by: Susan Sands
Series: Louisiana
Genre: Contemporary Christmas Romance/Women’s Fiction
Release Date: November 1, 2022
Publisher: Tule Publishing
It’s her first Christmas with her birth family…
Thanks to a bone marrow donation from her newly discovered sister, interior designer Allison Miers has just beat cancer and has been welcomed into her new family, the Bertrands of Cypress Bayou. She’s been curious about her birth family for years, and it seems they’re all trying to make amends for her mother abandoning her—even offering a trust fund if she’ll stay a year and give the town a chance.
As Allison arrives in town amidst preparations for the Cypress Bayou Christmas Festival, she’s quickly overwhelmed by the drama and competition between both sides of her birth families. Local mechanic Nick Landry is the most normal person she’s met so far, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s also handsome and friendly. Just as Allison starts to wonder if she’s finally found a new home, family, and a man to love, she discovers that Nick—just like both sides of her family—has been keeping his own secrets.
Family is all Allison has ever wanted, but should she listen to her head or her heart this unforgettable Christmas?
Age: 34
Date of birth: 05/08/1988
Physical Description: Brown hair and hazel eyes, average height
Occupation: Interior designer
3 likes in no particular order: 1) Cold weather, 2) Creating beautiful things, 3) Fried shrimp po-boys
3 dislikes in no particular order: 1) Lies, 2) Gossip, 3) Humidity
Drink of choice: White wine
Favorite food: Fried shrimp po-boys
Favorite song: Holly Jolly Christmas
Choice of transportation: Walking whenever possible
Favorite way to spend an evening: Watching creepy movies
Favorite holiday tradition: Decorating the Christmas tree with her mom.
Best memory to date: Christmas dinner with her parents before her dad died.
If you could have a do-over, what would you do differently? I might’ve chosen a different college and expanded my opportunities in the world as a young woman. Back then, I had no idea there were so many options. I only saw a narrow path for my life.
What’s something you’ve said you would never do, but in fact have done? Worn skinny jeans, among other questionable fashion choices throughout the years. LOL!
Most romantic gesture (done or received): When my husband and I were very young, we had no money to spend on gifts, so we gave each other sweatpants for Valentine’s Day one year. Last year, I gave him a pair of sweatpants on February 14th.
Words to live by: Begin as you mean to continue. Set up expectations from the beginning with people. Otherwise, they will be confused when you raise or lower those expectations.
My decade-old SUV started making a strange pinging noise somewhere near El Dorado, Arkansas. It was a gloomy Sunday afternoon and everything I’d passed since Little Rock was locked up tight, so stopping anywhere besides an occasional McDonald’s was out of the question.
Besides, my car didn’t need a side of fries; it needed a mechanic.
If I could just make it the last hundred miles, I planned to sleep for twenty-four hours at least. Well, I would eat first because my exhaustion currently warred with my hunger, and the hunger was keeping me awake right now. This was the farthest I’d ever driven alone and now that my car was getting sketchy, I worked to keep my mind from going to scary breakdown scenarios.
By the time I hit the Louisiana state line, I was gripping the wheel as the sun broke through the clouds. I did not want to break down in the middle of nowhere and end up at the mercy of a gun-toting local with a dead animal across his hood. I guessed it was deer-hunting season based on the amount of camouflage I’d spotted when I’d stopped for gas and food after crossing into Arkansas from Missouri.
Come on, come on, come on. I patted the dash of the red SUV I’d dubbed “Big Red” the day I’d driven her off the lot. She’d seen me through plenty of rough times, so her imminent demise weighed heavily on me. Plus, the cost of buying a new car…that too.
Should I break down, it was a toss-up between calling my new family for help or taking my chances with rednecks in the middle of nowhere. The Bertrands would fly to the rescue in a heartbeat and would probably arrive toting a hot casserole and sweet iced tea in case I was hungry.”
“My new family was my birth family, and we’d met soon after my mom—the one who raised me—died not quite two years ago. I’d gone in search of family roots and found the Bertrands. I’d sprung my existence on them while waiting for a bone marrow transplant to treat the unexpected blood cancer that attacked me while I’d been distracted by my caring for Mom. It was bad enough the Bertrand family had learned about me while I was at my lowest point, and then was made worse when they were forced to care for me for a couple of months after I’d gotten out of the hospital. Well, not exactly forced, but close enough.
If I could just make it a few more miles. “C’mon, girl,” I whispered to Big Red. “You can do this.”
My luck ran out as I spotted the city limits sign for my destination of Cypress Bayou, Louisiana. Big Red gave up with a rolling sputter and a heavy sigh, and we trundled into a convenience store parking lot. I had mostly made it to my destination. Calling the new family for a rescue felt less cringy since I was now so close.
Before deciding to move here from my lifelong home near Chicago, I’d made a chart with two columns: the plusses and the minuses to determine if I should relocate. The plusses had won out by only a slight margin.”
Excerpt from A Bayou Christmas by Susan Sands. This material may be protected by copyright.
Besides, my car didn’t need a side of fries; it needed a mechanic.
If I could just make it the last hundred miles, I planned to sleep for twenty-four hours at least. Well, I would eat first because my exhaustion currently warred with my hunger, and the hunger was keeping me awake right now. This was the farthest I’d ever driven alone and now that my car was getting sketchy, I worked to keep my mind from going to scary breakdown scenarios.
By the time I hit the Louisiana state line, I was gripping the wheel as the sun broke through the clouds. I did not want to break down in the middle of nowhere and end up at the mercy of a gun-toting local with a dead animal across his hood. I guessed it was deer-hunting season based on the amount of camouflage I’d spotted when I’d stopped for gas and food after crossing into Arkansas from Missouri.
Come on, come on, come on. I patted the dash of the red SUV I’d dubbed “Big Red” the day I’d driven her off the lot. She’d seen me through plenty of rough times, so her imminent demise weighed heavily on me. Plus, the cost of buying a new car…that too.
Should I break down, it was a toss-up between calling my new family for help or taking my chances with rednecks in the middle of nowhere. The Bertrands would fly to the rescue in a heartbeat and would probably arrive toting a hot casserole and sweet iced tea in case I was hungry.”
“My new family was my birth family, and we’d met soon after my mom—the one who raised me—died not quite two years ago. I’d gone in search of family roots and found the Bertrands. I’d sprung my existence on them while waiting for a bone marrow transplant to treat the unexpected blood cancer that attacked me while I’d been distracted by my caring for Mom. It was bad enough the Bertrand family had learned about me while I was at my lowest point, and then was made worse when they were forced to care for me for a couple of months after I’d gotten out of the hospital. Well, not exactly forced, but close enough.
If I could just make it a few more miles. “C’mon, girl,” I whispered to Big Red. “You can do this.”
My luck ran out as I spotted the city limits sign for my destination of Cypress Bayou, Louisiana. Big Red gave up with a rolling sputter and a heavy sigh, and we trundled into a convenience store parking lot. I had mostly made it to my destination. Calling the new family for a rescue felt less cringy since I was now so close.
Before deciding to move here from my lifelong home near Chicago, I’d made a chart with two columns: the plusses and the minuses to determine if I should relocate. The plusses had won out by only a slight margin.”
Excerpt from A Bayou Christmas by Susan Sands. This material may be protected by copyright.
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A self-described late bloomer, Susan Sands began writing her first novel at age forty. She compares her challenging journey to publication as “raising another child—a difficult one.”
Susan has published five southern, contemporary women’s fiction novels set in Alabama. She describes her humorous small-town stories as fun, romantic, and filled with big family love. Susan also writes authentic place-as-a-character southern fiction with a humorous voice in addition to her Alabama series.
Susan has three grown children and lives with her dentist husband in Roswell, GA. She has a degree in elementary education, is a member of the Georgia Romance Writers, the Romance Writers of America, the Atlanta Writer’s Club, Womens Fiction Writers of America (WFWA), and the Broadleaf Writers Association. She participates in book festivals, book clubs, and writer’s conferences around the South. Susan is the recipient of the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year award for romance.
Places to find Susan Sands:
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My favorite tradition is driving around looking at lights and decorations on houses.
ReplyDeleteWe all call each other on the hour we were born to wish a happy birthday.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite family tradition is getting in costume and going out trick-or-treating with my children and grandchildren
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your release of A Bayou Christmas, Susan, I can't wait to read this one! My favorite family tradition is: we have Christmas from the every weekend of December at various houses and of course we have our individual family Christmas on Christmas Eve and we all show up at Mom's Christmas day!
ReplyDeleteOkay. You have my attention. Christmas every weekend of December. I definitely want to know more.
DeleteEvery year we go to a drive thru Santa Land, which is a place that has a ton of Christmas lights and decorations, my son loves it every year!
ReplyDeleteWe open our gifts on Christmas eve after a lovely dinner.
ReplyDeletebaking cookies and candlelight service
ReplyDeleteChristmas eve we have a Polish dinner with family.
ReplyDeleteYou had me at food.
DeleteSpending the holidays together. Watching Christmas movies & playing games as a family. Decorating together & the kids love the elf on the shelf!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite holiday tradition is making cookies with my sons.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition is decorating the Christmas tree with my grandson on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
ReplyDelete