Christmas On My Heart: "Merry Christmas, Amor" by Cindy Flores Martinez

The Story Behind Merry Christmas, Amor by Cindy Flores Martinez:

My story, Merry Christmas, Amor, was originally published as part of Melissa Storm’s First Street Church Romances Kindle World a little over a year ago. Back then, it had another title: Love’s Second Chance. The story was much shorter, it didn’t have a Christmas theme, and the male lead character’s name was different. After Amazon closed its Kindle Worlds program and unpublished its books, I decided to rewrite the story. Explaining the inspiration behind Merry Christmas, Amor would mean going back to the previous version.

When I sat down to write Love’s Second Chance, which is now Merry Christmas, Amor, Melissa Storm had chosen me to be part of her team of authors that would help launch her Kindle World series. I had read the first book in her First Street Church Romances series, and it played a huge part in inspiring my story. I had always written romantic comedies or sweet romances that had a bit of humor in them but I decided to try something more serious this time around. Instead of writing the simple characters that I always wrote, I decided to write those that had deeper problems.

Esperanza De La Cruz was the first character that I created. She’s a young Latina woman whose family is broken, whose life is a mess and who finds strength through her faith in God and her relationship with Him. The name Esperanza De La Cruz means "Hope of the Cross."

I chose that name on purpose because I wanted that message to shine through. I took time creating all sorts of problems for Esperanza because I wanted to show how she’s okay despite everything. This is so true for me in my own life. Despite the problems that come along, I’m okay because of my relationship with God but it wasn’t always that way for me. I didn’t find Christ until just years ago and so I know the difference between going through life with God’s presence and power and going through life without Him.

Being that the series was Christian Romance, I needed to create a love story. That’s when Deputy Nuñez came along. His name was different in the first version but he’s still the same person. When I began figuring out his storyline, I had already decided that Esperanza’s father had committed a crime, which is a great source of pain for her. He’s in prison for intoxicated manslaughter. So I wondered, what if Esperanza’s love interest has strong feelings against crime? Better yet, what if he’s law enforcement? It would create a unique kind of conflict, especially if she hides her problems from him because she doesn’t know him well enough yet.

The overall main theme in the story is forgiveness. Esperanza’s father has hurt her tremendously because of his actions but she has forgiven him. Everyone in the story has forgiven someone in some way. Esperanza’s mother Milagros, which means “miracles”, has forgiven her husband. Deputy Nuñez’s mother Alma, which means “soul”, has forgiven her abusive ex-husband. Can Deputy Nuñez forgive his father who was abusive toward him in the past? How can someone forgive what seems impossible? That’s the question that Merry Christmas, Amor explores.

The story isn’t all about family problems, though. It takes place in the fictional small town of Mulberry Shores during the most wonderful time of the year—Christmastime. There’s a Christmas tree lighting ceremony on an idyllic Main Street that’s beautifully decorated. There are a few quirky characters and a bit of humor as well. The love of family and friends—and a little bit of Mexican culture—are also woven into the pages.

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Author Bio:
Cindy Flores Martinez is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes Christian Romance. She has an MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Screenwriting. Her debut novel, Mail-Order Groom, started as a screenplay and movie project, which she shopped around Hollywood, New York, and other parts of the world. You can learn more about her at www.cindyfloresmartinez.com.

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Book Blurb for Merry Christmas, Amor:

It’s almost Christmas, and Deputy Nuñez isn’t in a festive mood.

Esperanza De La Cruz isn’t, either, after having left the only home she’s ever known to work at the daycare in the small town of Mulberry Shores. 

When her car and belongings are stolen, Deputy Nuñez comes to the rescue. 

Slowly, she begins to thaw his frozen heart.

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Buy A Merry Little Winter (boxed set), in which Cindy's story "Merry Christmas, Amor" is featured on Amazon,  Barnes and Noble, or Kobo

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Connect with Cindy:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindyfloresmartinezauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCindy
Main website: www.cindyfloresmartinez.com
Another website: www.sweetromancereads.com

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