LuAnn McLane's Wicked Wonderland

Hosted by Donna MacMeans

It's never too early for a little Holiday spirit. Let me introduce LuAnn McLane in the lair. LuAnn, best known for her Romantic Comedies with a Southern kick, found working on a novella for a Christmas anthology affected her more than anticipated.

“Have a holly-jolly Christmas it’s the best time of the year!” Those Johnny

Marks lyrics from the favorite Christmas classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer were made famous by the unmistakable Burl Ives. And it wouldn’t be Christmas without Andy Williams crooning, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

But for some, the holiday season is filled with sadness and stress and is anything but the most wonderful time of the year. A loss of a loved one during this season is especially difficult. The holidays can bring on financial woes. Too much to do in too little time can make a person feel… well let’s just say less than merry. On a personal level going through a divorce a few years ago made the holidays a painful time for me. Every single holiday television commercial was a reminder of a lifestyle I no longer had. The sparkle of Christmas seemed forever lost. I knew that writing a believable holiday story was going to be a difficult

task. So in Hot Whisper, my novella in the anthology WICKED WONDERLAND with Susanna Carr and Janice Maynard, I wanted to explore these emotions. Along with my characters, I needed to learn how to recapture the joy of Christmas.

My wounded hero, Jesse Marshall has his reasons to hate Christmas. Ironically, Jesse carves Santa figurines and angels, a trade taught to him by his father. Every year just before Christmas he leaves Colorado for a tropical vacation but when a sudden snowstorm hits Whisper, he is stuck and can’t escape. My heroine, Claire Collins, is desperately trying to get home to Atlanta for the holidays. Because she is admiring Jesse’s Santa carvings at the train depot she misses the boarding whistle and well… the sexy wood carver rescues her. Little by little bubbly Claire brings broody Jesse out of his shell and… well no spoilers but let me just say that there is a bit of Christmas magic along with help from an angel.

Writing Jesse’s story has been a healing process. Even during my darkest times I have always been a sucker for holiday stories and Hallmark movies. It's also been fun to get back to my erotic romance roots since I mostly concentrate on southern bent romantic comedy. PLAYING FOR KEEPS is the first book in my small town Cricket Creek series and will hit the shelves in March.

I was also honored to help country superstar Wynonna Judd write RESTLESS HEART, a novel that will be released in February.

So tell me: Do you believe in the magic of Christmas? And what do you and your families do during the holidays to keep the stress at bay and the magic alive? Or are you bah-humbug and struggle during the Christmas season?

I will randomly choose one post and give away a signed copy of WICKED WONDERLAND along with some holiday treats and goodies.

Happy reading and happy holidays!