Who doesn't love to read Christmas stories at this time of year? Just check out Amazon's bestseller lists and you'll see that the season is upon us. for the next few weeks we'll be featuring lots of Christmas/Holiday reads so stay tuned!
Take it away . . .
It's the season of giving thanks, and one of the things I've always been thankful for is my family. My parents were always supportive of my interest in all things creative, doing without so that I could pursue a career in teaching and performing music. I was fortunate enough to enjoy twenty-eight years teaching elementary students in west Michigan, and one of the highlights of each school year was the annual Christmas program. When my children were small, I volunteered in their Sunday School by helping with their Christmas pageants as well.
Sophie
Gardner, the main character in Christmas
Wishes, has grown up in a loving, encouraging family. But she can't wait to
go out and make a name for herself in the world of screenwriting. Her family is
there for her, yet they support her desire to pursue a career that could take
her far away from them. What more could anyone wish for? But life never happens
as you expect it to. Sometimes dreams change. And sometimes we need help to
find out what we really want.
Blurb:
Photographer
Mitch Carson is tired of big city life. He just wants to settle down in a quiet
town with his daughter, Angie. Even that doesn't quell his fear of losing his
daughter to his scheming mother-in-law.
Sophie
Gardner wants to be a screenwriter. She's ready to leave small town Zutphen,
Michigan and go to Hollywood. With a theater degree under her belt, she's busy
writing scripts while helping out her sister Joanie, who's bedridden with a
difficult pregnancy. Unfortunately, Joanie has somehow coerced Sophie into
directing the Christmas pageant at Zutphen Community Church.
When
Sophie and Mitch meet, the attraction is instant and mutual. But each wants
what the other is trying to get away from. Can they deny their feelings and
pursue their dreams? Or will the holiday prove to them that their true wishes
might not be what they'd thought?
Excerpt:
“Hey, little sis.
How’s it going?” Sam settled on the sofa next to her. “Joanie says you worked
really hard this week. She says she couldn’t have pulled off the family holiday
without you. In fact, she says she wouldn’t have survived the pregnancy if you
hadn’t been here. She’s lucky you were available.”
“It was lucky for
both of us. I needed a place to regroup and earn money for my next move.”
Sam nodded. “Gonna
go to California and do the screenwriting thing, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s what
I’ve always wanted to do. I think the cooking thing was just a rebellion. Or a
reaction from Nate going off without me.”
“Yeah, that was
kinda puny of him. Never did like the guy. He was way too full of himself. I
really wasn’t surprised when he took off.” As if just realizing who he was
talking to, he stopped his rant. “Well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. You’re
not going out there to chase after him, are ya?” He waited until Sophie shook
her head. “Okay then. Go for it. I’ll look forward to seeing your name on the
credits at the ends of the shows.”
He got up and
retrieved his toddler daughter, who was eating a plant.
Sam wasn’t known for
heart-to-heart talks, but Sophie thought about their conversation as she dished
out desserts. What was the real reason she wanted to go to Los Angeles? She’d
never thought about going until she and Nate had made their plans to take
Hollywood by storm. She’d always liked to write, and her teachers had always
praised her work, but it hadn’t been a passion. She’d written little stories,
even published a few. But could she really make it as a screenwriter? More
importantly, did she really want to?
Or did she want to
stay and see if there was anything to the chemistry between her and a certain
photographer?
Enough of these doubts. She didn’t want to
waste any more of her life in her hometown. It was time to make some of her
dreams come true. She had a handful of scripts for her portfolio. Now she
needed to get them into the hands of people who would read them. The first
thing on tomorrow’s to-do list: submit scripts to more agents.
Bio: In a previous life, Patricia Kiyono taught elementary school students by day and changed diapers at night. Now she teaches college students part time and changes diapers only when she's taking care of grandkids. She loves to do anything that doesn't involve exercise. Right now her favorite activities, other than writing, include scrapbooking, sewing, and making music. She and her husband live in southwest Michigan, near their five children and nine grandchildren.
Sounds like a really cute story! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim! And thank you for having me here.
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