Allison Tebo's Blog, page 9

December in a Nutshell

I’M BACK FROM MY BLOGGING HIATUS, MY FRIENDS!!!!

 

^ Allison entering the blogosphere ^

 

First of all, I’m so happy to be back!  I missed blogging and I missed YOU so much!  *gathers everybody into a group hug and squeezes and squeezes*
Secondly, I’m really sorry this December in a Nutshell post is so ridiculously late.  I got sick around New Year’s Day and have been very sick ever since.

 

 

Consequently, I’m afraid I’m going to be two steps behind everybody else in the blogging world.  *awkward laugh*

 

♫ “Let’s staaaaart the Neeeew Yeaaaar riiiiiiiight!”  ♫

 

Now, the December recap.  I ran myself a bit ragged in 2018.  I spread myself thin over way too many projects and thus I decided I probably needed to rethink my approach to schedules and life goals.

 

 

Until I figured out a new schedule, I decided to take a break through December.  I chucked my schedule and self-imposed expectations and rested and had fun!
So, because December was a different kind of month, I decided that the nutshell would be formatted a little differently – as a random list of things I did throughout the month.  Enjoy the holiday flashback!

Tided up several things that needs to be tied before the end of the year. 

Hope For The Holidays – A Short Story

WELL, LOOK WHO LIED ABOUT LEAVING YOU.

 

 

*looks at self in mirror*   What is going on, Alli? You just heard the call of the limelight and couldn’t stay away?

 

 

You simply couldn’t bear the pain you were inflicting on your followers by leaving them behind on a hiatus?

 

Okay, so what HAPPENED is that my awesome friend, Kellyn, posted a challenge on her blog for a 1,000 word story contest.  This triggered something in my weary brain and reminded me that (whoops, hello Allison!) I had planned to surprise you guys by posting a Christmas story on my blog!  And . . . I forgot . . . until Kellyn made a CONTEST (I can’t resist contests).  That gave me the incentive to be a good girl and post.  Plus enter the contest.  And I really wanted to give you this anyway so – erm –

 

 

You might recall that I was published in Splickety back in Christmas of 2017 (where did that year go, anyway?).  Now that the rights of that story have reverted back to me, I wanted to post it on my blog as a little treat/surprise for my readers who haven’t read it.

 

^ proud moment + bad photo ^

 

So – here we go!
Hope for the Holidays

by Allison Tebo

 

 

Being a Santa and holding a stupid sign was the worst job ever. It was the scraps thrown to guys that lived in homeless shelters and couldn’t hold it all together—in other words, Jim Landon.
            As he stood on the corner in that stupid outfit, something inside him snapped.
            He decided to rob a house.
            The suit actually came in handy. If he got caught, he could pretend he was a neighbor playing a joke.
            Breaking the lock on the back door of the house was easy. There were no cars in the driveway, no lights on inside.
            So why was his heart pounding?
            He flicked the penlight around the room and nearly died when the lights switched on.
            A little girl in pink pajamas burst into the room.
            “Santa Claus!” she bellowed.
            “Please be quiet,” he said feebly.
            “I don’t have to be quiet. Nobody’s here.”
            His heart gave a vague flutter. “You’re all alone?” He squinted at her. “Seriously? You don’t have a babysitter?”
            “A guy knocked on the door, and she left with him. My name’s Eliza!”
            This kid’s parents had really goofed in selecting a babysitter; maybe it was just some kind of horrible mistake.
            He glanced around. “Nice house,” he commented.
            “We’re going to lose it soon,” Eliza said. “The bank wants it.”
            He’d feel like a heel robbing somebody that was already going to lose their house. He knew what that was like. Besides, what was he going to do, tie the kid up?
            Forget it, he’d find another house. But he couldn’t in good conscience leave a five-year-old by herself. He sighed.
            “Listen, kid, I’m going to babysit you for a while, how about that?”
            Her face lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. “I was going to make you cookies, but you’re early.”
            “The early bird gets the cookies,” he said lamely, but she seemed to think it was hilarious.
            “I’d make them for you now, but I’m not supposed to do anything in the kitchen without Mommy. Would you help me make them?”
            Holy smokes, she wanted him to what?
            “Sure, why not?” Yeah, why not—break into a house to make cookies. He followed her into the kitchen, switching on the lights she couldn’t reach. This would make a great memoir someday—Santas Go Where Angels Fear To Tread. He’d have plenty of time to write it in jail.
            “That’s my mommy.” Eliza pointed to a picture.
            “Wow.” He examined the woman cuddling a younger Eliza. “Your dad’s not in the picture.”
            “He left before Mommy had me.”
            Ouch. He wasn’t the only one with problems. “I’m sorry.”
            She didn’t hear him. She was already babbling about flour.
            “When does your mom usually get home?” he asked.
            “Not until nine.”
            Two hours.
            He had forgotten how soothing baking was; there were precise measurements, and as long as you followed the steps, things turned out right. Too bad life wasn’t like that.
            “Can we make frosting?” Eliza asked as he slid the cookies into the oven.
            An hour later, he stood at the sink gobbling cookies with Eliza and looking out the window at the snow. “Hope your mom has chains on her tires.”
            Eliza looked worried. “She’ll be okay, won’t she?”
            Idiot. “Sure she will.”
            “You don’t have trouble with snow.”
            “Nah, snow doesn’t bother me, kid.”
            “Maybe you could fly Mommy to work tomorrow!”
            Yeah, right, in my dreams. He imagined driving up to the house in a new sports car to pick up that beautiful woman. He ate another cookie moodily and then glanced down at all the dirty dishes. The least he could do was clean up the mess he had made.
            “Can I help?” Eliza asked as he ran the water.
            “Talk to me while I work.”
            It was amazing how quickly it went with Eliza chattering to him. He wondered what it would be like to hear that little voice every night.
            “I’ve got to be going now,” he said as he patted her awkwardly on the head. “Be good.”
            “I know.” She grinned. “Don’t forget, I want a toy car for Christmas—the kind that I can drive!”
            “Got it.” He really did hope she’d get it, but he doubted she would.
            “Is there anything you want for Christmas?”
            Probably the first time any kid ever asked Santa that. Nice kid.
            Sure, he wanted plenty. He wanted a job, a car. He wanted somebody to wonder if he was coming home at night—a cat would do, if he could afford a cat. Most of all, he wanted to get out of here before the police showed up.
            “Just a better new year I guess. This one was rough.”
            Eliza’s face fell. “Sorry, Santa. Hope you have a happy New Year.”
            “Thanks, Eliza—you too. And . . .” He wiggled his false stomach and forced some cheer into his voice. “Ho-ho-ho! Merry Christmas!” Okay, so that didn’t feel too weird.
            Eliza giggled.
            “Lock the door after me.”
            He hid in the bushes and waited until he saw an old car drive up ten minutes later. A woman jumped out and ran inside.
            One day he’d like a kid like Eliza to come home to, but he wasn’t going to get that by stealing TVs. He wasn’t going to get peace or security either.
            I’ll try again tomorrow, he thought as he returned to the shelter. I have to try again.
            The next morning, he was dressed, shaved, and sitting at the employment agency earlier than anyone else.
            Thirty minutes later, he could barely believe his ears as they offered him a job at the agency. Not only a job, but a job helping other people get out of the mess he had been in.
            He was led to a back office to meet the lady who would be training him.
            “Good morning . . .” he began, then broke off as the woman looked up at him and smiled.
            It was Eliza’s mother.

 

 

 

This is copyrighted by Allison Tebo 2018©  Please do not use or copy without permission.

I hope you enjoyed Hope for the Holidays, my friend!  Let me know what you thought in the comments!

 

Okay, sports fans.  Now I really am leaving you.  I mean it this time, no joke, I’m going on hiatus.

 

^ my surprise Christmas present for my Twin, because I know she’s reading this; you’re welcome. ^

 

No, no – stop holding me back!  I know it’s hard, but you have to let me leave you!

 

 

Okay, now I’m just being deliberately ridiculous and annoying, but I feel like I have to for this final blog post, because I’m not going to be here to give you your weekly dose of annoying ridiculousness.
That makes me so sad. 

Holiday Hiatus & a Gift for You!

 

 

PLAY THE MUSIC:  this is Mandatory – millions of screaming monkeys will descend upon you if you don’t hit play. 

 

 

 

I’ve decided to take some time off from blogging to enjoy the holidays more thoroughly with my family, like I normally do every year at this time.  I’m going to miss you guys, but I’m really looking forward to my break and the chance for Refreshment before I click that Reset button in 2019!

 

 

Now, don’t cry (let’s just pretend that you are heartbroken at my departure).  I shall be returning to Allison’s Well shortly after New Years!

 

 

But, before I leave you, I want to give you a Christmas present!!!

 

 

Both The Reluctant Godfather AND A Royal Masquerade will be on sale for only $0.99 until after New Years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells – big deals on the way!!! 

10 Things I Want For Xmas . . . But Probably Won’t Get. # 3

The title is pretty self-explanatory.  Oh, I wanted more run-of-the-mill things for Christmas – books, music . . . that kind of thing. 
But I have these deep longings for something else for Christmas (things that very likely won’t come to pass) but are still lots of fun to think about.  Thus, I have compiled a list for the third year in a row!  (see 2016 and 2017)
Enjoy! 

November in a Nutshell

 

 

Hello gang!  It’s that time of the month again! The time to wrap up my month in a few choice and witty paragraphs.
However, most of my November was spent in a fog.  The whole family came down with a two-week cold.  You know, the kind where breathing is hit-or-miss, soup is a choking hazard and your skull is clanging like the dwarven smithy’s of Erebor.

 

 

BUT – in spite of that fact, some interesting things still happened in November.  Prepare yourselves!

– WATCHED –

The Hobbit Trilogy

 

This was my Thanksgiving treat!  I was quite sick at this point so I had plenty of time to go through the Hobbit trilogy with my sweet brother editing out some of the nasty bits.  I thoroughly enjoyed the movies and I think everybody should. 

A Royal Masquerade – Blog Tour: Wrap Up and Winners

First of all, a little fun extra.
One of the entry options for this giveaway was “eat a tasty baked treat” as a way of paying homage to my main character, Burndee, who is a baking enthusiast.  To say the least. 

A Royal Masquerade – Blog Tour: Day Seven

 

Here we are at last – DAY 7 of A Royal Masquerade’s blog tour.  Thank you all so much for sticking around this long!

 

 

 

Last (but certainly not least) we have two lovely ladies posting today!

 

 

Liv:    Guest Post:  The Spiritual Themes We Find In The Goose Girl
The Book Sprite

 

Victoria:  Spotlight
Ruffles and Grace

 

 

AND WHAT THE HECK – WHY NOT?  I’m just gonna say it.

 

ONE!  MORE!  TIME!

 

Every day you comment on this post, or on a participants post, you get another point towards winning the giveaway.

 

 

(and if you don’t know who Captain Riley is and the context of this joke, I am sorry for you.

A Royal Masquerade – Blog Tour: Day Six

And it is now DAY 6 of A Royal Masquerade’s blog tour.

 

^accurate gif of blog tour coordinator fatigue*

 

Today is a whopper!  We’ve got 4 beautiful ladies and 4 beautiful blogs for today.  Get ready for some serious Friday Fun!

 

Gracelyn:  Spotlight
Gracelyn Buckner

 

Abigail:  Spotlight  
Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors

 

Angela:          Review
The Peculiar Messenger

 

Rayleigh:   Review
Literature Approved

 

Annnd . . . I’ll say it again. Every day you comment on this post, or on a participants post, you get another point towards winning the giveaway.

 

 

Just in case you’re like me and can’t count when you’re tired, tomorrow is the LAST DAY of the blog tour.

 

 

 

So don’t forget to enter the giveaway HERE to win some awesome prizes!

 

 

A Royal Masquerade – Blog Tour: Day Five

 

 

It is now DAY 5 of A Royal Masquerade’s blog tour.

 

 

Just kidding, I know exactly where we’re going.

 

Today’s fantastic participants are:

 

Deborah:  Review
The Page Dreamer

 

Jessica:     An Interview With Burndee
Jessica Greyson

 

Annnd . . . just so you know. Every day you comment on this post, or on a participants post, you get another point towards winning the giveaway.  #BrokenRecord

 

 

 

Enter HERE to win some awesome prizes!

 

 

Such as . . .

 

 

A Royal Masquerade – Blog Tour: Day Four

 

Welcome, my people, to DAY 4 of A Royal Masquerade’s blog tour!

 

And today’s line up of fabulous blog tour participants includes:

 

 

Katie:  Review
I Am Charles Baker Harris (and I can read)

 

Eva:    Author Interview
Coffee, Classics, and Craziness

 

 

And another tempting glance at the prizes . . . 

 

 

Note:  Due to the price of shipping, I’m afraid only the 2nd prize is open to international participants.  If someone living internationally is drawn for the first prize, they will automatically win the second prize.  

 

 

 

A Message From Your Sponsor: 
Every day you comment on this post, or on a participants post, you get another point towards winning the giveaway. 

 

 

So there’s free stuff in your vivacity – don’t forget to enter the  giveaway  for a chance to win some great prizes!