Ghosts & Miracles Past: A Christmas Collection Two by D. L. Finn
I’m delighted to have my friend and fellow author, Denise, visiting my blog today. She has published a new Christmas Collection and is excited to share it with you all. Please join me to welcome Denise!
Thank you, Miriam, for having me on your beautiful blog today to share the release of Ghosts & Miracles Past: A Christmas Collection Two. I’m extremely grateful for your support!
When I grew up as an only child, except for the couple of years I had a much older stepbrother, I knew the fears of a stranger coming to the door when I was home alone. Once, my parents were golfing, and two people came to our door. They claimed to be from the FBI and said my mother’s purse had been stolen and they were checking on the house. They commended me for having the screen door locked. A neighbor peeked out to see what was going on, and they left. Turns out they were the ones who had broken into my parents’ car and stolen her purse. I got lucky opening the door, having a locked screen, and a concerned neighbor, but this got me thinking. What if a young girl were at home waiting for her mom when a huge storm hits? The power and phones went out, and the only neighbors were out of town. She was truly alone with no neighbors watching in “She’s Home Alone.”
BLURB:
Miracles saturate the sweet-scented Christmas season—a reminder we aren’t alone.
Miracles & Ghosts Past: A Christmas Collection brings eight stories from past holidays. Rita buys train tickets for her and Morris’s 30th anniversary in the novelette, “The Christmas Train Mystery.” She’s convinced this trip will bring her and Morris closer—if he can find the time. A murder mystery excursion will change Rita’s life in more ways than one, but will she go with her workaholic husband or by herself? In the first short story, “Christmas Rescue,” Opal trusts the wrong man and loses her mother in the same year, leaving her feeling lost. On a mission to get candles for the dinner table, she makes an unexpected find. “Is There a Santa?” goes back to the 1920s, where a widower is desperate to hold on to his farm and children. He doesn’t want charity, just a bit of luck or a miracle. In the final stories, you’ll meet an eleven-year-old who’s home alone, a family living in the aftermath of war, a girl who gets some shocking news, a widow with a warning from beyond, and a woman trapped on an elevator with Santa. Hope underlies these stories; it endures even in the direst of circumstances. Whether help comes from a ghost, Santa, or an angel, miracles are just within reach.
EXCERPT FROM: She’s Home Alone, 1965
Debbie added a shiny red ribbon and bow to the candy cane wrapping paper. She made the gift as pretty as possible for her mom, who was working another double shift at the general store. Her mom took every extra shift to make ends meet. Despite all the hard work, there wasn’t much left for the holiday season after rent, food, and bills. Debbie helped the Williams family across the street by babysitting or doing anything she could to earn money to help buy the extras. Even with school and babysitting, Debbie was home alone often, but she always kept busy and helped her mom by cleaning the house and cooking simple dinners.
Tonight, they were expecting what was being called the snowstorm of the century. She kept checking the ticking wall clock, hoping her mom would come home soon, before it hit. Too bad her mom needed to do some shopping after her shift for Christmas dinner, which would make her even later than normal.
She flipped on the radio, and her mom’s favorite version of “Silent Night” was playing on the local station.
“It really is a silent night without the TV. I wish our old one could have been repaired, but hopefully, we’ll get another one next year,” Debbie sighed to herself.
It was also lonely without the Williamses, who were the only other people living in their cul-de-sac. The six-year-old twins, Dean and Justin, would be outside playing no matter what the weather, and their mom would be inside with the two little girls, Kathy and Lisa. Sometimes they’d invite her over to dinner if her mom worked late. Now their house was dark; the family of six was spending the holidays with relatives.
“Just me and Mom this Christmas.” She put her feet on the coffee table. The only time she got away with that was when her mom wasn’t there. Leaning back on the couch, she studied the heavy clouds through the front window. “At least it’ll be a white Christmas.”
It had been Debbie, her mom, and her grandma for a while since her dad left them. She’d overheard her dad telling her mom the night he left that he wasn’t cut out to be a husband or father. They hadn’t heard from him since the divorce papers were signed three years ago. Child support payments failed to materialize, and his whereabouts remained unknown, but her mom heard a rumor that he was living in Mexico. With no money to hunt him down, they sold their home, found this rental, and her mom went to work.
Debbie put a snowman name tag on her gift.
“I hope you like this, Mom,” she said, placing the gift under the little decorated pine that reminded her of the tree in that new cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas. She got to watch it at Williams’s house this year while babysitting. “It’s the brown gloves you admired in the store.” Debbie paused for a moment and grinned, thinking about her best friend, who’d also left town for the holiday break. “I know, Sarah, you’d make fun of me for talking to myself, but you have a lot of people to talk to. I don’t. Besides, my mom’s right—being an only child makes it okay.”
Debbie stood and smoothed her long, straight brown hair that Sarah said was perfect. Debbie hated it, though, and loved Sarah’s blond pixie cut.
She tilted the package on its side so her mom would see it when she came home. “I wish I had a second gift to give you so we could have the same amount under the tree. While I’m making wishes, I hope you find a man who will be good to you. Your other half, as Grandma used to call it. And if I could ask for one more thing, I’d love to get a puppy.” Debbie straightened the silver star on top of the tree. The puppy was less likely to happen than her mom dating again. She knew they couldn’t afford it. Stepping back, she sensed a wave of holiday spirit emanating from the vibrant tree and music before a power outage ended the moment. “Great!”
Trailer
About D. L. Finn
FUN FINN FACTS
I was an only child, mostly. I had a very active imagination and was scared of the dark and quiet of the night.I can’t wait to get the Christmas tree up. It gets earlier every year!D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990, she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books, but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include children’s books, adult fiction, and poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.
YouTube
Amazon Page
D.L. Finn blog
Pinterest
Instagram
Facebook
Bookbub
Bluesky
T
witter/X
D. L. Finn’s Gratitude Store
To celebrate the release, I will be giving away three Amazon Gift Cards: $5, $10, and $15. At the end of the tour, I will randomly pick the three winners from those who leave comments during the blog tour. Good Luck!
.
.
.
