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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Secret Santa Blog Hop: December 17-19

Welcome to the Secret Santa Blog Hop! I'm glad you stopped by here on my blog. I'm a debut author, that actually just came out with a Christmas romance a month ago! And...it has the phrase Secret Santa in the title. lol.

Anyway, enough of my giddy-ness.

I took a twist on the old secret santa type thing when writing my book. I originally had an idea of a secret santa match where the couple falls in love.  But as the idea came out more and more,  I came up with the premise of my book.

The hero, Jacob Winston, is a little jaded this Christmas, but with good reason.  He's playing a Santa at the mall, where people cam come up and make a wish when they throw a coin in the well. Kind of like collecting money for donating?  One little boy makes a grown up wish and Jacob can't get him out of his mind. When he meets the boy's mother the next day and finds out more about Ben, Jacob just has to do something for this kind little boy.

Christmas is the season of giving, and I think in the midst of all the commercialized way Christmas is viewed nowaways, I made my book have more of a true meaning of Christmas feel. About giving back, finding love, and bringing cheer to others.  My book isn't inspirational in the sense of the genre, but it has been dubbed as an inspiring book by readers.

What is something that inspired you do do something for someone else?


Thanks for stopping at the blog. As my prize I will give away a print copy of The Secret Santa Wishing Well to one commenter. US only. So if you're not from the US and you get chosen, I will instead gift you a copy of the book in either Kindle or nook format.



BLURB: The magic of Christmas has been lost to Jacob Winston. At the suggestion of his ill sister, Jacob takes a job as a Secret Santa at the mall, hoping to restore his Christmas spirit. Even that doesn't seem to work, until a special little boy ambles up to make a very special wish...
Cheyenne Jensen is struggling to raise her two kids without the help of her ex-husband who refuses to acknowledge his daughter's existence and doesn't provide for the son he does. This Christmas is shaping up to be as heartbreaking as the last, until her son Ben's kind actions lead a stranger to them.
Ah, but it's Christmas time and the magic has begun.
When Jacob and Cheyenne meet, neither can deny their immediate attraction to one another. As situations arise that require they spend more time together, their feelings grow stronger and stronger.
With Christmas fast approaching, the pair learn what matters most in life. Now, if only they could ditch the ghost of Christmases past.
Maybe this holiday will bring some wishes come true- for everyone after all.


EXCERPT: It didn’t take long for her to come back. Jacob moved to the living room, standing and waiting. When he saw her coming, he closed the gap between them. Before he could think twice, he touched her shoulder gently, wanting to thank her for the evening.

But instead of talking, he leaned in and kissed her. Just a light kiss. Gentle. Friendly.

Until she responded. She had her arms around him, pulling him for another kiss. Deeper. Sweeter. She tasted so sweet. Her need made him swell. He could do this all night. Jacob pressed her against the wall, their kisses deepening with urgency. He ran his fingers through her fine hair. Hers wrapped around. his neck, rubbing lightly.

Jacob pulled back abruptly. “Cheyenne,” he ground out. “We have to stop.” Before I lose it. He didn’t want to stop. He never expected her to reciprocate like this. Wow. Maybe it wasn’t one sided after all. Jacob sighed.

That halted everything. She pulled away, looking at him with wide, beautiful eyes. “I’m sorry. I pushed. You must think I’m a fool. I thought, when you kissed me…” Cheyenne attempted to move out of Jacob’s embrace. Oh, damn. She thought he didn’t want her. He did, oh, how he did.

“No, no. Honey, that’s not it at all. Kissing you was magical. Amazing. But we just met. I don’t want to take things too far. But I would love to see you again.” He pushed back loose strands of her hair that hung over her face when she’d moved. She looked so vulnerable. Was she going to cry? Oh hell, he wouldn’t be able to handle it if she did. The last thing he wanted was for her to be upset with him.

“I’d like that, too. It was a wonderful, amazing day, and I have you to thank for it.” She nearly whispered the words, choking up on the last part. “God, I’m a mess. I’m sorry. There’s been so much going on, and my signals are going crazy at the moment.”

Yours aren’t the only one, Jacob thought. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, typing in her name in the contacts and handing it to her. “Can I have your number?”

She laughed. “Of course.” Her fingers brushed his as she took the phone from him, tapping in her number. She handed it back to him. Electric shocks of awareness zipped through him. His gaze lingered on her, knowing he needed to get the hell out of here before he lost it completely.



Here is the link to check out the other stops on the Blog hop!


http://www.tabithablake.blogspot.com/p/secret-santa-blog-hop.html 


  Barnes & Noble

26 comments:

  1. The things that inspire me are the kindness that others show. It reminds me there is still good in the world and makes me remember that I have a part in it too :)
    GFC: Cassandra Hicks
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

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  2. As I get older, I realize there is more joy in getting that special someone a gift you know they want and will appreciate more than thinking of what you want for yourself. It's the 'more blessed to give than receive' thing.

    I am spending my 45th Christmas with a wonderful husband and father and I would rather take whatever we might have and splurge for him than myself. When I bless him, I am more blessed in the giving.

    Hope that makes sense. Thank you for being so giving.

    Gail
    djgandyfan@gmail.com

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  3. Inspires me? A good book and a good friend. Thanks for the hop.

    Lasha
    mslasha at gmail dot com

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  4. If I can find the gift someone wants and watch their face break out into a smilel when they open it, it's a blessing to me. I feel like Santa Claus - a very good feeling.

    leeannwriter@att.net

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  5. Inspires me? A good book and a good friend. Thanks for the hop.

    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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  6. when i was younger and we would watch TV and Saturday morning cartoons or TGIF they used to have these PSA announcements that would come on
    gfc kimberly
    kaholgate at ymail dot com

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  7. Hi Nikki,
    Seeing the look on someone's face who really wants something but can't have it whether he/she does not have the money or the resources to get it. That inspires me to give to someone else. You can just tell by someone's face that he/she is genuinely good but for whatever reason that person cannot have what he/she wants. I like being in the position of being able to give that person what he/she wants. Sometimes I'm not and all I can offer are good intentions but it feels great when you can give a deserving person something he/she wants, doesn't it?
    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.
    susan_francesny[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  8. I love finding that something special that I know will put a smile on the person's face.

    Love the book cover-- looks magical. :)

    kmnbooks at yahoo dot com

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  9. My kids inspire me all the time, and because of them I think of how I can help other kids like donating presants at xmas for toys for tots or at local church that helps out families.

    angelheart618@gmail.com

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  10. I'm inspired all the time...mostly because of my family. We adopt an angel from the the tree of foster kids in our area every year so that they can have a nice Christmas. It's something my family has always done and I hope to teach my kids to do the same.

    I also follow your blog.
    morris.crissy@gmail.com

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  11. Your book sounds awesome..cant wait to read it. Hope I win. What a hard question...I love to give, and it hurts when I can't especially this year. What inspires me though is I guess when was little we were real poor and so I know firsthand how it feels to get something special..and I want others to feel that way too.
    I am following you with pleasure. Hope your holidays are all good memories;
    peach_hugs@yahoo.com

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  12. Little acts of anonymous kindness--at one of the fast-food places here, folks often pay for the car behind them in the drive-thru line...then, if they can, those folks pass on the gesture.

    Enjoying the blog hop!

    RowanWorth (at) comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  13. I always do things for others simply because of that little voice inside that says it is the right thing to do!
    GFC - K April Holgate
    Thanks for the Awesome Hop!
    grapeapril75(AT)gmail.com

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  14. Great excerpt. Merry Christmas, Nikki.

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  15. I get inspired when the person is kind and good natured. Thanks for the great hop. I follow on gfc-magic5905
    magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

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  16. helping others out at the holidays and throughtout the year inspires me. Whatever I can do to britghen someones day.
    lauratroxel@yahoo.com

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  17. Hello, thanks for the giveaway! I like to do whatever I can to make someone smile. :)

    skizzles_22_hju@yahoo.com

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  18. What inspires me to do something for others is my everyday life. I am very fortunate to have a healthy happy five children with my husband. We are very blessed so every christmas we sponsor a family in need and my kids and I buy all the presents for the family. I was a struggling single mom of two little boys when my husband met me and he took on my boys as if they were his own, so he inspires me to share what we have with people that might not be as fortunate. sbereza22@gmail.com

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  19. I love to do random acts of kindness. Anything from paying for the persons coffee behind me in a line or giving something to someone on the street. I try to live with an attitude of gratitude. I'm grateful for my life and I want to share.

    Thanks for being a part of the blog hop and Happy Holidays

    Leela Lou
    LeelaLou@Comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  20. What an awesome hop!! And a fantastic giveaway! Thank you!! Lots of things inspire me. My family, my friends, books & authors, etc. My mom especially is inspiring!! ;) Happy holidays to you all! Best wishes and many blessings!
    GFC: shadow_kohler
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  21. When our little town of Westerly flooded we met lots of people at the shelter and when I got left at the Middle school after we had been bussed in for showers some of the other people that had a car let me ride back to the shelter with them. Later I found out their car broke down and so I started to pick them up to take them to and from work 6 days a week and church on Sundays. I did this for about 8 months until they could save up to get another car.
    z
    seawitchreviews at yahoo dot com

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  22. Recently one mom in our community found out her husband was very sick. A bunch of us have banded together offering moral support, meals, places to stay for relatives, childcare and even simple things like giving her a big bag of the candy she likes.

    My mom is probably the biggest inspiration in my life.

    Have a great Holiday Season!

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  23. What a great post - and I love the sound of your book - and the gorgeous cover. Congratulations on your debut novel, it sounds great.
    This year is a little hard, as my dear friend, Sharon Donovan, passed away in April, a month before I was due to fly out to meet her. She loved Christmas so much, and her last book, a Christmas romantic suspense, was published earlier this month, so her friends and I are trying to get the word out about it as much as we can (I've posted on her blog as part of this blog hop too). She was such an inspiration and her spirit and inspiration lives on in her books.

    ReplyDelete
  24. What is something that inspired you do do something for someone else?

    I see someone that needs help I usually help them

    Happy Holidays
    BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom

    GFC following

    ReplyDelete
  25. Not sure inspired is the correct wording, but one year a neighbor woman (single mother) was having severe health issues at Christmas time so my family adopted her 3 children and done special activities with the children along with Santa'ing gifts for them that year.

    Thanks for the giveaway! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
    I GFC follow - brbalways
    brbalways(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  26. My parents church has an adopt a family for Christmas thing every year. Most years my mom & I go a little crazy shopping for complete strangers.

    drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete