What Does it Take to be an Angel by Laurie Kellogg
The American Heritage Dictionary’s first definition refers to angels as heavenly intermediaries between heaven and earth. However, the dictionary also includes a human definition to the term angel as:
Someone who is a kind and lovable and who manifests goodness, purity, and selflessness.
I like this definition, because, in my mind, selflessness is the trademark of an angel and the true spirit of Christmas.
My son blessed me with such a paragon when he married my daughter-in-law, Amiee Trimble Kellogg, who has the kindest, purest, and most selfless heart of anyone in my life. I always say, if could’ve chosen my son’s wife for him, it would’ve been her. That’s not to say Amiee is perfect. She has faults just like everyone. She has to work at being on time, she’s sometimes forgetful, and she has a tendency to worry too much. However, I don’t know a kinder, more selfless person with a softer heart.
The other two angels in my life are my dear friends, Gwynlyn MacKenzie and Heidi Luchterhand. Both of these women have trials a plenty in their own lives, but they’re never too busy to listen or to lend a hand when I need help. They support my career wholeheartedly and I couldn’t have published the books I have without them.
These three women epitomize the kindness and selflessness I bestowed on the heroine and her sister in my holiday release—No Exchanges, No Returns—which is a heartwarming, steamy, and at times funny twist on O. Henry’s classic tale, The Gift of the Magi.
No Exchanges, No Returns
There were never such devoted sisters…
Dr. David Lambert and his wife, Brianna, received the ultimate Christmas gift from her fraternal twin. They gratefully accepted it, of course, because everyone knows you can’t return a baby like an itchy sweater. Yet, that’s essentially what Brianna does when she has a meltdown and unexpectedly divorces David. She runs from their home in Redemption, Pennsylvania, and leaves their surrogate–her sister, Casey–pregnant with his little bundle.
When David chose her beautiful twin over her, Casey McIntyre hid her hurt behind a wall of sarcasm. Now that her sister has divorced her husband, it’s increasingly difficult to remember why the hunky pediatrician is supposed to be off limits–especially since Brianna doesn’t seem to want him or care if Casey and he get involved.
David always liked and admired his selfless ex-sister-in-law–despite that the sassy preschool teacher is always busting his chops. Consequently, after his wife bails on marriage and motherhood, it’s only natural he turns to Casey for sympathy. Unfortunately, the exasperating pixie becomes more irresistible with each day she carries his child. He already mistook lust for love once and jumped way too fast into marriage. He’s not about to botch up his life that way again.
Casey wants whatever happiness she can grab, whether it’s temporary or not. The only problem is, if she lets herself love her baby (or David), what will happen to her when her sister inevitably realizes her mistake and returns to Redemption?
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Laurie Kellogg is a two-time winner and seven-time nominee of the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® award, winner of the PNWA Zola® award, and a Romantic Times® American Title I finalist. She began writing to avoid housework and has since resorted to naming the dust-bunnies that multiply as fast as real rabbits while she plots love stories that are Steamy, Heartwarming, Romantic Fun!
Laurie also writes red-hot romantic comedies under L.L. Kellogg, which she’s branded as A Little Naughty and a Lot of Fun!
Now, please share what quality you think is most important to being an angel. And make sure to nominate an angel in your life to enter her in the Twelve Days of Angels drawing.
