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Christmas in Tinsel Tree Village
Just in time for the holidays, a beautiful story about letting go of grief and discovering the healing power of love, from USA TODAY bestselling author Viola ShipmanNeve Ford, once the queen of Christmas, no longer loves the holidays. While she once reveled in the magic of the first snow of the season and her collection of heirloom decorations, they now serve as reminders of the husband she lost too soon. With so many painful memories haunting her small Michigan hometown, Neve moved away and never looked back.Now working in Chicago, and a social media star thanks to her spectacular Christmas windows, Neve’s sole focus is creating crowd-drawing displays—and ignoring the pleading letters her grandmother continues to send from home. But then her job unexpectedly takes her back to Michigan to curate displays for a Christmas festival. An expert at avoiding her past, Neve plans to slip in and get gone…until word of her return leaks out. The walls Neve built around her heart may be strong, but with some unexpected help from the community, Neve will learn that she can’t outrun family bonds—or the promise of hope that only Christmas can give.
45 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2021
87 people are currently reading
1092 people want to read
About the author
Viola Shipman
21 books3,506 followersDear Reader:
My latest novel, The Page Turner, is a story about why we too often judge one another – and the books we read – by a glance at the collective cover without knowing what is inside. It is also a story about how reading and books not only change us but also save our lives. They did mine.
Growing up “different” in rural America in the 1970s – with no one like me and no one to talk to about what I was going through – I felt alone in this world. Books allowed me to escape, understand, heal, hope and realize there was a place for me in the world just as I was. My grandma – my pen name, Viola Shipman – sensed I was “different,” and she loved me unconditionally and made sure I cherished my uniqueness. Even though my grandma never finished high school, she was a voracious reader who pushed books into my hands from the earliest of ages and made it clear that reading and education would not only change my life but quite possibly save it.
Books allowed me to see a vast world beyond the small town in which I lived. They allowed me to not only escape from the cruelty I often experienced but also understand the reasons behind the hatred. They allowed me to see – as my grandma instilled in me – that being unique was a gift. Books aren’t just books. Books are family. Authors are friends. The stories we read are timestamps in our memories. They bookmark important chapters in our lives and growth. Books are a chance to right the wrong in the world, an opportunity to rewrite ourselves. We can reimagine and reinvent, see the world in an entirely new way simply by turning a page. Or, sometimes, we can just escape from our own lives.
As Carl Sagan wrote: “What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."
That’s exactly how I feel when I read and write: Magical. Like a literary unicorn.
Authors tend to write about the same topics – love, death, hope, loss – and we use the same words, the same linguistic tool belt, but it’s how we bring those stories to life that sets us apart.
That is why The Page Turner is also about voice. Not only the voice Emma Page uses to bring her novel to life, but the voice she owns that makes her special and that she is unwilling to silence. We all have a voice. In fact, I bet yours is talking to you in your head right now. However, there’s a good chance that you’ve forgotten the power of your own voice, the beauty of your own uniqueness. As I address in this book, we tend to bury that out of fear: Fear of being different, as I was; fear of being unpopular; fear that our family or friends will disapprove; fear of, well, everything. And slowly that voice becomes so quiet, so distant, we don’t even hear it anymore, and we are no longer the unique souls we once were. We are far from being the people we once dreamed. This novel is about overcoming fear and rediscovering your voice. As I write: Every voice is important. Every story needs to be heard.
I was once consumed by fear. And then I found my voice again. In fact, when I first started writing and dreaming of being an author, I truly believed that there was a golden key that was passed around New York City. It was handed out — late at night, in a fancy restaurant under gilded lights and over expensive drinks — to “certain” authors. And I would never be one of them. I now know — and you certainly already do — that such a key does not exist. The only key you need you already own: The one that unlocks the door to o
My latest novel, The Page Turner, is a story about why we too often judge one another – and the books we read – by a glance at the collective cover without knowing what is inside. It is also a story about how reading and books not only change us but also save our lives. They did mine.
Growing up “different” in rural America in the 1970s – with no one like me and no one to talk to about what I was going through – I felt alone in this world. Books allowed me to escape, understand, heal, hope and realize there was a place for me in the world just as I was. My grandma – my pen name, Viola Shipman – sensed I was “different,” and she loved me unconditionally and made sure I cherished my uniqueness. Even though my grandma never finished high school, she was a voracious reader who pushed books into my hands from the earliest of ages and made it clear that reading and education would not only change my life but quite possibly save it.
Books allowed me to see a vast world beyond the small town in which I lived. They allowed me to not only escape from the cruelty I often experienced but also understand the reasons behind the hatred. They allowed me to see – as my grandma instilled in me – that being unique was a gift. Books aren’t just books. Books are family. Authors are friends. The stories we read are timestamps in our memories. They bookmark important chapters in our lives and growth. Books are a chance to right the wrong in the world, an opportunity to rewrite ourselves. We can reimagine and reinvent, see the world in an entirely new way simply by turning a page. Or, sometimes, we can just escape from our own lives.
As Carl Sagan wrote: “What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."
That’s exactly how I feel when I read and write: Magical. Like a literary unicorn.
Authors tend to write about the same topics – love, death, hope, loss – and we use the same words, the same linguistic tool belt, but it’s how we bring those stories to life that sets us apart.
That is why The Page Turner is also about voice. Not only the voice Emma Page uses to bring her novel to life, but the voice she owns that makes her special and that she is unwilling to silence. We all have a voice. In fact, I bet yours is talking to you in your head right now. However, there’s a good chance that you’ve forgotten the power of your own voice, the beauty of your own uniqueness. As I address in this book, we tend to bury that out of fear: Fear of being different, as I was; fear of being unpopular; fear that our family or friends will disapprove; fear of, well, everything. And slowly that voice becomes so quiet, so distant, we don’t even hear it anymore, and we are no longer the unique souls we once were. We are far from being the people we once dreamed. This novel is about overcoming fear and rediscovering your voice. As I write: Every voice is important. Every story needs to be heard.
I was once consumed by fear. And then I found my voice again. In fact, when I first started writing and dreaming of being an author, I truly believed that there was a golden key that was passed around New York City. It was handed out — late at night, in a fancy restaurant under gilded lights and over expensive drinks — to “certain” authors. And I would never be one of them. I now know — and you certainly already do — that such a key does not exist. The only key you need you already own: The one that unlocks the door to o
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
November 16, 2024
This is a well-written, entertaining, Christmas novella. It has a likable female protagonist, small town charm, heartbreak, healing, hope, a sweet romance, and the beauty of Christmas. I listened to the audio book, which was included, to my delight, as a bonus to the Hoopla version of Viola Shipman's wonderful novel, "The Secret of Snow", and the narrator, Ms. Nancy Peterson, does an outstanding job voicing the characters.
January 3, 2022
I had no idea what to expect when I started CHRISTMAS IN TINSEL TREE VILLAGE. It has a gorgeous cover that screamed at me to read it. CHRISTMAS IN TINSEL TREE VILLAGE is the best Christmas Novella I have read this holiday season! I really wasn’t expecting to be on such an emotional roller coaster while reading it, but it is so emotional, and I was already in tears by the middle of the book! Seriously though, its Viola Shipman. Who am I kidding? He makes me cry with each and every story and I love that!
Neve used to love Christmas, but now it only reminds her of her young husband who has died. She left her hometown after that and ran as fast as she could. When Neve’s job takes her back to her Michigan hometown she wrestles with so many different emotions and made me wonder how much she could take before she runs away again. She tries not to bring too much attention to herself and what she is doing, but you know how that goes right?
CHRISTMAS IN TINSEL TREE VILLAGE is a beautiful but heartbreaking story. I became so emotionally invested in all of the characters and felt like they were lifelong friends. When they were sad, I felt sad. When they were happy I found myself smiling. I love when an author can do that to me and Viola Shipman did it perfectly. CHRISTMAS IN TINSEL TREE VILLAGE is filled with love, life, hope, sadness, and happiness. Be prepared not to do anything else until you finish reading this beautiful story. Once I started I had a hard time putting it down, especially when Viola began to introduce all of the trees and their history.
Neve used to love Christmas, but now it only reminds her of her young husband who has died. She left her hometown after that and ran as fast as she could. When Neve’s job takes her back to her Michigan hometown she wrestles with so many different emotions and made me wonder how much she could take before she runs away again. She tries not to bring too much attention to herself and what she is doing, but you know how that goes right?
CHRISTMAS IN TINSEL TREE VILLAGE is a beautiful but heartbreaking story. I became so emotionally invested in all of the characters and felt like they were lifelong friends. When they were sad, I felt sad. When they were happy I found myself smiling. I love when an author can do that to me and Viola Shipman did it perfectly. CHRISTMAS IN TINSEL TREE VILLAGE is filled with love, life, hope, sadness, and happiness. Be prepared not to do anything else until you finish reading this beautiful story. Once I started I had a hard time putting it down, especially when Viola began to introduce all of the trees and their history.
October 31, 2021
I have never read Viola Shipman before, but Christmas in Tinsel Tree Village has changed my mind and put Viola Shipman on my author radar. If you are looking for a fast and sweet Christmas story, I highly recommend reading this one!! I felt like I was along for the ride with Neve Ford and decorating for Christmas. This story had me hooked from the very first page and couldn't put it down, it was just that perfect!!
Neve Ford was once the queen of Christmas, but she no longer loves the holidays. When Neve inherited her grandmother Madge's bottlebrush Christmas tree decorations she was so happy, but now they serve as reminders of Neve's husband Jackson, who she lost too soon. Neve has so many painful memories haunting her small Michigan hometown, Neve moves away and never looks back. Neve decorates windows for Christmas.
Neve is now working in Chicago, and a social media star because of her amazing Christmas window work. Neve is focused on creating crowd displaying windows, Neve is determined to ignore her grandmother's letters pleading her to stop running from her fears and come back home to Michigan. Neve's new job in Chicago unexpectedly takes her back to Michigan to create a special window display. Neve wants to slip back in and be gone without anyone knowing she's back home. Neve will learn that she can't escape family bonds forever.
Neve Ford was once the queen of Christmas, but she no longer loves the holidays. When Neve inherited her grandmother Madge's bottlebrush Christmas tree decorations she was so happy, but now they serve as reminders of Neve's husband Jackson, who she lost too soon. Neve has so many painful memories haunting her small Michigan hometown, Neve moves away and never looks back. Neve decorates windows for Christmas.
Neve is now working in Chicago, and a social media star because of her amazing Christmas window work. Neve is focused on creating crowd displaying windows, Neve is determined to ignore her grandmother's letters pleading her to stop running from her fears and come back home to Michigan. Neve's new job in Chicago unexpectedly takes her back to Michigan to create a special window display. Neve wants to slip back in and be gone without anyone knowing she's back home. Neve will learn that she can't escape family bonds forever.
December 31, 2021
A sweet Christmas story about Neve who decorates store windows for Christmas. Her job takes her back to Michigan where Neve has memories of her late husband. The author makes the small charming towns in Michigan come alive. It made me want to visit them in the future.
December 5, 2023
“And you should love again,” Madge said to Neve. “You know, there are different kinds of love, all unique, all beautiful. It may never be the same, but it can be just as sweet.”
December 18, 2022
A heartwarming Christmas novella from author Wade Rouse writing under the pen name 'Viola Shipman.' Neve, a young widow from Frankenmuth, Michigan, has been running from the grief of losing her husband Jim, who owned a Christmas tree farm with his family. She's currently working and designing gorgeous windows for stores along Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Her boss Trent approaches her with another project--to design shop windows in Saugatuck, Michigan, to help bring the resort town back to financial health after the Covid pandemic. Will returning to Michigan finally force Neve to deal with her memories and grief? A lovely story for the holidays!
January 9, 2023
This could have been expanded into a longer story but I very much enjoyed this novella.
November 25, 2021
A sweet short Christmas story. Now to decorate my own windows…
December 4, 2021
Another heartwarming Christmas story from Viola Shipman (Wade Rouse)!
February 2, 2023
Sweet little short story.
October 31, 2021
This short Christmas story is very good!!! Neve loved Christmas and even lived on a Christmas tree farm. Tragedy strikes and she is having a hard time moving on. A dream job presents itself to her and she must decide if she is ready to work and love again.
December 18, 2021
A charming Christmas story about a young window dresser, Neve Ford, who left her home in Michigan after the death of her husband. Her in-law wants desperately to reconnect with her, but Neve can't seem to bring herself to return and face the grief of family loss. Through a business connection, Neve reluctantly takes a job that forces her to leave her new home in Chicago to for a temporary Christmas assignment and finds the joy of Christmas once again in Michigan.
Viola's stories always tug at your heartstrings and remind the reader that there is joy in life despite what issues you may face. There is magic to be found in the Christmas spirit if we choose to let it warm our hearts.
Viola's stories always tug at your heartstrings and remind the reader that there is joy in life despite what issues you may face. There is magic to be found in the Christmas spirit if we choose to let it warm our hearts.
December 8, 2021
*Audio Book*
A woman who has made a very successful living in decorating store front windows for Christmas. She fled her life in Michigan and is hiding out in Chicago. She is convinced to go back to Michigan for a job from a man who hired her. Creepily enough he reminds her of her dead husband.
Fast forward and all of the sudden they are together, married.... I think......and expecting a child in the last 10 minutes of the book. Too rushed and missed the mark. Too bad because it started out good.
A woman who has made a very successful living in decorating store front windows for Christmas. She fled her life in Michigan and is hiding out in Chicago. She is convinced to go back to Michigan for a job from a man who hired her. Creepily enough he reminds her of her dead husband.
Fast forward and all of the sudden they are together, married.... I think......and expecting a child in the last 10 minutes of the book. Too rushed and missed the mark. Too bad because it started out good.
December 9, 2021
Neve Ford always loved Christmas. After a tragic accident, she no longer loves the holiday and wants to get away from all her terrible memories. She leaves her hometown in Michigan and heads to Chicago. She establishes herself as the creator of store Christmas windows and is very successful. When she is awarded a very important job in her Michigan hometown, she’s both elated and scared.
Unfortunately, her past catches up with her. All she wants to do is run and keep running, but that answer is no longer the right one. She must face her demons and move on with her life.
What a beautiful, heartwarming, sweet holiday story. I fell in love with Neve right from the start. She’s a strong, but tortured heroine. This story is filled with hope, grief and reawakening. It’s an emotional read. Perfect for the holidays. My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer. Still, I really loved this story.
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Unfortunately, her past catches up with her. All she wants to do is run and keep running, but that answer is no longer the right one. She must face her demons and move on with her life.
What a beautiful, heartwarming, sweet holiday story. I fell in love with Neve right from the start. She’s a strong, but tortured heroine. This story is filled with hope, grief and reawakening. It’s an emotional read. Perfect for the holidays. My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer. Still, I really loved this story.
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
April 10, 2022
This is such a wonderful, sweet Christmas story! After the tragic loss of her husband, Neve finds both a way to hide from the world and solace in creating Christmas window scenes with bottle brush trees. But will she ever find happiness again? The answer is in this heartwarming story! It is a perfect Christmas read of hope, even in April! So happy to find it as a bonus novella in my eBook for "The Secret of Snow."
September 1, 2021
A short Christmas 🎄 story.
By Viola Shipman.
Neve,
Loves Christmas 🎄 Loves her husband. Goes through the loss of of her husband.
Moves on in life Leaves everything behind. To start new leaving the memories behind.
Then finds new things along with memories can all be wonderful
When Christmas is part of Everything 🎄..
A sweet Christmas Novella 🎄
By Viola Shipman.
Neve,
Loves Christmas 🎄 Loves her husband. Goes through the loss of of her husband.
Moves on in life Leaves everything behind. To start new leaving the memories behind.
Then finds new things along with memories can all be wonderful
When Christmas is part of Everything 🎄..
A sweet Christmas Novella 🎄
November 1, 2021
December 2020 - Frankenmuth, MI/Chicago, IL/Saugatuck, MI
The story is about family, loss, and moving on. It jumps from the past to the present. It's a sweet and quick story.
The story is about family, loss, and moving on. It jumps from the past to the present. It's a sweet and quick story.
December 21, 2021
A great light love filled Christmas short story.
December 3, 2022
Short and sweet!
September 23, 2023
Sweet Christmas novella about family, loss and renewed hope. Would make a good Hallmark Christmas movie.
January 18, 2025
I didn’t realize this was a short story. It would have made a good book but parts were so familiar that I wondered if I had read it before.
February 4, 2022
Christmas in Tinsel Tree Village didn't disappoint me but it also didn't wow me. I felt everything about it was too abrupt: the tragedy at the beginning and the happily ever after at the end, with a fair amount of self-pity in the middle. There was so much more that could have been fleshed out as a book instead of the very short story it is. The author should have taken his own plot line and opened those viewing fingers a bit wider.
I agree with others - it's barely disguised begging to be a Hallmark Christmas story.
3 stars
I agree with others - it's barely disguised begging to be a Hallmark Christmas story.
3 stars
November 7, 2022
My only regret was it was too short. The Viola Shipman books and stories walk that fine line of sweet but not saccharine, with a little sass thrown in. Loved Christmas Queen who (understandably) lost her Holiday Cheer just to get it back in giving back.
September 4, 2021
Love how the author brings in traditions and his way he brings you to his setting and you can imagine standing there and the characters are friends snd family
May 28, 2022
Such a cute little novella. Came as a bonus at the end of the audiobook I listened to from the same author. For a short story, I felt instantly connected with the main character and her story.
September 1, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Neve has the same love and passion of Christmas as her grandmother, Madge. They share the same passion for decorating, especially with Bottle Brush Christmas trees. After the loss of Neve’s husband, she isolates herself and keeps herself busy with work as a way to burry her grief. It isn’t until her job takes her back to Michigan and the encouragement from her grandmother’s letters, that she can come to terms with her grief and finally start to live life again. This heartfelt Christmas Novella renews the feelings that with love and hope, it can bring joy to the holiday season again!
This Novella sheds a light on how Christmas can be a joyous occasion, but when there is loss, it can bring out a mix of emotions, that can make it hard to see joy and magic of the holiday! But with the support of those around you, including family, who encourages you, that you can start to live life again, while honoring those you have lost.
This Novella will get you in the holiday spirit, so be sure to add it to your TBR list!
November 17, 2023
Neve Ford suffered the traumatic, unexpected loss of her husband and no longer enjoys the holidays. She's living a quiet, isolated life when her absentee boss calls for a favor - he wants her to decorate a small town in her home state for Christmas. She declines, but he bullies her into agreeing. Her only condition is there is no media involvement. When the job is complete, the boss tells her that her work will be featured on all the morning news shows and when she reminds him that she didn't want press, he tells her it's not her decision because he's the boss and then gaslights her by saying he knows what is best for her life and career. Please note that prior to this specific assignment, they've never met. It's downhill from there and she ends up pregnant and married to the guy. I was so disgusted at the boss that I didn't even care what happened in the rest of this novella.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2021
This Novella sheds a light on how Christmas can be a joyous occasion, but when there is loss, it can bring out a mix of emotions, that can make it hard to see joy and magic of the holiday. Neve has the same love and passion of Christmas as her grandmother, Madge. They share the same passion for decorating, especially with Bottle Brush Christmas trees. After the loss of Neve’s husband, she isolates herself and keeps herself busy with work as a way to burry her grief. her job takes her back to Michigan and the encouragement from her grandmother’s letters, that she can come to terms with her grief and finally start to live life again. Reflects upon the beauty of Frankenmuth as well as Saugatauk these beautiful cities are highlighted in this novel. The story is of loss and healing.
September 19, 2021
Oh My!
This is just the best Christmas Novella!
It is warm and fuzzy and sent me looking for hot chocolate!
Set in Michigan, Neve, needs spirit and hope.
She used to love Christmas, love decorating and love the entire season!
However, things changed and now Neve only wishes she could forget the holiday.
Can she find the closure and rebirth she so desperately needs to once again adore this magical time of year?
This short story will bring you, the reader; all the joys of Christmas.
It is emotional, yet perfect!
This will become a Christmas classic!
This is just the best Christmas Novella!
It is warm and fuzzy and sent me looking for hot chocolate!
Set in Michigan, Neve, needs spirit and hope.
She used to love Christmas, love decorating and love the entire season!
However, things changed and now Neve only wishes she could forget the holiday.
Can she find the closure and rebirth she so desperately needs to once again adore this magical time of year?
This short story will bring you, the reader; all the joys of Christmas.
It is emotional, yet perfect!
This will become a Christmas classic!
December 17, 2024
A very short story about Neve trying to find a way to love Christmas again after her husband dies. Too short for any real character development. Before her husband died, his grandmother gave them a box of old bottle brush trees. Flash forward a year and Neve is using the trees to create holiday window displays that gets her a job from a rich guy who wants to pay her to do displays in his small hometown in order to drum up tourism. Flash forward another year and Neve and the rich guy are pregnant. The end. Not very exciting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews