USA Today bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes in almost every genre. Generally, she uses her real name (Rusch) for most of her writing. Under that name, she publishes bestselling science fiction and fantasy, award-winning mysteries, acclaimed mainstream fiction, controversial nonfiction, and the occasional romance. Her novels have made bestseller lists around the world and her short fiction has appeared in eighteen best of the year collections. She has won more than twenty-five awards for her fiction, including the Hugo, Le Prix Imaginales, the Asimov’s Readers Choice award, and the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Choice award.
Publications from The Chicago Tribune to Booklist have included her Kris Nelscott mystery novels in their top-ten-best mystery novels of the year. The Nelscott books have received nominations for almost every award in the mystery field, including the best novel Edgar Award, and the Shamus Award. She writes goofy romance novels as award-winner Kristine Grayson, romantic suspense as Kristine Dexter, and futuristic sf as Kris DeLake. Her popular weekly blog on the changes in publishing has become an industry must-read.
She also edits. Beginning with work at the innovative publishing company, Pulphouse, followed by her award-winning tenure at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, she took fifteen years off before returning to editing with Fiction River. She acts as series editor with her husband writer Dean Wesley Smith, and edits at least two anthologies in the series per year on her own.
To keep up with everything she does, go to kriswrites.com. To track her many pen names and series, see their individual websites (krisnelscott.com, kristinegrayson.com, krisdelake.com, retrievalartist.com, divingintothewreck.com). She lives and occasionally sleeps in Oregon.
“By The Chimney, With Care” by USA Today bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch is free on this website for one week only. The story’s also available for $2.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Omnilit, Smashwords, and in other ebookstores. 
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Aww. What a vulnerable little story. Thank you so much for sharing!
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks, Will.
I’m sorry but I don’t have time to tell you how your story seemed to make Christmas feel a bit more like Christmas, or how the individual words disappeared as I floated along with Rolf, or how I believe that every self centered and quick to judge person(myself included) should be required to read this tale. No, I don’t have time to tell you about these things because I have to go to the doctor and have these strange sensations in my chest checked out. Feels like tiny strings tugging at my heart.
Thank you for this – and Merry Christmas!
Oh, thank you, Stephen. Your comment made me smile.
Happy holidays to you as well.
Wonderful and surprising story. Perfect for the best of the season.
Thanks, Steven.