Christmas Romance Backlist

compiled by Anita Mae Draper

I never realized there were so many Christmas books until I started putting this backlist together. I was going to break it down into single titles only, but what that would leave out the people who like reading the Barbour 'weekend read' anthologies. So, I decided to concentrate on last year alone. There were still to many, so I broke it down ever further. Because I only read and write Romance, all these books are of that genre.

Part of the problem I had compiling the list is that publishers don't seem to keep track of their books once they've sold out. Some of the publishers don't list their backlist books and at least one of the ones that do didn't include a month of release. Wthout a book cover or date, I had no way of knowing what had been released or what was a Christmas/Holiday book.

A big thank you goes out to an Australian reader known on many inspirational blogs as AusJenny who compiled and forwarded a huge list which contained many of the Barbour titles and dates among others.

Gina Welborn put out a call for Christmas books on the ACFW loop and we did get some response from authors who wished to be included.

So here is the list of Christmas Romances for 2009. If I missed anyone, please send the details to the Inkwell address in the right column and I'll add you.

Contemporary


 

A Forever Christmas

by Missy Tippens

Love Inspired Nov 2009

Bluegrass Christmas

by Allie Pleiter

Love Inspired Oct 2009

His Christmas Bride

by Dana Corbit

Love Inspired Dec 2009

Love Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida

by Sandra D. Bricker

Summerside Press Dec 2009

Love Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska
by Loree Lough
Summerside Press Oct 2009

One Imperfect Christmas
by Myra Johnson
Abingdon Press Sep 2009

Silent Night in Dry Creek

by Janet Tronstad

Love Inspired Oct 2009

The Great Christmas Bowl

by Susan May Warren

Tyndale Aug 2009

The Perfect Gift

by Lenora Worth

Love Inspired Oct 2009

The Soldier's Holiday Vow

by Jillian Hart

Love Inspired Dec 2009

Together for the Holidays

by Margaret Daley

Love Inspired Dec 2009

Contemporary Anthology

An Amish Christmas, Thomas Nelson Sep 09
- A Choice to Forgive by Beth Wiseman
- A Miracle for Miriam by Kathleen Fuller

- One Child by Barbara Cameron

 

Blessings of the Season, Love Inspired Nov 2009

- The Holiday Husband by Annie Jones
- The Christmas Letter by Brenda Minton

Christmas Homecoming, Barbour Publishing Sep 2009
- Silver Bells by Debby Mayne
- The First Noelle by Paige Winship Dooly
- I'll Be Home for Christmas by Elizabeth Ludwig
- O Christmas Tree by Beth Goddard

Christmas Love at Lake Tahoe,  Barbour Publishing Sep 2009
- No Thank You by Lena Nelson Dooley
- The Christmas Miracle by Jeanie Smith Cash
- Shelter in Seattle by Jean Kincaid
- Dating Unaware by Jeri Odell


Contemporary Suspense

A Season of Secrets
by Marta Perry
Love Inspired Suspense Sep 2009

Mistletoe and Murder

by Florence Case

Love Inspired Suspense Nov 2009

 

Yuletide Protector

by Lisa Mondello
Love Inspired Suspense Dec 2009








Contemporary Suspense Anthology

 

Christmas Peril, Love Inspired Suspense Dec 2009

- Merry Mayhem by Margaret Daley
- Yule Lie by Debby Giusti

Historical

Cowboy Christmas
by Mary Connealy
Barbour Publishing Sep 2009

Gingham Bride
by Jillian Hart
Love Inspired Historical Nov 2009

Her Patchwork Family

by Lyn Cote

Love Inspired Historical Dec 2009

Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire

by Lauralee Bliss

Summerside Press Oct 2009

The Christmas Journey

by Winnie Griggs

Love Inspired Historical Oct 2009

The Glassblower

by Laurie Alice Eakes

Heartsong Presents Nov 2009

Historical Anthology

A Blue & Gray Christmas, Barbour Sep 2009

- Beloved Enemy by Vickie McDonough
- Till Death Do Us Part by Lauralee Bliss
- Courage of the Heart by Tamela Hancock Murray
- Shelter in the Storm by Carrie Turansky

 

A Victorian Christmas, HeartQuest Sep 2009 

- Angel in the Attic/Lone Star/Under His Wings/Behold the Lamb

by Catherine Palmer

Mistletoe Courtship, Steeple Hill Historical Dec 2009
- Christmas Bells for Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad
- The Christmas Secret by Sara Mitchell

Wild West Christmas, Barbour Publishing Sep 2009

- Charlsey's Accountant by Lena Nelson Dooley
- Plain Trouble by Kathleen Y'Barbo

- A Breed Apart by Vickie McDonough
- Lucy Ames, Sharpshooter by Darlene Franklin

 

I would have liked to include more years in this list but it'll take a while to load as it is. But, if you know of an Inspirational Christmas romance released in 2009, please inform me or the Inkwell.

I hope you take time out from this hectic holiday season and treat yourself to a good read.

You Were Made for Joy: Inner Healing Part I

by Dina Sleiman

Let’s start with true confessions. I’ve been in marriage counseling since summer. This is my fifth round of marriage counseling in seventeen years. And don’t worry, I’m not going to whine at you. I only mention it because sometimes people get the impression that everyone else has it all together, and they are the only ones with problems. Trust me, I have problems. My cross-cultural marriage topping the list.

As of this past June, I was just exhausted. Usually I can focus on God and keep my spirits up, but for some reason my marriage felt so heavy and weighty and miserable, I just couldn’t anymore. Worse than that, for about nine months preceding June, this heaviness had been infiltrating other parts of my life as well: effecting my ministry, my friendships, my parenting, and even my health. I just wanted to runaway into my world of words and hide.

When I reached my very lowest, a woman from church approached me and offered me free counseling. If it had been anyone else I probably would have said, “Forget it. It’s too late. I give up.” But this woman, Juliette, is someone I greatly respect. She and her husband run a Christian inner healing ministry called “Breakthrough to Joy.” More than that, she is currently finishing up her Masters degree in counseling, although she’s probably well into her fifties. This says to me that she takes her calling seriously. And since I certainly needed some joy in my life, I agreed to meet with her.

Immediately I saw a difference between this style of counseling and my previous four rounds and began to feel a glimmer of hope. She spent our first few hours together helping me to focus on God and get back to a point of joy. Yes, she uses other inner healing and secular counseling techniques, but that attention to joy was something truly special.

“Joy is a relational experience that is the basis for spiritual experience, human bonding, healthy identity growth and good health generally. Joy is the feeling many experience as ‘falling in love’ with their baby, their grandchild, their first love, a puppy and a face that just lights up to see us. Joy is our normal state as biological beings.” http://lifemodel.org/

We were made for joy. Did you know that? I was made for joy, and you were made for joy. The original design for mankind was to dwell in God’s presence. Think back to the Garden of Eden when Adam walked with God. What is God’s kingdom like? The Bible says righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Jesus himself said: "I have spoken all these things to you for one reason, that my joy may be in you and that your own joy may be abundant."

Here is a quote from a reformed minister named Lewis Smedes: "The first thing I want to tell you is that you and I were made for joy. Joy is our birthright. We were created for it. And when we lost it, Jesus came to bring it back again. From start to finish, Jesus is all about joy."

Here’s one from Pope John Paul II: "God made us for joy. God is joy, and the joy of living reflects the original joy that God felt in creating us."

And a great quote from an online ministry that seems to have some sort of Hebrew bent. The author offers hundreds of scriptures on joy. "It has been said that the essential element of the universe is Joy. Based upon the Biblical record contained herein, and certain glimpses into the Heart of YHWH I've been blessed to receive, I confess there is much evidence to support this notion." http://www.yhwh.com/Thoughts/thought_11.htm

This idea that you were made for joy seems to transcend denominational barriers. Our brains were wired for joy from the creation of mankind. Therefore, we are always seeking joy. Always seeking to return to the essential ecstasy of God’s presence.

Unfortunately, few people actually understand how to do this. So where do we search for our joy instead? In a variety of sinful behaviors, be they external obvious sins or quiet inner sins. Think about it, why do people take drugs, overeat, have illicit sex, gossip, gamble, etc… Usually because it brings them some fleeting sense of pleasure. And these are the easy sins to deal with, because everyone can see them.

Sadly, sin tends to separate us from God, the very source of true joy. Yet, is it the sin itself that pulls us away from God, or our reaction to the sin? Once we are born again, our spirit is clean before God, the price has been paid. I think the primary reason sin separates us from God is the way we react to it. Maybe we hide out of guilt or inferiority. Maybe we feel afraid of God. Maybe we just like our sin and harden our hearts to God’s voice.

Suddenly those external sins don’t seem so problematic. It is the sins in our hearts that truly separate us from God. Another great minister, Paul Yonggi Cho, once said that the four great sins are fear, guilt, anger, and inferiority. These are the deep sins that can truly separate us from God. When faced with sin, rather than run from God, what we truly need to do is press into his presence and seek his counsel to help us overcome these sins through his strength. We need to replace these four great sins with the faith, hope, love, and identity that can only be found in Christ.

So here comes the hard part of the lesson. In order to breakthrough to the joy we were created for, we need to dig out these deep rooted sins from our hearts, going all the way to the source—lies the enemy planted during vulnerable times in our lives. And this is neither fun nor joyful in the process. In fact, it’s downright painful. Yet for true change, for true breakthrough, it has to happen.

In a few weeks I’ll be back to talk about digging out the roots. In the mean time, mediate on this simple statement:

You were made for joy!

What does joy mean to you? How do you find joy? What is holding you back from joy?

Welcome Award-Winning Author Linda Goodnight!

By Linda Goodnight

 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

For years, I would skim right over this verse of scripture. It seemed so contradictory. How can you have evidence of something you don’t see? How can you have the substance of something that doesn’t exist?

Well, I think I finally got it. Faith means dreaming the impossible until it comes to pass. Faith is looking into your heart and knowing even when the natural realm says exactly the opposite of what you’re believing for. Faith is holding fast to what God has promised no matter what.

Deep stuff, huh? So how do I apply this to my life? To my career? To my family? How can I have faith when it seems so impossible?

Recently, I read a nonfiction book by Debbie Macomber, KNIT TOGETHER, that helped me get a stronger grasp on the meaning of this verse. In it, Debbie talks about her struggles but much more about her faith, her optimism, her determination to believe for the impossible. She made a list. On that list were wild, out-of-reach things like the NY Times Bestseller List, meeting some famous people she admired, having a book turned into a movie, and others. At the time, she was not the Debbie Macomber. She was a dyslexic mom trying to write category romance. Others would have laughed at her outlandish list. But Debbie intrinsically understood the meaning of Hebrews 11:1. She had faith. In her heart and in her mind, she visualized the good things she desired. She prayed for them, worked for them, daydreamed herself in those rolls. To date, Debbie has attained almost everything on her list.

Now, am I saying we will all be NY Times bestsellers? Nope. I’m saying we all have the capacity to dream big, and we serve a God who loves to give “good and perfect gifts” to His children. The God of the impossible loves to bless us, to see us succeed, to cheer us on from His Heavenly throne. (Can’t you just visualize Him up there, leaning forward in eagerness, clapping and smiling? “Go, child, go!”)

So go ahead. Make a list. Dream big. Give your dreams to the Father who loves you more than you love your own child. Begin to see (in your heart and mind) those things come to pass.

And remember: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

What are you hoping for today?

Today I will be giving away a packet of my latest three books, including THE LAWMAN'S CHRISTMAS WISH. Leave a *comment to be entered in the drawing!
* If you wish to be entered, please include a valid email address with your comment. Use (at) and (dot) and spaces so the web crawlers don't follow you.


~*~

Winner of the RITA Award for excellence in inspirational fiction, Linda Goodnight has also won the Booksellers’ Best, ACFW Book of the Year, and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times Magazine. Linda has appeared on the Christian bestseller list and her romance novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Active in orphan ministry, this former nurse and teacher enjoys writing fiction that carries a message of hope and light in a sometimes dark world. She and husband Gene live in Oklahoma with their daughter, Masha.  

http://lindagoodnight.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1353229384&v=wall

THE LAWMAN’S CHRISTMAS WISH

Widow Amy James can't get through grocery shopping in Treasure Creek, Alaska, without a marriage proposal. And she's hardly flattered. Most of her "suitors" are after the treasure her great-grandfather had buried on her property. But only one man promised her late husband he'd take care of her and the boys: police chief Reed Truscott. True, Reed is handsome and honest and makes her feel safe. But his honorable marriage proposal is about obligation—not love. Unless he can convince her that his Christmas wish is to join her family forever.

*Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Borders * CBD * 

*eHarlequin *Kindle * Nook *

Secondary Doesn't Mean Second Rate

By Lisa Karon Richardson

Characterization is not my strong suit. Plots tend to come to my mind more quickly than people, and I have to work really hard to turn them into people and not just back stories. I’m in the planning stage of a new story right now, and so I’ve been doing my due diligence. I think I’ve got my hero, heroine and villain figured out. Their personalities and profiles are all set to go.

But this story requires several secondary characters. A blind sister for the hero and a troupe of vaudeville refugees for the heroine. Not to mention a slew of suspects and henchmen. I’m a touch nervous.

I’ve noticed that in many stories, the secondary characters are little more than props. They serve a functional purpose, but only to force the action of the plot or provide someone to talk so that there can be dialogue instead of narrative.

In other tales the secondary characters are so vivid they are more interesting than the protagonists. They steal the show. Maybe that’s why pundits suggest not including children or dogs in novels.

Either one of the traps are easy to fall into. I’ll walk the tightrope to the best of my ability. If I don’t get the balance right the first time… well, that’s what rewrites are for.

All of this got me thinking about some of my favorite secondary characters. Here, in no particular order are a few of them:

Marilla Cuthbert (Anne of Green Gables)-Despite her crusty exterior, she grows to love Anne as fiercely as a mother, even when she doesn’t understand the girl a lick.

Ramses Emerson (The Ameila Peabody Mysteries)-Especially as a child, his clear headed, precociousness made such a delightful foil to his parents. He is such an interesting amalgam of the two of them.

Fagin (Oliver Twist)-Now some would say he’s the villain, but I think the real villain of that story is Bill Sykes. Why is he a favorite? Because he isn’t all bad, just trapped by circumstances and his own weakness. Without him and the Artful Dodger, Oliver would have starved on the streets before he could complete his rags to riches story. Even if you don’t like him, you’ve got to admit he’s a memorable character.

Huckleberry Finn (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)-Here’s a tale of character so compelling he demanded his own story. But first he played second fiddle to Tom Sawyer. Either way he’s an irrepressible scamp and I love him for it.

Dr. John Watson (The Sherlock Holmes Mysteries)-Without good old Dr. Watson, there’s no way we could relate to Sherlock. But because Watson likes him and stands in awe of his talent, so do we. He’s absolutely critical to the success of those stories.

Who are your favorite secondary characters? What novel was like baby bear and got it “just right?”