Recommended Reading List: December, 2022

I read a lot in December because I switched my schedule around, and prioritized a few other things. (I’ll probably blog about that at some point.) Having effective glasses also helped, more than I expected. I don’t have hardly any holiday stories to recommend because we set our deadlines for next year’s Holiday Spectacular in December. I’ve been reading a lot of great holiday stories, […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Christopher’s Crummy Christmas

Eleven-year-old Christopher always spends Christmas alone. This year, he plans to change that. This year, he’ll find a way to make his parents stay home. Everyone tells him he’ll ruin Christmas, but he doesn’t care. He wants a good Christmas, and he’ll do anything to get it. A classic Christmas story that first appeared in Boys’ Life Magazine. “Christopher’s Crummy Christmas,” by New York Times bestselling […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Frank’s Corner Bar

Frank’s Corner Bar boasts a long history. And traditions. Especially Christmas traditions. But this year, Christmas might just hold a few surprises for everyone. “Frank’s Corner Bar,” by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch is free on this website for one week only. The story’s also available as an ebook through various online retailers here. It was first published as part of the WMG Holiday Spectacular 2020. To learn more […]

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Recommended Reading: December, 2021

I really enjoyed the holiday season this year, but I didn’t read a lot of Christmas or holiday stories. That’s unusual for me. I’ve been on a mystery and crime fiction binge for months now, and that continued. I did try to transition to some holiday stories, but they were too sweet for me. And the one author I read first, someone whose work I […]

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Free Fiction Monday: And a Cup of Good Cheer

Gail looks forward to her annual Christmas shopping trip to the high-end specialty foods store. Until her phone keeps interrupting with news alerts and a barrage of texts from her husband, Ron. Ron never texts her, and the messages grow increasingly weird. He wants a figgy pudding and he wants one right now! Gail soon realizes her family needs her—and her Christmas spirit—to save the […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Rehabilitation

The man who calls himself Matt Sturtz only connects with other human beings at Christmas. He takes a job as a mall Santa, and marvels that no one checks his résumé, or his identification for that matter. But this year, something goes wrong. Something he will not stand for. Something he must stop. No matter how much it costs him. No matter what goes wrong. […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Stille Nacht

Christmas: a time of family, tradition, togetherness—until your family shatters. With no grandparents to spoil her daughters, one single mom faces the holiday alone. Her daughters worry that Santa, like Daddy, won’t show up. She worries, too: What if she can’t give them—or herself—the magic of Christmas? But maybe, just maybe, she’ll find that magic on Christmas morning, under the tree, like all the other […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Nutball Season

According to Officer Nick Mantino, Nutball Season runs from Halloween to Christmas.  This Christmas season, he sees more than his usual number of nutballs. Like the geezer who thinks he has been cast in Miracle on 34th Street. And Mrs. Billings, who tells everyone she will shoot Santa if he lands on her roof. Mrs. Billings’ threats scare the local children, so Nick must investigate. […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Boz

Boz got his job on the colony ship The Beautiful Dreamer because of his skills as a competent introvert. He enjoys spending years completely alone, monitoring the passengers passing the time in cold sleep. So, when he wakes up one morning to Christmas carols, he gets scared. Very scared. Who has joined him on the ship? And why torture him with Christmas cookies and mugs […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Substitutions

Silas has worked for Death in Nevada for 150 years. He gets Christmas and Christmas Eve off. Only this year, his substitute finds him in a Las Vegas casino. His substitute, who is little more than a boy, a boy whose task terrifies him. If the boy finishes the task, he’ll have a permanent job. If he doesn’t, a dozen kids will live in agony. […]

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