Changing Traditions Bonnie Edwards

While we think that Christmas is full of traditions that never change, over the course of a lifetime, change is inevitable. Life is like that…the only constant in life is change.

When I was a child, Christmas meant a large family dinner that my mother slaved over. My older sisters helped with setting the table and clean up. My Dad and brothers were exempt from kitchen duty. (big surprise, right?)

Eventually, my much older siblings had other places to be on Christmas Day because they’d married and had their own households and in-laws who wanted to see them.

When grandchildren appeared, my mother gave up cooking a feast and my parents and I travelled from house to house watching littles open our gifts. Those were lovely Christmas Days, full of smiles and cheer and less work for my mom. Dad did the driving.

I got my license at 18 and drove us around Toronto on one of the coldest Christmas Days on record. It was bitter, the kind of dry cold that sucked the heat out of our very lungs. That year, my Nan was with us. I recall a white out on the way home. For those of you from warmer climes, that’s a term for when wind whips snow across the road. White outs are sudden, and vision is totally obscured by blowing snow. My Dad, calm as can be, coached me through it while I white-knuckled the steering wheel. I remember thinking of my little Nan and how I couldn’t let anything happen to her.

Eventually, I married and had children of my own and my parents included my home and children in their Christmas Day rounds. I missed seeing my siblings, but as we know, little children prefer being at home with their new toys and games. Also, I had a feast to prepare. Luckily, my husband helped with everything!

And now, we have grandchildren ourselves and two of them have helped us decorate for the season for about five years. Soon, though, they’ll be called away for other pursuits and decorating will be more chore than joy without them.

Life changes. Christmas Day changes. But love of family remains years after they’re gone. They live on in our holiday memories and maybe, we hold them more dear because of the very changes we see.

One change that comes with time is the escape from winter that so many people enjoy.

Beaches! Sunshine! Sandals and drinks by the pool! Ah, yes, that’s a change I embrace. And to prove it, I’ve got a brand-new romance out now set in the lovely small island town of Last Chance Beach.

Here’s a little information on Make Me A Last Chance Beach Romance…

The worst thing that could happen to a man who doesn’t want children is to inherit two little boys.

The next worst thing would be to have a nanny with a child of her own.

Archie Jones, a wealthy playboy who’s never stayed more than two weeks in any one place finds himself saddled with an old friend’s four- and six-year-old boys.

When his brother suggests desperate Archie hire his wife’s sister, Archie can’t say no.

Equally desperate Beth Matthews is appalled that a man who can’t remember her name, or show up for family events, is now responsible for the lives of two adorable orphans. When he proposes she join him in a co-parenting partnership, she’s torn between her dislike of the man and the obvious needs of the children. Not to mention she’s a broke single mom with an explosive secret.

In this forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers romance set in the charming beach town of Last Chance Beach, Archie and Beth must find a way to compromise, live together, and always put the needs of their children first.

Archie soon learns he’s underestimated mousy Beth while she finds new appreciation for the footloose man who does all he can to build a loving family despite his many failings.

But when Archie suddenly abandons them, will Beth have faith in the changes she’s seen in him, or will she believe he’s returned to his wandering ways?

In Last Chance Beach love always finds a way.

Amazon (December 5)

Other major retailers (December 9)

Bonnie Edwards has been writing all her life, starting with a poem about Santa suffering with gout. She was seven, Santa was a thousandteen years old. Delighted with writing, she went on to write family sagas, humorous contemporary romance, romantic suspense, erotic paranormal ghost romances and more.

Published by Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) Bonnie’s stories stretch from short stories to novellas and novels. Now, she’s happy to be publishing her work herself.

With 40+ titles to her credit, she has been translated into several languages and sold books worldwide. Learn about more exciting releases and get a free romance by subscribing to her newsletter, Bonnie’s Newsy Bits

Cheers and happy reading!

Follow her online:  Amazon     Website     BookBub     Twitter     Facebook    Instagram 

Remembering and Making New by Bonnie Edwards

Oh, Christmas! How we love our traditions, even if they’re created by someone else. There are many “traditions” around this upcoming holiday. Some are so old; I doubt anyone really knows for certain where and how they started. Some are newer but have been around long enough that we don’t even think about how they came to be.

Some from my childhood:

Opening one gift on Christmas Eve. (Mom made sure to pass me the wrapped pajamas so I’d be in new ones for pictures in the morning.)

An orange in our stockings. (From Mom’s childhood when citrus fruit was next to impossible to find in winter-locked Newfoundland.)

Taking a drive to see Christmas lights. (With the price of gas these days…this is fading fast!)

Caroling! – must say here that I’ve only ever seen actual carolers at my front door once in my whole life. I was flabbergasted! I remember thinking, “Oh, wow! Am I supposed to whip up enough hot chocolate for all of these strangers?”

Movies! A relatively new tradition, but we all have our favorites. The other day, I watched Love, Actually for only the second time and really? Yes, I see why it’s on peoples’ must watch list. A Christmas Story is my must-see. What’s yours?

Songs! We all have our favorites. One of mine is…wait for it!…Porky Pig’s version of "Blue Christmas." It just isn’t Christmas until I hear that one. (This is definitely from my childhood, and I still laugh when I hear it, and isn’t that what Christmas Cheer is?)

Eggnog. (Does anyone make it from scratch? Because I’ve only ever bought it, and even that’s rare these days.)

Special treats. Christmas Bark was an instant hit when I learned about it in the 80s. Why? Because my kids got to smash candy canes to smithereens with a meat tenderizer. (Now you can buy the bits in bulk – but where’s the fun in that?)

And I’m not discussing that crazy fraud, Elf who sits around the house spying and reporting on children. I was horrified when I first heard of him and I still am. I hope he fades into obscurity where he belongs. I don’t see them on store shelves anymore, so there’s hope he’ll disappear. (Not that I look for him)

There’s one tradition that I’ve created that I’d like to share here. A couple of years ago, I was writing one of my eight Christmas-themed novels when I took my characters to a tree lighting in the town square of Dickens. I wondered what happens when the tree is lit? What do the people do in that beautiful moment when the tree explodes into light and shadow and the crowd goes ahh…

They kiss, that’s what they do. Because why wouldn’t they? We all like to share moments of holiday joy with our loved ones and there’s no better way to do that than to share a kiss. A smacker, a buss, a peck on the cheek, makes no difference, as long as it’s with someone you care for.

In The Winterland Waltz A Dickens Holiday Romance, my new book that released today, my heroine decides to invite the hero to the tree lighting, specifically because of this kissing tradition. It is their first kiss and happens in front of her friends and family. The kiss gives him the answer he’s seeking about where their friendship is going.

I had fun creating this simple tradition and some of the other authors in the series have included it in their stories, too. How cool is that?

If you could create a new holiday tradition, what would it be? Would it be something for young people in your life, or something more adult?

Bonnie Edwards has been writing all her life, starting with a poem about Santa suffering with gout. She was seven, Santa was a thousandteen years old. Delighted with writing, she went on to write family sagas, humorous contemporary romance, romantic suspense, erotic paranormal ghost romances and more.

Published by Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) Bonnie’s stories stretch from short stories to novellas and novels. Now, she’s happy to be publishing her work herself.

With 40+ titles to her credit, she has been translated into several languages and sold books worldwide. Learn about more exciting releases and get a free romance by subscribing to her newsletter, Bonnie’s Newsy Bits

Cheers and happy reading!

Follow her online: 

Website: www.bonnieedwards.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/bonnie-edwards
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bonnie.Edwards.Author/

Take Me, Take My Kids...by Bonnie Edwards

 

Take me, take my kids. Simple. Unless the woman of your dreams has the best reason in the world not to.

Single dad Jesse Carmichael met the perfect woman in Last Chance Beach, but when she heard about his three children, she bailed. Hard.

But Jesse has a plan.

Eva Fontaine has stepdaughters in the custody of their grandparents. She’s the only mother they remember, and she moved across the country to be near them. Her life is centered on staying in their lives while avoiding handsome, caring Jesse.

Eva refuses to get involved with another single dad. Falling for Jesse means loving his children. She’s done that once and her heart can’t take another beating if she should lose them, too.

But Jesse has a new plan to help her and desperate Eva’s onboard with it.

Until his children throw another insurmountable obstacle in their paths.

Now, Jesse has a plan for that, too.

At Last Chance Beach love takes a stand…

Excerpt: Take Me (and My Kids)

A Last Chance Beach Romance

Copyright Bonnie Edwards

 

July 4 Last Chance Beach

“But you promised I could see them this weekend.” Eva Fontaine clutched her phone so hard she thought the screen would crack. She eased her grip and held her breath. Her dead husband’s mother-in-law held all the cards, and she knew it.

“I don’t recall promising any such thing,” Estelle Morgan responded. “We’re taking Sophia and Jillian to visit their uncle and cousins. Their real family.” The girls’ grandmother never missed a chance to slash Eva’s heart open. That organ bled out, down her chest to the ground beside her fun Italian scooter as she stood in her sun-drenched driveway.

Her driveway. Her scooter. Her children. Eva stood outside Rook’s Nest Cottage, her new home in Last Chance Beach and wanted to scream.

But of course, she didn’t. Grown women in a battle of wits and cunning didn’t scream in despair. No. They handled their problems. Like a boss.

Estelle had no idea who she was up against. Yes, the older woman had won a major legal battle, but Eva had brought this fight clear across the country and it wasn’t over yet. She’d sold her SoCal family home, quit her job, and followed the Morgans and her stepdaughters to the East coast.

Custody. She wanted full custody of her girls and she wouldn’t stop working for it. Not ever. Maybe the Morgans had won legally, but morally? They were contemptible.

“They’re Sophie and Jilly,” she corrected, desperate to keep their names in her heart.

These conversations were always the same and had been since her husband had been killed in a car crash. What had once been a cool but reasonable relationship had become a series of emotional skirmishes, tactical ambushes, and legal attacks.

Sophie, nine, and Jilly, six, despised visiting their cousins. They were emotionally abusive bullies who had reminded them constantly that their real mom was gone, and they had to suffer having a stepmother. Now that their father was gone, too, Eva could only imagine the cruelty the boys dished out.

Estelle gave a long-suffering sigh on her end. “If you’re finished interrupting our day…” And the call disappeared. Estelle had hung up on her again. Soon, Eva suspected her calls would go unanswered.

Numbly she wondered how she’d live every day if Estelle and Bernie cut off all contact. Estelle could get a restraining order if Eva started showing up at their door. As it was, she’d barely controlled her urges to follow her girls just to catch glimpses.

Eva had kept herself busy the last few months by moving here, buying her cottage, and deciding to open a daycare. She even found a new friend in Farren Parks. She was heading to meet Farren now and maybe it was time to confide a little more. She had to do something to ease the pressure she lived with daily.

She slipped her phone into her backpack and then stowed the bag on the rack behind her seat. Eva was due at The Landseer Motel for a morning of lifeguarding, a joyful pursuit that kept her mind off her troubles.

Hoping to patch her heart by keeping busy amid a crowd of single parents and happy children, she settled herself for the short trip. Her little Italian ride was all she needed here on the island and the breeze on her face helped dry her tears and blow away the pain she lived with every waking moment.

~*~

Bonnie Edwards has been writing all her life, starting with a poem about Santa suffering with gout. She was seven, Santa was a thousandteen years old. Delighted with writing, she went on to write family sagas, humorous contemporary romance, romantic suspense, erotic paranormal ghost romances and more.

She may jump around within romance, but all her stories come with a tear, a laugh, and a happy ending. Published by Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) Bonnie’s stories stretch from short stories to novellas and novels. Now, she's happy to be publishing her work herself.

With 40 titles to her credit, she has been translated into several languages and sold books worldwide. Aside from standalone romances, she has six romance series that include Christmas romances and beach reads. Contemporary family sagas find a home in Return to Welcome. Learn about more exciting releases and get a free romance by subscribing to her newsletter, Bonnie’s Newsy Bits

Cheers and happy reading!

Bonnie Edwards

Follow her online:  Amazon     Website     BookBub    Twitter     Facebook     Instagram