Dear Gentle Readers,
This Christmas writing season was twice as busy as usual with not one, but two Christmas stories released in December. I Need Christmas was part of An Oakville Family Christmas anthology and was the most unusual story I have ever written.
After a depressing year of sadness, loneliness, and self-doubt, successful civil engineer and former All-American basketball star Elizabeth (Betsy) Curry returns home to Oakville, Ohio, for the Christmas holidays a depressed and broken women. Reeling from her bitter divorce from the handsome, charming, but morally decrepate Tommy DeMalio, her college sweetheart and first big love, who left her after two years of what she thought was a good marriage for a stripper he met at an office bachelor party for her co-worker, Betsy feels lost and empty. Not exactly anticipating the happy holiday with her family and their multitude of joyful Christmas customs and long-time storybook-like traditions, she knows she needs them in order to heal.
Once comfortable at home and feeling somewhat better about herself, Tommy shows up and claims he wants a reconciliation, throwing her back into the self-destructive cycle of doubt, hostility, and suspision she is trying so hard to escape.
She discovers her father has set her up with his protégé at work, the tall, handsome, athletic red-haired Patrick, who, try as hard as she can, she can’t find a single thing she doesn’t like about him.
So, what’s the problem? Betsy feels it’s too soon for her to love again. How can she love anyone again when she doesn’t like herself or what she’s become since the break-up. Also, she fears she will hurt the sweet, gentle Patrick.
Will the love, joy, and goodwill of the holiday season coupled with the many long-time holiday customs and Curry family traditions help Betsy to find herself again? Will she be strong enough to lift herself out of her self-induced prison so that she can take another chance on love ?
It wasn't the subject matter that made the story unusual. It was the fact that the three of us were writing the same story about the same family in the same two week period before Christmas, each from the viewpoint of a different character. I had doubts this was going to work out! But it did, and beautifully. Of course, the talented Alison Jean Ash and Giulietta Spudich were wonderful to work with. If you haven't had a chance to take a look at I Need Christmas and An Oakville Family Christmas, I suggest you do.
Hugs,
Carol
Links:
I Need Christmas http://www.amazon.com/Need-Christmas-Oakville-Family-Book-ebook/dp/B0193G3RA6/ref=la_B0076OMJY8_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451850895&sr=1-10
An Oakville Family Christmas Anthology http://www.amazon.com/Oakville-Family-Christmas-Giulietta-Spudich-ebook/dp/B0192KE9H8/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
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