My long-awaited Christmas novel, Pressure Cooker Christmas, is finally here! *See links below to order e-book. Print version is delayed by a couple weeks. BUT it is coming! It’s been a long endeavor of love, more about that later…
We had a stretch of Indian summer with many sunny HOT days since our cool rainy Labor Day weekend. But we take the weather in our stride, what else can we do? Lately it has been near perfect autumn weather. This is my favorite season. I love the brilliant yellow, gold, orange and red colors of the leaves, framed by the green pines and the bright blue sky. Even on rainy days when the wind gently tosses the leaves through the air. It is just beautiful! Of course, this will be followed by the white wonders of winter. I’ve always loved the changing seasons.
Our oldest grandson married his lovely fiance on September 9th. It was a beautiful afternoon wedding, everyone was happy without a drop of tension anywhere. That’s my kind of celebration! In October the newlyweds spent a week in Sedona, Arizona, and are happy as can be.
I love the way my granddaughter parents. Her four year old daughter started preschool a few weeks ago. The first day was okay. The second day she cried and wanted to go home with her mom. But she stayed at school, without her mom. That night she said, “I cried this morning and my mommy still left me at school.” What a great lesson in learning that tears will not manipulate! That was the only day she cried. She has adjusted well and really likes her preschool now.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pressure-cooker-christmas-ann-mccauley/1127206903?ean=9780999341513
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ann_McCauley_Pressure_Cooker_Christmas?id=OQA5DwAAQBAJ
Sneak preview of a three reviews:
Pressure Cooker Christmas is a charming read for anyone who has ever tried to pull off the perfect Christmas. In a moment of frustration, Marlene O’Malley writes the most honest holiday letter ever, and it falls into the wrong hands. Will she be able to explain herself? Will her children find the happiness that eludes them? And what is her curmudgeon of a husband building in that workshop? McCauley keeps you guessing all the way to the end of this delightful Christmas story. Barbara J. Taylor, author of Sing in The Morning, Cry at Night and All Waiting is Long
D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Reviews
In Ann McCauley’s newest book, four familiar themes–family, friends, food, and faith - combine in a slice of life tale that follows the O’Malley family through the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years in a particularly hectic year. The characters are true to life–we can see ourselves in the stresses and joys of the O’Malley’s as nurse, Marlene O’Malley, recounts them. And in the end, we must agree with her that, “Regardless…we were still family.” Pressure Cooker Christmas is a story to savor while sipping hot chocolate and munching on holiday snickerdoodles.
Linda Newman, M.L.S., retired
And there were several more just as lovely as these, enough to make an author feel like, yes, it was all worth it!
I have watched one very memorable and wonderful movie this month, Maudie, at the Independent Monday Night Series at the Bradford Movie House. Absolutely charming and sweet. AND it was based on real people, it showed them at the end.
We also watched the entire Ken Burn’s Vietnam Series on PBS. Very powerful and enlightening. He spent years with his team working on this project, it was all encompassing, more than 20 hours of viewing. The history of Vietnam, all sides of the conflict and a few individual soldiers were followed to give it more of a human feel that just a documentary. I definitely don’t want to watch it again. BUT I am very glad to have seen it once. Guaranteed you won’t be able to watch the whole thing without shedding at least a few tears. I highly recommend it… Very timely in this day of taking a knee instead of saluting our flag during the National Anthem.
I have read fewer books, because I have had to review so many proofs of my novel. BUT that’s part of the process when a person takes on self publishing! I read:
Glass Houses by Louise Penny. Fiction. Excellent as all her books are, but perhaps a more memorable theme to this novel. It is timely and will stay with the reader long after reading.
We Were Liars by e. Lockhart. Young adult fiction. A gripping plot examines the lives of the privileged trust fund set and their struggles inside their summer homes on a private island off the New England coast. The author is an excellent writer.
Meme Santerre by D Serge Grafteaux, translated from French to English by Louise A. and Kathryn L. Tilly. Memoir.
A quiet little book given to me by my cousin when she downsized. It is deep, simple and often profound. Born in 1891, she lived through the atrocities of WWI and then WWII, all the while just trying to keep a roof over her family. She was the youngest of eleven children. They all learned the art of linen weaving from their parents in their small cottage. Poverty, physical hardship and resiliency made Meme an unforgettable character. I highly recommend this one.
Maureen by Mary E. Trimble. Fiction. This novel was sent to me for review from Story Circle. It is a contemporary western novel. If you’d enjoy learning about modern day ranching, this would be a great book for you. The author shows it is indeed possible to love someone else’s children. A sweet and lovely book.
Till next time, keep reading my friends.
Later, Ann