When I create a heroine, I try to fashion a woman with compassion in her soul. If my readers are going to care about my characters, my characters have to care deeply about something…or someone. ABIGAIL AND MISTLETOE is a retro romance. I wrote it in the early nineties and it was the first in which my heroine had a therapeutic profession. Abigail is a trauma makeup artist and she plunged herself into her profession for a very good reason.
I like to choose professions for my characters that impact the plotline of the novel. I had watched a talk show about the trauma makeup profession and I thought—”What a terrific career for a heroine.” From there I established the plotline. For my heroine to be affected deeply by the clients she helped, I felt she had to be touched by her profession in some way. Envisioning Abigail, I gave her a port wine stain on the side of her face. It affected her childhood. That stain made her feel different from everyone else and isolated her from the rest of the world. There is no doubt she understands everything about feeling different and being rejected. Feeling inferior touched her heart and her soul, and still now it’s sometimes difficult to shake those feelings off. She doesn’t want anyone else to ever experience that desolation. She knows first-hand the heartache and devastation that isolation and curling up within your own shell can cause.
Readers might say the theme of ABIGAIL AND MISTLETOE is “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” or “Beauty isn’t only skin-deep.” But I intended a deeper theme for the book. When you love someone unconditionally, you only see their beauty, not their flaws. When someone loves you unconditionally, you can forget your flaws and concentrate on your purpose and others you can share your life with.
The pristine setting of a snowy Colorado Christmas seemed to be the perfect backup for this book. A lodge owner is a long-time friend of an actress who’d experienced a disfiguring accident. She won’t come out from behind her veil. Abigail’s expertise with makeup can give her back her life. Abigail has first-hand proof of how it changed hers.
But Abigail’s port wine stain is a secret to everyone but the closest friends. When she meets the sexy former stuntman who owns the lodge with his dad, she feels she must keep it a secret from him. But secrets and trust issues hinder a budding romance. The question Abigail constantly asks herself is—Can Brady love the woman she is, rather than the woman he sees when she’s wearing makeup? Can she show him the person she is underneath the veneer? In the past, someone rejected her when he found out about her “imperfection.” Will Brady be the same?
I believe what women want most in a relationship is to be loved for ourselves without any pretense. Only if Brady can love Abigail unconditionally will they find happily ever after.
In many ways this is a book about redemption. Brady has his own wounds to heal. But it’s mostly about trusting others enough to show them your heart.
Excerpt from ABIGAIL AND MISTLETOE:
“Brady, I need to tell you something. I—”
He brought her tighter against him on the small dance floor. “You feel so good in my arms.”
His voice floated around her, caressing her as his green eyes had. A voice whispered, Tell him, but a louder voice said, A little more time won’t matter. Take this moment and hold on to it.
He brought her hand to his chest and smoothed his thumb over her knuckles. “What did you want to tell me?”
His hand on her back scorched through her sweater. His thumb on her hand created a rippling pleasure throughout her body. His shirt under her fingers, the scent of clean soap, his beard almost brushing her chin intoxicated her. “Nothing. Not now.”
His nose grazed hers as he murmured, “Good thinking.” He dropped the lightest of kisses on her lips, locked his hands at her back waist, and pulled her flush against him. All the air whooshed from her lungs as she laid her cheek against his shoulder and let his thighs guide their movement.
His lips brushed her ear and a shiver zipped up her spine. He must have felt it because he whispered into her ear, “You’re a very sensual woman, Abigail Fox.”
She lifted her head. “Are you trying to seduce me?”
Amusement mixed with passion in his deep green eyes. “Here? In the midst of this crowd?”
Several other couples had joined them on the dance floor, and most of the tables were filled. She wrinkled her nose at him. “I think I accepted a date with a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
His amusement faded away. “My intentions are obvious. I want you. I’m not pretending differently.”
Award-winning and best-selling author Karen Rose Smith will see her 80th novel published in 2013. She writes happily-ever-after relationship romances about love’s power to heal. Relationships will also be the basis for her mystery series about a home stager sleuth beginning next year.
Would you like to win a Free Kindle copy from Karen? One commenter will, and all you have to tell us is…What puts you in that Christmas Spirit?
Follow Karen on Twitter @Karenrosesmith
For a preview of ABIGAIL AND MISTLETOE, Here’s a book trailer. It’s great to be here today. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiH7pI9UdWo&feature=youtu.be
That was such a good trailer and I bet the book is wonderful. I’m thinking of reading it for my Christmas reviews…
What puts you into the Christmas spirit? I like to read holiday romances for that reason.
Hey Karen!
I love the Christmas stories and they can certainly bring that spirit of ’tis’ the season’ on!
Mel
80th novel? I tip my hat to you Karen!
Christmas spirit? Funny you should ask that as my sister and I were talking about what Christmas cookies we want to make this year on our way home from work. Cookies and egg nog *nodding head*
Hey Lex!
OMG! I love them cookies! My whole house smells like a vanilla factory at Christmas time ;D
Mel
Lexi–yep, thinking about what Christmas cookies to bake. And I pulled out Christmas wrap!
Karen,
You got me thinking about this and in the end there’s one thing that always gets me into this whole Christmassy mood and that’s the music that I start listening to as early as November and I tend to drive people at home and at work, bonkers ;D But it makes me happy!
I’m always in the mood for Christmas music. I just got Lady Antebellum’s Christmas album. But ilove my old old Roger Whittaker and Perry Como too!
Hi Melanie and Karen!
When Karen talked about Abigail and how “feeling inferior touch her heart and soul” I had to stop for a moment because it took me back to similar feeling that I had when I was young. I think that most of us have had a time in their life where they questioned if they were “good enough” or could “measure up”. I know that even though I haven’t had a chance to read Abigail Mistletoe yet it has already made me stop and be thankful for the woman I have now become.
I love the Christmas season and the look of wonder on the face of young children whether from gazing up at the bright lights of the Christmas tree, sitting on Santa’s lap, or singing Christmas carols never fails to put me in the Christmas spirit!
I think my husband and my best Christmas gift was two years ago when our younger son called and said our two grandsons and our granddaughter had decided that for Christmas they wanted their gifts to go to children who Santa “wouldn’t be able to visit”! We thought is was such a wonderful idea that we shared it with our other son and relatives. That year not just us but our entire extended family decided that instead of exchanging gifts with each other all the gifts would go to those who otherwise wouldn’t have anything “under their tree”.
I think that in the end it was all of us who received the great gift.