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LIFE

Christmas and romance: Perfect together?

Nancy Herkness
Special for USA TODAY
"What Happens at Christmas" by Victoria Alexander.

It's the most wonderful time of the year with chestnuts roasting, jingle bells rocking, and Rudolf's nose glowing. 'Tis the season when many authors fill their romances with snow and mistletoe. We asked these writers what enticed them to set their books in the Christmas season.

Victoria Alexander, What Happens at Christmas

Magic. That's why I love writing books with a Christmas setting. Magic is in the air at Christmas. People are kinder and more thoughtful and generous. Miracles are not only possible but happen. For a writer, Christmas is full of fictional possibilities.

A Christmas story can be heart-wrenching, but even a Christmas weeper will make you feel good in the end. And the possibility of humor in a Christmas setting is endless. Think about it. Mix family and friends and traditions and just how many things can go wrong and you have the makings of a fabulous Christmas story. Let's face it — anything can happen at Christmas.

And really — is there any better time to fall in love than at Christmas?

"Timeless Keepsakes" anthology.

Ruth A. Casie, Timeless Keepsakes

The idea of the Timeless Keepsakes anthology was a gift of sorts to my friends Lita Harris, Emma Kaye and Nicole S. Patrick. We are at different stages in our writing and in our lives, but we love to write romance. I was the only published author in the group and wanted us all to be published by the end of the year. I suggested the project, and they embraced it. We write in a variety of genres and we needed something to draw the stories together. Christmas was the unanimous choice. The holiday is all about family closeness, memories of things past, and for us, romance.

Working closely together we identified what needed to be done from learning how to write a short story to creating our own publishing company. Julie Rowe, a good friend and published author, taught us how to write short stories and wrote the fifth story in our anthology.

I was so excited about this project that I told Sharon Sala. As is her style, Sharon was also excited and offered to write an introduction for us. When the anthology hit the Amazon Top 100 two weeks in a row, it was the best holiday gift ever!

"Sweetwater Springs Christmas" anthology.

Debra Holland, Sweetwater Springs Christmas (A Montana Sky Short Story Anthology)

In my stories, I've drawn on the traditions I've experienced in my own family — some going back several generations — and tried to convey the warmth of a community celebrating together, the love of family, and the appreciation of blessings large and small.

The Montana Sky series is set in the 1890s, which means that many of the Victorian customs we hold dear today — decorated Christmas trees, St. Nicholas, and stockings hung on the fireplace — existed at that time. Yet, Christmas wasn't the commercialized holiday it has now become. Therefore, simple treats such as candy in a stocking or a special meal meant a lot to people living in a small town in rural Montana.

As a girl, I collected turn-of-the-century family history from my grandparents, and I now use their stories to imbue authenticity into my books. For example, my grandfather on my father's side grew up on an Iowa farm. What made Christmas special for him and his siblings was the Norwegian dessert of lefse, a potato pancake spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar. In contrast, my grandmother on my mother's side grew up in a well-off family in Germany. The Christmas tree I've used in Sweetwater Springs Christmas is taken directly from Oma's description of her family tree, including the lit candles and marzipan ornaments.

"Christmas on 4th Street" by Susan Mallery.

Susan Mallery, Christmas on 4th Street

Romances in general reinforce the importance of family, community, connection. That's even more true with Christmas romances. One of my personal holiday traditions is to read Christmas romances to help me get into the spirit of the season, and it's a joy for me to have the opportunity to write books that do the same for readers. It helps me to feel connected to my readers in a very real way, because I've played a role in making their holiday special.

With Christmas on 4th Street, I went a step further. Last year, I invited my Facebook fans to suggest random objects for me to incorporate into the book, and I used some of those objects to create a scavenger hunt for readers, which is available on the Freebies page of my website, www.susanmallery.com. As I wrote Christmas on 4th Street, I felt my readers with me more than ever.

"Miracle Road" by Emily March.

Emily March, Miracle Road

Actually, when I originally plotted Miracle Road, I didn't intend it to be a Christmas book. The premise for my Eternity Springs series is that the small Colorado Rocky Mountain town is where broken hearts go to heal. In every book, at least one major character finds peace, though sometimes the peace they discover isn't what they thought they needed.

Originally for Miracle Road, I intended a different resolution for Hope, one that would bring her peace and be satisfying to the reader, but not be quite so ... miraculous. Then I discovered that my publisher had slotted the book for November and intended to add a touch of holidays to the artwork. At that point, I knew I had to change the timeline of the story and, most important, the ending. A Christmas book titled Miracle Road required a Christmas miracle for my characters, for my loyal Eternity Springs readers and, frankly, for me, too. I love the new ending, and I'm so proud of this book.

"Sleigh Bells in the Snow" by Sarah Morgan.

Sarah Morgan, Sleigh Bells in the Snow

I love writing Christmas stories. Some of my most popular books for series romance have been the ones with a Christmas theme, so when HQN offered me the opportunity to write a full-length novel, it made sense to pick my favorite season. Setting a story around the holidays makes it extra special for me, and in Sleigh Bells in the Snow, I tried to incorporate all the things I enjoy about Christmas books.

Snow, inconvenient and cold in real life, can seem magical and romantic between the pages of a book. I love cold crisp air and a blue winter sky. I love log fires, hot chocolate, large gatherings of people, excited children, the peace and charm of a snowy forest, the scent of cinnamon and spice and other delicious smells associated with festive cooking. I chose to set Sleigh Bells in Vermont, and I took all those elements and added in the large, lovable O'Neil family, a sexy hero and a heroine who finds the holidays a difficult time of year. Christmas creates heightened emotions and makes the romance extra special. I hope I've created a warm, cozy, uplifting story that readers will fall in love with regardless of whether or not they celebrate, or enjoy, the Christmas season.

"Christmas on Main Street" anthology.

JoAnn Ross, Christmas in Shelter Bay, in the anthology Christmas on Main Street

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of Christmas: wading through knee-deep snow in the Cascade Mountains to find the perfect tree, tinseled garlands strung across Main Street, gathering with everyone in our small town to share the awe of the annual Christmas tree lighting, and lots of great food.

Because Christmas in Shelter Bay, my reunion novella in Christmas on Main Street, opens on the Oregon coast where my high school sweetheart proposed, then moves to the lake where we spent our honeymoon, this story was very personal and included a lot of our own family traditions. Echoing the season's celebration of family, it was fun to follow along as Cole and Kelli's families spun their matchmaking conspiracy. Of course, because Christmas is the most optimistically romantic time of the year, they shared fireside kisses while watching Kelli's beloved holiday movies as the softly falling snow kept them in that mountain cabin long enough to find their own peace, love, and joy.

And speaking of holiday movies, their road to a Happy Ever After was definitely not a smooth one, which is why I kept this line from An Affair to Remember (one of my all-time favorite holiday movies) in mind while writing: "Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories … And we've already missed the spring."

"A Laird for Christmas" by Gerri Russell.

Gerri Russell, A Laird for Christmas

Christmas holds so many wonderful memories for me — times with friends and family, beautiful decorations, and special treats. It's also a time when my neighbors seem to come together, and when generosity abounds. For one brief moment, it feels as though the world unites in a blend of secular and religious traditions.

It was one of my own holiday traditions that drove me to write a Christmas-themed book. Every year, I seek out holiday books to read by the fire and the Christmas tree. For me, those stories are a precious treat better than fudge or buttery cookies, and I wanted to give some of the joy I've experienced over the years back to readers in the pages of A Laird for Christmas. Christmas in Scotland in the 17th century was a little different than what we celebrate today, but even without a decorated tree or a gift exchange, the characters will make you smile, definitely swoon, and fill your heart with good cheer. May your holiday season be full of love, friends, good books and much joy!

"Christmas in Snowflake Canyon" by RaeAnne Thayne.

RaeAnne Thayne, Christmas in Snowflake Canyon and A Cold Creek Christmas Surprise

I absolutely love writing books set during the holidays. I've done about seven so far, including two releases this year — my latest Hope's Crossing title, Christmas in Snowflake Canyon, and one for Harlequin Special Edition, A Cold Creek Christmas Surprise. I love everything about the holiday season myself — the music, the food, the gift-giving — and I find something so magical about writing books set during this time of year, when people's thoughts turn to home and hearth and those they care about. I write heartwarming stories about relationships, about family, about friendships — and what better time to focus on those things than during the holiday season?

Nancy Herkness is the award-winning author of the Whisper Horse romance novels set in Sanctuary, West Virginia. Her latest is Country Roads. She plans to write a Christmas romance for next year. Find out more at www.NancyHerkness.com.

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