12 Days of Christmas Joy: Holiday of Hope by Kristen Ethridge

Interview with Kristen Ethridge about Holiday of Hope:

Alexis: Why did you write this Christmas holiday story and give it that title that hints the theme of hope?

Kristen: Holiday of Hope is the last book in my Hurricane Hope series. A hurricane named Hope hits the island, and the series follows residents of the island through the storm and how they rebuild. Holiday of Hope brings the island to the Christmas season, but there’s not a lot of Christmas cheer due to the effects of the hurricane. The hope in Holiday of Hope is a play on the name of the hurricane, but also the hope found in the meaning of the holiday season.

Alexis: Paint a picture of Port Provident (the setting for your story) with words. What makes it special to your characters?

Kristen: I describe Port Provident as a Texas beachside town readers will want to call home. What makes it special, I believe, is the people. With every book, I want to create a community that’s diverse and full of different experiences and perspectives and is a place we’d all want to live. It’s an island—so that’s fun, and modeled on my own personal experience of living in Galveston, Texas—and it’s full of churches and restaurants and history and places like lighthouses and such. With every book, I want readers to feel like an escape to an island with people and places they know and love are only a page away. I want it to be a book version of the same smiles and warm memories we all have of our favorite vacation spots that we visit over and over.

Alexis: Describe Bretton’s on the Boardwalk. What kind of store is it and how long has it been open?

Kristen: Bretton’s on the Boardwalk is a family business that primarily sells Christmas décor and items and has a customer base primarily of tourists who visit Port Provident’s historic district. It started as a general mercantile about 100 years before Hurricane Hope and has been run by family members ever since.

Alexis: How does Hurricane Hope affect Bretton’s on the Boardwalk as a business?

Kristen: Because the destruction and ongoing rebuild of Hurricane Hope slows down the flow of tourists to the island, the customers simply are not there this holiday season. Additionally, events that the city usually puts on to celebrate Christmas will not be happening, and these are events that give Bretton’s a big boost at what should be their busiest time of the year.

Alexis: Tell me about Jessica Bretton who is the heroine of this story. What does she look like? Sound like? Act like? What are her hopes and dreams for her personal life and her store?

Kristen: Jessica is the fourth generation of the Bretton family to run the store. Her biggest dream is to be worthy of the trust her family has placed in her to run this. She wants to carry on the legacy her family has built. Confronting the fact that she might be the last Bretton to run the store is crushing her. She doesn’t want to fail her family.

Alexis: Tell me about the hero of this story, Bradley Thorpe. What does he look like? Sound like? Act like? Believe in? What is the hidden hope of his heart this Christmas?

Kristen: Bradley Thorpe is the director of the Port Provident Park Board. He oversees the beach parks and large events that the city puts on. He’s been in Port Provident his whole life and has known Jessica for years. He considers her a friend and struggles with his decision that canceling Santas on the Square could ultimately put her out of business. But as a city employee, he finds his hands tied with all the red tape involved in rebuilding, and he just can’t make a big city-planned event happen this year. He doesn’t want to be the one to cause Jessica—and other business owners—to struggle even more, but he feels as though he has no other options but to cancel the event and focus on next year when rebuilding is done and the city can safely welcome tourists back to the island and events.

Alexis: What makes Jessica and Bradley clash with each other? What brings them together?

Kristen: Well, obviously, they have two different points of view on the Santas on the Square event. Jessica desperately needs something to bring people to the island so they can be customers in the store. Bradley has to deal with government and insurance regulations and has been told he cannot hold a big organized event. They each understand the position the other is in—and I think that even makes it harder for them. Jessica knows Bradley is just doing his job, like she wants to do hers. Bradley knows his friend may lose her business because of his decision, but he doesn’t have much of a choice.

But in a town like Port Provident with both history and faith…anything is possible.

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about this story?

I want readers to remember that there is always hope. Always.

Kristen: Did you play Christmas music while writing this story? If so, which song was your favorite and how did it inspire your storytelling?

Alexis: I honestly didn’t—I generally prefer it to be quiet while I’m working. But my favorite Christmas song is “O Holy Night.” There’s so much hope in that song—one night changes everything. And that same idea—that one day, one idea can change everything—is found in Holiday of Hope. Everything seems lost for Jessica until she learns about something in Port Provident’s history. And then Bradley bravely pushes the envelope on what he can/should do in his role—it changes the Christmas season. But it doesn’t just change it for Jessica and her family business. It changes the Christmas season for everyone on the island, because everyone needed holiday cheer and hope after a very tough year.

Now that I think about it…that sounds very familiar for all of us right about now, doesn’t it?

Alexis: What is your favorite Christmas holiday treat? Did it help you while writing this story? If so, explain.

Kristen: I love chocolate. At Christmas, I’m always looking for chocolate fudge, chocolate chip cookies, and a mug of hot cocoa. I can assure you that chocolate of all kinds fueled the writing of this story—and all of my stories!

Alexis: If you could give one of your characters a Christmas gift, what would it be? Why?

Kristen: I think Jessica gets a very important gift in the course of the story—but it isn’t something that’s found under a tree. She believes in herself again. She’s steps out of that self-doubt and that self-fulfilling prophecy that she is going to be the one to let her family down. Once she finds hope that she can do something different and turn things around, everything changes.

And that’s not just a gift for Jessica Bretton, it’s a gift for all of us. Believe in yourself—that God has equipped you to do what needs to be done at the exact time it needs to be done—and every day becomes a gift.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Kristen. Merry Christmas!

Kristen: Thank you for having me, Alexis! Merry Christmas to you and to everyone on the blog. I hope to see new faces in Port Provident soon.

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Author Bio:

Kristen Ethridge writes Sweet Escape Romance — stories with hope, heart, and happily-ever-after — for Harlequin's Love Inspired line, Hallmark Publishing, and Laurel Lock Publishing.

She's a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award nominee and both an Amazon Christian Fiction and Inspirational Romance #1 Best-Selling Author.

You can find Kristen in her native habitat — a Texas patio — where she's likely to be savoring the joy of a crispy taco, along with a glass of iced tea and scents from her essential oil diffuser. She's almost convinced her family that it's normal to talk to imaginary people, as long it goes in a book.

Find her online at www.kristenethridge.com where you can get a free story for signing up for her newsletter.

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Book Blurb for Holiday of Hope:

She was losing faith ... until he believed in her 

For four generations, Bretton's on the Boardwalk, a store dedicated to Christmas, has greeted tourists who come to Port Provident, but after Hurricane Hope tears through town, Jessica Bretton is left with a pile of bills to pay and no tourists visiting her store. She doesn't want to fail her family by closing the doors to the store, but she can't hold on much longer.

As Director of the Park Board of Port Provident, Bradley Thorpe is responsible for getting tourists to Provident Island. It's been almost three months since Hurricane Hope tore through the island, and while there's much work to be done, people are ready to get back to normal. The local economy is strained and it looks like the Christmas season is going to be an unhappy holiday.

When Jessica suggests reviving a Christmas celebration from Port Provident's history books, Bradley is unconvinced. His role is to drive the local economy, not plan parties. Could a woman who celebrates Christmas all year long change the heart of a man who's more interested in the bottom line than a season of hope? And could a little Christmas cheer be just what Port Provident needs to rebuild? 

Buy Holiday of Hope today and start spending time with characters who fill your heart with the hope and joy of the holiday season all year long.

Bestselling Christian Romance author Kristen Ethridge brings readers home to Port Provident, Texas for the Port Provident: Hurricane Hope series — sweet escape romances full of hope, heart and happily-ever-after. These clean romance novels with a light, uplifting thread of faith and love will sweep you up in the story and leave you with a smile.

Be filled with hope no matter what the season — the entire Port Provident: Hurricane Hope series is ready for you!

Shelter from the Storm

The Doctor's Unexpected Family

His Texas Princess

Holiday of Hope

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Buy Kristen's book on Amazon 

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Connect with Kristen:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KristenEthridgeBooks
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kristen-Ethridge/e/B00B0Y6VJO/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kristen-ethridge
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kristenethridge/
Website: www.kristenethridge.com

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Devotionals for the Heart: Dios (God), graffiti and Puerto Rico

God in the graffiti: A Puerto Rico love story
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

Take a walk down Calle Palmas to the ocean in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, just past Avenida Victor Rojas, and you’ll find a wide, well-tended sidewalk that borders the city and the sea. It’s a popular spot, with joggers squeezing in a workout and couples strolling hand-in-hand, each pausing here and there to look north at the powerful, crashing waves and the jagged ancient volcanic rocks that comprise the coastline. Beyond the sidewalk, it’s a vista of untamed, natural, God-created beauty, wild and tempestuous at once.

It is there that I walk one rainy afternoon during my recent mission trip in the nearby mountains, struck by the glory of our Creator and the way humanity has made its mark alongside.

And as I walk, I see one word written over and over on the concrete planters that intersperse narrow benches along the sidewalk.

Dios.

God.

In electric blue and crimson spray paint, someone has written His name amid all this splendor, proclaiming God for all the world to see.

Arecibo, and all of Puerto Rico, was hit by a double-whammy of hurricanes last fall—first Hurricane Irma Sept. 6-7, then Hurricane Maria Sept. 20—that devastated the island.

As I write this, half a year after the storms, a full sixth of Puerto Rico’s population still remains without electricity. Many left homes to move to the United States mainland because they simply couldn’t survive on the island any longer. Others whose treatment depends on electricity, such as dialysis or insulin or oxygen, have died.

Was the “Dios” writer crying out to God for help and mercy after the storm?

Was he or she joyfully proclaiming the name of the One, the Alpha and Omega, the Creator of the Universe—a shout of adoration for all to see?

Was the writer simply acknowledging God’s singular importance, honoring our greatest commandment to love and lift up the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul?

Dios. God. Whatever language you choose to use, whether it comes from your lips or sings in your heart, His name can move mountains and bring comfort. It can stop the devil in his tracks and keep temptation at bay. It can beg and praise and question and surrender all at once, say a million things in a single utterance, even when our intent might be limited to one. (He’s too big for just one, no?)

Psalm 96:2-4 (NIV) urges, “Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.”

The prophet Jeremiah declares, “No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power” (Jeremiah 10:6, NIV).

Sometimes spreading the Gospel is sharing our testimony. Sometimes it’s bringing someone to church. Sometimes it’s loving people in His honor.

And sometimes, it’s spray-painting His name on concrete planters on the northern coast of Puerto Rico to remind passersby that no matter what else the day, the week or this temporary human life can bring, at the end it’s all about God.

What better way to love Him than to acknowledge that?

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Author Bio: 

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian journalist, author, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

She is the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate (AdvocateSC.org), the oldest newspaper in Methodism. 

Learn more about her fiction and read her blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

A Prelude to Christmas: Beth's story about Christmastime by the seaside

Welcome Beth Wiseman to the blog. She's a former journalist who decided to become a full-time novelist. Her stories are so intriguing! Today, she's here to talk about her holiday novel, Christmas by the Sea. Enjoy!

Here's the book blurb for Christmas by the Sea: A short story introduction to the Surf's Up novella collection. Each Surf’s Up novella takes the reader to a beach locale, weaving romance and adventure into a soul-soothing journey of hope.

Parker McIntyre is late evacuating Galveston Island prior to a hurricane, despite advisement from local Texas authorities. When Parker becomes trapped in rising floodwaters, he is going to drown if help doesn’t arrive soon. Fearing death and questioning his faith, he thinks about the young son he’ll be leaving behind.

Alexandria Hanson is on her way off the island to escape the immediate storm threat, but she spots a person trapped in the water. Alex—as she’s called by friends and family— isn’t adventuresome by nature. Helping the man is going to require great personal risk, but she can’t leave him to die.

As Alex joins Parker in the murky Gulf waters, a dangerous situation becomes even more serious as they wait to be rescued. With only each other to lean on, they attempt to quell their fears by praying together and sharing stories.

If Parker and Alex leave the island alive, will they have a chance to explore their feelings during the holiday season? Or will the opportunity be lost forever?

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Fill out the book giveaway contest entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to WIN a copy of Beth's book: 

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Enjoy the interview with Beth!
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Interview with Beth Wiseman, author of Christmas by the Sea:

Alexis: What a whimsical title for a Christmas story! How did you create it? 

Beth: Our family is very traditional when it comes to Christmas, so eating tacos by the ocean on Christmas wouldn’t be something we would consider. But I kept having a vision of Alexandria (Alex) with her father on the ocean’s edge celebrating Christmas. And even though her father had passed, I wanted her to be able to carry on that tradition.

Alexis: Galveston Island is the setting for your story. Is it based on a real-life island or pure fiction? Paint a picture of the island with words. 

Beth: Galveston Island is a real place on the Texas Gulf Coast, located about fifty miles southeast of Houston. It’s the city and beach that I frequently visited while I was growing up in Houston. Galveston is a barrier island that is not only appealing to beach lovers, it is also rich with history and offers fine dining and lots of shops on ‘The Strand’.

Alexis: Your story is said to take the reader to a “beach locale, weaving romance and adventure into a soul-soothing journey of hope.” Do you feel that your book accomplishes that purpose? Why or why not? 

Beth: Each Surf’s Up novella is at a beach, and there is an adventure and/or mystery in each story. But ultimately, the journey is a learning experience for the characters, leading them onto the right path for their specific trek. In Christmas by the Sea, Alex must face the possibility of two deaths in one evening, the parallels of a stranger she just met and her father. Despite the potential for her to fall apart, she relies on prayer. Parker also turns to prayer when things become desperate. When we face something difficult, and God sees us through it, I think that these challenges make us stronger, better, and that yes—through the strength of Christ, we can do all things. When the Holy Spirit is present, our souls are soothed.

Alexis: Let’s talk about your story’s hero Parker McIntyre. What makes him relatable to your readers? What are his strengths and character flaws? 

Beth: Without giving away too much of the plot, Parker suffers an injury that might make some people bitter and angry. But instead of allowing anger to rule, he embraces his situation, happy to be alive. I think Parker is relatable to readers because we see his vulnerability. He’s a real person in a perilous situation, fearing death.

Alexis: Why does Parker wait too late to evacuate the island prior to a hurricane despite being warned by the local Texas authorities? 

Beth: Folks who live on the Texas Gulf Coast are used to storms and hurricanes. And oftentimes, locals who have ridden out storms in the past don’t feel the sense of urgency that they should. Thus is the case with Parker. He made a mistake. But it’s that mistake that leads Alex to him. Otherwise, they might not have ever met.

Alexis: Tell us about your story’s heroine Alexandria Hanson. What are her strengths and character flaws? Describe her personality and include what moves her to help rescue Parker from the rising floodwaters. 

Beth: Alex is fearful that her father has died in the hospital while she is in the water with Parker. Even though grief threatens to consume her, she does what is necessary to keep Parker alive while they wait for help to arrive. Alex is stronger than she thinks, and when God pushes her to the limit, she learns this about herself.

Alexis: Leaving your hero and heroine surrounded by floodwater makes the story all the more interesting. Were these scenes difficult to write? Why or why not? 

Beth: I guess everyone has a fear of something, and I fear drowning, so it was particularly hard to write this story. But sometimes facing a fear is the best way not to let it get the best of you. And there was an important message here that I was trying to get across also.

Alexis: How much time do Alexandria and Parker spend in the floodwater? Hours? Days? What role does their faith in God play in this situation? 

Beth: Alex and Parker are in the floodwater for several hours. As two complete strangers, they cling to the one thing they are sure of—their faith.

Alexis: What lesson are you trying to teach your readers through this story? 

Beth: A couple of years ago, I had a severe reaction to an antibiotic. I was told I might die on the way to the hospital. Despite my strong faith, I was terrified. Later, when I was past the scare, it bothered me that I was as fearful as I was even though I completely believe in heaven and an afterlife. I wanted to show that through this story—that no matter how good of a Christian you might be, fear of death is still normal.

Alexis: If you could have Christmas dinner with Alexandria and Parker, what would be on the menu and what would be your talking points? 

Beth: Tacos would be on the menu, like in the story, and I would want Alex and Parker to explain to me how having Christmas tacos by the sea became a tradition for Alex and her father.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Beth! God bless you. 

Beth: Many blessings to you also! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

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Author bio: Beth Wiseman is the best-selling author of the Daughters of the Promise series and the Land of Canaan series. Having sold over 1.5 million books, her novels have held spots on the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) Bestseller List and the CBA (Christian Book Association) Bestseller List. She was the recipient of the prestigious Carol Award in 2011 and 2013. 

She is a three-time winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and an INSPY Award winner. In 2013 she took home the coveted Holt Medallion. Her first book in the Land of Canaan series—Seek Me With All Your Heart—was selected as the 2011 Women of Faith Book of the Year. Beth is contracted with HarperCollins Christian Publishing into the year 2018, and she has published thirteen novels and thirteen novellas to date.

As a former newspaper reporter, Beth was honored by her peers with eleven journalism awards, including first place news writing for The Texas Press Association. She has been a humor columnist for The 1960 Sun in Houston and published articles in various publications. However, writing novels is where her heart is. She left her job as a journalist in 2008 to write novels full-time.

Beth has a deep affection for the Amish and their simpler way of life, and while she plans to continue writing Amish love stories, she is also branching out into other areas. Her first non-Amish, contemporary—Need You Now—released in April 2012 and landed on the CBA Bestseller List. She enjoyed writing the story based in a town near where she lives, and she chose another small Texas town for her next non-Amish contemporary—The House that Love Built—which is based in Smithville, the same quaint town where movies such as Hope Floats and Tree of Life were filmed. 

Beth continued to spread her wings when she released The Promise in October 2014. Inspired by actual events, The Promise follows Beth’s characters all the way to Pakistan. Beth was involved in the real-life rescue when her friend was held captive in Pakistan. Beth is currently working on book #2 in her new Amish Secrets series. Book #1—Her Brother’s Keeper—recently released and was chosen as a Top Pick by RT Reviews Magazine.

Beth and her husband are empty nesters enjoying the country life in Texas with three dogs and a rooster. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel, paint, and enjoy time with friends and family. You can find Beth at Fans of Beth Wiseman on Facebook where she interacts with readers and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bethwiseman.