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The Perfect Christmas (Short Story)

by Kristen James

The Perfect Christmas   by Kristen James    First Published by Skive Quarterly

 

Could this be a retirement-age crisis? Mark mused as he strolled down Sixtieth Avenue in the biting cold. Funny, he never imagined himself having one, but then, who does? He’d made it to sixty without any major breakdowns, and thus far had attributed that to his stoic prejudice against marriage. Only now did he question that.

A little late, he’d decided. But with Christmas bearing down on houses and shops with glaring lights, giant snow-filled balloons, and overly extravagant lawn figurines, he suddenly wished he could have a quiet evening celebration with someone. Not a wife. Not a big family. So he wasn’t sure what he wanted, and that was the crisis part.

Rushing around him, everyone else apparently had plenty of shopping to do. That he didn’t wish for. He’d enjoyed his time alone over the years when others were forced to migrate to family gatherings for long dinners.

He turned the corner and crossed the street to his office building. Though it was dark, he wasn’t done for the day. He’d taken the walk for a diversion, to waken himself and refresh his mind for another session. By putting in a few extra hours today, he would be done and could have an extended weekend to relax.

The itch for company? He used to find a companion here and there. They’d date for a few months – sometimes almost a year.

He saw the homeless woman standing outside his building and paused, ceasing his conversation with himself as well. She wasn’t blocking the entrance and he could enter without speaking to her. However, since she’d first appeared a week ago, he felt a need to see her face, hear her voice. Silly. Holiday hoo-ha catching up to him.

He passed inside and took the elevator up, wondering all the while what the woman looked like. She’d been facing the other way, dressed in a shabby, faded blue coat and black ski cap. His colleagues wanted her gone, taken care of, taken somewhere else. He’d contemplated giving her money for a hotel, at least for the holiday, but where would that lead? She’d simply be back on the street in four days.

He stepped out of the elevator and walked to his office, now thinking of the proposal sitting on his desk. There were a few letters to write, a phone call to make, and some loose ends he’d been pushing back.

That woman did look a bit like his sister. Sitting at his desk, he scanned papers with his eyes but couldn’t make his brain comprehend. He’d searched for his sister on and off all through his life. If alive, she’d be his only relative, and that wasn’t something he needed or wanted. But, maybe, it would be nice to know how her life turned out.

Sighing loudly, he threw up his hands in surrender. His mind must be aging as well as his body. Well, he supposed it wouldn’t ruin anything if he came in the next day to finish up. And what were his plans for the next day? For the weekend? For Christmas?

He took his trip in reverse, and somewhere between floor fifteen and one, he determined to give the homeless woman something. An old, solitary man like him had nothing to lose. Only everything to give. Maybe he should donate more; give his time, perhaps and do something besides ignore the imminent end to his existence.

Outside, the woman was still turned the other way, toward the busy street corner, holding her sign. Yes, very much like his sister, he thought with each step closer.

 

***

 

A car slowed, but only to let out a shopper. She tried for a smile, but the classy businesswoman didn’t even look. People stared right through her. They threw glares behind her, actually, and she realized another beggar must be edging in on her corner. She turned, not sure she could get him to leave. No, she would probably have to leave.

A man in an expensive coat and neat, gray hair stood lifeless ten feet away from her. He stared right at her, but his lined face wasn’t repulsed. Instead, tears streamed down both cheeks.

“Susan! My word, Susan!”

He rushed and embraced her before she could really see him. Who knew her? That voice . . . she slowly comprehended, but didn’t believe.

“Susan? You know your own brother, don’t you?”

“Mark? Can it be?” She felt weak and dizzy, but light. Could that be happiness? She wasn’t sure she remembered anymore. “Mark?”

“Yes, it’s your brother Mark. This is wonderful – you’re here for Christmas! Let’s go celebrate.”

 

All I Want For Christmas is Romance! Romancing Christmas Giveaway Hop.

by Kristen James

The Romancing Christmas Giveaway Hop is being hosted by Reading Romances!

Thanks to everyone who entered! I used Random.org to pick the winners and have contacted all 6:

Judy – (The only person I haven’t heard back from.)

Sophia

Sonia

Linda

“Sweety225”

Kathryn

.

                                                                                          Merry Christmas! ♥♥♥

                  It’s been a very fun week and lots of people stopped by. My novels had a fun week too – both are in the top 500 in Kindle rankings!

Click to read reviews on Amazon.

Click to read reviews on Amazon.
Click covers to preview and read reviews on Amazon.

         Click to read reviews on Amazon.

Preview from Embers of Hope, Flickers of Passion

by Kristen James

“Excuse me? Jason?”

He jerked. Savanna stood outside the waist-high fence in a blue shirt, her hair teased every which way like she’d had a hectic day. If little Aubrey wasn’t sitting on her hip, he could have launched into some pretty erotic fantasies.

“Savanna, come on in.” He opened the gate, then gave Aubrey’s curls a pat. In return, he got a chubby smile. “How’s it going?”

“Well, it’s going.”

“Know that feeling.” He motioned to a chair next to his and they sat down. Moments like these made him wish he could talk things over with Mike after work. Talk about Savanna. More specifically, about Jason’s feelings toward her. Mike wouldn’t point out that Jason shouldn’t have these feelings. He’d just listen till Jason reached his own conclusion.

“Want something to drink?” he asked Savanna. Aubrey pulled on his shorts, so he smiled down at her. The little girl liked something about him. With a jolt, he found himself thinking about the similarities between them. Then he chided himself. It didn’t mean anything that they both had brown hair and eyes.

Savanna shook her head. “I’ve been thinking about what you said.” She’d pulled her gaze from him halfway through her sentence. That might have been embarrassment on her face. “You see, I would just stay with Cassie, but . . .”

“So you’re taking me up on my offer?” He liked how she got embarrassed about it, but he didn’t let the grin all the way on his face.

“If you’re still offering. I’m looking for work, so I’ll pay rent as soon as I can.”

Life suddenly felt a little better, a little brighter. He could see something floating in the waves to grab. Maybe he could keep afloat with Savanna close by.

“No need to worry about it, when you can.” He didn’t care if she ever paid him a cent. Feeling bolstered, he asked, “How’s Cassie?”

“Better.” The answer came quickly and easily. Maybe life was getting better there too. “A little more organized, but she’s not going back to work just yet.”

He thought on that a minute. It’d be nice to see Cassie happy again. It just felt wrong to think about moving on.

“Can I assume she’s still mad at me?” He watched Savanna while she watched her little girl play with a daisy. A long minute later, she nodded to his question. “But you and me, we’re okay, aren’t we?”

“We are,” she agreed. He had to be her friend, somehow he needed that, and maybe he could put off thinking about the other currents running between them. It wasn’t the time or place in life to be fantasizing about touching her skin. She’d run for sure if she had any idea how he felt. He didn’t expect Savanna to say more about Cassie, but she did. “I tried to get through but. . .”

But the truth stood in the way.

“She has a right to blame me. I thought about what was best for Mike, not about both of them or their future. I assumed he could explain to her how much he loved his job and she’d eventually accept it.” He reached behind his chair to where he’d hidden the beer, then took a long swig and replaced it. It wasn’t like Aubrey knew what it was, but he didn’t want to drink in front of her either. He’d had it out here before they arrived, and he didn’t want to go inside to put it away. He didn’t want to do anything but sit here with Savanna.

“You don’t blame yourself, do you?” she asked with those wild green eyes looking puzzled. “Because you have absolutely no reason to.”

“Ahh, darn it.” He looked over the surrounding rooftops at the tall timber and the hills beyond. “I can’t tell what I’m feeling. What about you? How are you doing with all this, on top off your own stuff?”

She blinked, shrugged, and he knew he wouldn’t get an answer. He ran around her question, too, and couldn’t blame her for doing the same.

Her shirt hung just low enough to show her tan line when she leaned forward, but he didn’t let himself look. The hottest babe he’d ever run across sat there and he couldn’t check her out. If he looked at her, all he saw were those big green eyes.

He knew what it was. Her baby. Dating a mom meant a lot of things in a real short amount of time. And she was Cassie’s best friend. And dealing with a divorce. And facing single parenthood. Off limits on so many levels.

So why couldn’t he shake the adrenaline rush he got every time he saw her?

Want to read more? Check out the beginning on Kindle. (Don’t worry, the novel has normal formatting that I lose when I post things here.)

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

by Kristen James

We visited my dad today and my kids helped him decorate a small tree growing alongside the driveway. It was a small, 3 foot tree that looked a bit like a Charlie Brown tree, but very cute, especially after the kids hung the glittery ornaments.

He had another small tree for inside his house, a fake one that lit up and spun. It didn’t look like much, again, until they decorated it. We plugged it in and the little tree began to spin around and display little specs of glowing colors, which my middle son described as Northern Lights colors. We turned off the lights and watched it for a while as Elvis sang Christmas songs from the record player. I recently told my husband about my parents’ old Elvis records that I missed, and I was surprised to see them today. My dad had bought an old record player so there was even a way to listen to them again. It’s been a long time and many moves so I figured the records were gone. It seemed to work out perfectly for Christmas.

I’ve always been sentimental about the holidays and family – even as a kid I remember getting caught up in the emotions and traditions. Now I have my own kids to share this time with. I love this festive time of year, and this holiday season feels extra special to me. I took a lot of different steps this year to get my books out to more readers, and I’ve gotten to watch the results over the last five months. I reached 10,000 book sales, and the amazing part is that I sold most of them in September through November. A Cowboy For Christmas broke into the top 1000 in both the US and UK. All of my books have been following, making their way up the Kindle charts. More Than Memories was at 2,500 today. I’ve had some fun with writing too, publishing a Fantasy Romance novella and an Action Spy Thriller called Kauai Spy Games. Earlier in the year, I published Book Promoting 101 and A Miraculous Fate, a mystical thriller co-written with Tommy Garrison. Yeah, I know, I have quite a few different genres there! I just love a good story and enjoy writing romance, romantic suspense, action, thrillers and fantasy. I started three different novels lately and expect to publish several books again in 2012.

I’m very excited to see what happens this month. It’s been amazing to connect with readers through Facebook and Twitter, and these are just a fraction of the people reading my books. I’ve always dreamed about people all over the world reading my books. I have all kinds of big news to share with you this month along with some guest blogs. I joined a romance blog hop the 12th – 24th and will be giving away some ebooks too. So stay tuned, and enjoy this magical season!

Cookie-Exercise Conversion for the Holidays

by Kristen James

It’s the holidays once again! That means we’re baking, making and buying goodies galore. (I’ve bookmarked a page called The Best 50 Cookie Recipes Ever and visit it often. Take a look!)

Now I believe in enjoying treats year round, just not over indulging all the time. It’s about satisfying your craving here and there while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Eating a small treat might save you from eating several healthy snacks and then giving in to the treat anyway. In fact, Glamour magazine just ran an article about the “Snob Diet,” where you allow yourself that yummy cheese and cracker snack or chocolate, as long as it’s the really good kind. A little bit of cheesecake will probably fix your craving, the logic goes.

So here is the real question: just how many cookies can you get away with?

I went looking and found a calorie calculator that projects recommended daily caloric intake based on age, gender, height, weight, activity level and personal fitness goals on a website called www.supplementcritique.com

I played around and put in my age, weight, activity level, and decided to put my goal as losing weight.

Good thing I did… I need to stick to under 1170 calories to do that if I’m only lightly active!

But the good news came when I switched to moderately active and my calorie intake went up to 1432 calories, meaning I could have a cookie in there if I go for a half hour, brisk walk.

But remember that I put my goal as losing weight. Maybe you’re happy with your weight and wondering what happens if you have a cookie here and there.

If I’m moderately active and simply maintaining my weight, which is actually about where I’m at, I can have 1934 calories.

So you can see, your activity level and weight goal have a huge impact on your daily calorie needs, which is why this calculator comes in handy.

Now I need to research how many calories are in a cookie. Store bought goodies make this part easy, but they’re never as good. And who doesn’t love eating cookies straight out of the oven? (That whole “Let cool 15 minutes” is an urban myth – don’t listen to it!) Most cookies range from 150 calories clear up to 500, depending on the size and what’s in it. Some recipes include the calories per cookie, and I’ve a site I use often, www.allrecipes.com, lists all the information. I just found a chocolate chip cookie recipe listing 250 calories per cookie.

So, it looks like one cookie is worth 40 minutes of speed walking. Maybe I need to run more. Oh, good, an hour of cycling at my normal speed of 13 mph burns 600 calories. But, I just realized, all that exercise would probably make me crave salads and healthy food, so we should probably skip the exercise and just eat our cookies. Here’s to the holidays!