Becky Flade, Author

It’s that time of the year!   I don’t necessarily mean for the gift-giving, merry wishes, and days off from work – though all of that is good, too.   No. I mean, it’s that time of year when food is everywhere!   Ever notice this?   With the parties, the holiday dinners, the cookie baking, and the influx of food gifts in the office, there’s no escape.   I can tell myself, “you’ll regret it, girl,” but we all know that’s more foreshadowing than an effective warning. Sometimes I wish I were more like my character, Rachel, in Her Everything .   The woman eats like one berry in the entire story.   I hadn’t planned it that way, but she turned out to be very busy <wink>.   LOL.       Seriously, though, despite my griping over how my pants will become a little tighter during the following weeks, there are some foods that I do look forward to, and only have them during the holiday season.   ·    ...

SANTA! One word that invokes tons of childhood memories. As a little girl, I was blessed to have the same Santa for most of my childhood. He knew me so well, he’d ask my mom about an accident I had at three and if I was healing properly. Then marvel at how little of a scar I had. At seven he had his fingers crossed when I went in for surgery to remove a small tumor from my face. Then hugged me when I came to see him, stitches and all. I got an extra candy cane that year. As I grew up, I found myself wondering if “my” Santa would show up and if I’d be able to see him just one more time. The man who donned the costume and spent so many years with me, actually became a part of our family. I was sad the year another Santa took his place, but none the less got excited when the fire department would herald the arrival of Santa at our mall. One year my grandparents took me to Rim of the World, to Santa’s Village. I loved it. (Even if the winding roads made me sick.) I can’t tell you...

First, thanks, Becky, for hosting me on your blog today. I’m happy to talk about “Lights, Latkes, and Love” with your followers. It’s a Christmas/Hanukkah story that started out to be a sweet short story. No, really. That’s what I planned. How difficult could it be, I thought? I mean, I’m a writer. I can write sweet. Can’t I? Wrong. Apparently I can’t. When I read that my publisher Crimson Romance was looking for short stories for a holiday anthology I set out to write a lovely Christmas story, full of sentiment and no carnal activity. It would be short, sassy and sexless. Maybe there’d be a chaste little kiss but nothing else. I knew who David and Hannah, the hero and heroine, were. Knew how they’d meet. Figured out a couple complications to throw in their way and we were off. The first thing that happened was that, when they kissed for the first time, David kept trying to, shall we say, deepen the kiss. And Hannah liked it. So I let that go. After all, a little French ki...