2021 Indie Romance Convention Attending Author Christmas Speical Post

  2022 Attending Author Carissa Marks 

Hello Folks, We added a new person to our clan of crazy so this year as we decorated the tree, she got the rundown on the ornaments. Some were my dad’s when he was a kid in the 1920s, some were from my childhood, some to honor pets long crossed over the rainbow bridge, and some in memorial to loved ones. This led to storytime and some good memories.

One year my step-sister got a 10 speed for Christmas, she went out back to feed her cat and found the bike—can went one way, spoon the other, and she took off screaming  “I got a bike, I got a bike,” down the street…in her fuzzy slippers and nightgown.

Several years we escaped the hospital with our youngest just in time for the holiday, he asked why they couldn’t flavor his nebulizer meds. After some back and forth with a sibling I heard, “Ma, tell him he can’t snort a candy cane.”

One year our daughter, Nicole, came home from school, she was having a slow morning and grabbed an old pair of glasses until she got her contacts in…our 200 plus lb. dog barked like crazy, Nic asked her why she was barking—tail did the slow wag, ears radared, and then she barked again…until Nic took her glasses off. Dog was happy then. She just didn’t recognize her with glasses. Same kid came down the hall inhaling deeply, “mmm, now it smells like a holiday” (turkey had been in for hours at this point)

We did a PCS move on the 2^nd of Dec, Military people will understand what fun that isn’t. I marked boxes by room- everything Christmas was labeled, “CSLR” in 48 hrs two 26 ft moving trucks were unloaded, a tree was cut down and brought home, groceries bought and the house was decorated. The oldest son shook his head, “Yep, only you could go from chaos to North Pole supply Company that fast.”

There was a steady stream of questions when they were little, “Does Santa have the new address?”, “ma, are you making____?”(insert any of their faves) followed by a fist pump and yes when I said I planned on it. “Mom, I need cheap gifts for five girls…what can we make?” or the overheard, “Dude, look at all this—I know Santa is real cuz we can’t afford this.”

I miss the magic of small ones at Christmas, of their excitement. My latest release, Tides of Love, has a Christmas surprise. Jase & Coby were never meant to have a book…I guess they showed me. But when you cross a hockey player with a mermaid…no telling what will happen.

       Happy Holidays and Merry New Year to all.