Mistletoe Miracles (+ Awesome Contest)

Autumn may have just begun in some parts of the world, but it’s never too early to be curled up with a good Christmas-themed book. That’s why I’m delighted to welcome author Jodi Thomas back to Thoughts in Progress to talk about her latest release, MISTLETOE MIRACLES, the seventh addition in her Ransom Canyon series.

In addition, Jodi is running a contest for a vacation in her New Mexico condo where she does a lot of her writing. She would love for her readers to experience Red River, an enchanted place that is very personal to her. So please be sure to enter the contest at Mistletoe Miracles 3 Day Vacation at Jodi Thomas' Red River Condo. 

More about the contest in a moment, but first here’s a brief synopsis of this heartwarming new story.

A small-town Texas Christmas story, where hearts are lost, love is found and family always brings you back home

Griffin Holloway is desperate: the Maverick Ranch has been in his family for generations, but lately, it’s a money pit. He’d sooner marry one of his horses than sell the ranch. Marriage, though, could be a solution. If he can woo a wealthy bride, he might save the ranch—just in time for Christmas.

          Jaxon O’Grady likes his solitude just fine, thank you very much. But when a car accident brings the unexpected to his door, he realizes just how much one person can need another.

          Crossroads is the perfect place for Jamie Johnson: avoiding nosy questions about why she’s single, she’s happy to keep to her lakeside home. So she’s baffled when she gets the strangest Christmas present of all, in the form of a Mr. Johnson, asleep on her sofa. Who is he, and why does everyone think he’s her husband?

Now please join me in welcoming Jodi to Thoughts. Welcome, Jodi.

MISTLETOE MIRACLES is a book I decided to write about how people pretend.  Maybe we all pretend as some point.  Not lie exactly, just don’t show the whole truth.

I like to do this on planes. When I start talking to someone I tell them I’m a writer.  They usually want to tell me their story.  I know when I’m listening to them that even the villains in stories think that they are the hero.  I also find that talking to me, knowing they’ll never see me again, gives them a kind of freedom.

So in my new book, MISTLETOE MIRACLES, I had fun giving my characters reasons why they have to pretend. Great fun.  Wait until you meet the Johnsons.  He’s a soldier for two weeks with no home to go to.  She’s a drama teacher who has told the school board she’s married.  She has good reasons for lying.  

When he falls asleep and wrecks his rental car, the sheriff in the small town of Crossroads takes him home----to the only Johnson house in town.  The sheriff thinks he has to be the teacher’s husband, after all, she said he was in the army.

This story moves through the book as the Johnsons pretend their way into falling in love. Hope you enjoy the Johnsons and the rest of the characters.

I'm very excited about our new contest for a three-day vacation at Red River, New Mexico--either a weekend or during the week. You'll be stepping into an enchanted place that is very personal to me. 

Years ago, my sons were wanting to learn to ski and every time we would go to a little town in New Mexico, it seemed to cost us a fortune. I saw some condos up there and I thought, you know, if we bought a little condo that would solve the problem. Turned out to be the best thing I ever did. Many times a year I go up there whenever I'm reading through a book I've just written or if I'm trying to think of an idea. There's something about sitting out on my patio and watching a branch of the Red River go passing by. 

The town of Red River has always been a special place for me. It's in the enchanted circle in northern New Mexico. Now we have a little bitty place up there, a little bitty hideaway where I go up to write. And It's always fun. My favorite thing to do in the fall is to curl up in a blanket out on the balcony and watch the Red River go by as I begin a book. Red River, New Mexico is an enchanted place I hope you will enjoy as much as I do. 

Thanks,

Jodi

Jodi not only does your new book sound fascinating, but this contest sounds like so much fun. Thanks for stopping by today and sharing this with us.

Here’s a bit of background on Jodi for those who aren’t familiar with her.

Author Jodi Thomas

A fifth-generation Texan, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jodi Thomas chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. A former teacher, Thomas traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable.  

With a degree in family studies, Thomas is a marriage and family counselor by education, a background that enables her to write about family dynamics. Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Thomas enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A&M University campus.

Commenting on her contribution to the arts, Thomas said, “When I was teaching classes full-time, I thought I was making the world a better place. Now I think of a teacher or nurse or mother settling back and relaxing with one of my books. I want to take her away on an adventure that will entertain her. Maybe, in a small way, I’m still making the world a better place.”

When not working on a novel or inspiring students to pursue a writing career, Thomas enjoys traveling with her husband, renovating a historic home they bought in Amarillo and checking up on their two grown sons. 

For more information, please visit Jodi’s website at www.jodithomas.com

Thanks everyone for dropping by today and visiting with us. Are you already reading Christmas-themed books or just have your stack ready to begin? What do you think about the three-day vacation giveaway, amazing right?