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The Secret Santa Wishing Well by Nikki Lynn Barrett – Spotlight/Excerpt/Guest Post

 

The Secret Santa Wishing Well

Nikki Lynn Barrett

Published by: Nikki Lynn Barrett

Contemporary holiday romance

about 55,000 words

184 print pages.

 

 

 Blurb:

The magic of Christmas has been lost to Jacob Winston. At the suggestion of his ill sister, Jacob takes a job as a Secret Santa at the mall, hoping to restore his Christmas spirit. Even that doesn’t seem to work, until a special little boy ambles up to make a very special wish…

Cheyenne Jensen is struggling to raise her two kids without the help of her ex-husband who refuses to acknowledge his daughter’s existence and doesn’t provide for the son he does. This Christmas is shaping up to be as heartbreaking as the last, until her son Ben’s kind actions lead a stranger to them.

Ah, but it’s Christmas time and the magic has begun.

When Jacob and Cheyenne meet, neither can deny their immediate attraction to one another. As situations arise that require they spend more time together, their feelings grow stronger and stronger.
With Christmas fast approaching, the pair learn what matters most in life. Now, if only they could ditch the ghost of Christmases past.
Maybe this holiday will bring some wishes come true- for everyone after all.

Excerpt:

 

It didn’t take long for her to come back. Jacob moved to the living room, standing and waiting. When he saw her coming, he closed the gap between them. Before he could think twice, he touched her shoulder gently, wanting to thank her for the evening.

But instead of talking, he leaned in and kissed her. Just a light kiss. Gentle. Friendly.
Until she responded. She had her arms around him, pulling him for another kiss. Deeper. Sweeter. She tasted so sweet. Her need made him swell. He could do this all night. Jacob pressed her against the wall, their kisses deepening with urgency. He ran his fingers through her fine hair. Hers wrapped around. his neck, rubbing lightly.

Jacob pulled back abruptly. “Cheyenne,” he ground out. “We have to stop.” Before I lose it. He didn’t want to stop. He never expected her to reciprocate like this. Wow. Maybe it wasn’t one sided after all. Jacob sighed.

That halted everything. She pulled away, looking at him with wide, beautiful eyes. “I’m sorry. I pushed. You must think I’m a fool. I thought, when you kissed me…” Cheyenne attempted to move out of Jacob’s embrace. Oh, damn. She thought he didn’t want her. He did, oh, how he did.

“No, no. Honey, that’s not it at all. Kissing you was magical. Amazing. But we just met. I don’t want to take things too far. But I would love to see you again.” He pushed back loose strands of her hair that hung over her face when she’d moved. She looked so vulnerable. Was she going to cry? Oh hell, he wouldn’t be able to handle it if she did. The last thing he wanted was for her to be upset with him.
“I’d like that, too. It was a wonderful, amazing day, and I have you to thank for it.” She nearly whispered the words, choking up on the last part. “God, I’m a mess. I’m sorry. There’s been so much going on, and my signals are going crazy at the moment.”

Yours aren’t the only one, Jacob thought. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, typing in her name in the contacts and handing it to her. “Can I have your number?”

She laughed. “Of course.” Her fingers brushed his as she took the phone from him, tapping in her number. She handed it back to him. Electric shocks of awareness zipped through him. His gaze lingered on her, knowing he needed to get the hell out of here before he lost it completely.

 

Guest Post:

My Publishing Journey.

 

 

It’s still so surreal to me- I am a PUBLISHED AUTHOR!!

 

I self published my book. I am perfectly fine with that.  I love the idea that I get control of how my book turns out, my cover, it’s all pretty much in my hands. Deadlines are set the way I need them to be,  and I keep the fate of everything in my own hands. My my my, I know.

 

I’ve been dreaming of being an author for years. Seriously. If you could see my closet with a tote of spiral notebooks…filled with stories, some finished some not. I have literally been writing for decades.  I’m only 31, so those decades started in elementary school for me.  There’s always been a writer within me. I can’t help it. I have to keep a notebook in my purse, a notebook by the side of my bed next to only a miniscule part of my TBR pile…Because if I get an idea, it’s gotta get written PRONTO.

 

As for my publishing journey? Well, I thought I was going to be set, having writing time being a SAHM…Yeah, not so much. Lol. I was tired, stressed, sore, hot…I didn’t get to sit and write like I wanted.

 

You know, I’m coming to a blank. I’m not sure what to say here. I’m only a few weeks into my debut book being released. I’m trying to balance promo, writing, (and I only get a certain amount of time daily for it), blogging, and every day life. I pretty much run around with my head spinning in circles, lol.  But I just like to be busy. Well that’s definitely what I am!

 

The journey is a slow start, but I didn’t expect any less. No one knows who I am as a writer except for a select few.  But the response so far has been very positive, so that’s a good sign I’m doing something right.  And I’ve heard the phrase “Just get the next book written and out”, so that’s what I’m doing! I’m hoping for a February or March release for a full length contemporary romance.

 

The advice rings true- the more you expose yourself (wow, that sounded wrong! But you know what I mean…I hope!)  the more readers will find you.  My journey has only just begun, but I’m hoping for a long, crazy ride- just the way I like it.

 

 

 

 

19 thoughts on “The Secret Santa Wishing Well by Nikki Lynn Barrett – Spotlight/Excerpt/Guest Post

  1. Loved your post, Nikki. You’re so right about getting that next book out. Optimally one every 90 days to keep your name out there. A tall order, but a great goal to try to hit. Congratulations on your release!

    1. That’s what I’m hoping on, or around that. The concern I have is summer, when my little man doesn’t have preschool and I can’t write while he’s home. lol. 🙂

      Thanks for coming by!

    1. Writing is wonderful! I love the creativity….endless possibilities 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by, first name twin! Lol

  2. Thank you for having me here today!

    Maria- thank you! Working every moment I can on the next one 🙂

  3. Good guest post and yes, the more you produce and get out there – the more people will learn who you are. Good luck with the next book!

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