Tag: Christmas

Home > ArchivesTag: Christmas

On the Home Front and Overseas during World War 2 for this Veterans Day by Jina Bacarr

November 11, 2019 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as Christmas, historical romance, Italy, romance novels, time travel

Happy Veterans Day!

I can’t wait to see the new PBS series ‘The World on Fire‘ about different people’s lives during World War 2 — the series begins in 1939 and ends in 1940. We can never forget those times. Especially at the beginning of the Holiday Season. So on this Veterans Day, I want to highlight what December 1943 was like for two veterans. Whether they were on the home front getting ready to report for dangerous duty overseas and saying goodbye to their girl at the train station… Or caught up in a fierce winter storm in Italy fighting to advance the Allies to Rome… ————- Posey Creek, Pennsylvania December 1943 In CHRISTMAS ONCE AGAIN we meet Kate Arden saying goodbye to her fiancé at the train station…he’s off to join the Army Air Force. Months later, he’s killed in action…or was he? Years later she has the chance to travel back in time and warn him about a mission gone wrong… ‘All she wants for Christmas is to save the man she loves…’ Amazon Buy Links (also available at e-tailers everywhere!) US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V1QT9Z6 UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07V1QT9Z6 ————- Italy December 1943 Two days before Christmas, Captain Mack O’Casey gets separated from his unit during battle. He makes a wrong turn and finds himself in a small bombed-out village called Monte D’Oro Rose. It appears to be deserted. It isn’t. A beautiful young woman is watching his every move… Who is she? Excerpt from Chapter 1 ‘A Soldier’s Italian Christmas’ He is a U.S Army captain, a battle-weary soldier who has lost his faith. She is a nun, her life dedicated to God. Together they are going to commit an act the civilized world will not tolerate. They are about to fall in love. ————- Amazon Buy Link: A Soldier’s Italian Christmas http://amzn.to/1bcVMwG Holiday Novella for 99 cents! ————- Bonus: Audio Book Sample CHRISTMAS ONCE AGAIN narrated by Laurel Lefkow Amazon Audio Book Buy Link: US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YL6KG3W UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YL4Z593

0 0 Read more

Veronica Jorge Reviews Christmas Once Again by Jina Bacarr

October 22, 2019 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Book reviews, Christmas, Christmas Once Again, Jina Bacarr, time travel, World War II

Christmas Once Again by Jina Bacarr

Boldwood Books 2019 ASIN: B07V1QT9Z6

Once in a while you come across a book that makes you believe that impossible and wonderful things can happen, and that restores your hope in the power of love. A book like Christmas Once Again, by Jina Bacarr.

Childhood sweethearts Kate Arden and Jeffrey Rushbrooke pledge to love each other for always and to marry when they grow up. But Jeff’s family is rich and Kate is a mere employee at the family’s mill in Posey Creek. What’s more, Jeff’s mother will never allow Kate to marry into her family and Kate’s not sure how far the woman will go to prevent their union.

Kate and Jeff decide to elope during the magical Christmas season, but it’s 1943 and a new challenge presents itself, World War II. Jeff gets called up for duty so the couple vows to wed upon his return.

Fast-forward to 1955. Kate is a single woman and working as a food editor in New York City. She never saw Jeff again and she hasn’t gone back to Posey Creek in years. Now, it’s Christmas time again and her sister Lucy begs her to come home. Kate gives in deciding that it’s time she let go of the past, and Jeff.

On the train ride back to Posey Creek, Kate reads a special delivery letter she had stuffed in her bag. The writer reveals information about Jeff’s wartime activities and the name of the spy who betrayed him. The discovery sets Kate’s heart racing. She would give anything to go back in time to warn Jeff about the traitor and give him a fighting chance to survive.

Whether it was some kind of magic in the letter, the wonder of Christmas, or the power of her love for Jeff, somehow when the Kate’s train arrives in Posey Creek it’s 1943 all over again. Kate is determined to risk it all to save the man she loves. But what happens when you know the future and tamper with the past?

Christmas Once Again unfolds during the holiday season, but the story is about so much more. It’s about family and hope. Above all, it’s about the power that makes all things possible when you love with all your heart.

Veronica Jorge

See you next time on November 22nd.

Nothing Found

6 0 Read more

Christmas old home movies… and my mom bring back Christmas Once Again

September 11, 2019 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as Boldwood Books, books, Christmas, holiday romance, trains, World War 2

Christmas memories are forever…better yet if they’re on film.

Until you can’t find them.

I’m a good record keeper, my accountant loves me…my handwritten notes from trips abroad often help me shape a story, but I was devastated when I couldn’t find my old Christmas movies when I was a kid.

A mad search finally showed up a lost reel my dad shot at Christmas when I was in grade school. It was the only time we took movies at Christmas. We moved around a lot (I went to fifteen schools), and over the years the old movie camera stopped working…and well, you get the idea.

But this year I wanted to resurrect the old movies because of one short piece of film.

My mom hanging up Christmas stockings.

You see, I’ve just finished copyedits and proofreading my upcoming Boldwood Books release, Christmas Once Again and I dedicated my story to my mom.

So although her picture won’t appear in the dedication, here’s that special piece of film from my old home movies.

Thanks, Mom, for making every Christmas special.

Time travel back to Christmas 1943 on the home front

Exciting news re: my holiday Women’s Fiction novel CHRISTMAS ONCE AGAIN — release day is October 10th! It’s now up for pre-order at $2.99

On a cold December day in 1955, I got on a train to go back home for Christmas.
This is the story of what happened when I got off that train.
In 1943.

Christmas Once Again:

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V1QT9Z6

UK: www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Once-Again-Jina-Bacarr-ebook/dp/B07V1QT9Z6

More about Christmas Once Again as we get closer to pub date…

0 0 Read more

My Christmas Look Back Tree and how it inspired my holiday novel by Jina Bacarr

August 11, 2019 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as Christmas, Christmas romance, holidays, World War 2, writing

Christmas Historical romance novel My WW 2 time travel romance back to 1943

I’ve spent Christmas where it snows . . . where it doesn’t . . . and where it’s truly a winter wonderland in the German Alps. The magic only gets stronger over the years for me because each Christmas I have another memory to hang on my tree.

Not a real tree, of course. But what I call my Christmas Look Back Tree.

I can pull up fun memories, funny moments, heartfelt goodbyes, and most of all the true spirit of the season. The star at the top of the tree shines year after year to give me hope.

For there’s nothing like the warm goodness and comforting embrace of family and friends to experience the real joy of the season. Like a cup of hot cocoa with cinnamon sticks that never gets empty.

So, why am I telling you this in August? It’s back to school time, vacation days lingering, time to BBQ and eat burgers and messy corn on the cob. Because I’ve been spending a lot of time recently in a little town in Pennsylvania called Posey Creek.

At Christmastime — during World War 2 in 1943.

I found that in order to create a time and place that existed only in my heart, I relived my own Christmases Pasts far removed from that time, but the sentiment, the hopes, dreams, and needs of my heroine come from a place within me. That I went back to my Christmas Look Back Tree to dig deep into my feelings to mold my heroine.

More on my story next time, but for this post I wanted to write about that even when we write about a time and place we never knew, it still comes from the heart, from our passion to tell a story that reflects a bit of us, even if we don’t know it at the time.

For me, it was Ma. My heroine’s mother. Her strong bond with her mother, her need to see her again (she goes back in time to reconnect with her mother who’s gone when the book opens), also reflects my desire to do the same.

You see, my mother passed away a few days before Christmas many years ago…

So, when we talk about my upcoming release, CHRISTMAS ONCE AGAIN, you’ll understand how joyous I felt writing those scenes when my heroine reconnects with her mother once again…if only for a little while.

Travel back in time to 1943…

NEXT TIME:

News about Christmas Once Again release in October now up for pre-order:

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V1QT9Z6

UK: www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Once-Again-Jina-Bacarr-ebook/dp/B07V1QT9Z6

0 0 Read more

Quarter Days: Yuletide

December 28, 2018 by Alina K. Field in category Quarter Days by Alina K. Field tagged as Christmas, Hogmanay, New Year's in Scotland, winter solstice

Winter Solstice

’Tis the Fourth day in the Twelve Days of the great feast of Christmas and I’m back to talk about celebrating the winter holidays in the British Isles where the stories I’ve been writing are set.

A week of binge-watching the series Shetland gave me a good appreciation of the closeness of Scotland to Scandinavia. Given the Celtic and later Viking influence, It’s no wonder that many of this season’s customs date back to pagan festivities marking the winter solstice. The word Yule (as in Yuletide and Yule Log) comes from the Norse word “jul” or “houl” meaning wheel.

Saturnalia

Ancient Rome also celebrated the winter solstice in the Saturnalia festivities of ancient Rome. I mentioned in my December post last year that the early Christian church built a religious holiday, Christmas, around this natural time of ancient celebration. Many of the Christmas traditions—Yule logs, mistletoe, feasting–date back long before the designation of December 25^th as the birthday of Jesus.

Hogmanay

Though we’re a week out from the shortest day of the year, nights are still long, so why not keep partying? The seventh day of Christmas, December 31^st brings us to the celebration of the new year. In Scotland, reaching back to their Norse roots, the locals celebrate Hogmanay with torchlight parades, bonfires, and lots of good whisky.

My favorite Scottish New Year’s tradition is the First Foot.

Needed: a tall, dark, and handsome man

Tradition says that if the first person to cross the threshold in the new year is a tall, dark, handsome man, the home and all who dwell therein will have good luck in the coming year. (No red-headed men, please—they’re considered unlucky!) I saw this set up in a blurb for a Christmas romance this year, and then promptly lost the link. If you recognize that story, please mention it in the comments below.

Whatever winter holiday you celebrate, I hope you’re surrounded by family and friends. I wish you many blessings in the New Year. Have a Happy Hogmanay!