Countdown to Christmas With Cindy K. Green

Hello and welcome to Day 16 in my Countdown to Christmas Blog! I am pleased to have Cindy K. Green with me once more to chat about another one of her delightful Christmas stories. Here is a sneak preview of

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS:

Best Friends or True Love? Only Santa Knows.
Kathryn Graham hates Christmas. She hates the snow, the decorations, the whole nine yards. Nick Pringle on the other hand can’t get enough of the season. He may be her best friend and fellow writer at Redburn Weekly Magazine, but sometimes his exuberance gets on her very last nerve. Now they’ve been assigned to cover the orphan toy drive story. It’s just a puff piece not the serious journalism Kathryn hopes for, but maybe—as Nick says—there are no old stories just new angles.

Nick Pringle has been in love with Kathryn practically since the day they met. When he realizes that she’s lost her Christmas spirit, he figures he’s just the guy to help her find it again. He enacts a plan to send her anonymous gifts from Secret Santa, but will any of this really make a difference in her? Will she ever see him as anything more than her smart-aleck partner even after their passionate kisses? Then again maybe he’ll get what he wants for Christmas after all.

Excerpt:
Halfway through the film, Nick’s fingers brushed over Kathryn’s wrist and a surge whipped through her like an electrical charge. His hand ended up on her knee, and he leaned over close to her ear. “You have any more of those Milkduds?”

“Huh?” Oh, candy. He just wanted more snacks. Well, of course, what other reason would he have for touching her like that?


“Here,” she whispered and held out the container to him.
His face remained close to hers, his warm hand still molded to the shape of her knee. She accidentally moved in too close and her forehead bumped his cheek. Looking up at him, Kathryn saw he wasn’t smiling. His eyes had grown serious and all thoughts of candy dissipated. His attention dropped to her mouth and suddenly Kathryn couldn’t swallow. Could he possibly be considering kissing her? Just then, he turned his attention back to the movie and lifted his hand from her knee.

An unexplainable inclination took over as Kathryn pushed his hand back to her knee. His face whipped back to her. Questions filled his features. His chest moved up and then down. He smoothed his hand over her pants from her knee to her thigh and back again. Her skin pebbled under the material at his touch. This was soon followed by heat tingling from her stomach to the tips of her toes.

She leaned in towards him and he met her halfway. And just like that their lips met. Giddiness spun through Kathryn’s head with sparks tingling her skin. The kiss was light and sweet yet searing all at once. Lucidity began to return to her the next moment. What was she doing? Oh, right, she was kissing Nick Pringle. She was kissing a co-worker. Worse yet, she was making out with her best friend. What was she thinking? She had to stop and yet it was the last thing she wanted to do.

The whole idea was ludicrous. An outrageous act and yet somehow her body’s sole response was that it wanted more. Whoa! Had it been that long since she’d had a date? Time to reign in those annoying hormones which threatened to take over her sanity.

She broke off the kiss and rested her hand against his chest. She could feel his heart speeding at the rate of a train. A train wreck is more like it. Ay-yi-yi! How was she going to get herself out of this one?

Available Now at Champagne Books


Let’s have a warm welcome for Cindy K. Green. Welcome, Cindy!

A Santa sleigh glides through cyberspace, making a smooth landing on stage. A twinkling array of lights bathe Cindy in a kaleidoscope of colors. Oliver donned in his Santa cap, rushes over to help Cindy out of the sled. The snow is really coming down and the stars glitter in the midnight blue sky. Cherry wood smoke billows from the red brick chimney of the fairy castle on the hill. Breaking into a chorus of All I Want for Christmas, Oliver escorts Cindy up the candlelit path.

The minute they enter the castle, the mingled smell of fudge brownies and the heady scent of pine fill the air. All I Want for Christmas plays on the stereo as they enter the parlor. A beautifully decorated Douglas fir stands tall and mighty, and a log crackles in the hearth.

Sharon: Welcome, Cindy! (rushes to embrace her friend) Have a seat and Oliver will bring some of his freshly baked fudge brownies and hot tea to take the chill out after your sleigh ride through cyberspace.

Open mouth and mute, Oliver stares at Cindy in awe. Coming to his senses, he treats her to a wicked wink. He smiles a beguiling smile. ‘All I want for Christmas is an autographed copy of your book…and maybe a kiss. What are my chances?’

Cindy: Your chances are looking pretty good, Ollie. You don’t care if I call you Ollie, do you?

Oliver swoons and pumps his biceps.

Sharon: clears her throat. About those refreshments, Ollie.

Grinning and blowing kisses to Cindy, Oliver rushes off to get the snacks.

Sharon: So here we are to chat about another one of your Christmas stories. And once more, it’s about friends that would like to be more. Tell me why this storyline works for you?

Cindy: I love the best friend romance. You don’t have to build up the time that the characters need to get to know one another before they realize this is love. The foundation is already there. They just need the veil removed so they can see this friend in a new light and then PRESTO it hits them like a pile of bricks. I Love Him/Her!

Sharon: Do you believe in taking chances? Testing new boundaries even if it means losing?

Cindy: I personally am not a big risk taker. I am one of those that is determined once I make up my mind though. In this book, my hero definitely has to come to grips with his heart and decide if it’s worth it to change the friendship, push the boundary and see what life could be like.

Sharon: Tell me about your main characters. What is the chemistry between them? A case of opposites attract—or something deeper?

Cindy: I suppose you could say they are opposites. What I always say to readers about these characters is to think Clark Kent and Lois Lane (from the Lois & Clark tv show). He’s the easy-going, mild-mannered type with the ability to tease should he need to. And she’s ambitious, head-strong and passionate. They just work and they always have. Within this friendship, the heroine feels an amount of safety unlike she has ever felt even as a child at home.

Sharon: Why do you suppose so many people look upon Christmas decorating and exchanging gifts as a chore while others thrive on it?

Cindy: It can become a chore and seem like we are just going through the motions and giving because it’s expected instead of giving from the bottom of our hearts. The trick is to find the joy of the season and not become bogged down but really feel that season of giving.

Sharon: So true. You know each year, we all seem to find ourselves on a quest for one of those hard to find gifts. How would you describe yourself when presented with this challenge? A die hard search the world over or ho hum…whatever I find will due?

Cindy: I love to find gifts that fit perfectly to each person. It’s such a joy to see their face when they open it and are surprised that you found this or that—or WOW, I really wanted this.

Sharon: I often reflect on my childhood when Christmas was such a magical time. At my house during the holidays, we often reminisce about the good old days. We try to recapture these feelings by passing traditions on to our children and nieces and nephews. What childhood memory holds a special place in your heart that you would like to bottle and never let go?

Cindy: I do many of the things my mother and father did with us. Certain stories and movies that we read and watch together. Christmas crafts, decorating the house, baking cookies. It’s a lot of fun and I know my boys look forward to it every year.

Sharon: What do you wish for this Christmas:

Cindy: Lots of sales! LOL! Just kidding. I’m excited to have these two titles released this year because I love a good Christmas book myself. I really just hope for a wonderful time with my family and memories for my kids to carry with them.

Sharon: Do all your books have a happily-ever-after ending? And if so, are you a firm believer in romance?

Cindy: I am a firm believer in the HEA! My sister, in fact, would have my head if I finished a story with a less than happily ever after. Romance is the best. It makes the heart happy and we need that in our lives these days, don’t we?

Sharon: Absolutely.

Just then, Oliver comes in and begins roasting chestnuts over the open fire. With a sweeping bow, he feeds one to Cindy. And when the song breaks out on the stereo, he takes her in his arms and they dance across the cherry wood floor, their feet never touching the ground.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!!

Purchase All I Want For Christmas here: Champagne Books

Enter my December contest going on now at my blog.

Cindy K. Green is a multi-published author with degrees in History and Education. Previously a middle school English & History teacher, she now homeschools her own children and writes in several genres: Inspirational, Contemporary, Suspense, Fantasy and Historical romance. No matter what she writes, she always throws in a bit of humor and fun. Find out more about Cindy and her books at http://www.cindykgreen.com/ and http://cindykgreen.blogspot.com/. To join her newsletter email her at newsletters@cindykgreen.com, and she will send you out all three parts of her FREE READ serial, “Valentine’s Challenge.”