Kicking off my "Celebrating Christmas Books 2026. Come join the fun!"

It's beginning to read a lot like Christmas. Get ready for a joyful journey through the world of Christmas-themed books! Starting today through Christmas, my blog posts will be filled with chats from various authors. You’ll hear about heartwarming children's tales to cozy mysteries, romantic comedies, and nostalgic historical romances. 

In these posts, each author will share their favorite Christmas traditions, the inspiration behind their festive books, and valuable writing tips. Plus, you'll get an exclusive sneak peek into their upcoming projects. And since we’re celebrating the season of giving, there will be an assortment of giveaways sprinkled generously throughout the season!

To kick it off, I’m highlighting my own Christmas themed books. Each Christmas I release at least one Christmas book. This year my new book is a picture book for children called "Santa's Sooty Suit Solution." It's a humorous look at the goings on at the North Pole. Here are some of the details.

Christmas Eve is over—but Santa’s biggest problem has just begun!
After a night of climbing down chimneys, Santa returns to the North Pole with his once-bright red suit covered in soot. Usually, that means Mrs. Claus has to make another one. But Mrs. Claus would much rather be baking cookies!

So Santa’s inventive elves launch a hilarious mission to find a new way to save his suit from soot. Soon the North Pole is filled with experiments, crazy inventions, unexpected mishaps, and plenty of Christmas laughs.

I've also include a recipe for Snow Sprite Cookies in the back of the book as well as coloring pages and activity sheets. Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Santas-Sooty-Solution-Christine-Henderson/dp/B0HNDSKQD1

My other Christmas book for children is called, "The Innkeeper's Son" which is a recounting of Christ's birth from a fictionalized account of a young boy whose life is forever changed by what he saw that night. This book pairs well with The First Noel: Digging Deeper into Christ's Birth, which is an Advent devotional that includes additional Biblical insights into that time period with links for more details. I'm also happy to let you know that book has been awarded as a 5-Star Reader's Favorite.

And here is my most recent Christmas romance,  "Falling in Love Despite Christmas Miscalculations." Here are the details...

Natalie Baynton has finally landed her dream job at Rothwell’s, the glitzy fashion store in Aspen, Colorado. This coveted apprenticeship is her one shot at becoming the store’s major fashion buyer, and she’s determined to succeed. Nothing will get in Natalie’s way. Romance is the last thing on her mind—until she meets Alexander.

Alexander Davies-White, a brilliant numbers whiz from Britain, is on track to become Rothwell’s next CFO. His past romances have always been more about image calculations than chemistry, leaving him longing for something genuine. Arriving in Aspen two months early to observe the store staff incognito, he meets Natalie. Captivated by her charm and ambition, Alexander pretends to be a personal shopper to spend time with her.

As their connection deepens, Alexander's ruse grows increasingly difficult to maintain. Will a season of miracles bring them together? Or will Christmas miscalculations shatter their chance at love?

So, snuggle up with a cup of hot cocoa or cider and join me in celebrating the magic of Christmas in the most delightful way—through the joy of reading from now till the end of December. I'll be setting up eBook giveaways throughout that time.
If you'd like to learn more about these books and others I've written, here's the link to my Amazon author page. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christine-L.-Henderson/author/B09L2Y7XNP

Now for some early Christmas presents... Here's an assortment of sweet romance eBooks that are being offered for 99 cents each. But you'll need to act fast as it will disappear after Nov 10. Find them at   https://books.bookfunnel.com/christmaskissesat99cents/eghkg8xnpk

Here's a second promo that features 4 different historical novels by four different for  only 99 cents each. But you'll need to act fast as it will disappear after Nov 10. Find them at https://www.amazon.com/Chiseled-Heart-Christmas-Novella-Collection-ebook/dp/B0CGZMNN2B

Celebrating a New Book Series Featuring Francine Beaton

 

Today I'll be introducing you to an author from a wonderful book series called Our House on Jakaranda Laan. All the stories In this series, take place In the fictitious town of Cedarfontein, South Africa on Jacaranda Lane. Read on to learn about one author and her story.

First off, tell my readers the genre for your book and its time frame.
The Survivor’s Journey is contemporary Christian romance with strong grief-and-healing themes, set in present-day South Africa. The story takes place in the fictional Garden Route town of Cedarfontein, tucked inland from the N2 against the Outeniqua foothills. The story unfolds over a few months, from the end of a rugby season into spring, when the jacarandas come out.

Give us a short book blurb about your story and characters.
Ethan Langford has spent his life on a rugby field. When the worst happens there, in front of a full stadium and a live television audience, he stops being able to face anything at all — including his wife.

Annika has gone home to Cedarfontein, to her parents’ old parsonage on Kerkstraat and a donkey named Ezra who won’t eat when she’s away. When Ethan is sent home too, they end up living a garden gate apart: the same gate her father and his grandfather built when Ethan and her brother Francois were five years old and inseparable.

His grandfather’s rugby club is falling apart. A bossy border collie refuses to let him lie down. And the woman he married is close enough to see over the wall — if he can find a way to stop grieving alone. It's a story about the difference between surviving and choosing to live.

What inspired you to write this story?
I don’t know. That very first scene came to me and I wrote it down — six years ago. I never knew what to do with it, because it didn’t fall within my normal contemporary and sports romances. So when I was asked to write a story for this series, this was the one that came to me.

I had ideas, but it also had to be factual. I brainstormed a lot about why certain things could happen, or whether they could happen at all. Then I got the answer from an unexpected source, and it hit harder because it was closer to home. There were also quite a few things I could draw on from experiences that had happened to me, or to friends and family. Endocarditis is one of them.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
Two of my beta readers had each lost a child. Handing them this manuscript was the hardest thing I’ve done as a writer, because I was asking them to walk back into the worst thing that ever happened to them for my sake. They did it anyway — and they told me I’d handled it gently.

I don’t think there’s a review or an award that could mean more than that. They know who they are.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Do the research properly, and then go one step further and find someone who actually does the job. I had a cardiologist go through this manuscript for me. He caught things no amount of internet reading would have given me — timings, what a doctor would and wouldn’t say, what the paperwork looks like afterwards. Readers can feel the difference between a writer who looked something up and a writer who asked.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
I believe writing comes from the heart. From your gut. That first scene of mine sat in a drawer for six years because it didn’t fit anywhere, and if I’d only written what fit, this book wouldn’t exist. Trust the story that keeps coming back to you. Write it, even when you don’t yet know what it’s for.

What other books do you have in the works?
The Survivor’s Journey is my only book in this series, but it isn’t my first shared-world story — I also wrote The Widow’s Choice for the previous series, Our House on Heather Wynd.

Beyond that, I’m a bilingual writer, which makes this question complicated to answer. I have two English manuscripts waiting in the wings. One of them ties in with The Survivor’s Journey, though it may end up appearing only in Afrikaans as part of a saga — please don’t ask me yet, I genuinely don’t know. The other is the first book in a trilogy set in Scotland. And I have two Afrikaans books that should be finished in 2026.

To be honest, though? I’m not a disciplined author. Or rather — I am. My characters aren’t. I wake up in the morning and the characters in Book A are talking loudly, so I let them. After lunch it’s Book B’s turn. I never really know what’s happening until it happens.

That's all for today's interview. I love Francine's last comment about book characters and how they call out to the writer to come back and work on me. I'm currently having a tug of war for my attention between two books -- one sweet romance and the other a picture book. 

Website: https://www.francinebeaton.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francinebeaton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrancineBeatonAuthor

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Francine-Beaton/e/B07BJH92HR

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomfrancinebeaton

And here's a special bonus...Get a FREE eBook as part of this series. It's a cookbook that features recipes from the characters in the Our House series and introduces you to each of them and their story. https://dl.bookfunnel.com/6i3sifi9ss

And here's another bonus... Here's a link to an assortment of FREE clean, Christian fiction that includes a number of different genres. This promo ends Nov 9 so don't put it off to take a look at these books. https://books.bookfunnel.com/freereadswithelle2