As autumn approaches its midway mark, it isn’t unusual to have people start talking about Christmas and, you guessed it, snow. I’m not lookin forward to it happening here, but we’ve had days when the thremometer dipped below 0 degrees C at night. What I realized was that a large dumping of snow in St Anthony would be very different from what we consider a serious snowstorm in my hometown, although some Ontario towns have had heavier than usual snowfalls in recent years. The house pictured on the left is located in St Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador.

This is my backyard after a snowsorm that coated the trees with snow, ice, and rime. In Meteorology, Frost or Rime Ice is an opaque coating of tiny, white, granular ice particles, that form when supercooled water droplets (fog or clouds) freeze instantly upon touching cold outdoor surfaces like trees, windows, or aircraft. In 1998, Eastern Ontario and Southern Quebec experienced an ice storm that lasted several days. A storm like that stays with you long after the snow and ice are gone, and to this day, manytrees are still bent and broken fromthat event. You can read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1998_North_American_ice_storm

In the photograph above, one taken three winters ago, the snow and ice combined to take down the willow. It bent over with the weight of the ice, snapped almost in half, and we had to cut it down in the spring, along with several broken branches from the maples. Unless you live in a region where heavy snow is a possibility, such as near Lake Erie or Lake Ontario on the United States’ side, you never quite understand how destructive and dangerous it can be.

Imagine having to dig yourself out after a three day storm like the photograph above! It hasn’t been that bad here since the winter of 1971-72 when the snow reached the top of the carport at home. But enough about my personal battle with the white stuff.

Last summer, I was fortunate enough to visit St Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador. It was August, cool enough for jackets, jeans, and hoodies, but not snow, nor icebergs. I developed some serious issues with my back — the trip wasn’t to blame, old age is — but it didn’t stop me from participating in most of the activities included in the tour. While there wasn’t any snow there, I saw pictures similar to the one above and heard bits of conversation about such things when we visited the Grenfell Historical Properties. Can you imagine a doctor today traveling miles in a vicious snowstorm and doing it alone with nothing to help him but a team of sled dogs pulling his sled across frozen land and water? That’s what Sir Wilfred Grenfell did in 1892, when all of the modern conveniences we take for granted didn’t exist. The sacrifices people made not only to survive but to thrive touched me, and I chose to set my latest Christmas books there.

Winter Blues has given me an opportunity to share what I learned about Newfoundland, its people, its traditions, and of course, its colorful language. This sweet second chances romance is the perfect read for this Chirstmas.

Here’s the blurb:

Maxine Slater saw the bright future she’d envisioned as wife and CEO of a two-family logging company destroyed by a Dear Maxie letter delivered by her fiancé’s older brother, Crispin Winters. To avoid further pain and humiliation, she left and settled in Newfoundland.

A vicious winter storms diverts Cris’s plane to the St. Anthony, Newfoundland Airport. Unable to stay at the airport, he accepts a billet in a B & B usually closed at this time of year. One look into the owner’s sapphire eyes is all he needs to recognize Maxie, but the daggers in those eyes indicate that she isn’t as pleased about it as he is. Cris only has a handful of days to change her mind, claim the heart of the woman he’s loved for years, and save their families’ company. Will being snowbound with Christmas magic in the air be enough?

Winters Blues is part of a box set available for pre-order on any amazon platform. You can find it using the ASIN: B0HMQ3W7VV The set will be live in early November!

IRRESISTIBLE SNOWBOUND CHRISTMAS

---

Christmas—the season of twinkling lights, snowy nights, and unexpected kindness—makes love feel possible. Curl up with your Kindle and enjoy this heartwarming collection of holiday romances.

If you crave uplifting stories filled with charm, hope, and happily‑ever‑afters, these SEVEN BRAND NEW, NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED SWEET CHRISTMAS ROMANCES—written by NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY & INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING, AWARD‑WINNING AUTHORS—will brighten your holidays with festive small‑town charm and irresistible Christmas magic.

Let these cozy tales wrap you in the Christmas spirit and leave you smiling long after the final page.
STARRY-EYED CHRISTMAS by Kim Hornsby, USA Today Bestselling Author: A painfully shy small-town sheriff falls for a handsome astronaut when he arrives in town to observe a once in a lifetime meteor shower, but when her beautiful and shallow friend attracts his attention, the shy sheriff agrees to coach her through the courtship regardless that her own feelings for the astronaut are blasting off.

SNOWBOUND, DESTITUTE & HEARTBROKEN by Mimi Barbour, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author: A blizzard. A missing child. A woman in labor. And one man who refuses to leave them behind. He went searching for his dog. Instead, he found the family he never knew he needed.

WINTER BLUES by Susanne Matthews, International Bestselling Author: Maxine Slater’s future shatters with a single Dear Maxie letter—hand‑delivered by her fiancé’s brother, Crispin Winters. Heartbroken, she escapes to Newfoundland to rebuild her life. When a winter storm diverts Cris’s flight to St. Anthony, he ends up snowbound in the B&B Maxie now owns. One look tells him he never stopped loving her… and her icy stare says she hasn’t forgiven a thing. With only days before the weather clears, Cris must win back her heart and save their families’ company. Christmas magic—and close quarters—might be his only chance.

TOGETHER AGAIN AT CHRISTMAS by Hope White USA Today Bestselling Author: When Chloe Swift, managing a soon‑to‑open resort, calls the police about a suspected break‑in, she’s stunned when childhood best friend—and twice‑broken‑heart ex—Ethan Beck shows up. A massive storm traps them together, forcing them to face old wounds and buried feelings. Ethan enjoys revisiting their past, while Chloe fights to protect her heart. History and mystery collide as two former friends struggle to reconcile what was… and discover what still could be.

SNOWBOUND WITH SECRETS by Inge-Lise Goss USA Today Bestselling Author: Ivy’s Christmas plans shatter when she finds her boyfriend with another woman. Stranded in a snowstorm, she stumbles on a familiar cabin where a stranger aims a rifle—because he’s being hunted. While thugs circle in, Ivy flees with him to a house in the woods where she discovers his true identity and a love she’d thought was lost forever.

CHRISTMAS AT THE LOVE LODGE by Carmine Valentine, International Bestselling Author: Scarlett Lake and Cooper Edwards are forced together six weeks after their breakup when the wedding party is stranded in a Rocky Mountain snowstorm. Seeking refuge at the once‑famous Love Lodge, they meet the Christmas Matchmaker and his unconventional ways of rekindling romance. It may be icy outside, but things are heating up fast inside the Love Lodge.

TWO HEARTS’ CHRISTMAS ASSIGNATION Tamara Ferguson, USA Today Bestselling Author: Wounded veteran Will Atkinson is honoring his best friend’s last wish by supporting his niece’s vocational program in Crystal Rock. When he convinces Sabrina Marquart to enroll her traumatized daughter, danger follows. As feelings for Sabrina surface, Will realizes Nina witnessed her father’s murder—and now he must protect them both before the past destroys any chance at a future with Sabrina.