Here I told friends I’d love to promote their books on my blog. But not on Tuesdays, because—you know—TUESDAY Prude. I want to save it for my own book.
And then I wake up this morning. TUESDAY. And I forgot to post about my book. So now I’m a blur of trying to get it published before everyone goes to work.
The book is Christmas Passed. Published by Pelican Books. Only available on ereaders like Kindle, Nook, or those clever apps you can download. (No. No print for this book. Sorry. Don’t hate me.)
It’s a suspense romance, set in Milwaukee in early December. Dinah, my heroine, is photographing an old house she loves. While it is being transformed for a series of Christmas open houses, an unfortunate event puts Dinah in charge of the preparations. It’s a dream come true, until she realized she has to work with Mick Wagner, her childhood nemesis. An old secret in the attic results in a very present danger for Dinah. Here is the cover.
Dinah, my heroine, would be slightly surprised at how glamorous she looks, but it is a pretty cover, don’t you think?
Some women dream of tropical islands. Dinah dreams of rummaging through old attics. Mickey, her nemesis, was gorgeous as a rotten kid and just as gorgeous as an irate adult.
Here are a couple of tweets if you don’t follow me on Twitter. (Mental note to self. Put these on Twitter too.)
Ebbie’s unfortunate accident puts Dinah in command. Her troops? Four elderly women.
Mick calls Dinah a brainiac. She calls him a dumb jock. Opposites attract. Or do they?
My publisher wanted me to explain a bit more about Christmas Passed and why I wrote it:
I’m hooked on holidays. Even the ones you don’t send cards for, like Flag Day.
So when I saw (on April 1) that my publisher was accepting submissions for Christmas novellas (due May 1), I set my face away from my spring decorations, turned on Christmas music, and started writing.
A month later and panting heavily from the exertion, I submitted “Christmas Passed” and immediately turned my thoughts to May Day.
Since then, the manuscript was accepted, the cover art designed and a release date of December 1 set. Since then I’ve decorated for Flag Day, Fourth of July, First Day of School, and all things autumn. Now it’s time to get in a Christmas frame of mind.
If you are like me, you enjoy summer beach reads—while it is summer—and Christmas stories beginning the day after Thanksgiving. Moreover (if you are like me) you don’t want your Christmas stories too dark or depressing. Why ruin the most wonderful time of the year with gloom?
“Christmas Passed” is a quick read, but filled with all things Christmas. Want decorations? It has boxfuls. Watery hot cocoa? Check. A possible romance? Possibly. Adorable old folks? Got ‘em. Danger? Of course! I am, after all, a romance-SUSPENSE writer.
Sprinkle the story with a bit of humor, some life-changing history and a solid base of faith, and you have “Christmas Passed.” No matter where you live, your age, or your circumstances, I hope that, if you read it, you’ll get a whiff of Christmas at its best.
Me. In the snow. Drinking coffee. With the gutter in the background, which is why my husband wouldn’t let me use it as a main publicity photo.
Links to Christmas Passed
Amazon:
Barnes and Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-passed-anita-klumpers/1129760586?ean=9781522398110
The Tuesday Prude (aka Anita Klumpers) 
Once again you’ve made me smile. I didn’t notice the gutter, but I wondered how wet your rear end got! LOL
HA! We cleverly tucked a rag rug under my bottom. Frostbite and embarrassing damp patches were held at bay!
Prude, Christmas Passed is in my Kindle right now, and I am just itching to grab a cup of cocoa and kick back to read it!!!!!!!! Your photo reminded me of some Brownie sit-upons my mom–our Girl Scout troop leader–helped us make for camp-outs, made of vinyl. I suspect you needed one!
Leave it to your mom to come up with a sit-upon. Genius!
Hope you get a hot-cocoa break soon. Even more, I hope you enjoy the book!
It’s been on my Kindle reader for a few days now…I’m just finishing up my current read before diving in! I LOVE that picture of you, Anita! 🙂
Thank you, Rebeca. My son did a pretty good job of bossing me around to get a decent photo. And thanks for having my book in your queue!
Love all your work! Keep it up! Having lived a country mile from the Flag Day birth place, I can’t underestimate the importance of the celebration.
First, now I want to use the term “country mile” someplace. Bless all the birthers of Flag Day for placing it between Memorial Day and the 4th. Summer seems made for all things red, white and blue. Let’s face it—if Flag Day came in October I’d have to take down all my orange, brown, and gold decorations for the flag ones. The colors just do NOT work together 🙂
I loved reading about how the story came about. I never knew you were such a lover of all holiday celebrations and decorating! That brings new meaning to the book–which I thoroughly enjoyed, by the way!
Laura, thanks for stopping by and reading the book. You can sympathize with the challenges involved in telling an entire story in under 30,000 words. Whew! (Yes, even my dolls are wearing their Christmas clothes)