I do love winter. It’s freezing, I don’t like that. But I do like the barren soil and empty branches, because the fact that they won’t always be always strikes my heart. Isn’t it lovely, to be in winter and know it won’t always be so cold and empty?
Below you’ll find some exciting news about my books, but before that I wanted to share a Christmas reflection, The Nativity, which I originally imagined as spoken to the tune of “The Holly & The Ivy”…1
The holly and the ivy
When they are both full grown
Of all trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
{The Crown}
Was it easy, hiding away in a manger? Were there really sound sleeps amid the pang and blood of birth? How does the Crown, the Creator of the universe, wrestle himself into a tiny, breakable, fragile, flawed, aching body? Do we pretend not to see the darkness around the illuminated scene vowing to fight against the singular, world-saving mission of this baby? Have we left out the dark characters who make us uneasy as we observe and remember this special day? In the Nativity, did cries of new birth drown out wicked peals of protest, their incantations fleeing the incarnation?
The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flow'r
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our dear Saviour
{The Saviour}
Do we see the treasured scene from the wrong side of the stage? Do we look away every year from the most exciting and fearful part of the show? Has the spotlight on the spectacle shone light too narrow, the many cheerful songs avoiding the true drama of an invasion from the King of Heaven?
The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good
{The Battle}
Mary did not know the pain, the strain, the claim the reproductive process would have on her heart and body. How irrevocable every moment since conception would be. But did evil in the world merely sit and watch quietly as The Lord Almighty, their immortal enemy, arrived to wage war against it? Does evil in the world sit quietly now?
The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn
{The Nativity}
The least of us, the small baby, now living symbol to the entire earth that redemption and salvation arrived across enemy lines. Immanuel left the grandeur of heaven for this whole, cold world, prepared to give the ultimate sacrifice to save the broken people he lovingly created.
Consider the politics of the universe at this moment, the Deceiver and his legions of demons loose to lie, dominate, destroy humanity. His terrible territory breached that starry night, I doubt it was anything but silent. Yet the host of angels gloried in the Savior’s arrival. Were they quiet as to not awaken the newborn, or were they singing to cover the raging cries of the demons who realized the beginning of the end of their reign? Maybe their cries mixed with the boom of swords stomping the ground as they both anticipated and feared the war they knew ended with their demise because of this blessedly blissful baby?
The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all
{The Victor}
Are we afraid to set the stage differently this time, to acknowledge the fight and open our eyes to see behind the curtain? Can we allow ourselves to imagine the havoc backstage as the actors riot behind the manger? Can we admit that, like this baby, we are behind enemy lines?
Perhaps this year’s spectacle will be different. Perhaps this year, the Nativity will be an epic story with unfinished business, the Deceiver revealed to protest and writhe in anguish from the front row, here where Act II began. The script unexpected. How does the deceived deceive itself into thinking the invincible and indivisible was defeated and divided? The baby who entered the world is someone worth worshiping who would not fail, for the wooden manger would soon become a wooden cross, and Act III will soon begin…
O, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
In other news: Wishes is officially in my local bookstore, House of James! Swing by and grab your copy there—as some of you may have seen on social media…I stopped in and signed them and felt awkward and awesome doing so. Read some reviews of Wishes here! And just this morning I was absolutely thrilled to wake up to messages about being nominated into the top ten for the first round of the Swoony Awards and you can vote for Wishes in BOTH the Fairytale & Debut category by clicking here!
If you’re into book boxes, the I Smell Books December Box is featuring a book you may just recognize in its combined YA/Classic box and you can get 10% off by using my code WISHES10.
And as I announced a few weeks ago on Instagram, I'm also delighted to share with you that I've signed contracts with @quill.and.flame.publishers for another two books in the #Heartbooks series of modern-day, nonmagical fairytales:
MIRRORS is a full length novel combining Beauty & The Beast + Red Riding Hood + Snow White, where roses aren't red and the citadel is abandoned in the White Forest, tentatively scheduled for Spring 2024.
CURSES is a novella twist on Rapunzel + Hansel & Gretel, where the case of the stolen crown jewels entangles with a candyshop (with the Gabreville Gazette to cover the story, of course) with a tentatively planned release for Autumn 2024.2
Thanks for reading and for cheering me on. I cherish each one of you! If you want to forward this email to a friend that loves simple but long emails from a debut Canadian author, I’d sure appreciate it!
Happy December,
Brittany
P.S.: Favourite things *hums the song* What I’ve been reading? (Check my Goodreads for regular updates.) A lot, actually. Highlights include some Lynette Eason (for comfort I read romantic suspense, lol). The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber was just desperate to leave me desperate for book three! Ah! All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese, so good. Wind Daughter by Joanna Ruth Meyer, just wow, I cannot recommend her books enough. Listening to (while writing a first draft of Curses) Fireworks by Hans Zimmer, Einaudi: Fairytale by Ludovico Einaudi, and Unraveling just for all the vibes ever, by Cory Asbury.3 And watching every episode of Andor (EVERYTHING means so much more now thanks to Luthen) and so many National Geographic shows (the From Above series are especially fun) and lots about lost cities.
P.P.S.: I’m happy to be part of many book promos this month, and if you’re looking for new reads4, check these out: Christian Christmas Charming Romance, December Fantasy, Clean Romance Deals, Clean Romance Sales Event, Age of Fantasy, Holiday Stories Under $5, Sweet Romance Christmas.
The Heartbooks series will go like this: In Loirehall, we've started with #Wishes in the palace with photographs and a mystery, and releasing June 6, 2023 you'll get to read #Hearts which is teaparties, art, and secrets. If Loirehall is a duet, then these next two stories are the echo in the town on the other side of the Valais River. Inspired by classic fairytales with aged paper and gold-trimmed pages, we'll be going to go to neighbouring Gabreville where #Mirrors is library lore, stained-glass windows and treasures, and #Curses is all sorts of haunting Willy Wonka vibes and a heist. I, for one, cannot wait to keep turning pages.
The yellow brick road line, seriously.
I can’t always guarantee content, please see the respective Amazon and/or Goodreads reviews to check!