I received another review for The Greatest Gift. This one is at Joyfully Reviewed. Here’s an excerpt:

I enjoyed The Greatest Gift very much. The emotional intensity was outstanding and I found myself a bit weepy eyed more than once. Lia Sebastian is making her way to my auto-buy list and it is for books such as this!

It’s a lovely review! You can read the entire review here.

Today I received my first review of The Greatest Gift. It’s a nice review from Romance Junkies.

A wonderfully written story of love and passion that will warm the heart without doubt, regardless of the season and time this book is read. My only complaint is that the tale is too short. Lia Sebastian really does know her craft to spinning a romance that will cling to the mind.

You can read the review in its entirety here.

In the picture of my writing nook, you can see a small stuffed animal by my computer. It made me realize that I’ve had writing props like that one for the past few books. Each one is unique to the book I’m working on at the moment. The stuffed animal is for Shay and Jeffrey’s story, a story targeted for Cobblestone Press’s Shifters line.

Shay has blonde hair and is a werepanther, so I was drawn to this stuffed animal when I saw it in the grocery store.

I had a similar prop when I wrote Battle. When I proposed the story, I had to write 1,000 words and a summary. The first scene shows my heroine, Mélanie, receiving a black rose from a business rival. You can imagine that I snatched up this fake flower when I saw it in the store.

When I wrote The Greatest Gift, I used an audio prop rather than a visual one. You can read more about that here.

Each prop sits on my desk as I work on the story. It’s a visual reminder of the story and the characters, just one more thing that gets me back into writing mode. I don’t know if I will have props for all of my stories now, but I definitely enjoy the ones I have.

Here is an excerpt from The Greatest Gift.

After Drew left the room, Sarah sank back slowly into her chair. He seemed so formal, distant. Oh, he had smiled and laughed when required, but she knew his moods. Something troubled him.

She was a disappointment to him.

After a moment, she realized she still held the letters that had arrived in today’s post: one from her sister and one from her mother. She placed them carefully on the table, smoothing out the creases with her hands. Mama’s letter rested on top. A phrase jumped out from the page.

I considered giving the bracelet to you, but under the circumstances, I decided to give it to Grace.

Under the circumstances. It was Mama’s delicate way of pointing out that Sarah had yet to bear a child. The reminder was unnecessary; Sarah felt the lack every day. She didn’t object to losing the bracelet. Grace was a lovely girl, and Sarah had never expected the bracelet to be hers, or even thought of it. But the letter was one more reminder of all she was missing.

She’d hoped this month might be different. It was Christmas, after all, an appropriate time to conceive if not to give birth. But it was not to be. She pressed one hand to her abdomen. No child rested there—she’d received the proof of it a week ago.

She brushed aside the letter. It fluttered to the floor—a sign of her hope slipping away. Even Mama, with her optimistic nature, had given up.

So had Sarah.

Tonight she would deal with the well-meaning comments. “Soon it will be your turn to have children,” someone would say. Or, “You’ll be setting up a nursery soon, I’m sure.” They didn’t know how much she wanted the statements to be true.

Then there was Drew. During their courtship, she’d known he was kind, wealthy, and well connected. She’d discovered other qualities after they married. He’d make a wonderful father.

He hadn’t reproached her, hadn’t said a word to suggest he was unhappy. And she’d said nothing, afraid to confirm his disappointment. But she saw it in his demeanor each month she didn’t conceive. Every man wanted children. A child was her greatest desire, the finest gift she could give her husband, the man she loved more than anything in the world.

She ached to hold a baby in her arms, a son with Andrew’s light blue eyes.

She pulled back the drapes and stared outside. It was Christmas Eve. Had Mary wished for a child more than a thousand years ago? Or had she been surprised by the gift of a baby boy who would grow up to perform miracles?

Snowflakes were beginning to fall. A small miracle. Sarah wanted another miracle, a larger one. She was far from perfect, she knew, but it wasn’t too much to ask, surely? If this one wish was granted, she’d never ask for another. She saw a star sparkling in the sky, large enough to have been seen in Bethlehem, and made a wish.

Please, God. Let us have a son.

All was silent as snow descended in gentle waves. Earlier flakes had melted immediately, but this snow was starting to stick to the street. She pressed her fingers to the window, felt its chill against her fingertips, and prayed for a miracle.

I’m pleased to announce that The Greatest Gift is available now!

The Greatest Gift is part of Cobblestone Press’s 12 Days of Christmas series.

Andrew and Sarah have almost everything they could want after four years of marriage–wealth, companionship, and love. What they don’t have is a child. Sarah fears that the one thing she cannot give her husband may destroy their marriage.

The situation escalates at their annual Christmas Eve party, where Andrew sees that Sarah is pulling away. Together, they must decide whether to bridge the gap that divides them . . . or lose the greatest gift of all.

This story developed after I read a romance where the supposedly infertile couple has a miraculous pregnancy by the end of the book. I’ve read a number of these books over the years, and I’ve always wondered about the couple who simply cannot have children. What if they lived in a time when there were no modern infertility treatments? What if they desperately wanted a child, and their situation affected their marriage? How would such a couple find a happy ending?

These questions became the basis of The Greatest Gift. It was an emotional story to write, but it was ultimately a very satisfying one.

Hope you enjoy!

I’m excited about the book trailer for Cobblestone Press’s Twelve Days of Christmas stories. You can check out the trailer here:

My story, The Greatest Gift, comes out December 17. I’ll post an excerpt for it in the next few days.

I received the cover for my next book, The Greatest Gift.

Frauke from Croco Designs made it, and I think it’s beautiful! I love the sexy and festive look she’s given the cover.

New covers are wonderful.

I have a release date for The Greatest Gift! It comes out December 17. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for the cover.

I’m working on a new story now. With each one, I learn more about writing. I think the more you do it, the more you learn. That’s the way it should be. Luckily there are good moments to offset the ones that are a struggle. The latest lesson is the importance of outlining. I do little outlining with shorter stories, so I wasn’t working with one for my latest story. Then the story expanded, and I’m trying to put it all together. My next step: a new outline to get the story back on track.

In other news, I entered the Brava Novella Contest, so I will be waiting to hear the results along with more than 300 other entrants.

Should be fun.

I’m also preparing for National Novel Writing Month–I can’t believe it’s coming so soon! Looks like I have a lot of outlining to do this month.

The Greatest Gift is in the second round of edits. (Cobblestones Press’s standard practice is three rounds.) Waiting for edits is a nervous thing. I always wonder how the editor will like the book, what they will suggest. With all my Cobblestone stories, it’s been a wonderfully positive experience.

It’s important to remember that your editor is also a reader. For this reason, she’s providing invaluable feedback. I’m always amazed by how much better my story is after editing, even though most of the changes have been minor.

This editor is fast! At this rate, edits will be finished by the weekend. Then I get to look forward to the cover.

I’m thrilled to announce that I sold The Greatest Gift to Cobblestone Press! This is my first historical. Here’s a blurb.

Andrew and Sarah have almost everything they could want after four years of marriage–wealth, companionship, and love. What they don’t have is a child. Sarah fears that the one thing she cannot give her husband may destroy their marriage.

The conflict escalates at their annual Christmas Eve party, where Andrew sees that Sarah is pulling away. Together, they must decide whether to bridge the gap that divides them . . . or lose the greatest gift of all.

The Greatest Gift is part of Cobblestone Press’s 12 Days of Christmas series, so I expect it will be available in December. No cover or specific release date yet, but of course I’ll post them once I know.