A New Christmas Bestseller

 

Well, I'm geeked this morning. My new Christmas novella is already #46 in Religious Short Stories. Max Lucado holds #28 and #30 at this time. Look out, Max, here I come!

Thank you, readers for making this happen. This is my third Christmas novella. (Pinecones and Promises; A Kindred Christmas.) I love writing them. What do you think? Should I do one every year?

Forever and Ever

Pinecones and Promises

A Kindred Christmas

Holiday Stress

 

Are you like me on the holidays? Do you have a long list of things to get done? Or several lists? Yes, I'm a list maker. I have them at my desk, on my kitchen counter, and I even use my Notes folder on my phone. Lately that's become the most reliable, because the other ones seem to get displaced once I remove the sheet from the tablet.

1. I have a general list for shopping. At this point it's last minute grocery items.

2. The gift list is complete; I can breathe a sigh of relief with that one, but I still keep it around, just in case.

3. And then the list of things to be done in order. Today, I'll make this dish to pass, tomorrow bake cookies, or fudge. Next I'll wrap presents.

4. Then the day before Christmas, I begin the final house cleaning and plan out my plates and dishes to be used.

See what I did there? I can't help myself. I made a list of my lists.

And all of this is for my very small family. Only two more will be present on Christmas Eve, but I still want to follow our traditions no matter how many people are here.

Are you like me? As you age do you hate to give up your normal Christmas routine? Maybe you have a young family and are just getting started in your annual traditions. Maybe you're trying to do things the way Mom always did; you just want everything to be perfect. All of this is written to the women in the house, of course. The men seem to merrily float along and take it all in their stride. Go ahead and vent. Tell me about your stresses. I'll listen. I can handle it.

Happy March

We made it to March 1st! Is it just me or did this winter fly by? Usually it drags on forever, and I know our weather isn't done playing tricks on us yet, but nothing can stop spring from coming, and that's the truth. (I almost felt like Lily Tomlin needed to give us a raspberry there

Anyway, St. Patrick's Day will be here in two shakes, so it give me the opportunity to remind you of my first series, The White Pine Trilogy, which is about an Irish American family in West Michigan. I didn't name the cities back then, but book 1 is meant to be in Newaygo, book 2 is meant to be in Muskegon, and book 3 is meant to be in Ludington. These three are not in the time travel genre, but are romances, with a twist of history, mystery, and family entanglements. If you're interested, here's the link to the series. Paperback, Kindle, and always free on Kindle Unlimited. (Soon to be in Audible)

Happy March!

The White Pine Trilogy

Bk1: The Tangled Roots of Bent Pine Lodge

Bk2: The Dunes and Don'ts Antiques Emporium

Bk 3: The Kindred Spirit Bed and Breakfast

Bonus Bk 3.5: A Kindred Christmas (a novella)

The Month of December

 

And here we go! On to the Christmas Season. I normally don't get excited about the month of December itself because I'm so busy with the holidays to take a look at it, other than to say to myself, "Let's get through this cold and pass by winter as quickly as possible." But this month I've decided to appreciate each day as it comes, and enjoy the beauty of the season. What are your thoughts on winter and the month of December?

Happy New Year

 May all your Dreams and Wishes come true  in 2023.  Happy New Year!!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, everyone.  May you have a wonderful and blessed day with family and friends.
 

An Irish American Trilogy

 

It's beginning to feel like spring where I live. We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Today the high will be a whopping 42 degrees, and it looks to go upwards from there throughout the week. People have even spotted robins, flocks of them, which is a sure sign of warmer weather. So to get in the spirit of March, I thought I'd remind you of the first series I wrote, The White Pine Trilogy. It's set in the woods of Michigan and involves two families, one of Irish descent. So what better time to start reading these than as we're heading into the month that holds St. Patrick's Day. Be sure to start with The Tangled Roots of Bent Pine Lodge, a feel good love story you won't forget, with flashbacks to World War II era. Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NKLQ4WO

Let me know what you think. and don;t forget to leave a review.  It's really appreciated.

Chinese New Year

It's Chinese New Year, The year of the Ox.

Many of you might not know that I spent the first two years of my marriage in Taiwan. It was such a wonderful way to start out our life together,

There were good times and bad as we adjusted to the new and different culture. But neither one of us would trade those days for anything in the world. I can almost hear the firecrackers going off now. They lasted for days.

A Chinese New Year Greeting might go like this:

May this year bring peace, good health, happiness, prosperity.

 

Merry Christmas!

  Although Christmas will be different this year, I still plan on sticking with my traditions.  I spent the day baking yesterday and will bake again today.  There might not be the same amount of people around to eat it all, but some recipes just couldn't be left behind.  There's always a freezer, right?

So whatever your plans are, I'm wishing you a very Merry Christmas. I pray for your safety and health.  Thank you for being loyal fans,  Jane O'Brien