Last night was funny. We watched a comedy that just wasn’t great (The Family Plan), but we were all together, which was nice. The 10-year-old was stretched out on the rug in front of the Christmas tree, eyeing the presents under the tree. She’s so on edge, so ready for Santa to come. Whether she truly believes or not, she won’t let go of the thought of his existence because like I did with my kids, I told them that when the stop believing, he stops coming. So, my kids NEVER admitted they didn’t believe. And despite the fact she’s ten, and most of her friends have said they don’t believe, she still wants to leave out milk and cookies and carrots tonight. As soon as she heads to bed, Mom and the 19-year-old will be smuggling the Barbie Dream House into the living room and adding fairy lights to make it extra special sparkly. It’s fun for the older ones, too.

Then tomorrow morning, we have to get up at 4 AM. Why such a godawful time? The SIL’s night shift at the PD will end, and because we don’t want to torture him with getting up a couple of hours later because the 10-year-old can’t wait to open presents, we’ll instead wake her up early so he can participate while he’s still awake.

And you know what? I can’t wait for that alarm to go off. My job will be to make hot chocolate for everyone. My dd’s job will be to go around and turn on all the Christmas and fairy lights. Then we’ll shake the kid awake and tell her Santa came. I can’t wait!

BTW, if you’re looking for a GOOD Christmas movie to watch, try A Biltmore Christmas. It’s a Hallmark movie, so yes, it’s heavy on the sappy romance, but it was actually very good. Even the 19-year-old was in love with the hero by the end.

So, for those of you who celebrate Christmas, here’s wishing you a merry one!

Open Contests & Giveaways

1. FREE Book! Close Encounter of the Carnal Kind! Get your copy! — This ends soon! Get your FREE novelette before the offer expires!
2. Word Search: Dr. Who Companions (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Favorite Christmas Songs (Contest) — “I’m Just Ken” — What is this yummy goodness? — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Christmas Morning — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Ann Clarkson!
*~*~*

This is the last Christmas-themed puzzle before the big day! My daughter and I have everything wrapped. The groceries for our special meal have been bought! Last night, I finished the last bit of work I intend to do until the day after Christmas. (Yes, not much rest for the weary when you’re a writer!)  So, from here on out, I will be enjoying spending time with family.

The image I chose for the puzzle depicts the fun of Christmas morning. In our house, we do adult Christmas before Christmas morning because we don’t want anything getting in the way of enjoying watching them open their presents. We’ll have screwdrivers and scissors standing by to install batteries and take apart the packages (why do dolls always have so many wires attached to the packaging?!).

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, share your plans for Christmas morning!

UPDATE: The winner is…Sandra Marlow!
*~*~*

I’ve been doing my Christmas Advent Countdown on Facebook, and one of the questions I posed to folks was: What is your favorite Christmas song? 

I had several in the back of mind to choose for my own, until I opened up my emails and saw a link to Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken (Merry Christmas, Barbie).” I’m in love with this!

I guess it’s because the whole “Barbenheimer” thing this past summer was soooo much fun. Yes, I saw Oppenheimer then Barbie, and I bought the T-shirt!

Anyway, I’m sharing the new video here! Enjoy! And even if you already told me on Facebook, you can enter to win a $5 Amazon gift card by naming your favorite Christmas song here in the comments. 

The winter solstice has arrived, and with it the shortest day of the year. Darkness comes early and stays late, but the tide is beginning to shift. This time of year can be hectic with holiday preparations—decorating, baking, shopping—not to mention the parties and get-togethers. So often, when the holidays arrive, many of us are too tired to enjoy it. We get crushed under the expectations—our own and those encouraged by the media. We feel that everything has to be perfect or that the holidays are ruined.

It doesn’t have to be that way. It shouldn’t be that way. Turn off the computer, put down the phone, and take some time to breathe. Go for a walk. If you walk in the evening, you can enjoy the festive lights. Sit in front of the tree and enjoy it. Watch a favorite holiday show with your family. Don’t let the season pass by in a blur. Being present is better than any store-bought gift you could give your loved ones.

Then there’s the financial stress the season often brings with it. There are many ways to enjoy the season without spending a ton of money. Call up your sister, mother, or friend and invite them over for tea or coffee or maybe an afternoon of holiday baking, sharing memories, and laughing together. The best part about the holidays is spending time with loved ones…and the food. Can’t forget the amazing food.

I recently spent a day with my brother and sister-in-law making homemade chocolates. It’s a tradition we carry over from our childhood, which makes it extra special. In the end, I had a tin of yummy chocolates, and they had a stack of tins they’ll give out to friends. Spending the day baking with friends and splitting the end results is not only fun but takes the pressure off everyone involved. Cookie swaps have become popular for this very reason. It’s a great excuse to socialize and you go home with a variety of cookies without having to bake them all yourself.

If you’re looking for a fast, easy, and delicious recipe, here’s one for fudge that my family has been making for at least sixty years, maybe longer.

Five Minute Fudge (From the Carnation Milk Cookbook)

2/3 cup of Carnation milk
1 2/3 cups of sugar

~Bring sugar and milk to a boil and boil on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Remove from heat.

Add:
1 ½ cups chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet dark chips)
1 ½ cups of plain mini marshmallows (I use Kraft minis)
1 tsp of vanilla flavouring

~Stir until smooth and pour into greased 8” X 8” pan.

~Cool and cut into squares.

And if you’re looking for a calorie-free treat to help get you through the season, be sure to check out Taming the White Wolf, the first book in the Lone Wolf Legacy Trilogy.

Taming the White Wolf
Lone Wolf Legacy, Book 1

White wolf Devlin Moore has spent nearly the last century following his destiny: hunting rogue werewolves. His fate is to be the only one of his kind—hardened, feared, and brutally ruthless. Only now, Devlin’s not alone. There are two others. And if that wasn’t unsettling enough, Devlin is drawn to New York City for what appears to be a human…

As far as Devlin can tell, vibrant artist Zoe Galvani is no threat. But there’s something about her— from her unusual eyes that look similar to the same shocking hue as his own, to his growing need to mark her as his that suggests magical forces may be at play.

Now there’s no escaping each other, or the attraction that grows stronger by the second. But no one, especially a human woman, should have this effect on a lone wolf. And just when he’s sure that having her could be his undoing…the truth steps out of the shadows.

If you want to read more, you can find Taming the White Wolf here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7NTXG92/
Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/books/taming-the-white-wolf
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taming-the-white-wolf-n-j-walters/1143634327
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/taming-the-white-wolf
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/taming-the-white-wolf/id6450183902

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit her at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

UPDATE: The winner is Colleen C!
*~*~*

Tomorrow is International Dalek Remembrance Day! But since I’ll be hosting a guest tomorrow, I thought I might get you in the mood for the celebration. After all, it’s an important one! Yes, I’m waving my nerd flag again. I’m a Dr. Who fan, and the Daleks are iconic Dr. Who villains. If you’ve never watched Dr. Who, do yourself a favor and start with Eccleston’s Who and binge your way forward. You won’t regret it!

But anyway, even if you don’t know who Dr. Who is or know a Dalek from an Adiposian, we can still play a word search game!

I chose to honor the Companions, Dr. Who’s travel buddies, as the theme for the puzzle. Naturally, my favorite was Donna. Poor Donna. I could wax on about how funny and sad her story was, but let’s get to the puzzle.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me whether you’ve watched Dr. Who, and if you have, which actor do you prefer in the role? For me, it’s David Tennant. The man has his heart in his puppy dog eyes.

Readers are still finding Little Green Dreams. I know, it’s not bounty hunters or Navy SEALs, but the touch of science fiction isn’t something new for me. I’ve written series of Sci-Fi romances before—long before—I ever wrote my sexy hunters/protectors.

One such story was a 12,000-word novelette, Close Encounters of the Carnal Kind. It’s very erotic, and funnily enough, it is about an alien abduction, which is one of the central themes of Litte Green Dreams.

So, while I do a very gratuitous push for you to purchase and read Little Green Dreams (because it’s a fun, Southern small-town, sci-fi, ghost romance), I’ll give you another early Christmas gift—a FREE copy of Close Encounter of the Carnal Kind!

Happy Holidays! ~ DD

Etienne Lambert, a Cajun ex-soldier fresh from the horrors of the war in Iraq, discovers that he’s an alien when an alien woman arrives at his door to take him home. When he resists, she kidnaps him. He soon learns he is the last potent male in the royal line of their planets, and it’s his duty to return to sire the next generation of the ruling caste.

Marika is a fightership commander who has succeeded where all the mages, seers, and trackers have failed. She has found her planets’ last hope for salvation! When the future king demands that he start work immediately on the primary mandate of his rule — to sire children — she can’t refuse his command.

Get your FREE copy!

When I started writing my young adult contemporary Cecily Taylor Series, my plan was to take a high school girl and have all of her dreams come true and let her see the reality of it all; that means I’d show what it’s really like to date her favorite singer/songwriter and what it’s like to be a well-known actress/model. Sure, she experiences the euphoria, but there’s also the fact every little thing is scrutinized by strangers on the internet. Dealing with mean and deeply personal remarks in the comments section becomes a reality for Cecily in In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety. However, I wasn’t prepared for the flood of messages I got when I posted an excerpt from the book where Cecily reads the comments about herself after being in Andrew Holiday’s music video.

Here’s the excerpt from In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety:

It felt real, but can you date your teen idol? Is it even smart to? And why hadn’t he messaged me yet? I’m sure the plane had Wi-Fi. Other guys texted nonstop to the point of being annoying, yet my phone was silent.

“Maybe. It was just nice to see someone being authentic,” I said.

“It would have been awful if he was fake—can you imagine?” she asked. “Honestly, when you said he was just like how he comes across in interviews—I did jumpy claps. Not gonna lie, it made me look like a toddler who just saw ice cream.”

“Yeah, he seems like the real deal, don’t you think?”

“Mm-hmm,” she said distractedly as she tried to find a place to park. “Must be nice to have a hot pop star text you. Do you think he will contact you again?”

If he doesn’t, then I’ll die and probably never leave my room again. “I hope he does. I’d be seriously bummed if I—” Get phone dumped, get blocked online, see he’s dating someone else. “Don’t hear from him again.”

“Does anyone else know he was the reason Zach got so mad at you when he walked in on Andrew trying to kiss you at the video premiere?”

“No, Zach didn’t tell anyone. I feel like it’d be weird if I told people that’s what happened. Like they wouldn’t believe me and think I was making it up to get attention,” I said.

“Yeah, I already heard a few people saying stuff.”

My stomach dropped. “Like what?”

“Huh? Oh…nothing major.” She gripped the steering wheel. “It’s impossible to find a spot on the street on a weekend.”

I pressed her again, and she shrugged.

“There’s a couple comments on his social media pages.”

Pulling out my phone, I went to the video’s link online and the first comment that came up was:

NoOneAndrewFan: Why did they pick HER out of all the girls in the world?

CaliGirlTwo: They couldn’t find any better than that chick?

Holidate008: She’s like if the word “plain,” was a person.

MusicIsLife: I think the point is that she’s not supposed to be hot, you guys

Holidate008: I think she’s supposed to be the opposite of that other girl in the video.

CaliGirlTwo: Obviously Andrew has a jealous girlfriend and told him to find blah girls to be in his video.

SleepAllDayz: I bet Andrew’s managers don’t want his fans to be jealous of any of the girls they cast in his videos. Mission accomplished.

Meghynn: Seriously, I’ve seen cuter girls walking down my street and I live out in the sticks.

KellyKellz: I bet the other actress said they couldn’t cast another hot girl.

Meghynn: Andrew obviously didn’t do the casting for this one.

Holidateforever: Wow! Seems like no one has anything nice to say, all you guys want to do is trash people. if you don’t like what Andrew’s doing in his video… then bye!

TeenaRoger: Guys, Andrew would hate all these negative vibes! If you don’t have anything good to say about his work then don’t follow his page, don’t listen to his music, and DON’T bother commenting.

Holidateforever: I think she’s pretty. Jealousy isn’t cute, you guys.

“Oh crap. I didn’t even think to look at the comments before now. I guess it was so surreal to think I was actually in a music video that it didn’t even occur to me to go on and see what people were saying,” I said as my face burned with embarrassment. “Has everyone at school seen these?”

“Don’t worry about it. People suck and if it makes you feel any better, a lot of people at school aren’t even talking about it because they don’t want you to get all stuck up,” she said.

That was supposed to make me feel better?

“I was barely in the video. Why is everyone attacking me for a five second spot?” I asked trying to keep myself from crying.

“It sucks. I wish Andrew was here and he could just wrap you in a blanket and make you a cup of tea,” Lila said.

I laughed despite the fact I was trying not to throw up on myself. “Yup, like the perfect boyfriend.”

***

Right after that excerpt was posted on a book tour, my messages went crazy with people sharing their own experiences of dealing with mean comments online. Everyone from teens to adults to people in the public eye shared how this scene made them feel. However, I also had people who hadn’t experienced it, but had a family member who was hoping to become well-known or famous (either with singing, acting, modeling, and podcasting or as an influencer, etc.), and this scene made them rethink everything.

The scary thing about this scene for me is the fact it was inspired by a real comment I saw on posted under a singer’s video. It stood out to me as the person didn’t think the actress in the video was attractive enough to be “worthy” of being in the music video of this particular pop star. It struck me that this person was putting this comment out on a very public site for everyone to see and that there was a chance the actress herself could see it. I know some people have thick skin and don’t let things like that bother them, but there’s also something to be said about the old saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

It also made me think about other people reading the comment and if they’d look at the actress and compare themselves, and then walk away feeling self-conscious about their own appearances. Social media can be fun and informative, but it can also be toxic and it would help us all if we were more mindful about what we posted and read online.

I would love to know your thoughts on toxic social media comments. Please leave them below. I will leave you with this Bernard Meltzer quote: “Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.”

Pick up a copy of the book here. It’s free in Kindle Unlimited:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Over-Her-Head-Lights-Anxiety-ebook/dp/B09WZV4P3P
Amazon CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09WZV4P3P
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09WZV4P3P

About the Author

Krysten Lindsay Hager is a bestselling author of young adult, middle grade, and contemporary romance. Krysten writes because she loves bringing people swoony moments & hope-filled happily ever afters. Her books are known for making you feel all the feels.

Website: https://www.krystenlindsay.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/