Sunday, November 28, 2010

Excerpt Sunday: NEW RELEASE Unwrapping Scrooge




In honour of my new Christmas romance, Unwrapping Scrooge, which makes its official debut tomorrow from Decadent Publishing, I have selected a funny little exchange between my hero, the eccentric Kale, and his debonair literary agent, Byron - who is so good, he nearly deserves his own story!

“‘Allo, ‘allo!”

Byron let himself into the top flat and strode in with his usual brusque manner. More often than not, Kale simply ignored interruptions such as knocks, so the cheerful agent had long ago simply decided it was a waste of time to attempt it. Luckily, Kale had taken to leaving his door unlocked as it was easier than listening to his agent beat it down every Monday for their regular coffee break meetings.

“In here!” Kale called, without looking up from his typewriter keys as he finished off the last bit of dialogue to the scene he was completing.

“Why didn't you tell me what you had downstairs?” his disgustingly chipper friend tossed at him in mock accusation. “Not willing to share?”

Lost in thought, it took a moment for the words to penetrate Kale's creative bubble. “What?”

“Molly and Colby,” Byron expanded, “Your little Canadian friends.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and removed his glasses with a sigh. “Ah, yes...I should have guessed it wouldn't take you long to discover them.”

“You might’ve helped a mate out and made some introductions.”

“I don't even know them, myself.” He replaced his glasses and leafed through his new pages as if disinterested.

“Well, they seem to know you well enough.” Byron chuckled. “Middle-aged wool-clad writer...sounds about right.”

“What?” He glanced up from the papers sharply. “Who said that? About me?”

“Don't worry,” Byron cooed mockingly at what sounded like mild hurt in his voice. “Your Molly stood up for you admirably.” He turned to the coffee maker with a chuckle.

“Hardly my Molly,” Kale countered. “We've only met a few times around the building.”

“Well,” Byron said, smoothly, “she wants to get better acquainted, it seems. You, or should I say we, are invited for what promises to be an old fashioned Canadian Thanksgiving Day meal that Molly is cooking especially for their nearest and dearest.”

“Canadian Thanksgiving? Both of us invited?”

“Yes, and you sound like a mildly handicapped parrot today—what's wrong with you?”

Kale cleared his throat and shrugged. “So, when is this Thanksgiving, exactly?”

“I don't know,” Byron said. “But it doesn't matter. I'm your agent, and I say you're free. And you're going.”

“Why?”

“Because you're nothing but bones, and you never get out enough. And I got the distinct impression that Molly would throw me out the window if I dared show up without you. My God,” his agent added, “finally—after ten years of knowing you, could you be showing some interest in a female worth knowing for longer than a couple hours at a stretch?”

Kale just gaped at him.

“Kale and Molly sitting in a tree....” Byron sang under his breath as he switched the coffee maker to brew.

And, as promised, one lucky commenter on this post will receive a free PDF of this book. Today's comment topic, in light of the upcoming Christmas season, is "What is your favourite Christmas story or movie?"

So, drop on in and let me know, and then swing by tomorrow for the official release when I announce the lucky winner of a free PDF copy of Unwrapping Scrooge, my brand new release from Decadent Publishing!

15 comments:

Ashlynn Monroe said...

LOVE IT!!! Yes, Byron should totally get his own story. This little bite really made me hungry for the rest. Thanks for sharing this Anne! Good luck tomorrow, I love release days!

H. said...

My favourite Xmas movie... Toss up between the Muppets Christmas Carol and A Christmas Story. :)

H. said...

And I love Kale - and Byron does deserve his own story!

Amanda said...

I also love A Christmas Story the best. I'm also pretty fond of Hebrew Hammer, which is, I think, my only other Watch-Every-Year movie. And I mean, it has Santa in it, right? So it is Christmas Movie, yes?

Anne Holly said...

Yes, Amanda, that sure does count - as a Christmas movie AND a Hanukkah movie.

The only other Hanukkah movie that comes to mind is Eight Crazy Nights.

Anonymous said...

Hi Anne!
I am a Christmas Movie junkie.
I love the old Santa Claus is Coming to Town and the Frosty movie.

Heather

Anne Holly said...

I love old movies, too! The original Christmas in Connecticut is one of my all-time favourites!

And, of course, Miracle on 34th St. and the old Christmas Carol with Alasdair Sims.

Gracen Miller said...

Hi, Anne, fellow Decadent author here! ~waves~

Excellent excerpt. It had me laughing. I'm eager to read the rest of it after that mini-tease!

Favorite Christmas movie...I'm a classic girl when it comes to this, so I would have to say it would be either Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman. I grew up watching them and now I watch them every year with my boys.

All the best of success!

~huggles~
Gracen

Anne Holly said...

Thanks Ashlynn and Gracen! <3

Author Leanne Dyck said...

Thank you for sharing this funny piece. Wool-clad writer...traditional Canadian Thanksgiving dinner...um
Your little Canadian friend waves.
...okay...maybe...everything...isn't...about...me.
Happy writing

Maureen said...

Sounds fun! I'm a big fan of Scrogged with Bill Murry. I know, it's hardly traditional, but that suits me!

Anne Holly said...

I love Scrooged, as well! Watch it every year. :)

JM said...

Hello Anne, welcome to Decadent. Nice little piece. Definitely makes me want to read more.
I have to say, I'm pretty partial to the old stop-motion movies. Rudolf, and the others that were in that era with Burle Ives narrating. All time favorite though would have to be The Grinch. Pretty much have the thing memorized.
Anyway, welcome.

Keira Kroft said...

The Bells of St. Mary's is my favorite of all time. My current favorite is The Holiday.

I sure hope I win; your story looks awesome :)

Congratulations on your success.

Hugs, Keira

Nina Croft said...

Hi Anne, Congrats on the release - the book looks great.
My favorite Christmas movie, at the moment, is Love Actually - I watch it every year.

Questions? Comments?

Questions? Comments?
Request a Review PDF!
The Romance Reviews

Labels

:p (2) #samplesunday (25) 12 Flavours (15) 1K a Day (3) 1NS (1) 1Place for Romance (1) 2010 in Review (2) A Christmas Carol (1) A Funny Thing Happened... (7) About Me (3) Academics (1) Ads (1) Advice (2) After Life (2) All I Want (13) All Romance Ebooks (2) Alphamales (1) Amanda Wood (3) Amazon (6) American History (1) Andre Jute (1) Andy Rane (1) Angst (1) Anniversaries (3) Announcements (50) Anthologies (9) Aretha Smith (1) Artists (1) Ashley Rae (1) Ashlynn Monroe (9) Author Blogs (2) Author Portrait (1) Authors (5) Authors Behaving Well (1) Autumn (1) Awards (2) b4e (1) Bats (2) Behind the Books (2) Betareaders (3) BethAnn Buehler (5) Birthdays (1) BL Morticia (2) Blair McDowell (1) Blog Hop (14) Blog Novel (1) blog stuff (45) Blog Tours (3) BlogTalkRadio (2) Blurbs (4) Bob Mayer (1) Book Recommendation (7) Book Reviews (11) Book Spotlights (1) Bookmarks (2) Books (5) Britain (1) Bubbly (15) Business (21) Busy (2) call for submissions (1) Canada (6) Canadian Writers (4) Carl J Franklin (1) Carla Caruso (1) Categories (1) Cerise DeLand (1) Change (1) Changeling Press (1) Character Interviews (2) Characters (1) Charity (11) Chats (6) Childhood (1) Children (1) Christmas (13) Christopher Craven (2) Clare Dargin (2) Classics (2) Coffee (1) Coffee Breaks (33) Coffee Corner Forum (1) Coffee Time Romance (4) Cold War (1) Comments Please (3) Computers (2) Contact Me (11) Contemporary (8) Contests (31) Conventions (1) CoolMain Press (3) Copyright (2) Coral Moore (2) Cormack's Luck (5) Cover Artists (2) Cover Contests (2) Covers (18) Craft (1) Creepy Tales (1) CTR (1) Current Affairs (1) Current Work (18) Dakota Franklin (1) Dana Michelle Burnett (1) Dana Taylor (1) Dark (1) Dark Fantasy Romance (1) Dark Romance (1) Dating (1) Deanna Wadsworth (2) Death (1) Debbie Macomber (2) Debra Webb (1) Decadent Publishing (21) Declan Conner (1) Desi Moon (1) Ebooks (6) Editing (13) editors (2) Education (3) End of an Era (1) Epic Fantasy (1) epublishers (11) ereaders (2) Erotic (29) Erotic Romance (3) erotica (3) Events (12) Excerpt Sundays (43) Excerpts (56) Experiment (2) FaceBook (6) Fade to Black (1) Fall 2010 Project (26) Family (2) Fan Sites (1) fanfiction (2) Fantasy (6) Features (7) Feedback Needed (5) Fill the Shelves (1) First Dates (1) Folklore and Mythology (2) Food (2) Forums (3) Free Fridays (38) Free Reads (2) Free Stuff (5) Freebies (1) Freelancing (1) friends (5) Fruitcake (1) Fun Facts (1) FYI (2) Gary Vanucci (1) Geek Hero (1) Gemma Coole (1) Genre (9) George Berger (1) Giveaways (12) Global (1) Goals (7) Good causes (4) Good for the Goose (29) Good Ideas (2) Good Times (3) GoodReads (10) Gracen Miller (1) Grammar (1) Great Ideas (1) Greetings (1) GTKY (8) Guest Blog (2) Guest Blogging (1) Guest Blogs (5) Guest Excerpts (6) Guest Posts (22) Guest Recipes (1) Guest Spots (6) Halloween (10) Harry Potter (1) HEA (2) Hiatus (8) Historical Romance (2) History (5) Holiday (26) holiday romance (22) Holiday Shorts (52) Holiday Showcase (1) Holidays (22) Hope (1) How Tos (4) HQ (2) Humour (3) In Flanders Fields (1) In the News (1) Indie (4) Ingrid Weaver (1) Innovation (1) inspirational romance (2) Internet (4) Interviews (61) Invitations (8) Invites (6) Ireland (2) Issues (1) Jackie M Smith (3) Jasmine Aherne (4) Jean Brashear (2) Jennifer Wilck (1) JERR (1) Jessica Coulter Smith (3) Jessica Subject (1) JL Oiler (4) Joanne Troppello (7) John Howard Griffin (1) John McCrae (1) Joyfully Reviewed (3) Just for Fun (1) Juvenile Fiction (2) Kathleen Ann Gallagher (2) KB Authors (1) Keep in Touch (2) Kidding Around (1) Kids (1) Kiki Howell (1) Kindle (3) Kindlegraph (1) Krista Ball (2) Labour Day (2) Laments (1) Lanie Barnes (1) LaVerne Thompson (1) Leanne Dyck (3) Leanore Elliott (3) Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy (3) Legal Issues (1) Legos (1) Lending (1) Leslie Soule (1) LGTBQI (4) Life (5) Like Magic (18) Lila Munro (5) Lindsay Marene Ordone (1) Links (20) Liquid Heat (2) Lisa Day (1) Lisa de Nikolits (1) Lists (1) Literacy (1) litfic (1) Love (1) m/m (1) magazine work (1) Mahalia Levey (1) Marketing (16) Marriage of Convenience (1) Maureen Betita (1) Meatless Mondays (18) Megaposts (1) Melissa Keir (2) Memberships (1) Memes (2) Memoir (1) Memories (3) Mentions (2) Merfolk (1) Michel Prince (2) Milestones (3) mission statement (2) Monetizing (1) Motherhood (7) Motivation (12) Movie Reviews (2) Movies (4) Muses (1) Music (1) Musings (1) Must Love Books (3) Mysteries (1) Nancy LaPonzina (1) NaNo 2011 (1) NaNo2011 (6) NaNo2012 (2) NaNoWriMo (30) NASCAR (1) Nathalie LeBlanc (1) Nathan Morissey (1) Nature (3) Nerd Power (1) New Releases (6) New to Me Authors (1) New Years (3) News (2) Newsletter (6) Nominations (1) Non Fiction (1) Non-Fiction (3) Non-Romance (10) Nova Scotia (1) Observations (7) Off Topic (2) Open Thursdays (12) Opinion (7) Paperback (10) Paranormal (22) Parenting (10) Patrica Yager Delagrange (1) Personal Saturdays (11) Pet Peeves (1) Pictures (5) Pink Petal Books (5) Piracy (2) Pirates (1) PK Morris (1) Plagiarism (1) PNR (3) Poetry (2) Politics (1) POV (1) PR (14) Press Releases (1) Print (1) Process (1) Profession (1) Progress (14) promo ops (1) Promos (31) Promotions (35) PSAs (1) publishers (2) Publishing (2) Questionable Decisions (1) Questions (11) Quotes (1) Random Thoughts (7) Rants (6) Rawiya (2) Reading (2) Real Life (30) Realm of Ashenclaw (1) Rebel Ink (43) Recipes (18) Recommended Blogs (1) Reflections (2) Release Celebration (34) Remembrance Day (2) Reminder (1) Reminders (3) Research (4) Resolutions (1) Retrospectives (1) Reviews (10) Rhiannon Ellis (1) RIP (1) Romance (8) Romance Fiction (2) Romantic Comedy (2) Romantic Literature (1) Romantic Suspense (1) RomFan Reviews (1) Ruth Madison (3) RWA (1) Sales (8) Samples (1) Sara York (1) Savings (1) Sci-fi (3) Seasonal (1) Secret Project (2) Self-Publishing (4) Series (3) Shadonna Richards (1) Sherlock Holmes (1) Shifters (2) Short Pieces (23) Show Cases (1) Show Me The Money (1) Sickness (2) Siobhan Kinkade (2) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1) Six Sentence Sunday (6) Sizzling Hot Book Reviews (1) Sizzling PR (15) Social Justice (2) Social Media (1) Social Science (1) Speculative Fiction (1) SQUEE (3) Stacey Thompson Geer (4) Star Trek (2) Stephanie Draven (1) Stephanie Queen (1) storytelling (1) Strings Attached (32) Stuart Aken (1) Submissions (5) Summer 2011 Project (1) SuperRomance (1) Suzzana C Ryan (2) Swag (2) Taglines (1) TBR (1) Teachers (5) Teaching (4) Television (1) Textbook Romance (21) Thanksgiving (4) The Onion (1) The Romance Reviews (1) Thinking Out Loud (2) Thrillers (1) Thursday 13 (6) Titles (2) Topaz (1) Topical Tuesdays (20) Tot (1) Toys (1) Traditionals (1) Trailer (11) Translation (1) Tributes (1) TRR (3) TRS (2) Twitter (1) Twitter Pals (1) Tyhada's Bookshelf (1) University (2) Unwrapping Scrooge (40) Upcoming (28) Updates (10) Urgent (1) V-Day (18) Valentines Day (8) Vampires (2) Vera Jane Cook (1) Victorian Piece (2) Victoriana (2) Video (1) Vincent Price (1) Votes request (1) Waiting (1) Waking Kara (14) War (1) WB Yeats (1) Weather (2) Websites (3) welcome (1) Wellness (2) Wendy Smith (4) Western Romance (1) WHP (21) Wicked Nights (14) Winners (2) Winter 2011 Project (2) WIP (27) Women's Fiction (1) Wordless Wednesday (6) Words (1) Worthy Cause (1) Wounded Hero (1) Writing (19) Writing Tips (18) Writing Wednesdays (23) WWI (1) YA Paranormal (1) You Gotta Read (2) You Never Know (1) YouTube (3) Yule Be Mine (6) Zombies (1)