A Tree Worth Choosing. Christmas with Beth Trissel.

Welcome to A Writer’s Mind’s third annual WHAT EVERY WOMAN WANTS BENEATH HER CHRISTMAS TREE blog event. It’s hard to believe we’re already into the second week in December! As expected, things are as festive as ever at this blog. Today it’s my pleasure to welcome over friend and fabulously talented author, Beth Trissel. Gracious as ever, Beth is offering an eCopy of her story, A Warrior for Christmas to one lucky commenter.

YULETIDE NOTE: I encourage you to leave a comment for a chance to win each featured author's given prize (Include email addy). Their individual winners will be announced in a comment after their post. In addition, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter provided after each post as often as you like for a chance to win the grand prize, three $30 Amazon Gift Cards, 12+ ebooks and over six print novels. Three winners drawn and announced December 26th, 2012. Click on 'Ready to be Served?' at the top of this blog to find the itinerary.

Let’s hear from Beth…

Cutting the Christmas tree ourselves is a significant tradition that dates back to the years before I was married, with the whole family going together to select and cut it. The ranks have grown considerably over the decades and even included Chinese guests who found trekking off to cut an evergreen rather fascinating, as they did the concept of stuffing a large tree into our house and decorating it with eclectic baubles, like the glittered light bulbs our son made when he was in first grade, or the dough angel with glasses my brother created when he was ten. But they joined in the merriment.

In recent years, we venture to our favorite tree farm on a hillside outside the tiny hamlet of Singers Glen with our children and grandchildren, the youngest just wee tots. The little people are especially excited by our outing and a good time is had by all. The ultimate challenge is finding the candy cane tree and requires tramping up and down the scenic hill. To mix things up, my art major graduate daughter, Elise, suggested we get the ugliest tree we could find for our household and see what we could do with it. Six-year-old Ian thought this was a great idea. However, after he’d helped cut it, he asked, “Dad has out tree, right?” He didn’t want to get stuck with a dud.

The couple who own the tree farm were glad someone still liked Charlie Brown trees, thinking they’d never sell that one. Not only do they have a beautiful farm, but a quaint spring house where the wife serves hot chocolate and visits with guests by a cozy fire in the vintage hearth and children are invited to choose an ornament from their decorated tree to take home. This is the best Christmas tree farm ever. Elise and I decorated our challenged tree with strings of popcorn and lights as it was too skimpy to hold traditional ornaments. All in all, it’s not a bad little tree. Pretty, really. Ian’s impressed.

In colonial America when my new historical romance novella A Warrior for Christmas is set, the colonists decorated their homes with holly, greenery, mistletoe balls and wreaths, but did not yet have trees. That came about later during the Victorian era.

Blurb: Reclaimed by his wealthy uncle, former Shawnee captive Corwin Whitfield finds life with his adopted people at an end and reluctantly enters the social world of 1764. He plans to return to the colonial frontier at his first opportunity--until he meets Uncle Randolph's ward, Dimity Scott.

Deaf since a childhood bout of Scarlet fever, Dimity Scott intends to be cherished for herself, not her guardian's purse, even if it means risking spinsterhood. Then the rugged newcomer arrives, unlike any man she's ever known. Dimity has learned to manage her silent world, but unaccustomed to the dangers of the frontier, can she expect love and marriage from Corwin, who longs to return to his Shawnee life?

Excerpt:

One this unaware would never survive in the frontier. He’d been taught to move with the silence of a winged owl while observing all around him. “Why does she not look up at our coming?”

“Ah, well, that’s a matter I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.” The hesitancy in his uncle’s tone was unlike this man who knew his own mind and was swift to instruct others.

He squinted at Corwin with his good eye; the other perpetually squinted from an injury he’d received in a duel. “I trust you’ll not hold it against the poor girl as a sign of weakness, my boy. Warriors sometimes do, and you’ve kept company with those savages far too long.”

It wasn’t like his uncle to ramble, and Corwin shifted impatiently upon hearing his adopted people disparaged again. “What are you saying, Uncle?”

He rubbed his fingers over a chin grizzled with whiskers. “Dimity cannot hear us.”

“At all?”

“Not a sound, unfortunately. Though she is able to detect the vibrations of music. Odd, that.”

Like the beating of Indian drums.~

If you would like the opportunity to win an ebook of A Warrior for Christmas, pdf or kindle winner’s choice, please leave me a comment.

A Warrior for Christmas is available in various ebook formats at The Wild Rose Press ,  Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nookbook  & other online booksellers.

*For more on me, my blog is the happening place. Come on over and visit at: http://bethtrissel.wordpress.com/

Sky here. Absolutely LOVED this post, Beth! That you and your family chose what would normally be amongst the last picked trees is such a supurb idea. I'd imagine it was beyond beautiful once decorated. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Readers, don't forget to comment for a chance to win an eCopy of A Warrior for Christmas. Then be sure to enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win even more!

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