I’m thrilled to share about Denises’s new Christmas short story collection! I read the first and loved it! So, I turn the floor over to you, Denise!

Thank you for having me on your incredible blog today, Lauren, to share the release of Ghosts & Miracles Past: A Christmas Collection Two. I’m extremely grateful for your support!

In “Christmas After Loss,” Shelia is a widow in her early thirties. It has been a year since Randy tragically died. He had a bad heart, the doctor told her, and at the time she didn’t question it. Later, though, in the quiet hours of the night, doubts surfaced. Still, Shelia did the best of running their diner and hoping to build their dream house. Christmas was two days away, and she just wanted to get through it, but her car wouldn’t start. She called the only person she could think of, her husband’s friend, Sam. Rescued, she trudged through her day. Alone in the diner between the lunch and dinner crowd, she gets a customer. What he tells her is alarming. This is when she finds out who she can trust.

BLURB:

Miracles saturate the sweet-scented Christmas season—a reminder we aren’t alone.

Miracles & Ghosts Past: A Christmas Collection brings eight stories from past holidays. Rita buys train tickets for her and Morris’s 30th anniversary in the novelette, “The Christmas Train Mystery.”She’s convinced this trip will bring her and Morris closer—if he can find the time. A murder mystery excursion will change Rita’s life in more ways than one, but will she go with her workaholic husband or by herself? In the first short story, “Christmas Rescue,” Opal trusts the wrong man and loses her mother in the same year, leaving her feeling lost. On a mission to get candles for the dinner table, she makes an unexpected find. “Is There a Santa?” goes back to the 1920s, where a widower is desperate to hold on to his farm and children. He doesn’t want charity, just a bit of luck or a miracle. In the final stories, you’ll meet an eleven-year-old who’s home alone, a family living in the aftermath of war, a girl who gets some shocking news, a widow with a warning from beyond, and a woman trapped on an elevator with Santa. Hope underlies these stories; it endures even in the direst of circumstances. Whether help comes from a ghost, Santa, or an angel, miracles are just within reach.

EXCERPT FROM: Christmas After Loss, 1980

When Sheila was young, she believed in miracles. Life stripped away that youthful fancy the moment her thirty-two-year-old husband died unexpectedly on Christmas Eve. She barely recognized the person she’d become. The glass had always been half full for her, and Sheila had been the optimist among her friends. It was what Randy loved best about her, and now, along with him, that optimism was gone.

Still, she managed to push the darkness back enough to get up every morning and face each day. Sheila had a business to run that allowed her to just cover the bills and hold onto the property and the trailer she and Randy had purchased, intending to build a house later. That and many other dreams were gone, but at least she still had Cuddles by her side.

“I know, I know. You’re hungry,” she said to the petite gray cat.

Cuddles looked at her empty bowl, and then those mesmerizing gray eyes took in Sheila.

“Daddy sure spoiled you,” Sheila said.

A grin almost crossed her face before the pain of the loss seeped back in and weighed down her expression.

“It’s gotta stop hurting so much, Cuddles . . . someday.”

The cat wound around her legs as if to agree as her bowl was filled.

Cuddles had won her husband’s heart when he found her on the side of a road as a kitten three years ago, and taking care of her brought Sheila some peace. She was still relatively new to the town, so there wasn’t anyone to lean on other than the helpful Sam, who’d bonded with Randy the first time they met. Although at times it seemed like Sam was a little too bonded, and she’d pointed that out to Randy.

Randy had grinned. “I knew guys like him in high school. Just a bit on the needy side is all. I know how to handle that, don’t worry.”

Still, Sam remained in the pest category until Randy’s passing. After losing her husband, she appreciated Sam’s support. As a thirty-two-year-old widow who owned and ran a café, she didn’t have much in common with the local women her age. Having Randy had always been enough, along with their dream property that included a well, pond, electrical hookup, septic, and a little stream surrounded by pines. The previous owner had planned to build before his health deteriorated.

“Sometimes I think this place is cursed, Cuddles. Maybe we should go back home, like my sister keeps saying. Be near friends and family. They’d spoil you too.” Sheila petted the purring cat, who was now gobbling the wet food.

The hair rose on her arms as she sensed she was being watched. Was Randy there with her? It wasn’t like she’d have to worry about a Peeping Tom in the country, right?

The phone, which Randy had finished installing right before she lost him, rang. Cuddles’s usual reaction was to puff up her fur and growl, and she did exactly that and stopped eating until Sheila answered it. She tried to keep her voice cheerful, but she knew what a call before the sun had risen meant.

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FUN FINN FACTS

I’m a big fan of happily ever after.I love gift giving, but I’m not a skilled gift wrapper. I’m thankful for gift bags.

D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include children’s books, adult fiction, and poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.

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To celebrate the release, I will be giving away three Amazon Gift Cards: $5, $10, and $15. At the end of the tour, I will randomly pick the three winners from those who leave comments during the blog tour. Good Luck!

My 5-star review:

D.L. Finn’s wonderful storytelling isn’t new to me. Miracles & Ghosts Past is the second collection of Christmas stories with an ethereal flair. Eight stories of real-life dire circumstances grabbed my attention, and I had hoped for eight happy endings. Speaking of hope, this desire for a positive outcome, coupled with a strong belief in miracles is beautifully woven through each tale. But I also wondered if help would arrive. And in what form? After all, we’ve heard of angels, and the jolly old man with a white beard wearing a red suit, not to mention, friendly ghosts. By gifting us with this beautiful collection, D.L. Finn invites the reader “…to find your miracle not only during the holiday season but year-round.”

I immediately became immersed in each story – the characters, their perseverance, and the authentic settings. My heart ached through the challenging times and beat faster through the trepidation of not knowing what I would read at the end. Each story stirred emotions, but two favorites were “The Christmas Train Mystery” and “She’s Home Alone.”

Finn inserted the perfect quantity of suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat. In the first story about the Christmas train, Rita buys train tickets to surprise her husband for their 30th wedding anniversary. Only she is the one who will be surprised by the events to come. “She’s Home Alone” evoked memories of a movie I saw years ago, so the story’s suspense affected me in the same way. Brilliant writing! An eleven-year-old girl is home alone with her imagination that goes wild. Her fright will reach the hearts of all parents.

Do you acknowledge the presence of ghosts, angels, and Santa? If your answer is ‘no’ then you will discover newfound beliefs after turning the last page. Highly recommended for you who would welcome a little Christmas magic!

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Thank you for stopping by to support Denise!
I hope you’re enticed enough to add her book
to your home library!

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com

Click on my daughter’s image to order your copy! 

Lauren Scott
Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry
Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book)
Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author – This Is How We Grow
Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
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