Enraptured:The Discovery by Barbara Bretton
Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to Barbara Bretton, author of Enraptured: The Discovery – The Sugar Maple Chronicles, Book Seven.
Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see what Enraptured: The Discovery is all about. Thanks for joining us! But first a list of Barbara’s favorite Christmas Movies. How many have you seen?
anything better than curling up on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate, a
special someone, and a full slate of Christmas movies ready to take you away?
Some of them are universal favorites. Some of them are up for debate. (Die
Hard? That’s a no from me but my husband will argue the point for days!) Here
are a few of mine. I’d love to know where they rank on your list of must-watch
holiday movies.
a Thanksgiving evening tradition in our house. The holidays don’t start until
Kris Kringle shows up.
Crosby’s farmhouse and I’m ready to pack my bags and time travel back to 1940s
Connecticut.
Scott version gets me every time. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve watched
this classic, I turn into a teary mess when Tiny Tim runs into Scrooge’s arms
at the end. Great from beginning to end.
Sentimental. Of course. (It’s the holiday season, isn’t it?) Outdated? In many
ways. But I still love it.
Barbara Stanwyck original version. (And who doesn’t love S. Z “Cuddles”
Sakall?)
list.
Book Seven
Since the birth of my daughter last year, I have become a world-class, gold medal-winning worrier. I worry that Laria isn’t getting enough sleep and then, when she’s snuggled down for the night, I lurk in the doorway to her room and listen for the soft sound of her breathing. I worry that she isn’t getting enough milk. I worry about the transition to solids. I worry about childproofing our cottage. I worry about potty training and her first day of school.
Mostly I worry about what she’s going to be when she grows up. All things considered, that’s pretty silly because everyone in Sugar Maple knows that Laria’s future had been determined long before she was born.
But, then again, so was mine.
I’m Chloe Hobbs, the half-sorceress/half-human owner of Sticks & Strings, the most popular yarn shop in New England. (And maybe the entire east coast . . . not that I’m proud of it, or anything.) I’m also the de factomayor of Sugar Maple, one of those postcard-perfect towns Vermont is famous for, a picturesque throwback to simpler times.
At least, that’s what we want you to think.
The truth is, there is a lot more to our small town than meets the eye. My BFF Janice, who owns the spa across the street, is a Harvard-educated witch married to a strapping selkie. Lynette, my other BFF, is a shapeshifter. She and her husband and kids keep our local theater up and running. A werewolf and his sons operate the hardware store.
A Norwegian troll named Lilith maintains both our library and our historical society. Three generations of Fae run the Sugar Maple Inn and restaurant. Don’t laugh, but a team of vampires own the funeral home.
And that’s just for starters.
We have been hiding here in plain sight since my sorceress ancestor Aerynn fled the horrors of Salem centuries ago to found a sanctuary for other magicks like her.
I’m not bragging when I say that for over three hundred years, we’ve done a pretty good job of flying below the radar. The fact that you didn’t know about us is proof of that. Thanks to a protective charm created by Aerynn, we have been able to escape discovery even while living and working among humans. I’ll admit, however, that it was a lot easier before the Internet and drones and smartphones became part of our daily lives.
And there are a few old-timers around town who would say I was the biggest threat of all. We were already a popular stop for tourists looking to experience a trip to nostalgic, old school New England, when the runaway success of Sticks & Strings added a steady stream of knitters to our village. Now I’m not saying knitters are nosier than your average visitor, but nothing much gets by them. A dedicated knitter can sniff out a bargain three towns away and will do anything to reel that treasure in.
But knitters go home at night, something you can’t always say about relatives.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Enraptured: The Discovery.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Barbara Bretton, Enraptured:The DIscovery, Paranormal Romance, The Sugar Maple Chronicles book 7 by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
Annie’s Gift by Author Barbara Bretton
Happy holidays to all Give a big welcome to Barbara Bretton, author of Annie’s Gift.
Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see what Annie’s Gift is all about. But first lets check out Barbara’s Christmas Eve Brownie Extravaganza. My mouth is watering already! Thanks for joining us!
When it comes to the holidays, I am a traditionalist. Whether it’s the movies we watch, the music we listen to,
or the food we eat, I look forward to revisiting those old (and beloved) favorites every single year.
traditions is our Christmas Eve Brownie Extravaganza. Deep. Dark. Still warm
from the oven. Crowned with a ginormous scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with
a holiday-red maraschino cherry.
pleasure to just Christmas Eve? These brownies would be delicious any day of
the year!
melted
melted
vanilla. Add the melted chocolate and butter. Blend until light and airy. Add
flour, then nuts (if using.)
oven in two 8-inch pans for 25-30 minutes. Do not overcook. They should be
moist in the center. The timing is personal. Keep checking and take it out of
the oven when it’s reached the degree of doneness that warms your heart.
like autumn leaves crackling underfoot, and then felt a soft rush of
cinnamon-scented air as a small form appeared then disappeared right in front
of his eyes.
paralyzed with fear and hope, as she took form one more time, looking less like
a hologram and more like a flesh and blood woman. The woman he had loved since
he was sixteen years old.
name tore from his throat and spilled into the space between them. This was his
Annie, before sorrow and sickness had taken their toll.
laughter danced in the air around her. “I did it! How about that, Harry? I
did it!”
her hand but it was like grasping cotton candy. His brain was a bowl of
overcooked oatmeal. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
to spin. He could feel himself starting to go under and he put his head between
his knees.
sugar,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t miss that at all.”
blood sugar,” he managed, gulping in some air. “I’m talking to a ghost.”
put it that way, I guess you are.”
was there to put it? He had buried his beloved wife six months ago and now here
she was in their living room acting like nothing had happened.
huge gulp of air then lifted his head.
here,” she said, her tone softening. “You can trust your senses.”
his disbelief beginning to show cracks. “How?”
arms wide. “Look at this place! You’d never know it was Christmas Eve.”
like Christmas Eve.”
put some effort into it. Put up a tree. String some lights.” She aimed a sharp
look in his direction. “Place the candles in the window where they belong.”
into a scowl. “Did you forget your promise?”
was made a long time ago. Things change.”
doesn’t.”
family anymore. When I lost you, I lost everything.”
and for a second he imagined he felt the touch of her hand. But that was crazy,
wasn’t it? She was no more real than Santa Claus or Easter Bunny.
because I love you,” she said. “And because you need me tonight.”
to overwhelm him. He wanted to believe.
every night, Annie. That’s never changed.”
the night you asked for me.”
was standing there next to the refrigerator with a carton of brown eggs in his
hand.
the eggs were on the floor in a yellow and white mess and his Annie was in his
arms.
long enough to know that second chances didn’t happen often in life.
wasn’t going to let her go.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Annie’s Gift!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Annie's Gift, Barbara Bretton, Paranormal Romance, Rocky Hill Holiday Romance by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
