Silent Night, Magic Night Authors

With Christmas around the corner, we at The Morgan Diaries wanted to do something special for the holidays. But these stinking carolers won’t leave us alone long enough to come up with something. So, we thought if we plied them with cheap eggnog and hit them over the head… uh, we mean gave them a nice slice of fruit cake, they would move on or at the very least stay unconscious long enough for us to get something done. While I prepared their repast, Morgan O opened the door and who did she find on the other side? None other but my fellow authors from Silent Night, Magic Night. They stopped by to spread some holiday cheer and we obliged by making them sit down, drink the cheap booze, and chat with us for awhile. In the interest of Peace on Earth, we refrained from making them eat the fruitcake.

TMD: Buffi BeCraft-Woodall, Dani Harper, T.J. Killian and Catherine Stang, thank you for all the beautiful singing and for joining us at the Diaries for a spot of eggnog, and no you won’t have to eat the fruitcake. Jmo, put it away before somebody gets hurt. And you have to answer some of these questions too, especially since you’re the token male.

Buffi: Fruitcake? I like fruitcake. Seems everybody gets one but me. I'll just stuff a little of that in my mouth so you don't hear the caterwauling that passes for my singing.

TMD: Even though the central theme of the book is paranormal, there is a wide range of stories in the anthology. Would everyone mind sharing a little bit about their stories for our readers?

TJ: The Tides of Yule
One magical night could change his life – it might end hers.

Elizabeth Lapp left the Amish years ago, but she still practices the simple life. Even as a secret from her past haunts her, she’s not prepared for what is about to happen to her.

Noel St. Cloud is a mystic Stygian Knight on his way to celebrate Yule in the peace of Pennsylvania’s Dutch country. As he drives through a blizzard to find himself face to face with a Cascade of Frost Demons. In the middle of the swarming crystalline entities is his next mate.
From that moment they are set on a course with destiny while riding the magical Tides of Yule.

DH: When is a ghost not a ghost? In THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT, Kerri Tollbrook counsels the newly departed, but what happens when the tall, dark and handsome spirit she meets at the shopping mall refuses to be counseled?

Firefighter Galen McAllister feels like The Invisible Man when a malicious spell separates him from his still-living body. Kerri is the first person he's met who can actually see him. Now if only he can get her to listen to him…

Can they create enough magic in the nine days before Christmas to break the spell, or will Galen remain a ghost forever?

CS: All I Want is You
Their love is destined by the Spirits.

Enigmatic, jaded, Ross Stanton, Earl of Brynmor, would love it if the ghosts haunting his house would be quiet for a change. He'd like it even better if the young lady of the ton, who has chased him for years, would stop sending him messages. After all, he's only trying to protect her from his dark and dangerous secret.

Emma understands the spirit world, she hasn't quite figured out Ross though. Her love interest came back from the war – different. Never mind that, she's determined to have him as her husband and will do anything to get him. Three wayward ghosts, a duel at dawn, and a mystical twist is all that stands in her way.

Buffi: The Sword and the Sorceress
Love and Mercy are powerful forms of magic.

Gennie Pendragon understands magic isn't always good for the body or the soul. Born from the descendants of the mystical King Arthur and Merlin, she also knows the legends are real.
Excalibur, the King Maker, has remained hidden away for the past century awaiting his next master's hand to claim him. Once awakened, he has four days to test this unknown Pendragon. Only the Good and Just can wield his immense power, but Gennie is something he never counted on.

Nothing can change his destiny - not even their passionate love.

Jmo: Elfing Around is my contribution to the anthology.

Essie is an elf gone Wild! But Public Enemy #1 she’s not. Thrown behind bars two days before Christmas, Essie can’t believe the local Barney Fife thinks she’s a… it’s too horrible to say outloud. Hoor, okay there I’ve said it. Hunkalicious Sheriff Dalton comes to her rescue—in more ways than one. False arrest turns into the opportunity for Essie to finally be naughty for once in her life.

Forget the mistletoe! Come fall in love under the flickering lights of a Christmas tree and be naughty about it. Let’s just hope Santa isn’t watching. If you didn’t know—he frowns on naughty. That won’t stop Essie from discovering the best presents are always the naughtiest.

TMD: So how hard was it to write a story revolving around the Holiday Season?

TJ: I was actually stumped when I first sat down to write The Tides of Yule. In my brain the holidays equate to lots of cheer. I like cheer, but to write it is something very different. After days of fiddling with ideas, I decided to do what I do best. I can honestly say I’m thrilled to return to my roots in cross-genre with this story, and to the Stygian Knights.

DH: Are you kidding? I got to combine TWO of my very favorite things – the paranormal and Christmas! Scooby the Pug (my official muse) was excited too and I could hardly wait to get started! In retrospect I can honestly say that I enjoyed writing this story more than anything else I’ve ever written. Scooby had an excellent time too.

CS: I love Christmas, so it was fun using that time of year for the backdrop to my story.

Buffi: Not hard at all. Christmas is a state of mind. A little eggnog. A little more eggnog. I love the holidays.

Since East Texas is still pretty warm this time of year, you just hike up your shorts. Plug in the pretty lights, and there you go. I already had the basic plot idea down for The Sword and the Sorceress. I felt like the Christmas theme was a part of the story that had been missing while plotting it out. Plus, I love putting my own spin on any legend.

Hey! Jmo, don't you dare move that eggnog out of reach. Anybody want some fruitcake? No? Okay, more for me.

Jmo: It was fun to get to act nutty with a theme instead of just being crazy for no reason. Seriously, I love this time of year and have always wondered what those elves were up to when Santa wasn’t watching.

TMD: So how did the idea for Silent Night, Magic Night come about?

CS: You’ll have to ask T.J. how she thought up the idea. I know she was muse behind this book. All I know is early one morning Dani called me to ask if I wanted to write a paranormal Christmas story and I couldn’t resist the offer.

TJ: The idea came from the imagination of the owner of Dark Eden Press. She said - holiday and paranormal. Paranormal? Sure, I can do paranormal. Holiday? Let me think on it. I mean the truth is - she said here. I said when. End of story.

Buffi: I have TJ to thank for my invitation. It was like getting my Christmas present early. I love working with her. She's great.

TJ: Hey whose cookies are these?

JMo: Not the Oreos! She’s found my secret stash. Somebody stop her!

Buffi: (whispering) Anyone mind if I have another piece of this fruitcake? There's not much left. No takers? Awwww. This last piece just looks so lonely.

Morgan O: Jmo, put down the yule log. Excuse me, but Jmo is having a breakdown. Stay tuned tomorrow as we conclude our special interview with the authors from the Dark Eden Anthology, Silent Night, Magic Night.