The Magic of Mistletoe, Tennessee

When it comes to Christmas tradition, no town does a better job than Mistletoe, Tennessee. Just ask its creator, author Judith Leigh, our next guest poster. Judy is a good friend, and her compassion and sensitivity show up in her writing.

My setting for Mistletoe Blessings came about one day when I was looking through a travel magazine. I spotted a picture of a snow-covered town, the kind that you see on a Courier & Ives Christmas card. The caption read Why Not Spend Christmas on Lookout Mountain. I knew where I was going to send my heroine, and since they grow Mistletoe around the area that is what I named my town.

Mistletoe is in Tennessee. The small town has grown somewhat and boasts a population of 7,950 residents. When they want to do heavy shopping and fancy eating, they go to Nashville or Chattanooga. Mistletoe is noted for its magical happenings. Many tourists have experienced the strange feelings that come over them while looking at the town’s angel statue. It stands near the center of town next to a Gazebo. It’s a place where dreams come true.     

Many of my characters were born and raised there. Others left then returned to stay forever. Warmth and love surround this town. The citizens are always there for each other with a helping hand and encouragement. It’s a place that once you come here you don’t want to leave; and if you do leave, you’ll come back again and again. 

Come on, why not plan a trip to Mistletoe? See what magic awaits this Christmas. We’re waiting for y'all at the café with a glass of milk and a piece of Tami’s Christmas cake.

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Small Town Holiday Stories

I'm a sucker for corny holiday stories. When George Bailey races through the snowy Christmas Eve to the town square of Bedford Falls yelling "Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter" I choke up. It's a Wonderful Life is a wonderful lesson in appreciating what we have.

Shopping for books, I'm drawn to cover art featuring a snow-covered town square decorated for Christmas. During November and December, my default channel on my TV is Hallmark because the network shows holiday films every day. Some I've watched a dozen times, like November Christmas, and I still boo hoo when the town pulls out all the stops to move up the calendar for a leukemia-stricken little girl (Spoiler alert: She lives. I couldn't watch it if she didn't).

Sure, good holiday stories are set in large cities, too, none better than Miracle on 34th Street. My first trip to the Big Apple included a shopping trip to the Macy's on 34th. Of course. Unfortunately, it was August and St. Nicholas wasn't there yet. Most of my favorites, though, take place in small towns.

My writing colleagues (and now my good friends!) and I put together an anthology of inspirational stories featuring feel-good Christmas stories set in small, Southern towns. Over the next few days, we'll give you a tour of each story's community.

We believe Christmas Blessings makes a good gift for the readers on your list. You may enjoy our previous anthology, The Heart of Christmas. The set would make a doubly good gift. Be sure to enter the giveaway to win a free copy of The Heart of Christmas. You can enter every day!

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Meet JM Kelley-Author

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Meet author JM Kelley.

JM Kelley is the author of Almost Magic, a paranormal romance novel included in the boxed set Enchanted Lover: Tales of Everlasting Love.

When it came to Vivian Burroughs's unique connection with nature, her grandmother always said, "Mediocrity may not burn as bright as a firecracker, but it seldom blows up in your "face.' But the old woman never advised her on what to do when a sexy new neighbor stokes the flames of attraction.

~*~

When Almost Magic was with my lovely editor, Karen, I may have gone through about eighty different potential titles for the story. I’d never written paranormal before. I didn’t really know how to capture in just a couple words what was going on in the pages. The problem, I came to realize, was this: I was trying to find a complicated title for a simple premise.

Almost Magic has a good bit of, well…magic. It has witches and ghosts and mystical matchmaking. But it’s not about that.

It’s about finding magic in the ordinary. According to Vivian Burroughs, our (slightly) enchanted heroine, her grandmother once told her, “Mediocrity may not burn as bright as a firecracker, but it seldom blows up in your face.”

This is Vivian’s private mantra. This is what drives her. Growing up with not-so-ordinary gifts drives her to find extraordinary ordinariness.

Hopefully, when you get to the end of Almost Magic, you’ll see the point I was trying to make all along. Magic isn’t just found in the pages of a book. It’s all around us.

There’s magic to be found in a chilly autumn sunset. In waves crashing on the shore. There’s magic in a child’s laughter. There’s even magic there when you’re feeling low and your usually aloof cat chooses that moment to curl up in your lap and make you feel a little better.

Most of all, there’s magic when you meet that one person who makes your heart skip a beat every time you hear him speak your name. You know it has to be magic, too, because while your heart is skipping that beat, you’ve completely forgotten he’s standing before you, wearing black socks and tan sandals.

Love isn’t always easy to find, even for those given a mystical edge in life. In the end, even the most magical among us want the same thing: Someone who gets us, through and through.

That’s the enchanted story, and I’m sticking to it. 

Enchanted Lovers Blog Tour

Contest Starts October 7 - October 20, 2014

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