Friday, December 2, 2011

What do you get when you cross a vampire with a snowman?

Frostbite.

I need to thank The Ellen Show for that classic joke. It combines two of my favorite things, Vampires (Be Mine) and Snow (Melting Frost).  



I live in the Midwest and I’ll admit that I love snow and pray for it to come early every year. I can hear my friends and family moaning and groaning in protest as I type this – I think I’m in the minority. I get just as excited as the weathermen (Hi, Eric!) when a big storm is coming in.

There is nothing better than waking up and realizing that you don’t have to go to work because you’re snowed in. A fire in the fireplace and a toasty blanket, a stack of movies, and hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schnapps is all you need for a fantastic day.


Some of my favorite holiday memories from my childhood were the days when we watched movies as the snow raged and blew around outside. We would bake cookies, make soup for dinner that simmered on the stove all afternoon, and then when it got dark and the wind calmed down we would suit up in all our heavy gear and go outside to play in the fresh snow. That was my favorite. Even though the sun had set and clouds still covered the sky the whole world seemed to glow and everyone was inside so there were no cars on the road (and no snow plows either since we lived on a quiet side street) and everything on our tree lined street was so quiet and still and covered in glistening snow.

My love of snow was my inspiration when I wrote Melting Frost. Here is the blurb and an excerpt -
-
Bitter and lonely, Jack Frost wishes for a special holiday - one filled with family and friends, but it was impossible. His usual solitary travels leave him wandering from window to window, watching people happily celebrate the holiday season. His resolve to not be alone hardens, until he spots a car slide off the road into a ditch.

He goes to inspect the damage—only to find a miracle.

Rory sees him while no one else can and her warmth immediately starts to melt the ice within him. As she grants him his wish, he realizes he is keeping her from her own true Christmas. Can he let her go or would he be willing to give up his old life…forever?

-
The air howled around him as he rode the northern wind through the crystal clear night sky. The holidays were approaching, and he was becoming more and more bitter with each passing day.

Jack dove toward the Earth as the twinkling city lights below him rivaled the stars and drew his curiosity. Swirling past window after window, he watched families prepare for Christmas. He imagined sitting by the fire, sipping hot chocolate and reading holiday stories with them, but his presence quickly created intricate frost patterns that raced across the glass panes and obscured his view.

His isolation gnawed at him. During this time of year, as the days grew shorter and the nights longer, he had nothing but the endless cold and silence—only the occasional howling winds to keep him company.

Shooting towards the twinkling lights of the heavens, he wished for the same thing he did every Christmas: someone to spend it with. A shooting star streaked across the sky and over the horizon, drawing his attention back to the land below.

He watched as a car spun on ice like a child’s Hanukkah dreidel. He’d witnessed such accidents on many occasions, especially during the long winter months, but this time something was different. An unseen force pulled him toward the car as it came to a violent stop at the base of a clump of trees. The branches of the towering pines practically covered the small sedan, and all that was visible were the glowing red tail lights.

Creeping slowly on the breeze, he approached the trees and inspected the damage. The front of the vehicle was crumpled from the impact, but the metal cage of the car looked to be mostly intact. He swept aside the undergrowth and gazed into the car window. All he could see were auburn curls sprawled against the white airbag. He watched as the woman’s head rolled toward the glass and dark eyes blinked at him, seeming to meet his invisible ones. A shot of warmth passed through him, like she’d peered right into his soul, before they closed again in unconsciousness.

Had she really seen him?



Kinda makes you want to curl up by the fire doesn't it?




**On January 2nd I'll randomly chose one person that comments with their name and email below to win a Melting Frost ebook and this lovely tea light Christmas tree. (and in honor of Jack Frost I might throw in a little bit of snow as well)**

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!! 

21 comments:

  1. I have a thing about snow too. I really love it. It rarely snows on Christmas day in the UK so when it does, it feels so magical. Of course, when I have to drive in snow, I HATE HATE HATE it.
    Congrats on your release. Who couldn't love Jack Frost!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Since I started working at home I don't mind the snow so much. :) I just hate the really wet heavy snow that turns in to sheets of ice. The pretty fluffy kind is great though.
    Nice cover too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh pretty! And fun! I love winter and Christmas story and I'm loading up the ereader right now :) I'm in Minnesota, so snow is often a visitor. We're waiting for more than a dusting :)
    Stephanie Beck
    s.becken@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I personally hate the cold. Sorry. Moved to California just to get away from the snow.
    But that tea light is really pretty.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I live in South Mississippi, so we don't get to enjoy snow. I really want to move to the midwest so that I can.

    Merry Christmas.

    koonie2888 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I live in MD and I don't like the cold but I do enjoy playing in the snow (not driving in it - MD folks don't know how to drive in the snow!)

    I grew up on a farm and had the best hills for sledding.

    Thanks,
    Tracey D
    booklover0226 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like to VISIT the snow. Being from WI, I had enough. I commented to husband last night that I miss the magic of a heavy, silent snowfall; the way it insulates the world and looks so beautiful from a warm and cozy house window with a cup of warm tea.

    Once a year would be enough for me, but it's lovely (when you don't have to drive in it).

    This is such a fun holiday story, very cozy, perfect for an afternoon by the fireplace.

    ReplyDelete
  8. No snow here yet, but I am curled up by the fireplace. There is nothing more beautiful than a blanket of fresh snow.

    elena(at)elenagray.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is my favorite time of year, Christmas and snow. I've always been on who has enjoyed the Autumn and Winter seasons more then Summer (way to hot in the summer). I do love to see snow, wish we got more where I live, but what I do see makes me happy.
    Georgia
    elmorulez2007@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I enjoyed your post. I like this time of year, but can't stand the cold.

    ainfinger(at)comcast(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm from Michigan, and like you I LOVE the snow. I'm not so fond of the cold anymore, but I adore snow. And that is a gorgeous tealight holder :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Being from Canada,snow is a given...eventually.We have been lucky not to have any yet.Well any that's sticking that is. As a kid I loved it..snow days woohoo!! but now,not so much. But I do enjoy a snowfall on Christmas eve.

    Melting Frost sounds really good. Thanks for the awesome giveaway.
    elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm from Canada, too, and I used to love snow as a child. But I lived in the country when I first started driving. Sliding on black ice into cornfields and trying to avoid hitting deer are not fun. Now snow just doesn't hold the same appeal. Although I do like to look at it from inside the house.

    Melting Frost sounds like a fabulous story! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I LOVE snow! As long as I don't have to drive in it.

    carrieannryanwrites@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I enjoy snow; however, I'd be happy if it snowed just once each winter. It's beautiful but the shoveling gets old really fast. :)

    Melting Frost sounds fantastic. Will definitely add to my TBR list.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    bimmergrlmd at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. We don't really get snow in Texas, but when visiting our son in Oct in Chicago for his Naval boot camp graduation a few years ago, we saw lots of snow, and I was ready to be back home in about two days. Then last year we went to visit him in Virginia and got snowed in. Again after about two days I was ready to see Texas again. I still think snow is pretty and it sort of renews the earth when it is gone. lisagk(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Im from Michigan too, but i hate the snow! I can do the cold, just not the wetness. The first snow i do love though! ;) Your book sounds very good! Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I live in Missouri...so, there's usually a pretty good chance that we'll see some snow. While I think it's pretty on its way down...I'd rather be looking at it from the other side of the window. I HATE the cold! I like watching the kids and the dogs play in it...but..I'll just stay inside and make the coco!

    barbbattaglia@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I used to love snow (back when I was young and the cold did not bother me). Since falling on ice and messing up my back, I tend to cringe at the thought of snow, ice, & cold. It is pretty but I would much rather stay in, cup of hot chocolate, blanket, and a good book.
    Have a good holiday!
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm also in the midwest & well used to snow, but I never got snowed in so that I couldn't go to work, since I live less than 20 feet from my job. Even if no customers could get to our business, thanks to the internet, the phone would still be ringing & there is always work to be done.

    drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. I think I jinxed myself by blogging about snow…

    I took two and a half weeks off hoping that I could sit at home and watch storm after storm blow through and we got an inch. One lousy inch of snow that melted the same day – and it wasn’t even on Christmas!

    My fingers and toes are crossed that we get lots of snow soon.

    Anyway, enough of my rant because I need to pick a winner…

    Random.org has picked commenter 5! Michelle, I’ll be emailing you soon!

    Thank you to everyone who commented. I hope you all had a magical holiday season! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!
    ~Kelly Daniels

    ReplyDelete