I love Facebook.

Not everyone does, I know, but I’m lucky I guess. I have no trolls, stalkers, or folks who post gross animal pictures. Just about every time I browse through my friends’ posts, I find something to make me smile or something to make me think. Today I found the latter.

The post goes: “You want to put the ‘Christ’ back in Christmas? Feed the hungry, comfort the afflicted, love the outcast, forgive the wrongdoer, inspire the hopeless.”

That’s a big order, and firstly I must forgive myself for not being able to do it all. In fact, with my introvert life, the one that resonates the most with me is: “inspire the hopeless.”

I don’t know how many of you are hopeless, or how many of those who read my books fit that description, but we all have hopeless moments. I try my best to convey hope in my stories. They may not be as simple as a Hallmark movie, but my hero Lynley has her share of tribulations, and so far she’s always come out ahead. She suffers with general anxiety disorder; she selflessly cares for sick and aging cats; she is kind to humans. She always finds a happy ending, though it may not be the ending she wished for. Through Lynley, I try to convey real life and the real struggles we face day to day. In my way, I try to inspire the hopeless.

This is a difficult time of year. We are presented with an impossible objective. We are faced with moral dilemmas. We are forced along a tide of insincerity. Some of us give in and go broke trying to fill a well of need. Others Grinch up and run the other way. Still others are swept along, hoping for the best, hoping for it to be over. A few of us dig deeper and know the true meaning of Christmas.When I wrote “Cat Noel,” my Crazy Cat Lady cozy Christmas novella, I wasn’t sure where to start. How was I to convey Christmas when I didn’t feel it myself? But the story developed, as stories do, until by the end, meaning was found in unexpected places. It was a surprise to me, and a gift.

Like Lynley, I am a struggler. I can’t help but see the greed that pushes so much of the holiday advertising. But I want you to read my books. So from December 15 through December 19, the Kindle version of “Cat Noel” is free.  Take advantage of this limited promotion here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YBLHLMR

Thank you for reading my blog, and happy holidays.

CAT NOEL, a Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery Christmas novella

Lynley finds a new meaning of Christmas when a Wiccan’s familiar is catnapped, and Lynley is her only hope.

Lynley Cannon is dreading the Holidays. The sixty-something cat shelter volunteer would rather hang out with cats that brave her daughter’s soulless Christmas gala, so when a witch’s beloved kitty is catnapped, Lynley grabs the excuse to skip out on her social obligations.

Though Lynley knows little about the white witchcraft, Wicca, she does know cats and can’t decline a plea for help when one goes missing. Then the witch disappears as well. Lynley, compelled by her cat-like curiosity, sets out to search for the pair, but the task is daunting.

A freak snow storm and a crazed captor take things in a dangerous direction. As Lynley endures the cold dark of confinement, the Christmas spirit brings a strength she never knew she possessed.