Miracles and Ghosts – A Christmas Collection @dlfinnauthor #newrelease #blogtour #Christmas

I am excited to share this new collection of Christmas themed short stories from my friend and Story Empire colleague, D.L. Finn!

I’ll let her tell you more about it!

Thank you, Jan, for having me here today to talk about my Christmas Collection Miracles and Ghosts.

**Please see the note at the end of the blog post.**

In the short story, Christmas Reunion, Zella has been estranged from her sister for a few years. The week before Christmas Zella gets a call from her sister. She learned her sister had been in an abusive relationship but was now free. The sisters were going to reunite for Christmas and Zella would finally meet her nieces. I have Zella driving over a mountain summit and she stops at the rest stop at the top.

This setting is taken from our many drives to Reno or Lake Tahoe over the Sierra Nevada Summit. There’s a rest stop we always stopped at the top where there used to be sledding in the winter and hiking in the warmer months before they put up a fence blocking everything but the facilities. One trip over the summit on a snowy evening after a nice day at Boomtown with the kids, we crested a hill with a sharp drop. Immediately in front of us were several cars facing various directions from an accident, and people were walking around. The icy road made quick stopping impossible in that short distance. To this day, I have no idea how my husband drove between the cars without hitting them or the people who shouldn’t have been out walking as cars kept crashing into the vehicles. But we glided through it and eventually came to a stop. Luckily, the highway patrol showed up then and took over. We were certainly fortunate that day.  So, what if Zella ran into an accident that shut the road down as she was driving to see her sister? Traffic would be at a standstill until the cars were cleared. Here’s where a rest area came in handy. What she learned about the accident, though changed everything.

PURCHASE LINK

Blurb:

Miracle and Ghosts: A Christmas Collection’s eight tales bring light in the darkest of circumstances. In the novelette, A Perfect Ghostly Christmas, Julie has survived the foster care system and finally comes home. She now owns her grandparents’ house and has received an offer that appears too good to be true. On top of that, the family she felt had abandoned her during her difficult times has reentered her life. But it’s the otherworldly experiences that lead her to something her grandparents left behind. This discovery changes everything and opens a door to danger. The seven short stories explore fractured families, a widower’s loneliness, a mall shooting, financial struggles, strained relationships, woodland kittens, and a woman haunted by a red truck. Whether it’s a ghost, an angel, or Santa, some unseen force is there to provide help when needed. A reminder in the busy holiday season or anytime we are never alone, and miracles are possible.

Excerpt:

The Christmas Reunion

The shopping cart wheels pulled to the left, giving Zella Kellman a workout as she navigated the holiday merchandise. She heaved an enormous sigh of relief when she saw that the toy of the season, Beautiful Burping Baby, was still available on Christmas Eve. She snatched the last two dolls, one with golden hair and the other brown, and headed to checkout.

Zella felt a nudge. “Boy, you waited until the last moment.”

She turned around to see a mature lady wearing a twinkling tree sweater and cradling a can of jellied cranberry sauce. She dug deep for some good cheer since, for the first time in years, she wasn’t going to be alone. “Yes, well, last-minute travel plans to see family. Please, go ahead of me.”

A smile smoothed the woman’s wrinkles but not her arrogant tone. “Thank you for allowing me through, since I only have one item. Merry Christmas.”

Zella stepped aside as the woman pushed past her with her one item that she treated like a brick of gold. That wobbly red log had always been on her dinner table as a child, but the oldest relatives were the only ones who ever ate it. “Merry Christmas.”

After spending every penny she’d earned working overtime at the winery on her sister and the twins she’d never met, Aurora and Kahlan, Zella put the gifts in colorful holiday bags. She added sparkling tissue and placed them in the back seat with the snowman cookies and a bottle of zinfandel. Her tank was full, but she was starving. One more stop, and she had chicken strips, pumpkin-flavored coffee, and fries.

“Let’s do this.” Zella nibbled on her dinner as she merged onto the freeway.

The drive was effortless as she wove into the mountains where her sister and nieces lived. A place she hadn’t been welcome to visit since confronting her ex-brother-in-law, Peter. She shuddered. How bad had it been for her sister and little nieces for the past four years?

Her favorite Christmas song came on the radio, and she crooned along out of tune. The car heater strained as the temperatures plummeted and ominous black clouds consumed the starry sky. “Please don’t snow. I don’t know how to put on snow chains.”

#AMAZON PURCHASE LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Miracles-Ghosts-Collection-D-L-Finn-ebook/dp/B0DDWFNR1D/

Fun Finn Facts

  1. I set many stories in the Sierra Foothills and mountains because that is where I make my home. I also live in a gold rush town, Nevada City. It earned the name Queen of the Northern Mines.
  2. I used to love my coffee but can’t drink it now, only tea. Luckily my characters can still enjoy it.
Author D.L. Finn

D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include children’s books, adult fiction, and poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.

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