Today is the grand finale of my PRISM Book Blog Tour. I hope you had as much fun as I did visiting all the different book blogs and reviewers. It’s been an exciting week for me and I have to confess I’m very proud of A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS and extremely blessed to have the fabulous support of my publisher, Tule Publishing and all my friends and family. So thank you, everyone, for helping make this book lunch the best ever! It’s not quite over–if you missed any of the blogs or reviews, you can find links to all of them here.

Remember, the giveaway is open until Wednesday, November 7, so there’s still time to enter for a chance to win a fun prize package. Just click the picture above or the link in the text.

Thank again and hold tight–the next Four Irish Brothers Winery story is in the works, so stay tuned!

~Nan

Thank you very much for coming along on my Prism Book Tour for A Small Town Christmas—the first book in my new Four Irish Brothers Winery series for Tule Publishing. I’m so excited about this book and about this series—Conor, Sean, Brendan, and Aidan Flaherty have been in my head for quite some time, banging around, insisting that their stories be told.

A Small Town Christmas is Conor’s story. He’s the winemaker at Four Irish Brothers, the Flaherty’s historic family winery in the little town of River’s Edge; he’s also a widower and the father of four-year-old Ali, who steals every scene she’s in. Sam Hayes, the attorney who comes down from Chicago to help Conor with a lawsuit, is charmed by Ali, the quirky citizens of River’s Edge, and most especially by a certain handsome winemaker. I hope you enjoy A Small Town Christmas and leave the story anxious for more of the four Irish brothers. Have fun and Happy Holidays!

A Small Town Christmas

(Four Irish Brothers Winery #1)

By Nan Reinhardt

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 185 Pages

October 29th 2018 by Tule Publishing

Winemaker and single father Conor Flaherty is determined to make this Christmas holiday special for his daughter even though his family’s winery, Four Irish Brothers, is facing some challenges.

High-octane Chicago attorney Samantha Hayes is looking forward to some delicious food, fine wine, small town charm, and a break from her hectic big city life when she agrees to do a favor for her boss and help his younger brother with a lawsuit that’s been slapped on his family’s historic winery in River’s Edge. She’s not expecting that her sexy new client will have a smile that will melt her heart and remind her that there’s more to life than work.

Sam falls hard for Conor, his daughter and the small, friendly town, but can she trust her instincts and risk her heart? Sam hasn’t seen a lot of happy-ever-afters in her life, but Conor and the magic of Christmas make her want to believe.

Goodreads│Amazon│B&N│iBooks│Kobo│GooglePlay

Tour Giveaway

5 winners will receive: a wine-themed kitchen towel and potholder set, 6 handmade wineglass charms, and an autographed copy of the first book in Nan’s Women of Willow Bay series, ONCE MORE FROM THE TOP.

Open to US only |  Ends November 7, 2018

Okay, so not an old dog, more like an old lady can learn new tricks. Working with Tule Publishing has taught me so much about writing, but also about how important book promotion is.

Here’s the thing, I’m not good at self-promotion. As a matter of fact, I suck at it. I don’t like drawing attention to myself, although isn’t that what writing is really? Except in my books, it’s not me that’s getting attention–it’s the people in my head. But after their story is told, somebody’s got to let the world know it’s there, and that’s the promotion part that I’m simply dreadful at. (I know, my freshman comp prof is choking at that sentence, but the whole never-end-a-sentence-with-a-preposition rule is falling by the wayside, so I’m leaving it,)

Oh, that reminds me of a joke! A girl is at a fancy party and she’s meeting lots of new people. At one point, she’s introduced to a very la-di-da lady and asks the woman, “Where are you from?” The lady looks down her nose and replies, “I’m from a place where we don’t end our sentences with a preposition.” The girl answers, “Oh, so sorry. Where are you from, bitch?”

See, even talking about promotion is hard for me… The point of this post… well, hell, I’ve forgotten the point. Oh, yeah, it was to say that the next month or so will be filled with promotion for A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS, so get ready. (Did you see what I did there? I put book promotion right in that sentence with a link to the book. Sometimes we sneak it in on you.) I’ll be all over the Web, FB, Twitter, Instagram. You will be sick of me and my book, but hold tight and bear with me. Hey, I know, let’s practice. Take a look at this cool graphic I created in my attempt to learn how to do book promotion. Fun, huh?

I’m going to be doing some pretty fun promotion things though, like an interview at USA Today‘s HEA blog and appearing on other great book blogs. I’ll be doing a Meet the Author at the library in our little lake town on December 1, possibly signing books at the wInery again, and speaking to the book club at my church, which I think is very cool. I am so honored that they’re reading Saving Sarah for their November book and have asked me to come and talk about the book and writing. (I did it again–snuck in a little promo.)

Anyway, hang in there with me, okay? I promise not to be too annoying. As always, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan

My publisher, Tule Publishing, is having a Holiday Release Party over at the Tule Book Club Facebook group on Oct. 16th 4-7 p.m. PST to celebrate the new Christmas romances we have releasing in the next few weeks. It’s going to be a load of fun and we all have great giveaways planned. If you aren’t a member of the Tule Book Club on Facebook yet, come on by and join in the fun! We’ll have a great time and it’s the place to meet all your favorite Tule authors, including yours truly!  Come on by next Tuesday, 4-7 Pacific Time, which is 7-10 Eastern Time. Hope to see you there!

Know what’s great? Having a BFF who is also a romance writer because it means I get first peek at all her books, plus I have someone to process stories with. Someone who really gets it when I’m stuck and thinking I’m the worst writer ever. It’s good to be that person for her, too! Today, I’m celebrating the release of that person’s newest novel. Liz Flaherty’s The Dark Horse: A Christmas Carousel Story is part of the 12 Days of Heartwarming Christmas series of holiday novels and it is a wonderful, touching story.

Liz graciously agreed to share an excerpt:

This isn’t a scene between the hero, Row, and the heroine, Chloe; rather, it’s between Row and his best friend. And it’s pretty close to my favorite. You need to know that there are four foster kids at stake here, two boys and two girls. And remember, this is Christmas Town, where love always finds a way.

Shoe was in Germany. Even though he didn’t remember exactly how many hours the time difference was, Row knew his friend would wake when his phone rang and that he wouldn’t be happy about it.

He wasn’t.

“Unless you’re terminally ill or at the airport needing to be picked up, you have to hang up and call back at a reasonable hour.”

Row laughed. He thought he’d missed Shoe’s James Earl Jones growl as much as he missed the man himself. “Would you have married Tatiana if she hadn’t been in love with you?”

“I’d have married Tatiana if she’d been in love with you.”

“She was, brother. We just didn’t want to tell you.”

Shoe chuckled at the old joke, his voice becoming more wakeful. “I don’t know that she was in love with me or even if I was in love with her then. She had a lot on her plate, being a single mom in medical school. She liked me and I loved her little boy, I had a steady paycheck and a car. I wanted to be Isaac’s dad more than I’d ever wanted anything—even more than I’d wanted to fly Black Hawks. So we got married.”

Row knew, simplified as the telling of the story was, that it was also the truth. He must have asked Shoe a hundred times if he was sure of what he was doing before he’d stood up with him in the Vegas wedding chapel. “What about now?” he asked, although he knew the answer to that one. He just liked hearing it.

“She’s the air that I breathe, man, and these kids? These kids are my reward for becoming a grownup. Did I tell you Isaac is starting on the basketball team here? As a sophomore? His mom is so proud.”

“I know. You’ve told me a dozen times. Too bad you’re not a little proud yourself.”

Shoe yawned hugely. “Now, since people are going to wake me up for church pretty soon, why don’t you tell me why you called so I can sneak in another half hour of sleep?”

Row told him. He talked about Connor and the music in the boy’s soul. He told about Chloe’s face when she sat with a sleeping toddler in her arms. He tried to explain how if felt sitting next to her on the couch or in his car. He said no, no, he wasn’t in love, just seriously in like—and he was worried about the Michaud kids. Big time.

Shoe laughed a lot from the other end, and then he said quietly. “Remember when we’d fly into places we weren’t sure about? We’d say a prayer and go in, because if we just hung there in the air, all we’d do is run out of fuel and get embarrassed when we fell out of the sky. I’ve waited a long time to hear that tone in your voice that Chloe seems to have put there, so go in, Row. Don’t wait to fall out of the sky.”

They ended the call then. Row sat on the loveseat in the guest house’s miniature living room, sipping the beer he’d poured from a growler when he’d come home after helping Chloe carry the little girls back upstairs at her house. He’d kissed her at her front door, held her gaze for a long time, and kissed her again.

It had been a long day and he was exhausted. But enlivened, too. He picked up his phone again and called his father. “Are you disappointed about not being a grandfather?”

Mr. Welcome hesitated. “Yeah, I guess I am. Are you thinking about making me one?” He chuckled, and the sound fell warm on Row’s ear. “I’ll take two of each.”

Liz is a multi-published author with Harlequin, The Wild Rose Press, and Carina Press. She has three grown children, the three they married and brought home to her, and the Magnificent Seven grandchildren who are, you know, magnificent. She and Duane live in the same farmhouse back a lane they’ve been sharing for 40 years and hope to share for…well, probably not another 40, but a long time more. She also hangs out with me–our 3-hour lunches are the stuff legends are made of. She’d love to hear from you at lizkflaherty@gmail.com or please come and see her at http://www.facebook.com/lizkflaherty

I’m excited to be hosting romance author and pal, Lynne Marshall today and celebrating the release of her newest book from Tule Publishing, Sweet Home Montana. Check out a fun excerpt from the book below and keep reading for a chance to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway where 2 winners will receive ebooks of Her Baby, His Love and Their Christmas Miracle. The giveaway is open internationally and ends October 17.

Lynne used to worry she had a serious problem with daydreaming, then she discovered she was supposed to write the stories in her head. A late bloomer, Lynne came to fiction writing after her children were nearly grown. Now she battles the empty nest by writing stories which always include a romance, sometimes medicine, a dose of mirth, or both, but always stories from her heart. She is a Southern California native, married for almost thirty years, has two adult children she is super proud of, is a dog lover, cat admirer, a power walker, and fellow traveler on this wild road called life!

You’ll find Lynne everywhere, just click any of the links below:

Website│Goodreads│Amazon│Facebook

Here’s the blurb for Sweet Home Montana:

Entrepreneur Wade Conrad is called home to act as a temporary guardian for his teenage half-brother, who’s acting out and needs strong guidance. Wade feels they are both floundering, so he seeks help for Brent at Healing Heart Acres, an equine therapy center.

Erin Chase has been working as an equine therapist since her fiancé called off their wedding with no explanation three years ago. She personally enjoys the peace found through animal therapy and believes in passing on the gift. When Erin meets Wade, she’s instantly drawn to his concern for his brother, as well as his kindness and charm.

Wade treasures time spent with Erin. They both long for more, but Wade’s leaving for California soon and his brother’s needs come first. Will he take a chance on love before it’s too late?

 She’s sharing an excerpt with us today:

Once Wade took off, Erin recovered and wandered over to Brent, who sat on a bench staring at his boots. “Mind if I join you?”

He glanced up. Rather than answering, he tipped his chin up, as in yes.

She sat gingerly on the other end of the bench. “I guess I read you wrong.”

He tossed her a confused and perturbed glance. “He tell you I don’t talk to him because he doesn’t like being my brother?”

“No. He mentioned the counselor at school was concerned about you picking fights, though. It’s quite clear to me he’s worried about you, and that’s why he brought you here.”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to be here.” He lobbed a petulant stare at her.

“That part I read easily enough. What I got wrong was thinking you might be an animal person.”

“Why would you think that?” He pulled in his chin.

“Because of that moose cap you’re wearing.”

His tense gaze relaxed. “They’re okay.”

“What about horses?” She knew a lot of people were afraid of the size of horses. “Do any riding?”

“Not since I was ten. I got thrown from a horse. My father said it was my fault. I don’t think horses like me much.”

For a kid who didn’t talk much, he’d just said a lot. “Horses are smart. They can tell when a person’s afraid. Some horses are ornery, too, but that’s not the kind we keep here at the acres.”

“What’s the point of this place? Why should I come here?”

Buy links for Sweet Home Montana:

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│iBooks│Kobo│GooglePlay

2 winners will receive ebooks of Her Baby, His Love and Their Christmas Miracle

Open internationally

Ends October 17th

I’m so pleased to celebrate the release of a brand new holiday anthology that features a holiday romance by my buddy and one of my favorite writers, Donna Fasano, as well as 25 other romance authors. Each title – exclusive to this set – is inspired by a favorite holiday movie, spun into a fantastic love story by a NY Times, USA Today, and/or award-winning, bestselling author.

There’s a giveaway happening during this fun blitz for Love Christmas 2 too!

GIVEAWAY

Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $50 Amazon gift card
• 5 Love, Christmas 1- Put a song in your heart! (e-copy editions)

Fall is here and that crisp snap in the air means Christmas is just around the corner. Here are a couple of excerpts from Mimi Barbour and Leanne Banks, just to whet your holiday reading appetite. Enjoy!

A Wonderful Life by Mimi Barbour

Prologue

“Clarence, you haven’t stopped watching Noel Bradford for days. What in the world is happening to that young man?”

“I’m glad you noticed my preoccupation, Sir. I’m afraid he’s not doing too well. Do you remember a man called George Bailey?”

“Certainly, I do. Wasn’t he the reason you got your wings?”

“Yes, that’s him. Well poor Noel Bradford is heading in the same direction; he’s on the bridge right now, ready to jump. I’m thinking it’ll take the same interference to stop him from killing himself that it took to prevent George from doing the same thing many years ago.”

“I see. Then what are you waiting for, Clarence? You must go and save him.”

“I suppose you’re right. I just hate the thought of that icy water. It took me forever to warm up the last time.”

“Clarence, if you stop that poor fellow from ruining all the lives of the people who will one day love him, I’ll send you the wherewithal to get warm, now off with you. There’s no time to waste.”

Chapter One

Noel Bradford never believed himself to be a coward, a weakling who gave up in troubled times, a man whose shoulders were so narrow they couldn’t bear misfortune.

He was wrong.

Four days ago, when the police had knocked on his door to give him the horrifying news that his parents and their driver, his only brother, had all been killed in a car accident, he’d thought nothing could get worse.

They were heading to their favorite resort in Aspen when their car careened over the bank of the mountainous road, dropping into a lake probably 400 feet below. The back end of the car, where the license plate could be seen through binoculars, proved it was their vehicle and the chance of any survivors was nil.

A Royal White Christmas by Leanne Banks

Chapter One

A baying howl cut through the early December night, even through the walls of the cottage Brice rented. He glanced up from the material he was studying and the baying howl echoed again. The fireplace crackled, and Brice knew the snow was still falling.

Again, the baying howl broke through the quiet.

Sighing, Brice rose from his laptop and peered out the window. The floodlights revealed nothing. He was going to have to brave the cold, he supposed.

Tugging on his boots, jacket and gloves, he opened the door and trudged outside. “Talk to me beagle or hound,” he muttered.

Another howl cut the air. Several moments later, Brice found the beagle wagging its tail, its leash wrapped around a tree trunk. The beagle whined and barked. He immediately noted that the dog was female. “Well, good evening to you, Miss. A fine mess you’re in. Let me help you out.” He unwound the leash and waited for the beagle to run for freedom. Instead the dog came at him and licked his hand.

“I know you have an owner,” he said. “That’s a nice leash.”

The beagle continued to nuzzle at him and whine.

“I guess you can stay the night. It’s a nasty one,” he said and looked at a tag. “Brandi,” he read. “I’ll give your owner a call, but you can stay the night.”

Brice pulled off some chicken and rice from his leftovers and offered it to the dog. She gobbled it up quickly. “You have a good appetite,” he said and dialed the number on the dog tag. The number rang and rang then disconnected. Brice frowned. “That’s not good,” he muttered to himself and punched in the number again.

Buy links:

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-christmas-movies-you-love-mimi-barbour/1129225408
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/love-christmas-movies-you-love
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1421807297

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Christmas-Movies-Holiday-Book-ebook/dp/B07G4K5YR2

I’m so excited I can hardly breathe! My new book, A Small Town Christmas, is now available for pre-order! Go to Tule Publishing and you’ll find all the links you could possibly want or need to get this fun holiday romance delivered to your e-reader on October 29. Hurry, hurry and reserve your copy now! And get ready for all kinds of festivities before and after the release because I will be everywhere, sharing the book! Lots of wine fun and there will be giveaways!

Join me on October 16 from 4-7 pm Pacific Time (7-10 EST) for the Tule Book Club Holiday Facebook Party! I’ll be there along with a host of other terrific Tule authors and we’ll all be talking holiday romances. Don’t miss it!

I love this story, I love this cover, and I love being a Tule Girl!

Winemaker and single father Conor Flaherty is determined to make this Christmas holiday special for his daughter even though his family’s winery, Four Irish Brothers, is facing some challenges.

High-octane Chicago attorney Samantha Hayes is looking forward to some delicious food, fine wine, small town charm, and a break from her hectic big city life when she agrees to do a favor for her boss and help his younger brother with a lawsuit that’s been slapped on his family’s historic winery in River’s Edge. She’s not expecting that her sexy new client will have a smile that will melt her heart and remind her that there’s more to life than work.

Sam falls hard for Conor, his daughter and the small, friendly town, but can she trust her instincts and risk her heart? Sam hasn’t seen a lot of happy-ever-afters in her life, but Conor and the magic of Christmas make her want to believe.

I’m so excited to welcome fellow Tule author Audrey Wick to the blog today. Audrey is a full-time English professor at Blinn College in Texas. There, she is a writing teacher who writes. Her latest women’s fiction novel is Coming Home from Tule Publishing. She believes the secret to happiness includes lifelong learning and good stories. But travel and coffee help. She has journeyed to over twenty countries—and sipped coffee in every one. Readers can connect with her at audreywick.com, and she’s also on Twitter and Instagram @WickWrites. Take it away, Audrey…

Travel is a passion of mine, which is probably why I’m drawn to setting as a writer. It’s my favorite element of telling a story, and the places I write about are largely places that are special to me.

In my latest contemporary novel COMING HOME, readers experience two important places for my heroine, Mallory: Santa Fe (New Mexico) and Seguin (Texas). A road trip takes readers through the journey she makes, complete with beautiful landscapes and a few surprises.

Readers familiar with these locations will find a lot to love about the towns mentioned. And for those who don’t know the areas, they can be happy passengers along with Mallory—and her cat companion, Bella—for the trip.

I’ve been fortunate to have opportunities to travel like Mallory does, but I’ve also enjoyed international travel. With each experience, I gain new understandings of people and places. Here’s a recent photograph of my summer trip to Egypt when I visited the Library of Alexandria. For a book lover like me, being here was a highlight of the trip!

And isn’t the bookish furniture fabulous?

Now, it’s your turn. Where are some of your favorite locations—real or fictional? Do you have a favorite setting from a book? Has a book’s setting ever inspired you to travel to that location? Share your favorite places in the comments section below.

What’s more fun that doing a book-signing at a winery? Not much. My writing BFF Liz Flaherty and I did just that on Saturday and we had a ball. The good folks at Whyte Horse Winery, in the little lake town where Husband and I have our cottage, opened their doors to us and our readers. We had wine and snacks and books and wine and lemonade and wine and did I mention we had wine? It was wonderful getting to meet readers and answering their questions about writing. Our husbands acted as cashiers while we sold and signed books. Good buddy Maureen was a lovely hostess for us, setting up cookie trays, greeting guests, and inviting them to fill out a slip to win the tote full of goodies we were giving away.

A delightful reader named Terri (she’s the second one from the right on our picture above) won the tote and all fun stuff in it–wine, wineglasses, wine charms, apple butter, apple and wine kitchen towels, earrings, books, a candle . . . lots of cool things for her to remember our event by. It was so fun to see our readers, who were mostly strangers to one another, bond over wine and romance novels. Another big score for love . . . and wine!

All in all, it was a very successful day and Liz and I both appreciated the opportunity to introduce readers to our current books and the new ones we have releasing soon! Not sure when our next event will be, but I’ll keep you posted! Until then, as always, mes amies, remember, hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

Nan