Putting my toes in the water...

I did it. I stuck my toes in the water and tried this self publishing idea or indie. I did agonize and worry my friends to death over the grammar, story lines, and characters. In fact, I still am. Its the thought of standing there alone sharing a story that you feel so strongly for.

A Cordial Christmas is that kind of story. I think of it as Scrooge meets Bonanza sprinkled with Its A Wonderful Life. In this story Dobson Winters is as cold as his name implies. He lost his wife around the holidays and refuses to celebrate the holidays. But, in comes Curtis Watson and with his dying breath he tells Dob that the only way he can save his black soul is to find his daughter and get her to marry him.

Little Lucy and her antics with his Chinese cook steal the show for me. However its her adoration of Dobson that begins to thaw the ranchers frozen heart. I hope you'll zip over to Smashwords and soon to Amazon to pick up a copy of this novella.

Here's an excerpt below.

Chow Ming pushed the sweet dough out with the rolling pin. He paused and eyed the little girl standing on the wooden shoebox across from him, her apron covered in the same flour that kept the dough from sticking to his work surface of the small table in the center of the kitchen. She glanced up, her blue eyes twinkling and shimmering with delight. Lucy eyed his efforts with a smile.
"Yes, yes just thick enough," she said with a nod.
"So why we bake cookies again?" Chow Ming asked.
"Cause," Lucy began, dipping her biscuit cutter in flour before pressing it into the dough. "On Christmas Eve, Santa will come down the chimney and expect to find them."
"Why dis man not use front door?"
"Cause you aren't supposed to see him."
A rash of Chinese followed. "Sound like fat man in red suit a thief. Chow Ming take care of him." He reached behind and pulled his meat clever, brandishing it in the air.
Lucy's hands went to her hips. "Now see here Chow Ming, you do something like that and he won't leave you anything in your stocking."
"He take clothes too! Chow Ming think Christmas not good time of year. Prefer Chinese New Year. Then only contend with dragon."

Follow the links on my books webpage or copy this link for your browser.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/91873