Earlier this year I read a collection of short stories based on Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. Now I’m not normally a short story gal, but reading these different stories by different authors all paying homage to a beloved fictional heroine, proved to be the perfect amount of reading before I dropped off to sleep. So I decided to try it for myself, with a collection of short stories based on characters from my Muskoka Romance series.
This proved to be a LOT of fun, and provided opportunity for several ‘epilogue’ type stories, as well as expounding on a few characters that savvy readers may have noticed in previous books. It also allowed for some more controversial characters, who I didn’t want to devote a whole book to, to get their moment to shine.
These stories ended up being anything from 3000 to 10,000 words, and have plots ranging from a few weddings, romantic meet-cutes and reunions, and family surprises. It was a nice little challenge to craft a story that engages a reader, that could satisfy readers who have read all the Muskoka Romance books, yet also be read as a sweet standalone for those who haven’t read those books yet. And because I planned to release this as my 2023 Christmas-themed book, I knew I wanted to include a number of stories that showcased the holiday season. But because I already have a ‘Christmas in Muskoka’ book (Muskoka Christmas – ha!) I figured I could broaden it to other holidays, like Thanksgiving and Halloween, and even New Years’ Eve, so it wouldn’t read too ‘samey’.
So now in Muskoka Holiday Morsels I have a collection of twelve stories, all of which link in some way to the one before, which can be read either one per night, or the entire collection in one go (or anything in between!).
I think readers will enjoy this sweet selection of fun little romances, especially if they’ve read other books in the Muskoka Romance series. And if they haven’t yet, then they’ll no doubt enjoy some fun holiday-themed reading. Either way, it proved a sweet little challenge for me – and if you’re a writer, could be something for you to consider down the track, especially if you have a series that might benefit from tying up a few loose ends, too.
Here’s a little more about this collection:
Muskoka Holiday Morsels is a collection of short romance stories with holiday and Christmas themes, perfect for a cozy read. Meet some new friends and catch up with some Muskoka favorites, and discover romance in the holiday season in this collection of bite-sized stories filled with hope, heart, humor, and all the feels. Preorder now at Amazon, other retailers
