My Published Work

MY PUBLISHED WORK
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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Christmas In July - time to write

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I do most of my writing in the summer, the lack of games actually makes it easier to write about hockey, believe it or not. I normally get a bunch of short pieces and something a bit longer done between June and October.
I start writing my Christmas stories in July. My birthday is July 17th and my father’s was December 19th. So I start on my birthday and want to have it done, edited and out by Dad’s. My family doesn’t have much in the way of Christmas traditions, my mother was a minister when I was young and from what I have seen in my family and others having a minster in the family has a way of discouraging holiday traditions, but the Christmas Story tradition is one I share with my mother who writes historical mysteries.

So I started my Christmas story on Wednesday. Well I guess it isn’t really a Christmas story, the heroine is a Valkyrie an actual daughter of a Norse god so the story will fall in the two weeks of yule.

I live near Philly and it has been crazy hot this week so during the heat I have been imagining Massachusetts in December. As coping measures go, it is pretty good. Not Gatorade good, but not that bad either.

So for the next month or so I will be thinking and writing about cold, snow and ice. And hockey, always hockey.


Comment with your e-mail address to win a ten dollar gift certificate to Amazon or Dunkin Donuts and a copy of my Christmas story Rejoice a Burden.



Excerpt from Rejoice a Burden

     A few of the team were standing around. Steve, a rookie forward was standing with his wife and they were both holding thin swords. Billy, a defenseman was cradling his arm while his girlfriend stood between him and the door. Our captain Shawn Murphy was sitting on the floor holding his nose, trying to stop it from bleeding, his new girlfriend looked at me and then her lips pulled back from extremely sharp teeth. I knew all sorts of odd and magical beings played for the Nor’easters, but Nimah’s teeth gave me pause.
“What are you?” I asked her.
“Selkie,” Murphy said his voice muffled by his broken nose.
“A what?” I asked.
“She is a seal, like Vále is a wolf,” Murphy said getting up off the floor, “Look you have bigger problems but here is a rundown. Vále is a wolf, Nimah is a Selkie, Steve is Jack Frost, Rose seems to be springtime in a chick’s body, Gabby is - well I don’t know what she and Billy are.”
“I’m in recovery,” Billy grunted, “nothing more exotic than that.”
Murphy ignored Billy’s interjection, “But something came and took your girl.”
Joulupukki,” Steve’s wife Rose said.
“Santa Claus?” I asked stupidly, “Santa Clause kidnapped my girlfriend?” 
 
 

62 comments:

  1. Hi Elizabeth, Thank you for participating in the BTGN Blog Hop!

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  2. Thanks for the giveway.
    giovannivalentino(at)Verizon(dot)net

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  3. Thank you for hosting another great Blog Hop!

    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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  4. Thanks for the giveaway and I understand about hockey...its obsessive!!

    Nikki
    viajeradelmar@aol.com

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    Replies
    1. I get most of my ideas during the season and writing out those ideas keeps the season going for me. Not that there is a lot of off season this year.

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  5. Thanks for the giveaway.
    magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

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  6. This is a really nice post. It is fun to know and understand the person behind the pen. And I'm with you about imagining snowy places right now. I also can't wait to read your new story.

    Good luck to everyone who has entered your give-a-way!!

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  7. *snort* That last line was killer, so were the Selkie teeth. This promises to be a fun read.

    blueshedevil32 at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. It was a lot of fun to write - and it keeps you cool in the summer.

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  8. thanks for the chance
    meandi09@yahoo.com

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  9. It has been really hot here also
    videoclimber(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  10. Thanks for the giveaway. Dunkin' Donuts is a gift card I don't think I've ever seen in a giveaway. :) Yum. heather1974 at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. My husband left Boston for the first time in 2001, so Dunkin' is kind of his life line and I thought it would be fun to give something different. :)

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  11. How funny! Thanks so much for sharing that excerpt. Would love to read the rest of your book. (And the Dunkin' Donuts gift card: Yum!)
    Kimberly Comeau
    casey 4 4 6 at hot mail dot com

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  12. I certainly love hockey! And snow! And cool weather...the imagery isnt working for me as well though, I am still sitting here with sweat dripping off my nose no matter how hard I try to picture snow!

    dreammie_angel at yahoo dot com

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    1. Yeah, thinking about it hasn’t been working for the past few days either. I hope the weather breaks soon!

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  13. I enjoyed the excerpt. My Christmas wish for July is a remodel of my house. Thanks for the giveaway.
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  14. love hockey romances!! and the excerpt sounds great! can't wait to read it and for hockey season!!

    Thanks
    staceyprice(AT)gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! It seems like this off season is taking forever, even though the last game wasn’t that long ago.

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  15. I can't wait to read your books :)
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    dixiedukegurl2 AT yahoo DOT com

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  16. My Christmas in July wish is to win some of these amazing prizes.

    I would love to read this book! It sounds like it is going to be such a great read. Thank you for the awesome giveaway!

    Tina Kohrman
    tinabrownsv(at)aol(dot)com

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  17. Thanks for being a part of this FUN blog hop and the excerpt.

    jmesparza821 at gmail dot com

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  18. Thanks for being part of the hop!! I'm with you thinking about hockey all the time :)

    ahui89 at hotmail dot com

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  19. I enjoyed visiting your blog as part of the hop! Thanks for having a giveaway here :)

    thebigbluewall77 at gmail dot com

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  20. Thanks for hosting and thank you for the giveaway :)
    swordlily_girl(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  21. Thank you for the chance!

    spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com

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  22. We don't have a lot of Christmas traditions in my family other than slaving all Christmas Eve to throw a big party on Christmas for all my parents' friends. It's not very relaxing. Thanks for the giveaway!
    ~Krista
    pinkbonanza{ AT }gmail{ DOT }com

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    Replies
    1. My husband’s family does the huge party thing, that took some time for me to get used to for me. Good luck!

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  23. I've never had a snowy Christmas, but it's always good to hear about other people's!

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. I’ve had snow for Halloween. Sometimes I think it would be nice to live someplace that has more temperate winters.

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  24. It's nice to think about cold because it has been so hot lately. Thanks!
    katieamanda1(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. It has been crazy hot a few days ago it was over 100 here *sigh*

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  25. Thanks for sharing the great excerpt. My July Christmas wish: I would love to have an immortal Norse man to spend eternity with. Thanks for sharing the awesome giveaways. evamillien at gmail dot com

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    1. The Valkyrie will be the first immortal Norse I’ve done. Funny since I took Nordic Saga and Myth in school.

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  26. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  27. Thanks for the excerpt! Sounds like an interesting group...I'm really curious as to why Santa would kidnap someone!

    dancingcelt at gmail dot com

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  28. Thanks for sharing. Sounds good.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

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  29. Thanks for the excerpt. I hate this heat and cannot wait for it to end.

    jag1(at)Comcast(dot)net

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  30. I'm currently dreaming of an in-ground pool in the hopes that my fantasy will conjure one up & relieve me from this infernal heat wave. Maybe I should imagine it frozen with a bunch of hunks on skates batting a puck around. Yeah, that could work.

    drainbamaged.gyzmo@gmail.com
    @drainbamagedgyz
    Kathryn Merkel

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  31. Hmmm...books or donuts. Hard choice;) Thanks for the blog hop and bringing cold memories to these hot and miserable days!
    cc_clubbs at yahoo dot com
    Mommasez..
    ccclubbs.com

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  32. I am hoping Santa brings my motorcycle this year. A purple one would be nice.

    Mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

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  33. thank You for the giveaway! Love blog hops to find authors I wouldn't other wise find! Thank you again!

    tigerfly139@aol.com

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  34. Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com
    GFC: BookAttict

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  35. Having grown up near Philly (and now living in Northeastern PA) I can feel your pain with this past weeks heat! We've had the heat as well but it's always hotter down in the southern part of the state and it was sweltering enough up here!! I hope it's broken a bit for you. Here the temps have dropped but the humidity has not.

    Happy slightly belated birthday! I hope you did fun things and got lots of cake (remember, cake is calorie free on birthday weeks!!).

    Rejoice a Burden sounds like a superb story. I love the mix of the different types of characters already and can't wait to read more about them all. I have added this one to my need to read list. I love the line, “Santa Claus?” I asked stupidly, “Santa Clause kidnapped my girlfriend?” I am looking forward to reading this one!

    Thank you so much for the chance to enter the giveaway and I hope wish everyone a very Merry Christmas in July!

    Shelly H
    booski24@hotmail.com

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  36. Hi! Great excerpt! This sounds awesome! Thank you for the fun hop and giveaway! :)
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  37. Thanks so much for the opportunity!
    farmaki(at)live(dot)com

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