Taryn Elliott Guest Post & Giveaway

Today I’m really excited to have Taryn Elliott dropping by to do a guest post.  Her current book, Holiday Sparks came out on Friday.  I gave Taryn the daunting task of coming up with her own guest post idea.  I love the story she decided to tell.  I think this is definitely something everyone can get into.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Christmas Tree

There was an ongoing tradition in my family when my Aunt Mary was around—a new ornament for the Christmas tree.  She did a lot of traveling for her job.

A nun, folks.

Seriously.

A nun.

I couldn’t make this stuff up. LOL

But she was an amazing person and she truly loved Christmas. There was the religious aspect, of course. She wouldn’t be Sr. Mary without that of course, but she believed in the hope of the holidays as well as the joy that came with children around that time of year.

Now that I think about it, I suppose that’s why there’s a bit of the Niece/Uncle aspect in Holiday Sparks. I had an amazing relationship with her and that came through with Ben and his niece Britzilla…aka Brittany…in my story.

One thing I always remembered about the holidays was the special ornament we’d get every year from one of her trips. She would find us such amazing and beautiful things to add to the tree every year. Whether it was a handmade ornament from Mexico or a beautiful snowflake from Alaska, we’d always get something lovely.

My mom and I would also find a new one for the tree when we would go out shopping.

So, the tree was very important to my family.

One of my all-time fave ornaments was a tiny little Hallmark one that my mom got one year. I think it was from one of her kid’s mothers— She used to babysit out of the house— But this one was just so perfect and always found its way on the tree.

It would hook into one of the Christmas lights and light up the little fire instead. It had a clip at the bottom of the ornament to sit on a branch. It stopped working a few years ago, but man. We just didn’t have the heart to throw it out. It’s the most perfect little ornament and my mom would always take her time to find the perfect branch along the front of the tree to put it up.

As much as I would huff and puff about decorating the tree some years, I truly miss having one around now that’s she’s gone.

Ben Hartley, in my book is a true-blue lover of Christmas and he’s all about the Christmas tree. A little ode to my mom I think. Funny how that always seems to bleed into my stories somehow. 

Book Blurb:

Darcy Tucker hates Christmas. Being lead supervisor at a department store shows her the very worst of humanity. When her holiday display is demolished, she turns to the least likely person she knows—her hot, tattooed tenant who seems to get off on the very idea of Christmas. Maybe she can get him to decorate the store and stop decorating her house.

Tattoo artist Ben Hartley may not look the part, but Christmas is his favorite holiday. When Darcy gets in a jam and reveals her vulnerable side, he finally gets to learn more about the sexy woman behind the cool façade.

Thrown in close quarters to fix her store, Ben and Darcy realize the only chilly thing between them is the temperature outside. One supremely hot kiss leads to a night full of passionate surprises. Now Ben has to show her that there’s more to life than work, and that the season of hope is full of sexy possibilities with or without a Christmas tree. 

Holiday Sparks can be purchased from: Ellora’s Cave | Amazon

Taryn’s links:  http://about.me/tarynelliott/

So…do you have a special ornament that you MUST put on the tree? Follow the instructions below and let me know for a giveaway of HOLIDAY SPARKS (Kindle, ePUB or PDF).

a Rafflecopter giveaway