Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Melissa McClone to HJ!
Hi Melissa and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Christmas Window!
Hello
Please summarize the book for the readers here:
The Christmas Window is a heartwarming holiday read about a doggy daycare owner and a computer programmer who find themselves being thrown together by the town’s self-appointed matchmaker.
Please share the opening lines of this book:
December might be six days away, but Silver Falls was ready for Christmas with fresh garland strung across First Avenue, streetlights decorated like candy canes, and twinkling lights, well, everywhere. The scents of pine and cedar hung on the air. The dusting of snow resembled pixie dust, another reminder of the magic of the season.
Please share a few Fun facts about this book…
The working title just came to me as I was brainstorming a Christmas story. I was inspired to write this by all the Hallmark movies I watch each November and December. The song list contained lots of Christmas music including “Shake Up Christmas” by Train.
Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?
Callie Andrews has three older brothers and, even as an adult, is still treated like a little girl by her family. She left her family in LA to move to a small town to purchase a doggy daycare. I was very surprised at how stubborn and strong-willed she could be. In some ways, she similar to her three A-type, over-achieving big brothers though she’d never admit that to herself or anyone.
Brandt Winslow is a gorgeous computer geek who knows more about coding than people. I was surprised at how kind and caring he was. I first saw him as more standoffish, but he didn’t act like that at all. He’s got a generous heart that makes up for some of his cluelessness about relationships.
If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?
I would have them use the scene where they find two runaway dogs because it would show whether the leads have chemistry or not and how comfortable they are around animals which is a huge part of this scene as well as the story.
As she stepped, something crunched beneath her boot.
Jasper’s nose swung in her direction.
She froze. Brandt crashed into her backside, pushing her forward.
Oh… She tumbled face-first, seemingly falling in slow motion, the snow rushing up to greet her as gravity pulled her down.
Arms reached around her, grabbing her waist, spinning her so she was now staring at the sky.
Someone grunted. Not her. She landed against something. Hard.Air rushed from her lungs. She struggled to breathe. Her hips and lower back hurt as if she’d twisted the wrong way, but other than that…
Gloved hands held onto her. Not any hands. Brandt.He was lying under her, his legs tangled in hers. Jackets and damp clothing separated them, but their position was close. Intimate.
The hard muscles of his thighs kept her bottom off the snow. The cold air felt warmer as if the temperature had shot up twenty degrees in the last five seconds. Or maybe the way hot blood raced through her veins was the reason.
The pair of strong arms that kept her from landing on her face continued to hold her, offering an unfamiliar feeling of security. Of safety. Of belonging.
His gloves were wet, but she imagined his bare hands holding her. Touching her. Her heart thudded.
“Are you hurt?” Concern rang out in his question.
“I’m okay.” Her voice was husky. Probably shock over falling and ending up where she had. “Are you?”
“Fine.” His warm breath blew against her ear, sending a pleasurable shiver through her. “I’m sorry for bumping into you.”
“I’m the one who stopped without warning.” Callie couldn’t believe he’d saved her from hitting the ground. She wasn’t overweight, but no one would call her thin. “Thanks for breaking my fall. You have to be hurting.”
What do you want people to take away from reading this book?
I just want people to smile when they reach the end and be in a Christmassy mood. If that happens, then I’ve done my job.
What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?
I’m working on a five book Mountain Rescue Series that releases in November. Four of the stories are set at Christmas time. This is a re-release of older books, and I’ve had a blast rewriting, updating, and connecting the stories better. I’m very excited to get these stories in front of new readers.
Thanks for blogging at HJ!
Giveaway: A Tule Publishing tote bag, a print copy of the The Christmas Window by Melissa McClone and Tule swag.
To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Do the businesses in your town or city decorate their storefront windows for the holidays?
Excerpt from The Christmas Window:
What had Aunt Margot been thinking? The question had kept Brandt awake last night. Practically stomping along First Avenue this morning, he couldn’t believe his aunt had successfully outmaneuvered him. He was on his way to Wags and Tails, which meant she’d won the first round. He’d have to step it up to make sure this didn’t happen again.
A patch of blue sky peeked out from the clouds. Not what he wanted to see. He hoped a blizzard would hit even though one wasn’t forecasted. He’d checked. Twice. A white-out was the only way to escape his aunt’s plans for him.
Plans.
Yeah, right.This was a blatant matchmaking attempt due to his unfortunate use of the adjective pretty.
One hundred percent his fault.The mental lapse would cost him hours with the second-to-last person he wanted to spend time with in Silver Falls.
The worst part?
When Aunt Margot’s attempt to pair him up turned into an epic failure, she would be disappointed. And fail, it would. Neither he nor Callie Andrews wanted to be stuck together. Sightseeing was bad enough. Forget about them going on a date.
The four-letter word sent a shudder through him, but he knew why Aunt Margot was meddling.
Her end goal was to keep him in Silver Falls. Not until the new year, but forever. Finding him a date who would turn into a girlfriend—one who lived locally—would strengthen Aunt Margot’s cause. That was the only reason behind this…madness.But he had a plan to survive the next few hours—reply politely, feign interest, and return to his aunt’s house ASAP.
When he reached Wags and Tails, he took a fortifying breath before opening the door. He went inside, each step bringing him closer to his doom. Okay, Callie wasn’t that bad. Still, he’d rather face an army of zombies, super soldiers, or vampires in a video game and be destroyed every five seconds than spend the day with her.
The younger guy from yesterday stood behind the front counter. Once again, he wore the shop’s standard uniform—a forest-green apron over a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. Long bangs fell over his eyes.
Brandt didn’t see Callie. He released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
“Good morning.” The guy acted perky. “Callie will be out in a minute. She’s in the play area with the dogs.”“Thanks.” Brandt had been sweating thinking about today, but the heat inside made him loosen his scarf, remove his gloves, and unzip his jacket before it got worse.
The guy pushed his bangs to the side. “I’m Sam.”
“Brandt.”
“I know.” Sam rubbed his lips together as if hesitating.
“Have we met?”
“My dad, Dean Merrill, used to work at NiBrTech. I attended a few of the family events, but that was years ago.”The guy appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties. Something about his brown eyes were familiar. The image of a tall bald guy popped into Brandt’s mind. “I remember your dad. Dean’s one of the best IT guys I’ve worked with. How’s he doing?”
“Good now.” Sam’s tone suggested a story with the emphasis on the now. He ran his finger along the edge of the tablet the staff used to check in dogs. “My dad’s teaching math and computer science at the high school. He didn’t want to leave Silver Falls, and that was the only job he could find after NiBrTech was sold.”
A familiar ache formed in Brandt’s stomach. He wished he hadn’t eaten so many slices of his aunt’s French toast. “I’m sorry.”
He didn’t know what else to say. Before leaving town, he’d written a letter to each employee, thanking them for their hard work and apologizing for what had happened. He hadn’t known what else to do then, either.
Sam shrugged, but the young man didn’t appear indifferent. “You’re not the one who sold out the employees.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
Everyone had received a severance package. Some who’d had stock options ended up with a nice nest egg. Still…
He felt as if he should have done more, fought for himself and the employees, even though he hadn’t had enough shares to overturn Nick and the investors who voted for the sale.
“How long have you worked here?” Brandt asked.“Since Callie bought the place, coming up on three years now. I work full time, but she’s great about scheduling my hours around classes. I try to take a class or two each semester.”
“Going for a degree?”“Trying. Doing it part time is going to take forever, but it’s all I can afford.”
Brandt’s heart froze. He’d wanted to make sure this didn’t happen to employees’ kids so he’d set up a tuition program. “The NiBrTech Scholarship fund…”“Was for graduating or rising high school seniors and students enrolled in college.” Sam’s mouth twisted. “Us younger kids didn’t qualify.”
Brandt swore to himself. He should have thought about all the kids, not just the ones immediately effected by the company’s sale. That wasn’t right or fair. He would call his investment manager and lawyer to see what could be done.
“Hey.” Sam reached across the counter to touch Brandt’s arm. “No one blames you. I sure don’t.”
Maybe not, but Brandt blamed himself. He’d established the scholarship fund, convinced Nick they should donate the NiBrTech building to the city, and then taken off.Brandt hadn’t looked back.
He hadn’t wanted to.
That was on him.“Thanks.” Brandt shifted his gloves from one hand to the other. “Tell your dad hi for me.”
A smile spread across Sam’s face. “I’ll do that.”
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Book Info:
A matchmaking aunt wants her nephew to find love under the mistletoe…
All doggy daycare owner Callie Andrews wants for Christmas is to win first prize this year. The annual window display competition is a huge event in Silver Falls, and she’s determined to showcase her success when her family visits her small town. It’s time for her parents and three older brothers to realize the “baby” of the family is thriving on her own.
The last thing Brandt Winslow wants to do is rehash the past, but returning home to Silver Falls means confronting the reason he left. His vacation, however, takes an unexpected turn when his well-meaning aunt meddles in his love life, and he finds himself caught up in her misguided efforts at matchmaking.
Despite their reluctance at being paired up, Callie and Brandt discover the holidays are full of surprises…and romance. But is the magic of Christmas strong enough to keep the couple together through the new year?
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Google |
Meet the Author:
With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa McClone worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. She’s now a USA Today Bestselling author and has also been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds and cats who think they rule the house. They do!
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Debra Guyette
I moved here in May and am sure hoping they do.
clickclickmycat
My city, Charleston, SC, decorates everything. We even have a parade of lights.
Mary Preston
Some of the stores do, but not as much as when I was a child.
Tracy L Marr
My town is just finishing up the Halloween decorations. ThevLibThe has Miss Skelly’s storytime, with all the little skeletons sitting in front of the the skeleton librarian holding a picture book.
janinecatmom
I honestly don’t know. Most businesses are the big ones that don’t really have store fronts. There are a few shops in the historic downtown area, but I rarely drive through that part because there are no places I go to down there.
hartfiction
Some of them do — and I LOVE it!
Natalija
I live in Italy. I haven’t seen many decorations for Halloween, since it’s not something we celebrate, but for the rest of the holidays – definitely yes.
Sue C
Yes
jaimerlong
Some businesses decorate, but others don’t.
Ginger Connatser
Some do.
Amy R
Yes
bn100
some do
Glenda
Some. More of them decorate the inside only.
Laurajj
We have quite a few that decorate the windows! I love to window shop, and I think its such a fun way to find those hard to get gifts!
Sonia
Yes
jcp
not their storefronts
Christine Hellewell Jensen
Not in our town, but there is a cool window display down in Salt Lake City
Daniel M
some do
Marie Bourgery
Some do, but not like in The Christmas Window.
Tina J Jones
I just moved here in June, so I’m not sure if they do or not.
I was allowed to decorate the lobby where I work with “fall themed” decor, but not strictly “Halloween”.
I’ll probably be able to do some “Winter themed” decor after Thanksgiving.
Susan Krippner
Some of them do but they do decorate the light poles and veterans park.
cosmicread
Some of the businesses in my city decorate their storefront windows for the holidays.
Danielle Hammelef
The businesses in town do decorate for Christmas and our City Hall is a glorious sight to see with a huge lit fir tree both in the front and back as you enter from the parking lot.
Summer
Yes they do, it goes along with a big light display that’s up for most of the season.
cindyphd
Oh my goodness, I just downloaded an early copy. I can’t wait to read it!!!
Nina T
Yes, some do 🙂
Bernice Kennedy
Some businesses do and some don’t decorate store fronts. It just depends on the area. I just noticed a house in my neighborhood decorating outside for Christmas this morning.
Colleen C.
Some decorate
Joye I
some do but I would like to see more get in the spirit
Gwendolyn Jordan
Yes
Nancy Luebke
Some do, some don’t. Sometimes they let highschool art classes do something.
Kay Garrett
Although I live in a small town, we are big on holidays. Yes, they decorate store fronts. In fact there is a competition with prizes for the one voted on the most. 🙂
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Teresa Williams
Yes they decorate
Cheryl Hastings
Not really, we don’t have a dedicated area of small shops that would all decorate together.
Melanie B
Yes some do
Jana Leah
Yes. Some of them are so creative.
Gary B
Yes some nice decorations can be found
Dorothy B
Yes, many stores
Caro
A few do, some more than others.
Amy Donahue
Yes, it’s quite festive 🙂
Bewitching Brews / Linda Townsend
Not very much. However, we have annual passes to the local theme parks and they certainly do!
tbennington
Yes the town decorates the store windows and the downtown park too
Rachael
Some of them do. None of them go over the top though. The Xmas lights and decorations through town are nice enough but are small/basic compared to other towns
Mary C
Most decorate the windows.
Cora Hannold
Yes, some do.
Ellen C., ,
Many of the stores do decorate or have seasonal window displays around the holidays.
Liberty
Many of our local businesses decorate for the holidays and it’s so fun to see!
Tammy Y
Yes
BookLady
Some do and it looks wonderful
Renee Grandinetti
No they don’t anymore. I remember the fantastic window displays when I was child, however.
Cherie J.
Some do and some don’t. I wish more would.
Diana Tidlund
And lamp posts and streets and everything else and they do caroling and Christmas shopping nights for ladies and another for the men
lorih824
Yes, most decorate.
eawells
Some do but not all.
dholcomb1
the businesses on Main St. with old-fashioned windows do decorate for the holidays
rkcjmomma
Yes almost all of them do! Love it feels so festive
lindamoffitt02
Some do but we’re starting to lose a lot of stores around here where I live
erinf1
I live in a pretty good city, so yes? thanks for sharing!
Brenda
I just moved to another state this summer so I am not sure if they decorate or not. My old town did.
Vicki Clevinger
Yes
lraines78
Yes, they do.
Tina Bartunek
Yes, they do. The Saturday after Thanksgiving there is a parade of lighted floats. Santa comes to see the kids on a firetruck. The city and the stores turn on the Christmas lights.
laurieg72
Yes , many of the local businesses decorate for Christmas. There is a road parade along with a boat parade and fireworks too. It’s fun to see palm trees decorated. Quite a change from the Midwest.
Barbara Bates
Yes, alot of them do
Kim M
I don’t believe so. Most of the store are big box.
isisthe12th
Yes, most of them do! I love it. Thank you
Tina Myers
Everyone decorates for Christmas all the businesses the houses. It all looks Beautiful
Nicole Westmoreland
Most of them sure do!!!
Shelly Keller
Yes. They do.
Nicole (Nicky) Ortiz
Some do!
Thanks for the chance!
carol L
Yes, I’ve lived in this town my whole life. Our Main Street has every store decorated. The town hall features all the holidays celebrated in front.
Carol Luciano
Lucky4750 at aol dot com
Crystal s
Most of them do decorate for the holidays
Toni A Laliberte
Yes, some stores do. When I was younger, more stores and homes decorated for the holidays than they do now.
Debbie Oxier
No, stores here Don t decorate their windows. Our downtown area has very few businesses. Most have either moved to the new shopping plaza or are still in our mall.
Terrill R.
Yes, they do. All the stores and streetlights along Front (main) Street decorate and we have a parade with a tree lighting on the first Friday of December.
Angela Saver
Some of the business do decorate and we have one street that puts up lights every year.
Cassandra D
Yes, the businesses in my city decorates their storefront windows for the holidays.