11 Days until Christmas!
Dorothy Keddington is the author of seven romantic-suspense novels and co-author of the non-fiction biography of Ahmad Sharifi, A Square Sky. Dorothy's most recent novel, The Fairy Thorn, released just this month, is a romantic-suspense set on Washington State's Whidbey Island and Mazatlan, Mexico. Granite Publishing will be re-releasing Dorothy's previous novels, beginning with Jayhawk. Currently, Dorothy is working on her next romantic-suspense novel titled Hearth Fires.
The Fairy Thorn can be purchased online at www.amazon.com and www.granitebooks.com. Confetti Books in Spanish Fork and The Book Table in Logan have copies, and it will be in Seagull Book outlets and bookstores everywhere soon.
LDSWBR: Dorothy, what holiday traditions do you and your family participate in every Christmas? Will you be starting any new traditions this year?
DOROTHY: One of my favorite traditions is the mammoth "McDonald Clan" get together which is held every year at my sister Sue's home. Everyone brings a treat or pot luck goodie and we have all the aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren attending. I usually bring everyone's favorite gingerbread cookies,, a treat that my mother used to make when we were children. It's a wonderful time to visit, see the new babies, and hear about missionaries and newly marrieds. We always sing Christmas Carols and believe me, it's quite the choir. My nephew, Marshall McDonald, is a brilliant pianist/arranger/composer and my sister, Kathy, sang with the Tabernacle Choir for years. Niece Tally plays the viola beautifully, my brother Jack plays the guitar, and we all love singing together. Even though my parents have both passed away, I know that our getting together must bring them great joy.
LDSWBR: What a grand tradition! What books are on your Christmas wish list?
DOROTHY: I absolutely love the new illustrated Neal Maxwell quote book. His words and thoughts always touch and inspire me.
LDSWBR: What books have you purchased/will you purchase as gifts for loved ones this Christmas?
DOROTHY: I love giving family, friends and my grandchildren books each Christmas. These may include old, out-of-print titles as well as new books. I am particularly fond of beautifully illustrated fairy tale collections. One year I found an old hard-bound copy of Mary Webb's classic, Precious Bane, which I gave to my daughter Laura. We both adore that book. This year for Christmas, I will be giving my family and friends copies of The Fairy Thorn. They've been waiting patiently for nearly seven years and I'm so happy I can deliver a new book for Christmas.
LDSWBR: You have many, many fans that are happy about that, too! Thanks for taking the time to share with us, Dorothy, and for donating a copy of The Fairy Thorn for our drawing.
A lot of authors have listed singing Christmas Carols as a tradition in their families. What are your favorite Christmas Carols to sing or listen to during the holidays? (I never get tired of listening to Carol of the Bells).
Don't forget to nominate your favorite 2009 books by LDS authors for Whitney Awards by December 31! Can't remember what you read? Visit the LDS Publisher blog for a list of books published by LDS authors in 2009.
***Countdown to Christmas Contest***
LDSWBR will hold a drawing on Christmas Day for a $25 eGift Card from Deseret Book, as well as a variety of books being offered by some of the LDS authors that will be featured on the blog. Simply post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas author posts to enter. Here are the rules:
- LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a "thoughtful" comment.
- Only one comment per person per "Countdown to Christmas" author post will be entered into the drawing. This allows the potential for 24 entries per person at the end of the contest. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you'd like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
- Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 24, 2009. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on December 31, 2009 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
- Book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
- Loyalty's Web by Joyce DiPastena
- Hidden Branch by G.G. Vandagriff
- Altared Plans by Rebecca Talley
- A Modest Proposal by Michele Ashman Bell (includes a bonus copy of Michele's Christmas booklet, A Candle in the Window)
- Her Good Name by Josi Kilpack
- MISSING by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
- Famous Family Nights by Anne Bradshaw
- Love Letters of Joseph and Emma (autographed copy) by Angela Eschler
- Family Home Evening Adventures by Rebecca Irvine
- Counting the Cost by Liz Adair
- Shudder by Jennie Hansen
- Mormon Mishaps & Mischief by D. N. Giles & C. L. Beck
- Dawn's Early Light by Laurie (L.C.) Lewis
- The Fairy Thorn (brand new release!) by Dorothy Keddington
- Torn Apart (signed copy) by Diony George
- Pursued: A Maggie McKenzie Mystery by Lynn Gardner
I love romantic suspense and the title, The Fairy Thorn, sounds so interesting. What a lot of excellent authors you have in this contest! Fun, fun!
ReplyDeleteHi, Dorothy, I love to hear about family holiday gatherings. This coming Saturday my siblings and I plus all our children will gather to share food, faith and fellowship. Each of us brings along some of our favorite dishes and we enjoy a potluck dinner. There will be approximately 50-60 people attending, three generations of the descendants of Frank
ReplyDeleteT. and Mary Louise Castillo.
One of our family traditions on Christmas Eve, is to gather around the piano and sing Christmas songs from the Hymn book. I have usually played the piano and sang, but with many of my nieces and nephews now playing the piano, now I just sing. Our favorite songs to sing are, Silent night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing and Angels We Have Heard on High. With everyone singing different parts and coming from a very musical family, we sound really good.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law becomes Maria Von Trapp and all of the sudden we are caroling in 5 or 6-part harmony with maybe even a little beat-boxing. We are usually laughing at ourselves, but it kind of blows people away at the doors and that's really cool.
ReplyDeleteMy mom, sisters and I sing whatever Christmas Carol there is to sing. We all do harmony and it's so funny to just burst into song when our husbands are standing around. They think we are crazy! I love the Carol of the Bells, and The First Noel might be my favorite.
ReplyDeleteSo many new books I see here and they sound really good! Two of my fav Christmas songs are Dummer Boy and Do You Hear What I Hear. And all the traditional hyms too! Books are great gifts!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas song is Silent Night in German. It isn't like all the other songs we sing. It sound different with the same message.
ReplyDeleteRight now the kids favorite seems to be The Forgotten Carols.
ReplyDeleteOne of my many favorite Christmas songs is, "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas." Which is next to impossible to find on a CD. Thank goodness for itunes!
ReplyDelete