THE KRINGLE GIRLS collection is up and available at last – Holly, Ivy, Noelle, and Merry, all in one place! Such fun to write, and my last project of 2012, just in time.  Phew!

Wait’ll you see what I have planned for 2013! 🙂

THE KRINGLE GIRLS COLLECTION

HOLLY – It’s hard to be normal when you’re Santa’s daughter, but Holly is giving it her best shot, staying out of the family business and building a life for herself as a small town teacher. However, the elves and Mrs. Claus decide to help things along when Holly falls for David, the hot divorced father of one of her young students. When Santa “accidentally” leaves the little boy’s present behind, the family calls on Holly to deliver it herself, even if it means a midnight tangle with David and a chance to make all her naughty wishes come true.

IVY – Determined to keep Santa’s empire up with the times, Ivy is so busy managing the company’s newly formed External Relations department that she can’t even take time out for the Christmas Eve party. Which is all for the best, because Ivy has a secret. However, when Rafe, her sexy business partner, discovers the Kringle Girls’ odd susceptibility to mistletoe, he decides to use the magical plant to launch his seduction of the cool and reserved beauty. As the party rocks on around them, Rafe will use every sexy trick in the book to woo Santa’s daughter, and get her to admit that not only is she as head over heels for him as he is for her, but that they belong together, even after Christmas is over.

NOELLE – Competitive and outrageous, Noelle doesn’t always play well with others, and lives a life of relative solitude out on the remote ranch, tending Santa’s magical reindeer and their families throughout the year. She’d be the last to admit that she’s a little starved for human companionship, and now that Santa’s rescinded her magical ability to pop from place to place for a whole month – after the silliest little spat – she’s really all alone. Forced to make the trek up to the North Pole by conventional means, Noelle picks up Will, an emotionally damaged drifter. As they travel, they find that a little vulnerability and a lot of heat can equal explosive chemistry, but can they make it to the North Pole with their hearts intact?

MERRY – Santa’s baby, Merry is the youngest, and has spent most of her life being bowled over by her confident and determined older sisters. Too timid to leave the North Pole, she’s contented herself with a life as Toy Manager to the elves. However, sometimes a Kringle Girl needs a little more than elf companionship. Unfortunately, the only likely prospect is Ben, her father’s new handyman. He’s hot and sweet and he might be interested, but shy Merry can’t seem to string two words together when he looks at her with those steel blue eyes. Can she overcome her shyness to go after what she wants? Or will she let Ben slip through her fingers?

FREE!!!

What a lovely word to hear, especially in the middle of the holiday season when we’re all spending too much money, making too much merry, and trying to forget that we still need to work, go to the gym, and generally behave like responsible adults! (Boo to that, I say)

To celebrate the release of the full collection late Saturday, THE KRINGLE GIRLS – HOLLY is FREE all weekend!  Click on the cover and get your copy today!

It’s hard to be normal when you’re Santa’s daughter, but Holly Kringle is giving it her best shot, staying out of the family business and building a life for herself as a small town teacher. However, the elves and Mrs. Claus decide to help things along when Holly falls for David, the hot divorced father of one of her young students. When Santa “accidentally” leaves the little boy’s present behind, the family calls on Holly to deliver it herself, even if it means a midnight tangle with David that could turn their little spark of chemistry into Christmas fireworks.

David Brewster might be ready to start dating again, and can’t keep his eyes off his son Henry’s gorgeous teacher. She’s sweet and nice and smells like cinnamon, but everyone seems convinced that she’s Santa Claus’ daughter. David is sure it must be nonsense until Holly magically appears in his living room on Christmas Eve to deliver a present for Henry. Santa’s daughter or not, David is determined to convince Holly to give them a chance, even if he has to get incredibly naughty to make her wishes come true.

AVAILABLE SATURDAY – THE KRINGLE GIRLS COLLECTION

HOLLY – It’s hard to be normal when you’re Santa’s daughter, but Holly is giving it her best shot, staying out of the family business and building a life for herself as a small town teacher. However, the elves and Mrs. Claus decide to help things along when Holly falls for David, the hot divorced father of one of her young students. When Santa “accidentally” leaves the little boy’s present behind, the family calls on Holly to deliver it herself, even if it means a midnight tangle with David and a chance to make all her naughty wishes come true.

IVY – Determined to keep Santa’s empire up with the times, Ivy is so busy managing the company’s newly formed External Relations department that she can’t even take time out for the Christmas Eve party. Which is all for the best, because Ivy has a secret. However, when Rafe, her sexy business partner, discovers the Kringle Girls’ odd susceptibility to mistletoe, he decides to use the magical plant to launch his seduction of the cool and reserved beauty. As the party rocks on around them, Rafe will use every sexy trick in the book to woo Santa’s daughter, and get her to admit that not only is she as head over heels for him as he is for her, but that they belong together, even after Christmas is over.

NOELLE – Competitive and outrageous, Noelle doesn’t always play well with others, and lives a life of relative solitude out on the remote ranch, tending Santa’s magical reindeer and their families throughout the year. She’d be the last to admit that she’s a little starved for human companionship, and now that Santa’s rescinded her magical ability to pop from place to place for a whole month – after the silliest little spat – she’s really all alone. Forced to make the trek up to the North Pole by conventional means, Noelle picks up Will, an emotionally damaged drifter. As they travel, they find that a little vulnerability and a lot of heat can equal explosive chemistry, but can they make it to the North Pole with their hearts intact?

MERRY – Santa’s baby, Merry is the youngest, and has spent most of her life being bowled over by her confident and determined older sisters. Too timid to leave the North Pole, she’s contented herself with a life as Toy Manager to the elves. However, sometimes a Kringle Girl needs a little more than elf companionship. Unfortunately, the only likely prospect is Ben, her father’s new handyman. He’s hot and sweet and he might be interested, but shy Merry can’t seem to string two words together when he looks at her with those steel blue eyes. Can she overcome her shyness to go after what she wants? Or will she let Ben slip through her fingers?

Noelle Kringle has always been naughty…but she may have met her match! Hope you enjoy Will and Noelle’s journey, available now on Amazon. Merry’s story will be available in The Kringle Girls collection available on Saturday.

And don’t forget, if you haven’t read them all, one of the Kringle Girls single titles will be FREE this weekend!

Free-spirited and outrageous, Noelle Kringle doesn’t always play well with others, and lives a life of solitude out on a remote ranch, tending Santa’s magical reindeer and their families throughout the year. She’d be the last to admit that she’s a little starved for human companionship, and now that Santa’s rescinded her magical ability to pop from place to place for a whole month – after the silliest little argument – she’s really all alone. Forced to make the annual trek up to the North Pole by conventional means, Noelle picks up Will, an emotionally damaged drifter, in search of a job.  Fascinated by his quiet strength, she finds herself wondering if it’s time to leave her wild child ways behind.

Will has had all of his Christmas spirit stomped out of him by a vindictive ex-wife and a ruthless ex-business partner.  All he wants is a fresh start in a quiet place, far away from the world.  When magic and a scheming Mrs. Claus throw him in the path of the flirtatious, aggressive young woman who claims to be Santa’s daughter, Will wants nothing to do with her, even if she is clever, whimsical, and hot enough to make his head spin.  As they travel together, the two find that a little vulnerability and a lot of heat can equal explosive chemistry, but can they survive the harsh journey to the North Pole with their hearts intact?

What a crazy weekend!  The holidays always make me wish I were an octopus.

And now it’s Monday and I have the last two Kringle Girls to finish up – Noelle’s story is a single title, and will be out as fast as my little fingers can finish it.  Merry’s story will be in the full collection, which comes out Saturday.  To celebrate, one of the Kringle Girls shorts is going to be free this weekend only, so mark your calendars!

Then I’m taking two weeks to enjoy the holidays, avoid the pages, and relax so that I can come back in 2013 and tackle SAFE FROM THE FIRE – life in Bright’s Ferry is going to get very hot this winter!  But that’s for later…:)

I’m on Lisa Mondello’s blog today, talking about SAFE FROM THE DARK!!! Check it out!

http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com/2012/12/on-conversations-excerpt-of-safe-from.html

 Oh, these December weekends. I always think I’m going to carve out so much writing time, and then holiday chaos has gingerbread martinis and Secret Santa shopping pulling away my precious, precious typing hours. “But I left Noelle and Will trapped together in a mountain cabin, and she’d only managed to talk him out of half his clothes so far…” I complain, but the holiday elves are unsympathetic. And so, Noelle will have to get back to her seduction tomorrow, and Amazon-willing, she’ll be ready to share her naughty tale with you late Sunday night. 

Jingle jingle jingle…

Competitive and outrageous, Noelle Kringle doesn’t always play well with others, and lives a life of solitude out on a remote ranch, tending Santa’s magical reindeer and their families throughout the year. She’d be the last to admit that she’s a little starved for human companionship, and now that Santa’s rescinded her magical ability to pop from place to place for a whole month – after the silliest little argument – she’s really all alone. Forced to make the annual trek up to the North Pole by conventional means, Noelle picks up Will, an emotionally damaged drifter, on the side of the road.  Fascinated by his quiet strength, she finds herself wondering if it’s time to leave her wild child ways behind.

Will has had all of his Christmas spirit stomped out of him by a vindictive ex-wife and a ruthless ex-business partner.  All he wants is a fresh start in a quiet place, far away from the world.  When getting stranded on the side of the road throws him in the path of the flirtatious, aggressive young woman who claims to be Santa’s daughter, Will wants nothing to do with her, even if she is clever, whimsical, and hot enough to make his head spin.  As they travel together, the two find that a little vulnerability and a lot of heat can equal explosive chemistry, but can they survive the harsh journey to the North Pole with their hearts intact?

2013 is right around the corner, and one of the things I’ve been dying to do is have a serialized story running on the blog, an episode a week – something sexy and fun that can be digested in short little pieces in between some of my bigger projects next year.

I’ve got tons of ideas, but this is a good time to get some input.  Thanks so much!!!

Ivy’s story is finally up!  It’s amazing how some stories come together so quickly, and some are like walking through cement.  This one was definitely the latter, and I have NO idea why.  That’s the way the Christmas cookie crumbles, I suppose. 🙂

Anyway, Ivy is here, and I hope you enjoy her!  She’s about to have a very naughty private office party with the very drool-worthy Rafe Allen, who I think should be under my tree on Christmas morning.  I’ve been good.  Honest!  Okay, maybe not…LOL…

Ivy Kringle doesn’t have time for romance.  The second of Santa’s daughters, she’s determined to keep Santa’s empire moving with the times.  While the rest of the newly formed External Relations department is taking time out for a well-deserved office party, Ivy is still hard at work.  Which is all for the best.  The last thing she needs is to get caught under the mistletoe and reveal her family’s magical susceptibility to the holiday plant.  This Christmas Eve, she’s going to play it cool, no matter badly she wants to heat things up with her sexy business partner, the tall and brooding Rafe Allen.

Rafe is dying to get his hands on Ivy, but worries that his need to take control might scare her off.  When he discovers that mistletoe has the power to make a Kringle girl do anything he asks, he sets out to use the magical plant to seduce the cool and reserved beauty.  As the party rocks on around them, Rafe will use every sexy trick in the book to get Ivy to admit that not only is she as head over heels for him as he is for her, but that they belong together, even when Christmas is over.

Is there anything better than a warm cookie right out of the oven?

The cookie recipe below has a sad origin, but don’t let that scare you away!  A few years back, a dear friend of mine passed away unexpectedly right around Christmas.  He was a young man with his whole life ahead of him and my friends and I were all devastated.  After a few terrible weeks, I realized that I was spending more time moping than being productive, and that I wasn’t going to feel better until I found a way to put some goodness back into the world.  So I started with Cheer Cookies – part sugar cookie, part dessert ravioli, part mad science experiment.  I made batches and batches, and shared them with my friends.

The best part is that you can use any basic sugar cookie recipe you like, and fill them according to taste.  Here’s how I make them, and may they bring you good cheer, as they did to me:

Cheer Cookies

Basic Sugar Cookies:

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• (Add 1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa to the flour if you prefer  chocolate)

Filling Suggestions:

• Mini-chocolate chips – dark, milk, or white
• Peanut Butter
• Chopped up mini-marshmallows
• Nuts
• Caramel chips/butterscotch chips
• Coconut
• Nutella
• Anything else your heart desires

Directions

It’s hard to be normal when you’re Santa’s daughter, but Holly Kringle is giving it her best shot, staying out of the family business and building a life for herself as a small town teacher. However, the elves and Mrs. Claus decide to help things along when Holly falls for David, the hot divorced father of one of her young students. When Santa “accidentally” leaves the little boy’s present behind, the family calls on Holly to deliver it herself, even if it means a midnight tangle with David that could turn their little spark of chemistry into Christmas fireworks.

David Brewster might be ready to start dating again, and can’t keep his eyes off his son Henry’s gorgeous teacher. She’s sweet and nice and smells like cinnamon, but everyone seems convinced that she’s Santa Claus’ daughter. David is sure it must be nonsense until Holly magically appears in his living room on Christmas Eve to deliver a present for Henry. Santa’s daughter or not, David is determined to convince Holly to give them a chance, even if he has to get incredibly naughty to make her wishes come true.

THE KRINGLE GIRLS – IVY

Ivy Kringle doesn’t have time for romance.  The second of Santa’s daughters, she’s determined to keep Santa’s empire moving with the times.  While the rest of the newly formed External Relations department is taking time out for a well-deserved office party, Ivy is still hard at work.  Which is all for the best.  The last thing she needs is to get caught under the mistletoe and reveal her family’s magical susceptibility to the holiday plant.  This Christmas Eve, she’s going to play it cool, no matter badly she wants to heat things up with her sexy business partner, the tall and brooding Rafe Allen.

Rafe is dying to get his hands on Ivy, but worries that his need to take control might scare her off.  When he discovers that mistletoe has the power to make a Kringle girl do anything he asks, he sets out to use the magical plant to seduce the cool and reserved beauty.  As the party rocks on around them, Rafe will use every sexy trick in the book to get Ivy to admit that not only is she as head over heels for him as he is for her, but that they belong together, even when Christmas is over.

If there are images in this attachment, they will not be displayed. Download the original attachment

OK, THE KRINGLE GIRLS – IVY should have been out Friday, and now it’s Monday.  I have no real excuse except that it’s the holidays and life intrudes.

However, OH WOW is this story hot.  So you have something to look forward to. 🙂

I’m hoping to get it into the Amazon queue by this evening…fingers crossed!

xoxo,

Lily