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About the Novella: Maria Santos has built her fitness coaching business on the belief that everyone deserves the blessings of good health and fitness. She's sustained it through hard work, dedication and faith. So, when her maternal grandmother, Stella, says that Maria's grandfather visited her in a dream and revealed that she may never find true love if she doesn't find it by Christmas Eve, Maria dismisses it as nonsense.
But when her grandmother reveals a second dream, she's intrigued. Apparently, her grandfather returned to Stella's dreamscape to tell her that Maria's true love might be the man who gives her the twelfth kiss before Christmas. Maria thinks her grandmother has been drinking too much eggnog before bed. But she loves a good challenge. With a little encouragement and help from both of her grandmothers and her best friend, Emily, Maria embarks on a month-long journey to find the enduring love that all three have found. In the meantime, she helps her grandmothers prepare for Christmas, contemplates her uncle's request that she take over his fitness center after he retires, and attempts to help a new client, Francis -- a humble firefighter -- realize how precious his life is. Thankfully, the magic of Christmas can be found nearly everywhere in the quaint town of Clover Hills, Vermont. And every kiss leads Maria closer to fulfilling her grandmother's twelve kisses of Christmas dream... The heartwarming novella is available at Barnes & Noble online. |
New Release!
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The Preppy Book Princess Review Excerpt:
"Many moments had me laughing out loud, and others left me with a big smile on my face. I appreciated that this story is both clean and heartwarming, and oh my goodness adorable to boot! With a focus around faith, family and friends, The Twelve Kisses of Christmas is a story that I highly enjoyed, and I think it's indicative of great things to come from this author in the future."
Book Excerpt:
Chapter One
MARIA SANTOS FELT INCREDIBLE as Emily lifted the cloth covering her latest Christmas-themed painting. The relatively tall, fit woman in her 30s looked across her best friend’s quirky studio inside the Sweet Dreams Art Gallery, and she saw Eugene grinning and Bee crossing her arms. She could hardly believe that Emily and Eugene had been married for almost a year, or that their adoption of Bee, a sassy 13-year-old, was going to be finalized soon.
Emily swept a rogue curl away from her twinkling eyes. She glanced at the painting, which featured a young girl doing a triple Lutz in the center of a frozen pond. Shimmering snow-dusted Vermont pine trees – decorated with colorful lights and tinsel – and an audience that included a happy couple along with a bevy of woodland creatures framed the pond. “So, what do you think?”
Bee arched an eyebrow. “Mom!” she said incredulously. “Is that supposed to be me? I can’t do that. But…it’s really pretty. You did a great job.”
Eugene grinned. “I totally agree. About the great job.”
“It’s perfect; it’s so you, girly!” Maria beamed as she studied the expressions on the faces of the woodland creatures. Then, she laughed. “And there’s even a moose!”
“I know! It’s so close to my heart; it will be hard to donate it to the festival auction. But it’s for a great cause. And, hopefully, it will bring someone some Christmas cheer.”
Eugene turned to Maria. “Speaking of Christmas cheer, we have some good news. Great news, actually.”
Emily smiled widely at her best friend. “Adoption Day is tomorrow!”
“Are you serious?” Maria’s high-heeled boots tapped purposefully against the hardwood floor as she made her way to Emily. She hugged her for the first time since the pandemic ended. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you!” Emily squealed. “Sunday, we’re having a little tea party at the pub to celebrate. We just threw it together, but it’s at two o’clock. Please, please, please tell us you’ll be there.”
“Of course,” Maria joyfully confirmed. Then, she glanced at Bee. “Auntie Maria wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Eugene put his arm around his daughter’s shoulder. “If you told me a couple of years ago that I would be holding a tea party in my – uh, our – pub, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Maria nodded. He was right. So much had changed over the past couple of years. And not just in the quaint town of Clover Hills, Vermont.
The COVID-19 pandemic had wreaked havoc throughout the world. Both the virus and some of the things put in place to fight it had caused the loss of jobs, businesses, homes and, most devastatingly, precious lives. But in the midst of all that darkness, she was elated to see how Emily, Eugene and Bee had come together as a family. Their union had been a Christmas blessing.
Her sentimental sojourn was interrupted by the alarm on her phone. She shut it off and looked at Emily. She explained, “I’m meeting a new client this afternoon, so I have to go. But I’ll see you all on Sunday!”
∞∞∞
Maria glanced at the clock in her 10-year-old sedan. She hated to be late. As a personal fitness coach, she always encouraged her clients to embrace discipline. Being late for her first meeting with a client wouldn’t set the tone that she hoped to establish.
Thankfully, he’s a firefighter, she thought. He must already be more disciplined than most people. Maybe he just wants to get uber fit for a marathon or something, she mused.
No matter what his goals were, she was eager to get started. She had seen numerous times how fitness coaching could transform her clients’ lives. Sarah, a hardworking single mom, who she had a coaching session with the previous day, had finally quit smoking for good after Maria encouraged her to join a smoking cessation group and helped her to see the immense value of replacing self-destructive habits with healthy ones. It overwhelmed her with joy to know that she would probably get to spend more years watching her daughter grow up because she was able to quit.
As she pulled up to her uncle Hector’s fitness center, aptly named Hector’s Gym, she noticed that she was two minutes late. “Ah!” she lamented as she grabbed a couple of folders from the passenger seat and hopped out of the car.
Rushing to the door, via the heavily salted walkway, she wondered what kind of challenge was waiting on the other side of it. Maybe he even wanted to do an Iron Man race. She loved challenges.
Once inside, she headed for the reception desk. Eugene’s grandfather, Hank, was graciously manning it while Hector was on vacation with Maria’s parents until just before Christmas. Beneath Hank’s new charcoal grey fedora and above his face full of whiskers, Maria thought she caught a glint of mischief in his eyes.
“Is the new client still here?” Maria asked quickly.
Hank shook his head. “He was deeply offended by your tardiness.”
For a moment, Maria panicked. Then, she saw the grin spreading on Hank’s face. “Hank, you’re a pain!” Maria playfully scolded. “Where is he?”
Hank nodded toward an area in the back of the gym that wasn’t visible from the reception desk. Maria didn’t even stop to take off her coat. She hurried to the area and screeched to a halt in front of him.
Francis Vitali looked up at her and stood. For a moment, she was speechless. His soulful eyes were stunning. And his boyish grin seemed brighter than the foot of snow that had fallen the previous night.
“Francis?” she said, extending her hand. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I’m Maria – Maria Santos.”
“Hey,” he said, warmly shaking her hand.
Then, she spotted the crumpled half-empty bag of molasses kisses in his other hand. She squinted. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the bag.
He seemed perplexed. “Lunch.”
Maria raised her fabulous eyebrows. “But you’re a firefighter.”
He looked amused. “We eat lunch too.”
Maria paused. “Okay, so why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”
Francis sighed. “My chief told me I should lose some weight and get fit. I tried on my own and ended up gaining around ten pounds.”
Maria glanced at the bag of candy. “Well, Frank, it could be your diet.”
“Francis,” he gently corrected. “Could you just tell me what I need to do to drop the pounds?”
“Of course,” Maria assured him. She handed him one of the folders. “There’s a pen inside. If you could just fill out those forms, I can evaluate your goals, and we can come up with a strategy.”
Francis wrinkled his forehead as he flipped through the forms. “You can’t just tell me what exercises I need to do to lose weight?”
“Yeah…no,” Maria said. “Getting fit and healthy takes work. But it’s worth it. Trust me; the rewards are sweet.”
He reluctantly nodded in agreement. Then, he closed the folder. He scooped up his coat from the weights bench that he had thrown it on. “Okay,” he said, as he handed her the bag of candy. “Let’s do this.”
Maria looked at the molasses kisses. “What’s this for?”
Francis smirked. “Just sharing the sweetness.”
"Many moments had me laughing out loud, and others left me with a big smile on my face. I appreciated that this story is both clean and heartwarming, and oh my goodness adorable to boot! With a focus around faith, family and friends, The Twelve Kisses of Christmas is a story that I highly enjoyed, and I think it's indicative of great things to come from this author in the future."
Book Excerpt:
Chapter One
MARIA SANTOS FELT INCREDIBLE as Emily lifted the cloth covering her latest Christmas-themed painting. The relatively tall, fit woman in her 30s looked across her best friend’s quirky studio inside the Sweet Dreams Art Gallery, and she saw Eugene grinning and Bee crossing her arms. She could hardly believe that Emily and Eugene had been married for almost a year, or that their adoption of Bee, a sassy 13-year-old, was going to be finalized soon.
Emily swept a rogue curl away from her twinkling eyes. She glanced at the painting, which featured a young girl doing a triple Lutz in the center of a frozen pond. Shimmering snow-dusted Vermont pine trees – decorated with colorful lights and tinsel – and an audience that included a happy couple along with a bevy of woodland creatures framed the pond. “So, what do you think?”
Bee arched an eyebrow. “Mom!” she said incredulously. “Is that supposed to be me? I can’t do that. But…it’s really pretty. You did a great job.”
Eugene grinned. “I totally agree. About the great job.”
“It’s perfect; it’s so you, girly!” Maria beamed as she studied the expressions on the faces of the woodland creatures. Then, she laughed. “And there’s even a moose!”
“I know! It’s so close to my heart; it will be hard to donate it to the festival auction. But it’s for a great cause. And, hopefully, it will bring someone some Christmas cheer.”
Eugene turned to Maria. “Speaking of Christmas cheer, we have some good news. Great news, actually.”
Emily smiled widely at her best friend. “Adoption Day is tomorrow!”
“Are you serious?” Maria’s high-heeled boots tapped purposefully against the hardwood floor as she made her way to Emily. She hugged her for the first time since the pandemic ended. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you!” Emily squealed. “Sunday, we’re having a little tea party at the pub to celebrate. We just threw it together, but it’s at two o’clock. Please, please, please tell us you’ll be there.”
“Of course,” Maria joyfully confirmed. Then, she glanced at Bee. “Auntie Maria wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Eugene put his arm around his daughter’s shoulder. “If you told me a couple of years ago that I would be holding a tea party in my – uh, our – pub, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Maria nodded. He was right. So much had changed over the past couple of years. And not just in the quaint town of Clover Hills, Vermont.
The COVID-19 pandemic had wreaked havoc throughout the world. Both the virus and some of the things put in place to fight it had caused the loss of jobs, businesses, homes and, most devastatingly, precious lives. But in the midst of all that darkness, she was elated to see how Emily, Eugene and Bee had come together as a family. Their union had been a Christmas blessing.
Her sentimental sojourn was interrupted by the alarm on her phone. She shut it off and looked at Emily. She explained, “I’m meeting a new client this afternoon, so I have to go. But I’ll see you all on Sunday!”
∞∞∞
Maria glanced at the clock in her 10-year-old sedan. She hated to be late. As a personal fitness coach, she always encouraged her clients to embrace discipline. Being late for her first meeting with a client wouldn’t set the tone that she hoped to establish.
Thankfully, he’s a firefighter, she thought. He must already be more disciplined than most people. Maybe he just wants to get uber fit for a marathon or something, she mused.
No matter what his goals were, she was eager to get started. She had seen numerous times how fitness coaching could transform her clients’ lives. Sarah, a hardworking single mom, who she had a coaching session with the previous day, had finally quit smoking for good after Maria encouraged her to join a smoking cessation group and helped her to see the immense value of replacing self-destructive habits with healthy ones. It overwhelmed her with joy to know that she would probably get to spend more years watching her daughter grow up because she was able to quit.
As she pulled up to her uncle Hector’s fitness center, aptly named Hector’s Gym, she noticed that she was two minutes late. “Ah!” she lamented as she grabbed a couple of folders from the passenger seat and hopped out of the car.
Rushing to the door, via the heavily salted walkway, she wondered what kind of challenge was waiting on the other side of it. Maybe he even wanted to do an Iron Man race. She loved challenges.
Once inside, she headed for the reception desk. Eugene’s grandfather, Hank, was graciously manning it while Hector was on vacation with Maria’s parents until just before Christmas. Beneath Hank’s new charcoal grey fedora and above his face full of whiskers, Maria thought she caught a glint of mischief in his eyes.
“Is the new client still here?” Maria asked quickly.
Hank shook his head. “He was deeply offended by your tardiness.”
For a moment, Maria panicked. Then, she saw the grin spreading on Hank’s face. “Hank, you’re a pain!” Maria playfully scolded. “Where is he?”
Hank nodded toward an area in the back of the gym that wasn’t visible from the reception desk. Maria didn’t even stop to take off her coat. She hurried to the area and screeched to a halt in front of him.
Francis Vitali looked up at her and stood. For a moment, she was speechless. His soulful eyes were stunning. And his boyish grin seemed brighter than the foot of snow that had fallen the previous night.
“Francis?” she said, extending her hand. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I’m Maria – Maria Santos.”
“Hey,” he said, warmly shaking her hand.
Then, she spotted the crumpled half-empty bag of molasses kisses in his other hand. She squinted. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the bag.
He seemed perplexed. “Lunch.”
Maria raised her fabulous eyebrows. “But you’re a firefighter.”
He looked amused. “We eat lunch too.”
Maria paused. “Okay, so why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”
Francis sighed. “My chief told me I should lose some weight and get fit. I tried on my own and ended up gaining around ten pounds.”
Maria glanced at the bag of candy. “Well, Frank, it could be your diet.”
“Francis,” he gently corrected. “Could you just tell me what I need to do to drop the pounds?”
“Of course,” Maria assured him. She handed him one of the folders. “There’s a pen inside. If you could just fill out those forms, I can evaluate your goals, and we can come up with a strategy.”
Francis wrinkled his forehead as he flipped through the forms. “You can’t just tell me what exercises I need to do to lose weight?”
“Yeah…no,” Maria said. “Getting fit and healthy takes work. But it’s worth it. Trust me; the rewards are sweet.”
He reluctantly nodded in agreement. Then, he closed the folder. He scooped up his coat from the weights bench that he had thrown it on. “Okay,” he said, as he handed her the bag of candy. “Let’s do this.”
Maria looked at the molasses kisses. “What’s this for?”
Francis smirked. “Just sharing the sweetness.”
About the Novella: Emily Brooks is so happy to be engaged that when her manipulative fiancé bets her that she can't help a jaded blues musician find the Christmas spirit, she takes the bet...even though the stakes are far too high. If she can help Eugene Devine find the Christmas spirit, her fiancé said he would stop arguing with her about adopting the foster child whom she dearly loves. The Vermont artist and the child could both become part of a family again for Christmas. But as Emily reaches out to Eugene and discovers what a kind, genuine man he is, her guilt and her fiancé's jealousy turn everything upside down. The bet quickly unravels. With Emily's dreams of love and family shattered, only the true magic of Christmas can pick up the pieces and rearrange them in a way that Emily could never have imagined. The heartwarming novella is available at Barnes & Noble online. Readers' Favorite Review Excerpt: "Christina Galeone’s Christmas romance novella, Betting On That Christmas Magic, has all the makings of a happily-ever-after seasonal treat. With a fascinating plot with unexpected twists and turns, the author allows the characters to develop and reveal their true characters with style. The reader can’t help but love the main character, Emily. An artist, a wanna-be mother, someone who passionately loves the magic of Christmas, Emily is determined to spread her goodwill to everyone she comes in contact with. It’s a contagious feeling, a good feeling. The story is a gem of magic in itself and one to be enjoyed in the spirit of Christmas." -- Emily-Jane Hills Orford |
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Book Excerpt:
Chapter One
EMILY BROOKS BLINKED BACK TEARS as she gazed at the old family photo hanging in her living room. Then, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass. Wearing a floor-length white wedding dress with shimmering red and green adornment on the bodice, she also caught a glimpse of a couple of ornaments on the vibrant pine tree that graced her living room. The two jingle bell horses had belonged to her mom and were among the most precious ornaments on the Christmas tree.
From the time that the quirky artist was a little girl, she could feel her mom’s warmth, kindness and goofy joy radiating from those horses. They seemed to be racing to the nativity at the top of the tree.
Emily looked at the photo of herself and her brother, when they were teenagers, and their parents. “It’s finally going to happen,” she announced. She knew they would all be with her – in spirit – when she walked down the aisle. But, for now, she had a couple of other VIPs to show her dress to. They were waiting for her at the Sweet Dreams Art Gallery, Emily’s bustling shop that reflected the charm of her quaint Vermont town.
∞∞∞
Inside the gallery’s colorful artist studio, Emily’s best friend, Maria, squealed. “Amazing, girly! That dress was made for you.”
Emily beamed. “Literally and figuratively!”
Bee, an 11-year-old foster child whose tough life showed in her sad eyes, was amazed. “You look like you’re wrapped up in the magic of Christmas.”
Emily smiled and touched the blue snowflake barrette that the child had just given her. “Yay!” she said as she fist-bumped the girl she hoped to adopt.
Even though Emily couldn’t have been happier about the dress, her joy was mixed with sadness, knowing that Bee didn’t have a nice Thanksgiving with her foster parents. They constantly neglected her. And they had no intention of adopting her. She knew that she could give the child a good home. It was just a matter of convincing her fiancé, Hunter. An idea popped into her head.
Emily turned to Bee. “Have Christmas dinner with me and Hunter. His whole family is so nice. You’ll love it!”
Bee wasn’t convinced. “Hunter might not go for it.”
Emily retorted “Of course, he will. He’s my Prince Charming!”
Maria and Bee exchanged a look. Emily noticed. “He’s just misunderstood,” she explained.
Before they could respond, Britt, Emily’s attractive, younger assistant opened the door to let Emily know that Hunter had arrived. Although Emily noticed that Britt seemed uncharacteristically emotional at the sight of her in the dress, she was too busy scrambling to get out of it to give it much thought.
Chapter One
EMILY BROOKS BLINKED BACK TEARS as she gazed at the old family photo hanging in her living room. Then, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass. Wearing a floor-length white wedding dress with shimmering red and green adornment on the bodice, she also caught a glimpse of a couple of ornaments on the vibrant pine tree that graced her living room. The two jingle bell horses had belonged to her mom and were among the most precious ornaments on the Christmas tree.
From the time that the quirky artist was a little girl, she could feel her mom’s warmth, kindness and goofy joy radiating from those horses. They seemed to be racing to the nativity at the top of the tree.
Emily looked at the photo of herself and her brother, when they were teenagers, and their parents. “It’s finally going to happen,” she announced. She knew they would all be with her – in spirit – when she walked down the aisle. But, for now, she had a couple of other VIPs to show her dress to. They were waiting for her at the Sweet Dreams Art Gallery, Emily’s bustling shop that reflected the charm of her quaint Vermont town.
∞∞∞
Inside the gallery’s colorful artist studio, Emily’s best friend, Maria, squealed. “Amazing, girly! That dress was made for you.”
Emily beamed. “Literally and figuratively!”
Bee, an 11-year-old foster child whose tough life showed in her sad eyes, was amazed. “You look like you’re wrapped up in the magic of Christmas.”
Emily smiled and touched the blue snowflake barrette that the child had just given her. “Yay!” she said as she fist-bumped the girl she hoped to adopt.
Even though Emily couldn’t have been happier about the dress, her joy was mixed with sadness, knowing that Bee didn’t have a nice Thanksgiving with her foster parents. They constantly neglected her. And they had no intention of adopting her. She knew that she could give the child a good home. It was just a matter of convincing her fiancé, Hunter. An idea popped into her head.
Emily turned to Bee. “Have Christmas dinner with me and Hunter. His whole family is so nice. You’ll love it!”
Bee wasn’t convinced. “Hunter might not go for it.”
Emily retorted “Of course, he will. He’s my Prince Charming!”
Maria and Bee exchanged a look. Emily noticed. “He’s just misunderstood,” she explained.
Before they could respond, Britt, Emily’s attractive, younger assistant opened the door to let Emily know that Hunter had arrived. Although Emily noticed that Britt seemed uncharacteristically emotional at the sight of her in the dress, she was too busy scrambling to get out of it to give it much thought.
About the Short Story: A successful marketing professional and avid knitter with an otherwise full life, Kate doesn't need a man. Her best friend, however, disagrees. When she asks Kate to knit a scarf from a supposedly "magical" pattern -- intended to help the person who wears it to find true love -- Kate reluctantly accepts the silly challenge.
But what she knits up is so much more than a cozy, romantic scarf. While wearing it on a beach in Maine, she meets Shawn, a man who isn't who she thinks he is. She must decide if he's a dream come true...or a reminder that true love only exists in fairytales. About the Pattern: The pattern for the romantic lacy infinity scarf is woven into the story. While it's a quick, easy knit for intermediate and advanced knitters, it's a good challenge for beginning knitters. Available at Barnes & Noble online and on Etsy. Amazon.com Review Excerpt: "I was hoping for something sweet, fun and romantic, and this story did not disappoint. It’s a definite feel-good story, with slightly flawed but likable leads, a caring, funny (and sometimes meddling…) best friend, the wacky neighbor, adorable pets, small misunderstandings and an appealingly romantic seaside backdrop…it’s all here and woven together beautifully." - Cheryl Cory, Author of Must've Done Something Good Readers' Favorite Review Excerpt: "Christina Galeone gives us an interesting and realistic read that, although it is brief, is full of charm and impact with a full-sized story that pulls you in right away. The author touches on a subject that most women can easily relate to. 'Is there someone special for me and will I find him?' Christina's story is well written and well developed with characters that are realistic and sympathetic. I enjoyed this story." -- Deborah Stone |
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