Hello! Have you ever noticed how hard it is to talk about yourself when asked to? I mean, I think it might be a fear of mine! Lol....
I'm not sure how many here know me, so I guess I should start with the basics. I have been writing seriously for about three years. Before that it was just for my own sanity and never anything lengthy or worth talking about. But then I took a Creative Writing class at my local community college (it was waaay better than Bowling 101) and the teacher became my friend. She encouraged me. She helped me with the purple prose - and while purple is a worthy color I adore, it sucks when it is tucked into flowery language in my story.
Because of my teacher, I joined the Romance Writers of America. And despite some writers' opinions on the group, I feel they are an excellent organization with so much an author, or aspiring author, can learn from. They are growing, and learning to accept my chosen genre, but they have a great foundation. I am grateful to them.
Currently I am multi-published with Total-E-Bound, and A Christmas Carol is my latest release with them. I love that TEB is constantly challenging the boundaries of romance, that they listen to their authors...and that they've taken the leap with the Classics. As soon as I heard about the Clandestine Classics line I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I proposed A Christmas Carol to them, and despite the story not lending itself to traditional romance, they believed I could do it.
What evolved is a wonderful, heart-wrenching, heartwarming story that - if I've done my job right - will have you smiling and tearing up and rooting for Ebenezer to find a worthy lover. Many might not appreciate what I've done, or what any of the Clandestine authors have done, but I think the love story I've created here will amaze you in its depth. So, what say you...will you give Scrooge a chance to wow you? What do you think?
A gentleman’s study came next into view, dimly lit with sallow candles flickering their soft glow on the dark panelled walls, dancing shadows across the face of a man Scrooge thought much too handsome to be sitting on his own.
Presently, a knock interrupted Scrooge’s quiet perusal of the man’s rounded face, dark curly hair, and pale, slender hands where they rested on the upholstered arms of the chair in which he sat. The subject opened his eyes and Scrooge gasped.
“I know him.”
“You know him, yet you would forget others that were much closer than he?” The Ghost laughed heartily, thinking that the merriest of jokes.
“He was the first.” Scrooge stepped closer, caught by the light blue gaze staring through him to the maid entering behind him. “Does he see me?”
“You know he does not.”
“Pity. I should like to sit with him for a spell.”
The maid swept around the room, shuffling this and that back into its place, out of sight. “If you have nothing more for me to do?”
“No, Mary. Go home. Enjoy your babes and give my best tidings to your husband.” Alexander sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees as she bustled around him.
She paused briefly in straightening his desk. The look upon her countenance spoke of the pity and sadness she held for him. “Would you not join us this eve? I have more than enough for all of us and another mouth.”
“Enough worrying over me, my dear. Go.” Alexander rose to guide her to the door. “I will survive until after the morrow. Do not grace my doorstep, dear girl, or I shall have to dock your pay for your disobedience in this.”
“You have seen the last of me this day, sir.” She laughed and waved on her way out. “Merry Christmas to you.”
“Happy Christmas, indeed.”
Scrooge thought it would be the end of it, but the Ghost of Christmas Present only remained, watching. Sadness and hope waged a mighty battle in the depths of his eyes as Alexander crossed to the bar and poured a drink. As the room began to fade, Alexander lifted his glass in a toast. “To us lonely souls. To you, Ebenezer, wherever you may be, may you be happy and loved by whomever has captured your heart.”
Love at first sight is a beautiful thing, but sometimes, true love waits a lifetime to shine...and then needs a little help from the Three Ghosts of Christmas.
As a young man, Ebenezer Scrooge felt the sharp pain of loss and resolved to protect his heart from all others, taking solace in his gold and silver. Years of discarding his own emotions, and those of anyone around him, has turned Scrooge cold.
When deceased lover and partner Jacob Marley pays miserly Scrooge a late night visit, pride and disbelief buoy Scrooge's courage. As the fabled Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come arrive to show Scrooge the error of his ways, they also give him brief glimpses of a love so strong it has stood the test of time.
In an inspiring tale of change, a deep-seated need flares to life, leaving Scrooge without a doubt that love and family are what really matter at Christmas.
You can visit Em Woods at the following links:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4347554.Em_Woods
http://authoremwoods.com/
https://www.facebook.com/emwoodsauthor
