We are on the last day of our guest series post, and I’m happy to have it end with my friend and fellow author Jennifer Farwell!
The best gift ever
Who else can hardly believe the holidays are here already? They’ve been sneaking up on me pretty much every year since 2007. Growing up in Canada, December meant snowflakes and chilly temperatures, cozy sweaters and dressing in puffy winter jackets, and seeing things that looked winter-y all around me. When I moved to California eight-and-a-half years ago, that changed. Here the only clues I really have that it’s this time of year are the decorations in palm trees and other trees that still have all their leaves, and, well, that means my brain gets stuck somewhere back in August or September for a few months. I’ve even renamed the fall and winter months to be Augtember, Augtober, Augvember, and Augcember!
That may sound like a weather ramble, but it’s really a lead-in to talking about the best gift I’ve received around the holidays. As a kid or as a college student, I’m sure I would have said this was a toy or electronic or gadget I’d received, and in my adult life, gifts that top the list were a MacBook Pro for writing books and a portable GPS so I could stop getting lost all the time driving in new places (some of my California “ummm… where did Google Maps just send me?” stories are epic). Since moving so far away from my family, though, I can truly say the best gift I get around the holidays each year is the time I spend with my family. Since they live in Ontario, Canada, and I live in Los Angeles, California, I don’t get to see them in-person for most of the year.
Every year, I look forward to the start of vacation from my day job and spending time hanging out with my family. (The fact that we all share the appreciation of sleep and fresh coffee is awesome, too.) Phone calls and FaceTime are great, but nothing can ever take the place of being right there in the same room with the people I love.
I’d love it if you’d comment here to let me know about your favorite gifts received on or around the holidays, and why what you received meant so much to you! I’d also love to hear about what you’re grateful for this year. I’ll start: along with the time I get to spend with my family, I’m grateful for all of you out there reading this, and for all of you who took a chance on reading my book SEVEN WEEKS TO FOREVER, making it a #1 Amazon best seller in Metaphysical Fiction in both March and September of this year! Seriously—you’re all amazing, and I think I speak for all authors when I say we appreciate and are grateful for each and every one of you.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season, and a very happy new year!
Jennifer Farwell
Jennifer Farwell has been writing since the day she picked up a navy blue Crayola as a toddler and began scribbling on her parents’ freshly painted white walls. She’s the author of SEVEN WEEKS TO FOREVER, ROCK STAR’S GIRL, and HIDING OUT IN HOLLYWOOD, and the founder of astrology, yoga, and lifestyle site Starry Kind of Girl and the Starry Kind of Girl store. When not writing novels, she can often be found at a Kundalini yoga class, cheering on the L.A. Kings during hockey season, or curled up with a good book. Her love of storytelling led to completing a Bachelor of Journalism degree and a Master of Arts degree in English, both from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. She grew up in Thunder Bay, Canada, and now lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Pico.
Website: http://jenniferfarwell.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/jennfarwell
Facebook: http://facebook.com/JenniferFarwellAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jennfarwell
All I Want For Christmas – Four New Holiday Novellas from Marching Ink
Making Christmas by Laura Chapman
While settling into a new career in a new community, Ivy is determined not to let the holiday season pass her by. Enter the grownup advent calendar: twenty-four days of festivities to celebrate Christmas. What begins as a bit of fun turns into a mission to spread cheer when she meets Everett. After learning about his bad Christmas attitude, she invites him to join her quest. Despite his initial reservations, Everett quickly gets caught up in the spirit of the calendar. But when new feelings surface and are impossible to ignore, Everett’s inner curmudgeon threatens to put a damper on the whole experience.
Nine Ladies Dancing by Cat Lavoie
Casey Ellis is the last person who should be planning her office’s holiday party. Convinced she’s plagued with chronic Christmas bad luck, Casey isn’t interested in tempting fate. But when putting on a party planner hat seems like a good way to get closer to her longtime crush, Casey takes charge—and braces for impact.
When things start to fall apart—just like Casey knew they would—will she run and hide, or will she learn that bad luck can sometimes turn out to be Christmas magic in disguise?
The Christmas Surprise by Samantha March
Juliette Mabry is a happily married stay-at-home wife and mother…until there appears to be trouble brewing in her nearly ten-year marriage. Juliette takes it upon herself to find out if her husband is up to no good, but does she want to know the truth? Everything is revealed on Christmas, and Juliette is in for her biggest Christmas surprise.
What Happens at Midnight by Laura Chapman
Romantic comedy junkie Natalie lives out those fantasies in real life three New Year’s Eves in a row when fate throws her together with the same handsome stranger. A heartbreaking turn of events leaves her swearing off of love, forevers, and the holidays (bah humbug). That is until the mystery man from her past reappears years later. Over a holiday season, Natalie struggles to reconcile the whimsical notions of her past with the practical sensibilities she has worked so hard to develop. With the countdown to a new year looming, she must decide whether or not she is willing to give happily ever after another shot.
