Day 14 of 15 Days of Christmas -- Melissa Mayhue!

Today’s guest, Melissa Mayhue is a terrific author, a very nice lady and my friend.  To give you the idea of the kind of friend Melissa is, I’ll share a short little tidbit on what she did a few months ago when we met for lunch. 

It was Toddler day and of course, Toddler had selected her choice from the kid’s menu.  When our lunches arrived, Toddler eyed the plate placed in front of her and then looked across the table at Melissa’s.  Toddler being the shy little thing she is told Melissa, “That’s a lot of food.  Don’t you think you should share?”  My friend didn’t bat an eye and replied very seriously, “You’re right, it is.  Would you like some?”  Toddler spent lunch munching back and forth between her selection and the part of Melissa’s lunch she put on the kiddo’s plate.  See, a true friend who understands the minds of children and goes with the flow.

So join me in welcoming my understanding friend Melissa Mayhue and be sure to read through her blog because she’s offering up a great prize to the name drawn from comments!  And the winner also gets on the Brit trinket drawing list! 

Favorite Christmas

First of all, thank you so much to Lizzie for inviting me to come visit with you all today.  It’s been a long time!

My favorite Christmas… wow.  That’s a tough one.  I love Christmas.  Seriously love it.  Without a doubt, it’s my favorite holiday.  Unfortunately, that means that I have years and years of special memories associated with this time of year.  [And see what an expert “rationalize” I am?  It’s the fact that I love Christmas, not the number of Christmases I’ve had that make this difficult!] J

One lovely memory I have is of the gifts that my grandparents would send me when I was a little girl.  For weeks before Christmas, I’d begin the agonizing wait for the mailman to show up at our front door.  When their package arrived, there would invariably be something beautiful [and totally unnecessary, which made it all the more wonderful!] like an engraved bracelet or a white wool party dress… yeah.  Just what every seven-year old needs.  A white dress that has to be dry cleaned! [I’m sure my mother dreaded those boxes as much as I loved them!]

No matter what gift was inside, every year – even the years they got to come visit for the holiday – my grandpa always sent a jar or a can of candy.  You might know the kind… typical Christmas stuff.  Hard candy with gooey center.   I loved it.  Not because it tasted particularly yummy but because of its association with my grandpa.  To this day I can pop the lid on one of those cans and breathe in the nostalgia.  J

Did I mention how much I love Christmas? 

What about you?  What one thing out there, just by virtue or seeing it or smelling it or tasting it, makes you think of the holidays?

Share your one thing and Lizzie will choose one of the comments to win a copy of my December 27 release, WARRIOR’S REDEMPTION.

All my best to all of you.  May your holiday season be filled with the people and things you love best!

And please feel free to hunt me down on Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/#!/Melissa.Mayhue.Author ~ or stop by my website – www.MelissaMayhue.com – and say “Hi!”

 Blurb for WARRIOR'S REDEMPTION:

MALCOLM MACDOWYLT sees himself a failed warrior, haunted by the death of the woman he married to become laird of Clain MacGahan. Neither his Viking heritage nor his claim to descend from Norse gods can restore his confidence in his ability to protect his people. His sister is held captive, her life in jeopardy, and his Magically powerful half-brother wants him dead. The last thing he needs is more responsibility, but that's exactly what he gets when his Faerie mother-in-law arrives seeking justice for her daughter in the form of an enticing woman from seven hundred years in the future.

DANIELLE DEARMON has waited fifteen years to discover the life she is supposed to live. She just never dreamed she'd end up in the thirteenth century with a handsome Scot bent on saving everyone but himself.

With the lives of those most dear to him hanging in the balance, Malcolm sets out to battle a powerful evil magic, only to learn that the redemption he seeks exists in the arms of the woman he loves.