?”

“Who?”

           "The thief you knifed in the woods, Miss Decoy.”

“How would you know I knifed him?”

“I heard no gunfire from the clearing, but from the amount of blood scattered all over the place, you more than just playfully tickled his ribs. Actually, it looked like you went for the poor fellow's jugular vein.”

 “I wish I had. I only stabbed him in his shoulder. I wasn't aiming to kill, just slow him down a bit."
“With men that ruthless, Willie, it's best not to extend too much compassion. Those three riders on the ridge weren't exactly trying to miss your backside in the true spirit of Christian charity.”

 “Next time, I won't let them get that close.”

  “There won't be a next time,” he snapped. “You pull a fool stunt like that again while I'm here, and I will tell your father. The closest you'll ever get to a logging operation will be sewing buttons on your crews’ shirts. So tell me, did you recognize him or the horse he rode?”

  “No. If I had recognized him, or his blasted horse, I would have spoken to the proper authorities.” She paused and wagged a slim finger at his face. “You realize, mister, you're a pain in the...”

  “Don't even say it!”

  “Neck. But your first conclusion might be a more appropriate location.”

   Their dueling gazes met and he reached out and captured her against his chest.

   Suddenly conscious of the fact that he either wanted to shake her mercilessly or kiss her senseless, he released her gently, disturbed by the discovery she had aroused far more than anger. He stalked to the fireplace and gripped the mantel, his head bent in thought. He had always been good at logical reasoning, but this wisp of a backwoods girl defied every civilized rule he ever learned. Her nearness stoked a gently growing fire that he’d never felt before with any other woman. And she was oblivious to it all. How would he ever be able to work beside her?

  A lengthy silence elapsed before he spoke in a calm voice. “Is there a possible way we can come to terms since we have to share the same roof over our heads?”

  Shifting like the wind, she concurred. “Unfortunately, I agree with you.”

  Turning, he pinned an astonished gaze on her. “You mean there’s actually an ounce of compassion in that tiny body of yours?”

  Willie grinned. “Don't compare my size with my compassion, or any other of my abilities, for that matter. The venom of a rattlesnake is deadly regardless of its size.”  

BACK COVER BLURB:  

The year is 1856. White pine is king of the forest.

Releasing on April 15th

The last thing Jonathan Wain wants to do is ride miles through Pennsylvania’s wilderness to help his father’s logging partner in the small settlement of Clearfield. But his family owns clipper ships in the Chesapeake Bay that carry the coveted logs to the markets each spring, and they can’t afford a loss.

The last thing Wilhelmina Wydcliffe wants is a handsome sea captain from Maryland meddling in her father’s logging operations under attack by unknown enemies. A feisty tomboy and better known as Willie to her crews, she has a dream to be the largest logging operator east of the Mississippi River.

When both Willie’s and Jonathan’s lives are threatened, they are forced to work together to find their enemies before both of their companies are in shambles. 

But as their attraction to each other escalates, can they set aside their differences, unearth the truth, and discover contentment in each other’s arms? 

       

Order Now in Print or Digital:

https://www.amazon.com/Willie-Love-Judy-Ann-Davis-ebook/dp/B07P87GNCZ/ 

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW 
TO WIN A $15 AMAZON GIFT CARD

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LAST DAY - KEY TO LOVE - NOW $0.99 - Mystery and Romance

He was known as the bad boy around town. But now Lucas Fisher is all grown up and he knows what he wants. He wants his best friend's sister, talented architect Elise Springer. But he's on the East Coast and she's on the West. Will they find their KEY TO LOVE?

Key to Love Link

BLURB:

KEY TO LOVE

When architect Elise Springer's father is injured, she immediately leaves San Francisco to care for him. The last person she expects to encounter in her Pennsylvania hometown is her childhood friend Lucas Fisher. Lucas is investigating his brother's mysterious death, and Elise can't resist lending a hand.

Lucas longs for the close family ties he never had. He's back in Scranton to set up a classic car restoration business and build a future. The torch he carries for Elise burns brighter than ever, but before he can declare his love, he must obtain the legal rights to adopt his nephew--and prove his brother's death was no accident.

As they unearth clues to find the murderer and a missing stash of money, Elise faces a dilemma. Is her career on the West Coast the key to her happiness, or is it an animal-cracker-eating four-year-old and his handsome uncle instead?

Now only $0.99 for a short time. 
ENDS JULY 28TH