Howdy - For your southern-isms this week, how about some things you can say to express surprise at your presents on Christmas morning, if you celebrate – or perhaps relief at the end of 2020:

Great day in the morning!

Don’t that just beat all you ever stepped in?

I’ll be dipped and rolled in cracker crumbs! 😁

Welcome to our new readers! Go here to get your free preview of the new series. Felony Melanie and the Moonshiner’s Cabin stands alone as a short story. Fans of the movie Sweet Home Alabama will love seeing teen Melanie in action!

Have you read Felony Melanie and the Big Smashup yet? A BookBub reviewer says, "Here goes Melanie again. Up to her usual antics and taking her friends with her. She is such a joy to read about. As with the first book I would recommend this to anybody who likes fun and adventure and lots of laughter."

So avoid the book if you hate laughter. Remember, reviews are always greatly appreciated – on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, blogs, or even simply sharing the book with your friends on social media.

Are you cooking for the holidays this year? Doug and Kris will be with their mother in Arizona (after an appropriate isolation). We may buy a premade holiday dinner from a grocery store, but we'll have homemade cookies. See Kris's holiday recipes here – including cherry scones (or Christmas morning tradition, cookie dough brownies, bacon nut brittle and more.

Southern Treat: Caramel cake: “Layers of soft and buttery yellow sponge cake are stacked on each other with sweet caramel icing or frosting slathered in between them and all over the cake. This rich cake has been an all-time favorite dessert for many Southerners (especially those living in the Mississippi Delta region), who commonly prepare it for various special occasions and holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.” – TasteAtlas.

Doug’s Rom Com Faves: Bridget Jones’s Diary

It follows a year in the life of Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger), a charming and hilariously flawed woman looking for love, but it begins and ends with the holiday season, so I’m calling it a holiday movie! Who will Bridget end up with – her sexy but disreputable boss (played by Hugh Grant) or a stiff but sweet barrister (played by Colin Firth)? Let the sparks, humiliation, and laughs ensue.

Find New Authors and Books

Doug writes humorous Christian short stories as Jacob Love. Get these in paperback as great holiday gifts! Or check out the ebook options. Here’s an example:

Christmas is a holy and hilarious season at the little green church on the corner of Wilson and Elm in Normal, Pennsylvania. When a blizzard strikes in the novella, “The Christmas Tree Lot,” several volunteers have to spend a cold and hungry night in the church. Other stories tell humorous tales from living nativity mishaps to the choir’s ill-fated visit to a retirement community.

Kris writes romantic suspense and sweet romance novels. Readers call her Treasure Hunting Romantic Suspense books set in New Mexico and Arizona “Smart romance with an ‘Indiana Jones’ feel.” They’re perfect for fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Nora Roberts. Desert Gold is only 99 cents for the Kindle, or free with Kindle Unlimited. “The story has it all – action, romance, danger, intrigue, lost treasure, not to mention a sizzling relationship....”

Winter and Christmas Reads: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/KaaPQKR

This is truly a varied collection, with cozy mysteries, thrillers, romance, fairytale retellings, fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction. The books are full price but many are 99 cents to $5 and some are in Kindle Unlimited. You might discover a new favorite authors!

Find Romance Under the Mistletoe: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/bS8Rlpr

If you love romance, check out this group and fill your Kindle! Find billionaires and blue-collar workers, romantic suspense, LGBTQ, Romantic Comedy, erotic romance and sweet romance stories – load up on #WinterReads now.

Beach Reads Bonus: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/Cum7CGt  

From goofy fun to creepy horror and suspense, find new authors with free prequels, novellas, and short stories. These mystery, romance, sci-fi and fantasy offerings are yours free with newsletter signups (unsubscribe any time).

Everything We Might Have Been, by Janci Patterson: A prequel free with newsletter signup. "High school students Felix and Jenna are opposites in every way. Felix is a Juilliard-bound straight-A student, while Jenna’s a teen mom who’s out partying every weekend. But when they’re partnered on a parenting assignment in sex-ed, their worlds collide, and their lives will never be the same."

Bound to Happen: A Billionaire Cowboy Western Romance (Hartley Ranch Cowboys Brothers Book 3), 99 cents, by Ella Cooper, a well-reviewed author of steamy romance. "He never realized that he wanted to settle down – but his perfect woman had a history that he would need to confront before happiness could be theirs."

Assisting the Bosshole: A Billionaire office Romcom (The Bosshole Files Book 1), by Kristin MacQueen: "My first day of my new job can’t possibly go worse, right? Wrong. When I meet Parker Scott, I realize this job is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. Quitting isn’t an option; I’ll have to learn to deal with the three Bossholes in one way or another."

Skydiving, Skinny-Dipping & Other Ways to Enjoy Your Fake Boyfriend (Adventures in Love Book 1), by Sarah Zolton Arthur: A reader says, "The book was cute. After realizing that she had been cheated on by her ex, Kami decided to become more adventurous. She meets Len and he helps her come up with some (pretty funny) adventures that challenge her “boring” existence."

Kris writes the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series. The paperback collection of books 1-3 would make a great holiday gift for a romance and cat lover. Get Lions and Love at the Cat Café, a sweet romance novella, free when you sign up for the Kris Bock email newsletter.

The Felony Melanie books make great gifts for the Sweet Home Alabama fans in your life! Visit the Amazon series page for Felony Melanie: Sweet Home Alabama romantic comedy novels.

Thanks for joining us! Warm wishes for Happy Holidays, however you’re able to celebrate/relax this year.