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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

How Does an Intense Christmas Competition Lead to Love?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Brilliant RomCom author, Sarah Monzon has a great new Christmas novel for us full of all the Christmassy things we love! via @chautonahavig

Finally getting a chance to chat with Sarah Monzon was a total delight, and learning all about her latest release, All’s Fair in Love and Christmas was equally awesome.  My copy is here and waiting for me to dive into the battle of the celebrations!  EEEP! Listen in to see what that even means!

Note: I sound like I’m underwater. We heard it during our interview, but I couldn’t make it behave and couldn’t fix it. Sorry!

Sarah Monzon

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

How Does an Intense Christmas Competition Lead to Love?

All’s Fair in Love and Christmas has so much going for it that I don’t know where to start! Fun mom who made our heroine’s childhood Christmases an international delight without ever leaving home?  Check!  Social anxiety adding to the stress of competing for a promotion?  Check?  Romcom hilarity?  Check, check?  And add to all that Sarah’s wonderful writing and delightful characterization?  I’m all in.

We also chatted about why she chose to write about a woman with social anxiety, her preferred reading methods, and some of my favorite books by her. For a refresher, those are The Isaac Project, 12 Days of Snowmen, and Book Nerds & Boyfriends (a collection of three novellas).

Sarah Monzon All's Fair in Love and ChristmasAll’s Fair in Love and Christmas by Sarah Monzon

Two workplace rivals. One festive competition. And a romance that upends it all.

Every December two things are guaranteed for graphic designer Mackenzie Graham–Christmas celebrations and the annual promotion at her workplace. Those two things are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, the better an employee is at harnessing the Christmas spirit, the more likely they’ll win the new job. With her social anxiety, Mackenzie never thought she’d be a contender in her company’s holiday competition, so how exactly has she found herself dueling her workplace crush with wrapping paper tubes and using tinsel as her weapon of choice for a much-needed raise?

Jeremy Fletcher’s life is meticulously planned out, including how to win this year’s promotion at work. Not only will the new position fulfill some of his career goals, but as a single guardian to his twin niece and nephew, he needs the salary increase to support his family. Jeremy has barely noticed Mackenzie Graham around the office, but now that she’s his rival, he can’t stop thinking about her. Her quirkiness intrigues him, and he’s afraid that if he can’t get his head on straight, the promotion isn’t the only thing he’ll end up losing to Mackenzie.

“Inspirational rom-com readers are going to love this one.”–BETHANY TURNER, bestselling author of The Do-Over

You can learn more about Sarah on her WEBSITE.  Also follow her on BookBub and GoodReads.

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Previous Post: « How Many Lies Does It Take to Expose the Truth That Love Brings?
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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 283: A Chat with Debut Author Denise L. Barela
byChautona Havig

Having the chance to chat with a dear friend about her book is always a treat.  So when Denise L. Barela chatted to me about her mystery, Silencing the Siren, I knew we’d have a lot of fun. Boy, did we. From the first ideas on this mystery through the new series she’s considering, and where she wants to take her writing in the future, Denise has a lot to share.  Listen in to learn about her writing and how you can listen to her book free!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why an Almost Love At First Sight Mystery Actually Works!

Denise L. Barela’s debut novel is the seventh in the Ever After Mysteries. These fairy-tale retellings set in the twenties (and now the forties!) feature fun mashups of those beloved tales with some kind of mystery. Denise chose “The Little Mermaid” and went to town combining 1920s New York City and Coney Island with that fairy tale and a freak show attraction that causes all kinds of trouble in various ways.

One thing I liked is how the “love at first sight” aspect of the original story played out in Denise’s. She focused on Annabel’s character and, being so different from the superficiality he lived with, it drew him in.  No, it’s not a romance, but this mystery does have romance in it, and Denise made that tough trope work.

The research Denise did involved widely differing topics–from novelty gifts (doorbells, folks!), to car technology advancements, to just how hard it was to find a map of New York City for the era!

Of course, that sparked a discussion on research for her other book and how she discovered rewritten history ruining her plans for it.  Enter rewrites. Sigh.

Finally, we discussed the sorts of books she wants to write, her conversation with Jaime Jo Wright, and where she plans to take things after she does one more mystery-themed series.  Clue is coming like you’ve never seen it.

Silencing the Siren by Denise L. Barela

Andrew Grayson thought he had everything… until he met her.

The indulged son of wealthy parents, Andrew has always gotten whatever he wanted almost before he knew he wanted it—clothes, gadgets… even a car! What more could a young man desire?

Enter Annabel Thompson. Freakshow mermaid extraordinaire… in a wheelchair!

Of course, her beauty attracts him. How could it not? Add to that a kind heart, and Andrew can’t help but fall for her.

Annabel’s connection with the freakshow repels his parents and their society friends. They want him to sever all ties with her and his new friends. Oh, and marry the “right” girl with the “right connections.” But he won’t do it. He’ll defy them and marry his little mermaid.

When Annabel turns up missing, declared dead, things don’t add up, Andrew begins asking some difficult questions, the most important being, “What happened to the little mermaid of the Coney Island freak show?”

Find out in this next book in the Ever After Mysteries, combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries. Silencing the Siren offers a retelling of “The Little Mermaid” that will keep you gripped to the edge of your seat as you watch the story unfold.

Learn more about Denise L. Barela on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.  You can listen to Silencing the Siren free on her YouTube Channel.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

  • Apple 
  • Castbox 
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn 
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Amazon
  • and more!
Episode 283: A Chat with Debut Author Denise L. Barela
Episode 283: A Chat with Debut Author Denise L. Barela
November 28, 2023
Chautona Havig
Because Fiction: A Chat with Split-Time Author, Melanie Dobson
November 25, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 281: A Chat with Angela Hunt
November 23, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 280: A Chat with Debut Author, Johanna Rojas Vann
November 21, 2023
Chautona Havig
Because Fiction 279: A Chat with Amish Author, Leslie Gould
November 17, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 278: A Chat with WWII Author, Amanda Barratt
November 14, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 277: A Chat with M. D. House about Sophia
November 11, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 276: A Chat with Jaime Jo Wright about Her New Release
November 7, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 275: A Chat about Knowing You by Tracie Peterson
November 3, 2023
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Because Fiction 274: A Chat with Sara Beth Williams about No Matter How Far
October 31, 2023
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I should be editing the podcast or writing, but i I should be editing the podcast or writing,  but it's been a long day,  and I haven't read all week. So, quick reading break with some Hungarian coffee cake and a cup of tea. Oh, and On Moonberry Lake by @hollyvarni 
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Or just love a suspenseful novel? Reposted from @ Or just love a suspenseful novel?

Reposted from @lisaphillipsbks Now that the weather has turned chilly, are you pining for the summer sun? ☀️🌴 Well, you're in luck because it's not too late to get your copy of Come What May, volume 3 of our Summer Heat series, and escape to summer in collection of FOUR novels! Head over to my link in bio to find your copy before it's gone.

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Oh... how I need to learn this lesson! Sigh. Comin Oh... how I need to learn this lesson! Sigh.
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How did I manage to wait this long to start this? How did I manage to wait this long to start this? I'm ready to move to Moonberry Lake.
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Tonight's reads. What's on your TBR tonight? #AmR Tonight's reads.  What's on your TBR tonight?
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Day 4: Vacation Read I LOVE collections for vacati Day 4: Vacation Read
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I love the Summer Heat Series, and not just because I've got a book in there!
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Day 3: Colorful Colors Well, I made myself choose Day 3: Colorful Colors
Well, I made myself choose books that are in the shed-i-ffice instead of going and looking at what I had throughout the house. These were some that were bright and vivid. I've only read parts of two of them (plan to finish The Major and the Missionary tomorrow and Fawkes I'll start reading on the 5th for obvious reasons). #BookishChallenge
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