Hello Tule Readers. I’ve said it before and I imagine that I will say it many times in the future—Book people are my kind of people. So, it’s a joy to be with you today.
My Wrapped Up in Christmas series originated with Hallmark Publishing, but with their closing, I’m thrilled that Tule is continuing these special stories. I love everything about my Wrapped Up in Christmas series—the small town, Christmas, the military connection, quilting, and the characters. Oh, how I love the people in Pine Hill, Kentucky, especially the Butterflies-a group of older women who are lifelong friends, town matriarchs, a bit zany, and wannabe matchmakers. Think Golden Girls meets 80 for Brady.
When I wrote the first Wrapped Up in Christmas book my goal was to write a story that gave all the warm fuzzy Hallmark feels, but had deeper, sometimes heart-wrenching, backstories. I wanted my readers to feel as if they’d stepped into the world of Pine Hill and to feel the emotions the characters were feeling—the heartache, the laughter, the holiday spirit, the healing, and especially, the love. My goal with each new book has been to continue those things, and to, hopefully, improve with each story. I am still striving toward that goal with the fourth book, Wrapped Up in Christmas Love, which will be out November 12, 2024, and with book five coming your way Christmas 2025.
Here’s the back cover copy for Wrapped Up in Christmas:
This Christmas brings an unexpected gift…
For years, quilt making has been Sarah Smith’s creative outlet. When she starts donating her one-of-a-kind quilts to hospitalized wounded warriors, she hopes her artistic designs will bring the soldiers peace and the knowledge that their service is appreciated. But this holiday season, Sarah finds herself mired in an arm-length repair list for the B&B she’s hoping to open.
Former Army Ranger Bodie Lewis knows he’s lucky to be alive. But he’s struggling to adjust to civilian life after his injury and mired in survivor guilt. Needing a distraction, he sets out on a private mission to thank the quilt maker for her gift that comforted him during his recovery. He’s hoping he can do a good deed in return. Bodie’s stunned the artist is a young, beautiful woman and amused she mistakes him for the handyman.
Bodie works on Sarah’s home repairs and soon her sweetness and Christmas spirit imbue him with something he thought he left on the battlefield…hope.
And here’s a snippet from where Bodie has first arrived in Pine Hill to thank whomever Sarah Smith is for making his Quilts of Valor. Sarah is at a church gathering to make Christmas ornaments for a fundraiser at a town festival and is surrounded by Butterflies, of which her late aunt was one. Her aunt had left her a large older home that she’d dreamed of turning into a bed and breakfast, but never had. Sarah’s dream is to make that happen—somehow.
“Aunt Jean’s house isn’t crumbling.” Not anymore, thanks to Sarah’s bank loan and her having spent every spare moment over the past year working on restoring the outside and the downstairs to their former glory. “It just needed some TLC.”
And a repair guy to stick around to finish up the job. Hopefully God would answer her prayers and the right person would respond to her help wanted ad. Otherwise, she’d have to delay her planned grand opening of Hamilton House.
The thought of that made her heart hurt a little. She wanted to do this for Aunt Jean.
Please, Lord, let them respond.
The door to the community room opened, and all heads turned to see who’d shown up to join their ornament-making festivities.
Sarah’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar six-foot-plus man wearing jeans and a sherpa-lined blue jean jacket. He rubbed his hands, warming his bare fingers from the chill outdoors as he surveyed the Christmas chaos Sarah adored.
Ask and the Lord shall deliver.
Literally.
Okay, so she didn’t really believe the stranger was there to answer her prayers, but still, his timing was impeccable. Who was he?
Apparently, she wasn’t the only one wondering. It wasn’t that you could hear a pin drop—not with the holiday music playing—but there was a collective curiosity pervading the now-muted room that had been loud with chatter prior to his arrival.
“I’ve been extra-good this year and Santa’s delivering early,” Rosie whispered under her breath, elbowing Claudia. Her lively eyes sparkled with mischief. “That’s exactly what I asked for.”
Giving the newcomer a once-over, Maybelle snorted. “You ain’t been that good your whole life.”
Claudia snickered. “That’s the truth.”
“That one there makes me wish I had been.” Rosie sighed, fanning her face. “He’s easy on these old eyes. A few years back, I’d have invited him over for some of my grandma’s cinnamon bread. That never fails to warm a man over to my way of thinking.”
Still amused at the timing of the man’s arrival, Sarah’s lips twitched. Rosie’s grandmother’s cinnamon bread was the stuff legends were made of. Women had been attempting to copy the recipe for years without success. Rosie closely guarded the recipe as she swore it was guaranteed to put a sparkle in a man’s eye. She wasn’t about to let the other town women in on her little secret.
With almost every eye on him, the man scanned the room, apparently searching for something, or someone. He didn’t look impressed—more like he didn’t belong in the room or around happy people in general. With his observant, stern expression, he stuck out like a pumpkin on Christmas morning.
Despite the stranger’s serious demeanor, Rosie was right that he was easy to look at. Give the man a smile and he’d make women of all ages swoon.
Who was he and why was he there?
Y’all will have to let me know what you think of Bodie and how Sarah brings Christmas back to his life. And, if you love Pine Hill as much as I do, be sure to check out Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy, Wrapped Up in Christmas Hope, and coming in November, Wrapped Up in Christmas Love. The stories are stand-alone but do feature reoccurring characters and sequential events.
Take care and much love as I extend Christmas in July out to Christmas in August with the release of the first three stories in this series.
– Janice
About the Author.
USA Today Bestselling author Janice Lynn strives to write characters who evoke strong emotions and make readers want to go along on their journeys. She writes sweet contemporary Christmas stories for Tule and contemporary Medical Romances for Harlequin. Her books have been best sellers on numerous platforms and have won numerous awards, including the National Readers Choice Award, the Golden Quill, Romantic Times Magazine’s American Title, and the Holt Medallion Award of Merit.
Janice lives in Tennessee with her Prince Charming, her vivid imagination, an adorable Maltese named Halo who’s the true princess of the house and a bunch of unnamed dust bunnies who took up permanent residence after Janice started her writing career. In addition to writing romance, Janice is a nurse practitioner, a quilter, an exercise queen, a military mama and a member of and supporter of the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Just kidding on the exercise queen.
