Cozy Christmas Reads: June's story

The Real Christmas at Raccoon Creek
A guest post by June Foster

A couple of years back, I got a contract to join with some other authors in writing a Christmas novella. The editor chose a theme—each story would center around a Christmas snow globe. Since I write contemporary romance, I fully expected my story to be in that genre. It is. With a twist.

I asked myself what if a young nurse, Emily Eason, who lives in her grandmother's fifties-style home buys a snow globe at the drug store in her tiny town of Raccoon Creek? What if she brings it home and falls asleep while gazing at the little village, the snowmen, and falling snowflakes then wakes up. Nothing looks different at first, but then she discovers her computer is missing and in its place is an old free-standing TV like from years ago. Her phone rings with the old timey ring tone, but when she looks for her cell phone, she discovers a black dial phone making the noise. Could that really happen? Well, yes, in my imagination.

Since we lived in Locust Fork, Alabama, population 750, I envisioned the story taking place in our town. Emily's 50's house I based on memories of my childhood home. Yes, I grew up in the fifties. I patterned the layout of Raccoon Creek after Locust Fork's time honored streets.

The 1950's drug store where the hero, Lance Hardwicke, is a pharmacist, is like the one in the middle of our little Alabama town. Only the present day store is updated for modern times but sells a few items one might find in shops five or six decades ago: old fashioned greeting cards, colorful plastic bracelets, fun sunglasses, jewelry items, and painted coffee mugs among others.

Though the imaginary Raccoon Creek is a bit larger than Locust Fork, the terrain around the town is the same. Well, I did add a little river near Emily's house. The real one, the Locust Fork River, is farther in the forest. The same evergreens grow in and around town. Emily and Lance experience a snow storm just like the one we had the first winter in our house.

This magical Christmas story was one of my favorites to write. It sent me on a sentimental trip to my childhood. How fun it was when some of my friends from Locust Fork and our church who read the story said they could actually picture present day Locust Fork as they read.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope you enjoy all the Christmas stories featured on Alexis's blog.

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Author Bio: An award-winning author, June Foster is a retired teacher with a BA in education and MA in counseling. June's book Give Us This Day was a finalist in EPIC's eBook awards and a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards for best first book. Ryan's Father was one of three finalists in the published contemporary fiction category of the Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Writing Contest and Awards. Deliver Us was a finalist in COTT's Laurel Awards. 

June has written four novels for Desert Breeze Publishing. The Bellewood Series, Give Us This Day, As We Forgive, and Deliver Us, and Hometown Fourth of July. Ryan's Father is published by WhiteFire Publishing. Red and the Wolf, a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, is available from Amazon.com. The Almond Tree series, For All Eternity, Echoes From the Past, What God Knew, and Almond Street Mission are available at Amazon.com.

June enjoys writing stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. Recently June has seen publication of Christmas at Raccoon Creek, Lavender Fields Inn, Misty Hollow, Restoration of the Heart, Letting Go, and Prescription for Romance. Visit June at junefoster.com.

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Blurb for June's book:  

Emily Eason wants to distance herself from her parents' opulent lifestyle in Birmingham, Alabama, and enjoy life in the rural village of Raccoon Creek and her fifties-style home. But after gazing into the little snow globe she purchased from Hardwicke's Drugs and Gifts, she finds herself transported to another time—her grandmother's era. 

Lance Hardwicke is the pharmacist and owner of Hardwicke's Drugs. Four years of pharmacy school didn't allow for much of a social life. Gorgeous Emily Eason, nurse and resident of Raccoon Creek, has captured his attention. The next time she comes in the store, he's determined to ask her out. Maybe take her to Birmingham to see the Christmas lights in his brand new orange and white '53 Pontiac Pathfinder.

Can love span the fifty-year gap standing between them?

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Buy June's book on Amazon 

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Connect with June:
Website - http://www.junefoster.com
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/author/junefoster
Twitter -  https://twitter.com/vjifoster
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorjunefoster

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Character Interview with Tom Worthington of "Freedom’s Price"

Character Interview with Tom Worthington of Freedom’s Price:

Alexis: Hi, Tom! How are you today? Are you happy with the way that your author Christine Johnson wrote your story? Inquiring minds want to know.

Tom: Hi. I gotta admit that it’s pretty peculiar to get interviewed. Did you say this was for a newspaper? I haven’t met many lady reporters. Uh, what did you ask? Oh yes, if I’m happy with the way my story came out. Well, there are parts I’d rather the world didn’t see, if you know what I mean. I’m a bit ashamed about some of the grudges I held onto. And in retrospect I’d make a few choices differently, given the chance. 

Alexis: What is the price of freedom in your story?

Tom: [Shrugs] I guess the cost means letting go of what you want most. 

Alexis: What is your motivation?

Tom:  Restoring the Worthington name, plain and simple. There were a lot of lies flung out over the years. It’s time to set things straight. 

Alexis: Who stole your father’s ship and set him adrift at sea? How did that make you feel?

Tom: Luis Mornay incited the crew to mutiny and stole the ship. Of course we didn’t know a thing about it until Pa drifted to shore far to the south and made his way home to Nantucket. Pa tried to set the record straight but the ship owners wouldn’t listen to the truth. They wanted to blame someone. Since Mornay wasn’t there, they blamed Pa and took everything he had, even our house. They broke Pa, stole his dignity. I’ll never forget that. 

Alexis: What role does forgiveness play in your story? 

Tom: You think I should forgive Mornay—or whatever he calls himself now. [Long pause] I suppose I should. They say forgiveness is for yourself, not the villain who hurt you, but it’s tough. I’ll forgive, but forget? I don’t think I’ll ever forget. 

Alexis: The bravery and beauty of this story’s heroine, Catherine Haynes, has you at hello. Why? What is it about her that touches your heart?

Tom: [Grinning] You’ve seen her. I know you’re a lady and all, but you have to admit she’s gorgeous. That red hair of hers… [sigh] I should have realized the hair matched her temperament. Spunky, bold, decisive. Who wouldn’t be drawn to her? 

Alexis: Why do you fear for Catherine’s safety? What measures do you take to protect her?

Tom: All those great qualities of hers also make her headstrong. Once she’s decided on a course of action, she doesn’t deviate—even if holding course is dangerous. She’s a bit naïve about the dangers she faces as a woman alone in the world. With no male relations, she needs someone to step in and protect her. I’ll make sure no one lays a hand on her, even if it means hounding her every step. 

Alexis: Who is Rourke O’Malley? How did he lead you to Jesus Christ? What were you like before you met him and became a Christian?

Tom: Rourke is my commander, the owner of the O’Malley fleet. When I first came to Key West, he rescued me from a duel spurred on by my temper. The man would have slaughtered me if Rourke hadn’t stepped in. Rourke took me aboard his ship and showed through his actions how living for Christ changes a man. That’s when I first realized that fighting wouldn’t bring me respect. Character, integrity, and adhering to Christ’s way; that’s what matters. Rourke showed me I could look forward at all that God promises instead of back at the troubled past. Not that I have it all down yet, mind you. 

Alexis: Who is DeMornay? Why do you think that he might harm Catherine?

Tom: Luis Mornay. Louis DeMornay. The names are too similar. If DeMornay is Mornay, then he will stop at nothing and no one to get what he wants. If Catherine marches in there thinking she’ll be in charge, she’s asking for trouble. He will use it against her. I have to protect her. 

Alexis: What would you say was your “black moment” in this story? Why?

Tom: When I thought Catherine might be dead…all because I delayed getting to her. I’ve never felt so sick. 

Alexis: If you could change one thing about your story, what would it be? Why?

Tom: Sometimes I think I should have told Catherine my suspicions from the start. Maybe she wouldn’t have gone to Louisiana. 

Alexis: How do you want to be remembered by your readers?

Tom: [grinning, a twinkle in his eye] As a dashing hero, of course. 

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Tom! Would you like to share closing thoughts? 

Tom: Thanks for reading my story. I hope you like it! 

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Author bio:

Christine Johnson loves history, especially when it centers on ships and the sea. 

In addition to her Keys of Promise series with Revell, she has authored a dozen books with Steeple Hill and Love Inspired. 

She and her ship captain husband split time between the shores of Lake Huron and the Florida Keys. 

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Book blurb for Freedom’s Price: When Englishwoman Catherine Haynes loses both her father and her home in 1856, she decides to cross the Atlantic to find her American mother’s family in Louisiana. She enlists the help of Tom Worthington, a dashing Key West man who makes his living salvaging wrecked ships.

When Catherine arrives at the plantation, she finds that her family has left it in the care of a manager—who’s let it fall into disrepair. Torn between returning to Key West with Tom and beginning the hard work of restoring the plantation, Catherine soon finds herself snared in a plot to steal her inheritance. When an incredible secret comes to light, both she and Tom will face a choice: grip their dreams ever tighter or step forward in faith—even if it costs them everything.

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Buy Freedom's Price:
Author website ~ Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ CBD

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Connect with Christine:
Website - http://christineelizabethjohnson.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ChristineJohnsonAuthor
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChristineJWrite

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below: 

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Movie Review: Hearts of Spring on The Hallmark Channel

My Review for Hearts of Spring, A Movie for The Hallmark Channel

Just in time for the warm weather season, Hearts of Spring is a delight and will bring a smile to full bloom on your face! It will also make you appreciate the beauty and special meaning of various flowers while restoring your hope in true love.

Lisa Whelchel leads the sweet story about a single mom (Carly Ashby) who is balancing the raising of her daughter Sadie (Clancy Cauble, who happens to be Lisa’s real-life daughter), with running her flower shop and blogging, which is her true passion. She blogs under the name, “Bestie Mom.”

Enter Dr. Andy Sommers (Michael Shanks), a pediatrician who’s popular with the ladies, and Lisa’s life is thrown off balance. Dr. Sommers moonlights online as “Jugglingdad.” He challenges Bestie Mom’s parenting advice to her readers with contrasting comments of his own. His challenging and at times, disparaging comments rile Lisa but at the same time, intrigue her and pique her interest. It is the back and forth banter and verbal brawl that drives more traffic to Lisa’s blog and makes the readers look forward to the next comment.

Lisa does not know that Andy is ‘Jugglingdad.’ When she first meets him, she falls in love with his personality and heart. He’s a good-looking guy but it’s their friendship and mutual respect for each other as parents that draws them close.

The tension between Andy and his son Troy is evident from the first few scenes of their interaction. It’s clear that Andy’s strict parenting style that he uses to raise his teenage son, is not working as well as he hoped. His son has moments where he resents his dad for keeping him on a short leash such as enforcing an early curfew on a school night. However, when Andy starts dating Carly, his rules begin to relax and he starts to listen to his son about his life instead of bossing him around and enforcing strict rules with no breathing room. It's clear from the start that Carly and Andy have their own unique challenges of raising their kids. It’s interesting how they end up helping each other better understand their kids. Andy’s advice to Carly about how to raise her daughter plays a significant role in this movie too.

The cinematography of this movie was colorful and well lit. I especially enjoyed the colors of Carly’s flower shop. The picture inside the store was vibrant and the flowers nearly come alive on the screen. The color scheme throughout the movie matched each scene and was the perfect hue. The lighting gently graced and enhanced the skin tones of the actors. The viewer of the movie truly saw the characters in their “best light.”

The tone of this movie is sweet and soft. There’s conflict but the tone remains calm despite the series of upsets. It gives the audience hope that the movie will end on an up note. However, there are moments that make you wonder how the story will pan out in the end, which is good because it keeps the viewer’s attention.

The instrumental music in the movie is used to whet the viewer’s appetite from the opening scene of the movie. It’s also used in strategic places in the movie to build tension. The music fits the movie like a tailored suit.

The acting is second to none. Each actor embodies their character and plays their role with ease and confidence. They truly make the viewer believe that Carly is a florist who’s not looking for love and that her daughter Sadie is a free spirit who wants to travel the world before going to college and that Dr. Andy Sommers needs a life outside of work and a wife.

I cannot share more without giving away the plot. I can say though, that this movie deserves a “thumbs up” for every point. It’s a beautiful story that’s relatable to real life.

Watch Hearts of Spring on The Hallmark Channel this Saturday night (April 9) at 9:00 p.m. (EST)