The Buzz on HAVE CHRISTMAS CARD... WILL TRAVEL

My popular time-travel Regency romance, HAVE CHRISTMAS CARD... WILL TRAVEL first started as a serial novel. The publisher envisioned twelve chapters total, posting one chapter online per week for subscribers to their service. Since twelve chapters were required, I came up with the idea of using the song: the Twelve Days of Christmas, and then focused each chapter on a stanza of the song. Thus, the first chapter, including the setup, dealt with a partridge in a pear tree. The title of my book was rather bland: THE 12 DAYS OF REGENCY CHRISTMAS.

Unfortunately, the publisher went out of business before the first installment could be uploaded. Fortunately, Uncial Press picked up this novel with only a few alterations. The repetitions that occurred at the beginning of each chapter (to refresh the reader’s memory) were no longer needed, AND, the book needed a catchier title.

Hmmn. What to pick? I had a difficult time with this one. Nothing seemed to fit, so I reviewed what the plot was about: each day, a contemporary young woman, Meredith, receives a Christmas card featuring one of the stanzas of the beloved song. Each evening, she goes to bed in the present but during the night, wakes up in the past in Regency England. Each morning she wakes up back in her own bed in the present. Voilà! The title was born: HAVE CHRISTMAS CARD... WILL TRAVEL.

Those of you who remember vintage television will recognize the homage to CBS’ wildly popular Western: Have Gun--Will Travel.

A magic Christmas card sends lonely Meredith back in time... then returns her to her own century each morning. A handsome lord proposes, and she accepts, but then finds herself attracted to her fiancé’s honorable brother. How can she find happiness when she has one foot in the past with the other in the present?

Christmas magic sends Meredith back to Regency times to find true love. But what will happen when the twelve days of Christmas are over?

Amazon.com

Print book available at www.susanneknight.com/orders.htm

HAVE CHRISTMAS CARD... WILL TRAVEL is a wonderfully whimsical time travel story that’s perfect for the holidays or any time of the year! This book was an EPPIE Finalist for Best Historical Romance.

The novel has also been a best-seller at Uncial Press and Fictionwise.com, and has garnered two 5 STAR reviews on Barnes and Nobles!

This book is part of the Elegant Regencies line.

Here are some wonderful reviews!

4 ½ STARS! Have Christmas Card... Will Travel by Susanne Marie Knight is a delightful time-travel romance that carries a lonely woman back to the regency era to find love. A creative story based on the Twelve Days of Christmas song, I found myself looking forward to seeing how each stanza of the song would be depicted. The characters in the story are fully developed and have very strong personalities. This is a sweet romance in which the settings come to life through the descriptions of the author. This is a warm-hearted story for the Christmas Season that will leave the reader happy and feeling good in the end. Have Christmas Card Will Travel by Susanne Marie Knight is a sweetly romantic time travel romance to warm the hearts of the readers.--The Romance Studio

5 STARS! I loved this book! It was a cute little love story with a Christmas bow tied around it. It was a quick read and I didn't want the story to end!--N.T.

Just wanted you to know how I enjoyed HAVE CHRISTMAS CARD... WILL TRAVEL. The concept of the Twelve Days of Christmas was so much fun.--G.B

I got a misty-eyed feeling reading the last scene in HAVE CHRISTMAS CARD!--B. G.

What an intriguing story!--J.B.

I thoroughly enjoyed  HAVE CHRISTMAS CARD... WILL TRAVEL.--J.G.

I laughed out loud! Great story.--E.C.

Your story was a pleasure!--S.R.

I think this is a wonderful story!--V.B.

HAVE CHRISTMAS CARD... WILL TRAVEL is wonderful!! It's perfect for the holidays, too.--B.K.

Wow, a great read!--K. J.

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For those of you who enjoy reading about real life tidbits woven into my novels, here’s something from HAVE CHRISTMAS CARD... WILL TRAVEL. In this novel, although Meredith believes her Regency experiences are only dreams, she goes along with becoming engaged to one of the Larson brothers, William. After a few nights, she realizes she prefers his older brother, Jeffrey. Way back when, I dated a fellow who had an identical twin. Turns out, when I met the brother, I had more in common with him than my date!

Below is a short passage from the Six Geese A-Laying chapter. Meredith has just awakened in the morning.

Today, Meredith was so excited, surely she would burst. Last night Jeffrey had kissed her. Just a brief kiss, true, but she’d felt as if her soul was on fire. Was his taste still on her lips?

Running the tip of her tongue over her mouth, she came away disappointed. Oh well, there was always tonight.

She closed her eyes to relive the moment, then quickly blinked them open again. But she was engaged to William. She should’ve been daydreaming about kissing him, not his brother!

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I hope you enjoy Meredith and Jeffrey’s story, along with the twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dances, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! 

Happy reading,

Susanne Marie Knight

www.susanneknight.com

Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing With A Twist!

The Buzz on THE WAKEFIELD DISTURBANCE

Since I write in quite a few different genres, I alternate between those genres so fans for that particular genre can look forward to a new book. When I was due to write a romantic suspense, I started thinking about this particular book. First, I had to think of a topic. I wanted to write a paranormal about ghosts this time because many readers love ghost stories like my popular paranormal romantic suspense GRAVE FUTURE.

Now I was ready to begin. I like to come up with a title before I start writing. Sometimes that’s impossible, but usually I’m able to think of one that suits the project. To think of a title, I brainstorm, writing down whatever comes to mind. THE WAKEFIELD DISTURBANCE just wormed its way in. I have no idea why Wakefield; Wakefield happens to be the name of a location and also, a last name. I chose it to be a last name. Now I had a name for one of my characters, but which one?

Setting that thought aside for a while, I deliberated about what kind of a Disturbance could be called The Wakefield Disturbance. I came up with the idea of the heroine having a psychic ability that causes a shimmer around her when she receives communication from the dead. Her last name would be Wakefield. Now I had a heroine, Lara, who can hear messages from the dead. From there I built the story and the hero, private investigator Stuart Manning, around Lara’s needs. That’s about it in a nutshell!

A GIFT... OR A CURSE?

Lara Wakefield receives messages from the dead. Her latest “client” is a murdered young girl who wants to be put to rest. The girl’s killer, however, objects. Can Lara find the girl’s body without becoming the next victim?

MONEY OR LOVE?

Private investigator Stuart Manning wants nothing to do with supernatural phenomena. A retainer of $50,000 overcomes his reluctance. Lara’s innate ability, integrity, and beauty cause him to have second thoughts about psychics, while deadly occurrences cause him to believe the little girl’s murderer is still hanging around. How can Stuart protect Lara when the killer is always one step ahead?

Communicating with the Dead: a gift or a curse??

THE WAKEFIELD DISTURBANCE has been with Uncial Press since the beginning where it has been on the best-seller list and also a #1 best-seller at Fictionwise.com. In addition, this book is a 2008 Dream Realm Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction Romance.

The book video trailer has received a “Spine-tingling!” recommendation from The SavvyClick.com. Here is the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tTLQySlNAk

Music is by Kevin MacLeod, Jackhammer.

Psychic Lara Wakefield is tasked by a murdered young girl to find her killer.

Amazon.com

Print book available at www.susanneknight.com/orders.htm

This book is part of the Uncanny Paranormals line.

Here are some fabulous reviews:

5 STARS!--Barnes and Noble

4 Cups! This is an interesting suspense tale with three good main characters. The rest of the cast... add a bit of comic relief. The plot itself is fun to read with elements of suspense, romance, and the paranormal. The dialogue is engaging... There is a good amount of suspense and fine love scenes also in this very enjoyable story.--Coffee Time Romance

Fantastic! Couldn't put THE WAKEFIELD DISTURBANCE down!--J.C.

Hauntingly good, spine-tingling!--C.A.

I found THE WAKEFIELD DISTURBANCE exciting and interesting--when I got home from work, I read the last chapters instead of doing my chores!--J.G.

I enjoyed THE WAKEFIELD DISTURBANCE!--E.C.

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A Real Life Tidbit. The locale of the murdered girl’s summer home is based on a popular resort in Montana. This resort also has a petting zoo. Below is a photo of the llama that was the inspiration for an important part of THE WAKEFIELD DISTURBANCE’s mystery. In the book, you’ll find resting on the grass can be very relaxing... or can serve another purpose!

Here’s a passage from THE WAKEFIELD DISTURBANCE that features the llama. Scene Setup: A member of the houseparty has just been found murdered. Lara and her young friend Chrissy take a break from the investigation to lunch outside.

Unseasonably warm sun beat down on Lara's shoulders. Mmmm, she couldn't help but enjoy it. Good thing she and Chrissy had decided to leave the unhealthy atmosphere of the mansion for awhile. Taking a picnic lunch by the petting zoo was an excellent idea.

Sitting on the grass, Lara munched on a sandwich and watched her young friend propped against the fence as she fed the animals. The family of ducks swam to the pond's edge to furiously peck at the bits of food Chrissy threw to them. The three mountain goats moseyed over to graze on animal crackers. Only the llama remained where it was, still resting under the shade of a birch tree.

"Why won't she come over and eat?" Chrissy grumbled. "I want to pet her."

"You're grubby from petting the goats. Maybe the llama wants clean hands," Lara joked. Despite the morning's horrible experience, she actually was having fun, and was glad Chrissy was, too.

Instead of being scared or disgusted by the news of the murder, the girl had been delighted. Her own murder mystery to solve, she had said.

Lara shook her head. Shades of Agatha Christie! What a gruesome reaction.

But she couldn't think about that. It was so peaceful outside, under the wide open sky. The only sounds she could hear were the nibbling of the ducks and the gentle breeze rustling through the trees.

And Chrissy's complaints.

"The llama must be hungry. She hasn't been fed yet. That's what the older lady told me--Rose, Tawnie's mother. So why doesn't the darn beast come here?"

The llama couldn't have been too hungry for it sat with all four legs folded under it, showing no intention of getting up.

Chrissy stomped over to Lara and pouted. "She looks at me but doesn't move!"

"Maybe it wants room-service," Lara offered.

"Huh?"

"Maybe you should climb over the fence and bring the food to the llama."

"Cool beans!" The girl rushed to the post-and-lintel fence, then paused. "D'you think I'm allowed to go in?"

"I don't see why not. Just keep your hands away from the llama's mouth, okay?"

"Sure." Chrissy hopped over the fence and slowly walked the distance to the animal. It watched her progress, but didn't budge. Only when Chrissy placed some crackers in front of it, did it bend its wooly neck and chew on the treat.

Another satisfied customer!

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To find out more, read The Wakefield Disturbance! I hope you enjoy Lara and Stuart’s story.

Happy reading,

Susanne Marie Knight

www.susanneknight.com

Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing With A Twist!