Book Release: A Homewood Christmas

Good morning and Happy Monday, everybody!

(Yes, I did say Happy Monday. Everybody needs a happy start to the week once in a while!)

This particular Monday happens to be one I’ve been anticipating for a while. Because today I am oh-so-excited to be able to introduce you to a project I’ve had the privilege to be part of during this past year.

A Homewood Christmas

By Courtenay Burden, Erika Mathews, Hannah Gridley, Angie Thompson, Rebekah A. Morris and Hannah Foster

Come home to a small-town Christmas through the ages…

The close-knit community of Homewood, Minnesota might not even be a dot on most maps. But from its earliest settlement to the present day, a warm Christmas welcome and a shining Moravian star have been its hallmarks of the holiday.

Step into the bustle of preparations as a young orphan travels an unexpected path to the Christmas he’s longed for and a boisterous flock of cousins learns the eternal secrets of the Christmas fruit bowl. Follow a wintery road with a widowed mother in the shadow of war and a generous aunt trying her best for her family as they search for a place where they truly belong. Slip into the fire glow next to a lonely stranger with a terrible secret and a hometown girl trying to escape past hurts, and watch Christmas light and love warm even the coldest places.

With so many ways to celebrate the season, one reason undergirds them all—and the Christmas stars of Homewood never tire of telling His story!

This collection of six Christmas novellas is presented to you by the Aunties of the King’s Daughters Writing Camp. The project was Rebekah Morris’s brainchild and it has been so much fun to put together. A Homewood Christmas features six stories by six different authors, all set against the backdrop of a nostalgic Minnesota town—and scattered across history from the mid-1800s to the 21^st century.

This week, we are so delighted be sharing the finished collection with all of you!

The Collection at a Glance

Title: A Homewood Christmas

Authors: Courtenay Burden, Erika Mathews, Hannah Gridley, Angie Thompson, Rebekah A. Morris, Hannah Foster

Genre: Clean Christmas Fiction

Theme: Hometown Christmases with Strong Christian Messages

Page Count: 482

Launch Date: October 24, 2022

Goodreads: A Homewood Christmas

Amazon: A Homewood Christmas

All the Details

A Homewood Christmas is more than just a collection of Christmas tales. It’s also a holiday treasure hunt that will keep you making surprise connections all the way through. Keep your eyes open for recurring characters, locations, and of course, the special Christmas star that pops up in every story!

Star of Bethlehem (Courtenay Burden): As ten-year-old Earnest tries to help his new aunt fit in to the family during the Christmas of 1843, he learns valuable lessons about fitting in himself as he ponders the fact that Bethlehem had no room for his Savior.

The Christmas Fruit Bowl (Erika Mathews): During Christmas 1900, it seems nothing can redeem the holiday for Auntie Beth’s nine nieces and nephew—except perhaps a treasured heirloom that holds eternal lessons about the true Christmas fruit of the spirit.

Room in the Manger? (Hannah Gridley): During World War II, a widowed mother in the big city takes her young children home for Christmas so they can experience a real family Christmas in Homewood, but will they find room in the busy little town?

Home Forever (Angie Thompson): Just before Christmas of 1955, a big-city visitor offers Magda the perfect present for her family—or is it truly what they want after all?

He is Still Emmanuel (Rebekah A. Morris): Aunt Peggy befriends a troubled young woman during the Christmas season of 1985, but can she show her that, no matter what, Jesus is still Emmanuel?

An Auntie for Christmas (Hannah Foster): All seven-year-old Lora wants for Christmas 2013 is for Auntie Jaz to come home–but can old hurts be mended in time for the holiday?

Meet the Authors

All six of the authors who collaborated on A Homewood Christmas are part of the Aunties Team at the King’s Daughters Writing Camp (www.kingsdaughterswritingcamp.com). Here’s a little personal introduction to each of them:

Courtenay Burden is a homeschool graduate, Victorian fanatic, and author of historical fiction. She loves working with yarn, devouring history, playing the occasional game of chess, and discovering new ways to cook the humble potato. She is passionate about good and great literature—writing that embodies both literary and spiritual excellence for the glory of Christ.

Connect with Courtenay: sawpublishing.com      

Erika Mathews writes Christian living books, both fiction and non-fiction, that demonstrate the power of God in ordinary people, transforming daily life into His resting life. The author of the kingdom adventure fiction series Truth from Taerna, she’s passionate about encouraging others to intimately know Jesus. She enjoys playing with her children, editing, anything outdoors, being organized, autumn, apple crisp, and sunrises.

Connect with Erika: restinglife.com

Hannah Gridley is a church employee, a music teacher, and a historical fiction author from Arkansas. She loves gardening, online team games, English, and hot tea. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her outdoors in the garden or hiking, reading, or trying to grow something exotic.

Connect with Hannah:  goodreads.com/user/show/17442587-hannah or on Truth Social as @BookwormHannahGardens

An avid reader and incurable story-spinner, Angie Thompson also enjoys volunteering in her church’s children’s program and starting (but not always finishing) various kinds of craft projects. She currently lives in central Virginia near most of her incredible family, including two parents, six brothers, one sister, and five siblings-in-law—plus four nieces, six nephews, and several assorted pets!

Connect with Angie: quietwaterspress.com

Rebekah A. Morris is a homeschool graduate, an enthusiastic freelance author, and a passionate writing teacher. Her books include, among others, Home Fires of the Great War, The Unexpected Request, Gift from the Storm, and her bestselling Triple Creek Ranch series. Some of her favorite pastimes, when she isn’t writing, include reading and coming up with dramatic and original things to do. The Show-Me state is where she calls home.

Connect with Rebekah: readanotherpage.com/blog

Hannah Foster was born and raised in North Carolina where she was homeschooled with her eight siblings. She attended college in Minnesota where she got her bachelor’s degree in literature, learned to survive temperatures of below zero, and became Mrs. Foster. Hannah loves writing small-town Christian romance with spunky, sassy women and strong, protective men. And if you started running as soon as you saw she writes romance, then she hopes you’ll come back and give it a chance. She writes for the ones who think they hate romance because romance as designed by God is good, beautiful, and right. So if you love small towns, families that love, gentle romance, delightful characters, and an imperfect church serving a perfect God, then you’ve come to the right place. If you don’t find Hannah reading or writing a book, you might find her watercolor painting, playing tennis with her husband, or making coffee at a small-town cafe.

Connect with Hannah: hannahfosterwrites.wordpress.com

This collection has been such a fun project to work on. We hope you enjoy A Homewood Christmas this season! Don’t forget to order your copy today.

You might also enjoy:

Do you enjoy heartwarming Christmas tales about family, faith and friendship? Filled with sweet, surprise endings and fun stories of ordinary people, Glad Tidings is a perfect Christmas collection for anyone who loves the spirit of the season.

Is the impact of good and great hymns enough to be a priority in a busy December? Today we take a look at the incredible wealth of music celebrating Christ’s birth, and discover why we have a valuable legacy of good and great hymns to pass on the next generation.

When catastrophe threatens to bring their Christmas plans crashing down, the Matthews and Halls are left with a choice. Can they choose to find blessing in the steps of a medieval king, or will the real lesson behind the story of Wenceslas be lost?

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