All I Want For Christmas: A Sweet Serenade Christmas Novella (6 page)

A choir’s singing spilled from the entrance to a tall building that looked like it had been standing in place for at least a century. The service had already started, with the lower seats filled, so they took carpeted stairs to the balcony.

The choir seemed to be singing in Latin. Matt was frowning. Maybe listening to imperfect music bothered him, because the choir was pretty bad. To his credit, he didn’t wince.

The pastor began speaking in a foreign language. Portugese? Spanish? Hailey sent Matt a puzzled look.

The corners of his mouth quirked, and a smile broke loose. He leaned close. “Do you speak Spanish?”

“No.”

“Neither do I.”

After the pastor finished his sermon, the choir sang again. An older woman stepped forward for a solo. Her voice wavered on and off pitch, but the joy that radiated from her face made her song beautiful. And then the church grew hushed.

“What’s happening?” She whispered the question.

“I think we’re waiting for midnight to arrive.” Matt gave her hand a squeeze. “It’s almost Christmas.”

The church bell tolled midnight, echoing the joy in her heart.

Thanks for spending some time with me this Christmas. I hope you enjoyed reading
All I Want For Christmas
, the first
A Sweet Serenade
Christmas novella. I based this story on my own experiences as a classically-trained vocalist and as an assistant underwriter for an insurance company in Seattle. Like Hailey, I worked on the top floor of a skyscraper and walked a mile to and from work each day.

My heroine’s struggle to decide her path was very much my own during that time frame. I’m glad she decided to take the time to sort herself out before she considers marriage, although I suspect she’ll wind up with Matt.

The fear of being hurt is something most of us can understand. Matt took extreme measures to hide from love and had to face the dishonesty of his actions before he could risk his heart again. Now he and Hailey need time to nurture trust.

Look for
Blue Christmas
, the next installment in the
A Sweet Serenade Christmas
novella series, in autumn 2016.

Meanwhile, if you are interested in purchasing Janalyn’s other books or want to be notified when her new titles release, please visit
http://janalynvoigt.com
and sign up for the Creative Worlds of Janalyn Voigt email list. You’ll receive book extras, monthly updates, special offers, and episodes of the Story Circle Podcast.

I write in more than one genre.
DawnSinger
and
Wayfarer
are the first two books in
Tales of Faeraven
,
a medieval epic fantasy series that will ultimately contain four books.
Deceptive Tide
, a novel set in the San Juan Islands, will release early in 2016.
Hills of Nevermore
will lead out the
Montana Gold
series, a set of three historical romances set in Montana’s gold rush era, slated for a 2017 release.

You’ll find the recipe for
Izzy’s candy cane steamer
at Janalyn’s website. If you give it a try, be sure to let her know what you think. While you’re there, you can also claim
free printable Christmas planner pages
.
If you’d enjoy reading about literary sites for the books Janalyn recommends, visit the
Literary Wayfarer blog
.

Readers often aren’t aware that authors need their help in putting the word out about their books. Leaving a review is one of the best things you can do to help your favorite novelists stand out in a crowded literary market. A review can be as short as a couple of sentences. If you would like to provide a review, please visit the
Amazon page for Janalyn Voigt
, click on the cover of
All I Want For Christmas
, and scroll down to the Customer Review section. You have my sincere and heartfelt thanks. Thanks for reading!