A Dream Realized with Kimberly Rose Johnson
This past January I had the idea of putting together a Christmas collection of never before published novellas. I reached out to a bunch of writers, and now seven months later, the book is set to release tomorrow. There are eight stories in A Christmas to Remember, which are completely unrelated to one another other than each book has a Christmas theme. There’s something in it for everyone who enjoys contemporary Christian romance, including a couple cowboy stories.
My contribution, Until I Met You, is the prequel to The Reluctant Groom. Here’s is a little bit about my story.
Graphic designer, Brandi Prescott hopes to work her way to the top at the Seattle ad agency where she’s employed. She’s dedicated and distraction-free since she’s taking a hiatus from men to focus on her relationship with the Lord and get to know herself without the influence of another person.
Software engineer Ian Parker is in a good place. He loves his job, his social life and the direction his life is going. At least that is the case until one fateful rainy morning when he inadvertently drenches a woman standing on a street corner. He pulls over to apologize and is intrigued. The only problem is, she won’t go out with him because she made a pledge to not date for six months.
Brandi’s six-month pledge ends on Christmas. Will Ian wait or will his scheming to get to know her destroy what might have been?
Here’s a snippet from the opening scene.
Early Saturday morning, Brandi Prescott held her latte in one hand and opened the door to leave her favorite coffee shop in the Green Lake neighborhood of Seattle. She raised her hood and tightened the belt of her trench coat as rain pounded the ground.
“Bring it on.” She tilted her head and spoke to the black cloud overhead. Nothing was going to ruin her good mood. It might be a dreary fall day, but it was the weekend, and she planned to spend it reading beside a cozy fire in her apartment a few blocks away.
She walked to the crosswalk and frowned at the huge puddle of water blocking her path. How had it rained that much in such a short time? When she’d crossed the street, ten minutes ago, it had been fine. No way could she use the crosswalk without soaking her feet. She should have worn rubber boots instead of sneakers.
A vehicle careened through the yellow light. “Oh no!” She ducked her head as a wave of water splashed over her, knocking her latte from her hand. She balled her fists at her sides and glared after the red SUV.
“Of all the nerve!” She wiped water from her face, which had managed to get her even though she’d ducked her head.
The car braked and pulled into a parking spot. A man with dark hair hopped out. He jogged toward her. “Are you okay? I didn’t notice the standing water until it was too late.”
She squared her shoulders and raised her chin. “My coffee is ruined, and I’m soaked. Otherwise, I’m fine.” She bent down and picked up the paper cup and the plastic lid that had popped off.
“I’m really sorry. Let me get you a new one.”
She studied the man a moment. His neatly trimmed beard and mustache framed a young face with kind brown eyes. “That would be nice. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do, considering I nearly drowned you.”
She chuckled. “Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far. My coat did a pretty good job of keeping me dry.”
He raised a brow. “Come on. Let’s get out of the rain.” He walked toward the coffee shop and pulled open the door. “After you.”
“Thanks.” She stepped over to the counter. “I’m back.”
Lori, her favorite barista, smiled. “That was fast.”
“Yeah. My drink met an unfortunate demise. Could I get another medium vanilla latte please?”
“Sure thing.”
Brandi looked over her shoulder to the man. “Are you ordering anything?”
“I think I’ll have a large peppermint mocha.” He pulled out his wallet and paid for their drinks. “By the way, I’m Ian.”
“Brandi.” She strolled over to the pick-up side of the counter. “Thanks for replacing my coffee. That was really nice of you.” Okay this man was seriously good looking—as in the cover of GQ Magazine, even in sweats and a T-shirt. Yes, looks were a matter of taste, but she’d challenge anyone to disagree.
“Don’t mention it. Do you mind keeping me company?” He raised a brow.
You can pre-order A Christmas to Remember today for only 99¢ and it will be on your kindle tomorrow morning when it releases. Or you can read it for free with Kindle Unlimited. Here’s the link Amazon.
I know some people will read Christmas books any time of the year and others only read during certain months. Where do you fall on this spectrum? If you only read during certain months, which months are officially Christmas books?
Award winning author Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance that warms the heart and feeds the soul.
Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
