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