Tuesday, November 22, 2011

RTW Christmas Book Party: Sarah J. McNeal

by Sarah J. McNeal
Featured Title: Gifts From the Afterlife, 2011 Christmas Anthology

In recent years, I’ve spent a few Christmases alone. I found during those times when my Christmases were nothing like the warm, cozy stories on television, that I missed the people that I have lost in my life—my parents and my oldest sister.

When I decided to write a short story for the 2011 Christmas Anthology from Victory Tales Press, I thought I’d try to share that lost feeling of Christmas spent alone through my lead character, Lydia Sinclair. Of course, she gets a little help from some ghosts and an angel to find the strength to accept an alternative to her melancholy Christmas.

Exactly what is Gifts From the Afterlife about?  Here's the story blurb:

How dark must it get before Lydia sees the light?

Lydia Sinclair’s life has run off the rails. She has lost everyone she loves and Christmas has lost its meaning. As Christmas approaches, Lydia wants to go to sleep and never wake up again. Perhaps an angel, some ghosts and a childhood sweetheart can convince her that life is worth living again. Can Lydia let go of what once was, renew her joy in Christmas and find the promise of hope for her future?

And a little peek, just to give you a taste:

She felt the heat surge up her neck into her face. Lydia turned away from him and headed toward her house. If she ignored him, maybe he wouldn't insist on asking her about her feelings or about that kiss, and she could escape from her vulnerability.

Just as she reached her back door, he caught up with her, grasped her arm, and turned her around to face him. His sea green eyes were flecked with heated gold as he peered at her. "Don't just walk away. Tell me what I did wrong. Was it because I kissed you?"

She wanted to say something, to tell him that the kiss meant everything to her. It wasn't the kind of kiss that led straight to the bedroom. It felt more like a prelude to something richer, deeper, longer—like an unspoken promise. She tried to form the words but they resisted expression.

He pressed his fingertips to her lips. His voice, when he spoke, rose just above a whisper. "Wait. I know what you're going to say. It's too soon. Hell, you hardly remember me." He held on to her. The wind feathered his hair and swept it over his brow. "But for me, you've been here my whole life." He fisted his free hand and tapped his chest over his heart.

Snow gathered in his hair and melted on his face. He sighed. "All I ask is that you give me a chance. I know it's been hard for you in recent years—so many losses, so much sadness, but when you're ready..." His words trailed off.


Sarah J. McNeal, author
 Where to buy Sarah's story:
Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Smashwords * Lulu

Contact Sarah: Website * Blog * Facebook

Thank you, Sarah!

Comment to win a copy of Sarah's Gifts From the Afterlife and be sure to leave your email address!  Winner for each day, plus the Grand Prize winner will be announced on Sunday's Chicken Dinner post.


Romancing The West is featuring wonderful Christmas books all week, and each day's author will be giving away a free book, so check back tomorrow for Markee Anderson.

Prizes Every Day!

Monday: A Warrior for Christmas and Somewhere the Bells Ring by Beth Trissel
Tuesday: Gifts from the Afterlife by Sara J. McNeal
Wednesday: A Dream to Share by Markee Anderson
Thursday: Feliz Navidad by Kit Prate
Friday: (TBA) by Cheryl Pierson
Saturday: Faery Merry Christmas by Jacquie Rogers
Sunday: Chicken Dinner! Yes, one commenter this week (any post) will win a book from each author--that's SIX Christmas books--AND a $10 Amazon gift certificate

Love Christmas stories?
Markee Anderson listed a bunch of 'em at her Christmas page.
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50 comments:

  1. Eva's FlowersNovember 22, 2011 at 1:38 AM

    Oh I do love some sexy Christmas stories!

    Eva
    evitap67(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 5:20 AM

    Fist, let me thank Jacquie for having me today. I really appreciate the opportunity.Thanks, Jacquie!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Markee AndersonNovember 22, 2011 at 5:21 AM

    Great job! I love the excerpt, too! This is one I definitely want to read. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 5:22 AM

    Hey Eva. Thank you so much for dropping by and leaving a comment. I love Christmas stories, too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. aarbaughNovember 22, 2011 at 6:06 AM

    Oh, that sounds good. I'm very familiar with being single at Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  6. JuanaNovember 22, 2011 at 6:17 AM

    Thanks for the chance. I enjoyed the excerpt, and have added the book to my book wish list.

    jmesparza821(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 7:11 AM

    Thanks for the Christmas giveaway! I REALLY enjoy reading sexy, romantic Christmas novels!! YUUUUMMMM!

    --Andrew G
    ilmksc@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 7:13 AM

    Markee, thank you so much for dropping by and for your compliment. I really appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 7:15 AM

    Aarbaugh, it's not much fun spending Christmas alone, is it? What did you do to make it more fun? Thank you for coming by and commenting today.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 7:17 AM

    Juana, I love your name. It's so pretty. Thank you for your nice comment.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 7:19 AM

    What a surprise to have you visit me here, Andrew. I know how busy you are so I appreciate it all the more. I always enjoy reading your work, too. Thank you so much for coming by.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 7:23 AM

    Great post and generous giveaway.
    Thanks,

    musicalfrog@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  13. Kathleen ONovember 22, 2011 at 7:31 AM

    I love this story Sarah... Thanks for the givaway. Great prize to win.

    ReplyDelete
  14. JoanneRNovember 22, 2011 at 7:37 AM

    Spending Christmas alone sounds lonely. Your story sounds really good. Thank you.
    joannereynolds@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 8:02 AM

    "Anonymous" I love your email addy: Musical Frog. LOL Thank you for commenting today.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 8:04 AM

    Thank you for dropping in, Kathleen. I really appreciate your lovely compliment.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 8:09 AM

    Joanne, spending Christmas alone is more lonely than any other time of year. Because it's such a family and friends together kind of holiday and so much importance is placed on togetherness on TV, it magnifies the feelings of separation, loss and loneliness.My character, Lydia, certainly feels all of those emotions.
    Thank you so much for coming by and leaving a comment.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Delaney DiamondNovember 22, 2011 at 8:14 AM

    Sarah, you should get out and spend the holiday with friends if there are no other family members nearby. Christmas may be the worst holiday to spend alone. :(

    This sounds like a heartwarming story. Best wishes for lots of success!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 10:01 AM

    Hey Delaney. Thanks for coming by. Christmas isn't usually open for visitors the way Thanksgiving is. My back-up friend is commanding a medical evac. post in Afghanistan this year--not going there, let me tell ya. My other friends are spending their Christmas with their families. I'll buy myself something extravagant, make soemthing decadent to eat and watch Christmas movies with my cat (Liberty) and my dog (Lily).
    Thank you so much for coming to see me today.

    ReplyDelete
  20. UnknownNovember 22, 2011 at 11:38 AM

    Hi Sarah,

    Just thought I'd come by and do some Christmas reading. (haven't been to Jacquie's blog in a long while ;) This is a nice post. Hope your Christmas is wonderful. Spending time with your critters can be precious moments.

    AithneJarretta [at] gmail [.] com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 12:33 PM

    Well hello there, Aithne. It's wonderful to have you come on over for a little visit. I love my four legged kids. Thank you for dropping in.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Jacquie RogersNovember 22, 2011 at 1:24 PM

    Thanks so much for guest blogging at Romancing The West, Sarah! Your story premise is so powerful, Gifts From the Afterlife just has to be a wonderful Christmas read.

    My lonliest Christmas was spent programming on deadline. Everyone else gathered at my brother's for Christmas Day, but I had work to do. Oh, did I ever feel sorry for myself. Met the deadline, though--barely, and had to work 20-hour days to do it.

    We nearly always have friends over for Christmas, especially those who moved here and have no family in the area. We figure the more, the merrier.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 1:39 PM

    Thank you so much for having me here at your lovely blog today, Jacquie.
    Until I retired from the ER I spent many holidays there. Of course, that's not really alone. There are always plenty of patients and nurses around and everyone is so busy they forget what day it is anyway.
    I've spent some awful Christmases with people all around that made the thought of spending Christmas alone seem like a relief.
    Thank you for allowing me to blog here today. I'll wait until tomorrow to announce a winner of the 2011 Christmas Anthology to give any late-comers a chance to enter. I'm assigning numbers to those who commented and then I'll have my niece choose a number for the winner.

    ReplyDelete
  24. jbcweissNovember 22, 2011 at 1:40 PM

    I love Christmas stories and anthologies - sometimes all the stories are by favorite authors and other times I find new authors I like.
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    JoAnne
    jbcweiss@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 1:46 PM

    Me too, Joanne. I discovered Linda Lael Miller and Lisa Kleypas by reading anthologies. It's a great was to discover new writers and enjoy tidbits from those I already love. Thank you so much for dropping in and commenting today.

    ReplyDelete
  26. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    This sounds so good. Reading this would be a great way to spend my Christmas as I'll be alone and need something to snuggle with.
    Cathy
    cathyann40@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 3:02 PM

    Thanks for the excerpt and the festive cover. Love Christmas Anthology stories!
    bossu49ataoldotcom

    ReplyDelete
  28. EvaNovember 22, 2011 at 3:03 PM

    Thanks for the excerpt and the festive cover. Love Christmas Anthology stories!
    bossu49ataoldotcom

    ReplyDelete
  29. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    Hey there, Cathy. I'm sorry you will be alone for Christmas. I hope you do something special for yourself. Thank you for dropping by.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Sarah J. McNealNovember 22, 2011 at 4:04 PM

    Thank you for coming by and leaving a nice comment for me, Eva. I love anthologies, too...writing stories for them and reading them.

    ReplyDelete
  31. desitheblondeNovember 22, 2011 at 6:04 PM

    wow this one i like the cover wow it make me want to read now

    ReplyDelete
  32. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 8:31 PM

    I love holiday stories especially Christmas. This sounds like a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  33. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 8:32 PM

    Forgot to leave my email address.

    pnc07 (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  34. UnknownNovember 23, 2011 at 5:02 AM

    I'm a little late, Sarah, but I'm glad I read the excerpt. Very good--and the right length! I have an issue with Lo-o-o-o-ong excerpts.
    Congratulations on the VTP anthology--this should be a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Sarah J. McNealNovember 23, 2011 at 5:31 AM

    Thank you for coming by and leaving a comment, Desi. I really appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Sarah J. McNealNovember 23, 2011 at 5:35 AM

    I love holiday stories, too, Phyllis. I don't just read them during the holidays though. Sometimes when it's hot and humid, I like to read a story with snow and chilly holiday cheer. Thank you so much for coming by and leaving a comment.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Sarah J. McNealNovember 23, 2011 at 5:40 AM

    Celia, so happy you could come and leave a comment. I agree with you about keeping excerpts short. When I'm looking for books in reader groups, I don't have time to read frighteningly long excerpts. I like it when an author is considerate of a reader's time. I keep mine under 400 words. It takes some work to come up with a brief excerpt that brings out the essence of the story but I think it's worth it.
    Thank you so much for taking the time to visit me, Celia. I really appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
  38. AnonymousNovember 23, 2011 at 9:25 AM

    Hello Sarah,
    I have plans for tomorrow. I plan on watching the Lions-Packers game and then an early dinner with family. I also plan on reading at least 5 books by Friday night. I also do not like extra long excerpts. I only want a taste of a novel to see if I am interested in reading it. I do not like to read the best part of a novel in the excerpt.
    Is anyone making fresh homemade pumpkin or apple pies? J/c.

    Have a happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving!!

    --Drew G
    ilmksc@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  39. Sarah J. McNealNovember 23, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    It just so happens, Drew, that I am making an apple pie for Thanksgiving. My nephew always makes the pumpkin pie and it is delicious. Tomorrow half my family will be at work--medical people don't often get holidays off. So the rest of us will be making work visits with Thanksgiving dinner. I'll probably watch holiday movies on TV after that.
    I have read some books where the best part of the book was in the excerpt--disappointing. I like when the excerpt leaves me wanting to know more. Long excerpts make my eyes glaze over.
    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Drew and I hope your team wins.

    ReplyDelete
  40. AnonymousNovember 23, 2011 at 10:43 AM

    Hello all,

    Does anyone here create a centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner? If so ,what do they look like?

    --Drew G
    ilmksc@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  41. Sarah J. McNealNovember 23, 2011 at 1:45 PM

    My sister has a large dinning room table so she has the room to put a centerpiece. She just had a big dinner this past Sunday and made the theme an autumn one. She had pottery birds with votive candles in them up and down the center of the table and, in the middle, she had flowers she had dried from her garden this summer. She used her Bittersweet patterened dishes that have a fall pattern on them. She uses an old dresser in the dinning room to keep linens and silver in and, on top of it, she had baskets of pinecones and candles between the different desserts. It was pretty dang impressive.
    My table is too small to have a centerpiece during the dinner. I can only find room for candles so I use decorative napkin rings and place cards instead.

    ReplyDelete
  42. AmandaNovember 23, 2011 at 4:57 PM

    This will be my first Christmas as a single mom and I'm not sure what I'm going to do while the kids are with their dad. Sit home and read romances?
    thanks for the giveaway.
    chefamanda at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  43. susanNovember 23, 2011 at 5:27 PM

    Thanks for such a great article and hope to hear more about your books and you. Please enter me in the contest here. Love the cover of your book. susan Leech garysue@dejazzd.com

    ReplyDelete
  44. Sarah J. McNealNovember 23, 2011 at 7:41 PM

    I've been where you are, Amanda. Lost love is particulary difficult when a holiday comes around to magnify its loss. I hope you do whatever pleases your own heart and brings you joy.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Sarah J. McNealNovember 23, 2011 at 7:43 PM

    Hello Susan. I really appreciate your words. You're very kind. Thank you for dropping in and leaving a comment.

    ReplyDelete
  46. AnonymousNovember 24, 2011 at 7:51 AM

    Did I miss the post where a winner to yesterday's contest? I sure hope not!

    Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!

    --Drew G
    ilmksc@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  47. Sarah J. McNealNovember 24, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    Originally, we were going to announce a winner yesterday but Jacquie thought we should announce a winner on Sunday.
    I'm sorry I didn't mention that change yesterday, Drew.

    ReplyDelete
  48. AnonymousNovember 24, 2011 at 9:05 PM

    Happy Turkey day!!
    Dinner with my family went AWESOME!! I am having a wonderful time!! Black Friday has already started at some stores already and it is only 12 midnight. I prefer doing my shopping online? Does anyone else shop online?

    --Drew G
    ilmksc@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  49. susanDecember 4, 2011 at 5:55 PM

    I love the sound of your contest and want to say thanks for running this. Happy holidays too. susan Leech garysue@dejazzd.com

    ReplyDelete
  50. Sarah J. McNealDecember 5, 2011 at 4:41 PM

    Susan, thank you so much for dropping by. Contests are definitely fun.

    ReplyDelete

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