Christmas in July with Sally Smith O'Rourke

Reading about Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage by Sally Smith O'Rourke, in the very hot month of July is a fantastic tribute to Christmas in July.. Sally shares how this book came to be and also shares a favored trailer of the book. It is awesome! I love the idea of a story told by Meteor! Hope you enjoy it too. There is also a giveaway. Read more about it at the end of the post.


Prepare to fall in love with the magical world of Sea Pines, the snug fire lit cottage on the storm-swept tip of Cape Fear, where Robert, Laura and Meteor live surrounded by the boundless beauties of nature. Share their passion, their adventures and the joy that only the birth of a beloved child can bring. Rediscover all that is good and noble in life, from the untarnished perspective of a creature striving to understand the complexity and grandeur of human love. 

Michael O’Rourke and I spent almost three decades together as friends, partners, soul mates, as well as husband and wife. Our life together was the ultimate collaboration, a collaboration of love. Out of that collaboration many projects were created, including The Man Who Loved Jane Austen, The Maidenstone Lighthouse and Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage.

Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage is a very special story and holds a singular place in my heart. Meteor’s Tale, as it was originally titled, was created not only out of our love for each other but also for the love of our grandson, Nicholas. Nicky wanted a “big” dog like a Golden Retriever, but his mom, Kelly, felt that since she would be doing the bulk of the care a smaller, more manageable pet would be better. So Nicky had to settle for a stuffed Golden Retriever and Jenna, a larger-sized Pomeranian; a very cute Pomeranian.

Out of Nicky’s desire for a big dog and my curiosity about the kind of man who would choose to maintain a lighthouse alone, came Meteor’s Tale. It’s the story of a loving family told through the eyes of the family’s pet Golden Retriever. Only Mike would have thought of an idea like that, to tell a dog’s story in the first person.

After we completed the original story, we discussed turning it into a Christmas story, an evergreen project, he called it. Unfortunately, I lost him before we were able to carry out the ideas we had to make it a holiday tale. Mike’s amazing talent and gifted writing were silenced in 2001. Like The Man Who Loved Jane Austen, I didn’t want this story to die with him. My publisher liked the story but wasn’t sure what to do with it so I told them about our Christmas idea, they liked that too and Meteor’s Tale became Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage.

  

A Golden Retriever puppy named Meteor was bred to be a hunting dog. Unable to stand to a gun after a childish prank perpetrated by his breeder’s teenage son, Meteor is given, as a pet, to a reclusive war hero. While nursing his injuries…physical and emotional, Robert has taken up residence at Sea Pines Cottage and is the keeper of the local lighthouse. Meteor, the Golden Retriever, tells the story of Robert’s bravery in saving a young woman floating on a plank in a storm. A romance blossoms when Laura returns to Sea Pines Cottage in search of the man who saved her life. They marry on Christmas Day. A year later a baby, Nicholas, is born on Christmas day. Meteor tells the story from the prospective of a beloved member of the family.

Connect with Sally Smith O'Rouke
Austenicity (the everything Austen site)
Blog
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Purchase Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage

Amazon Kindle & Paperback

Barnes & Noble Nook & Paperback

What people are saying about Meteor...

This book is one of the best books that I have read this holiday season!

I absolutely loved this book!

I loved the whole thing and I highly recommend it to everyone.

I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially if you are looking for an uplifting story and a quick read.

My taste in pets runs more to the feline side, so I wasn't sure if I'd like a book narrated by a dog, but I must admit that I fell in love with this book -- and with Meteor the dog!

I highly recommend this novella for all the lovers of Holiday Romance and General Fiction stories.

I’m looking forward to pulling this one out again in another month or so, when the holiday hustle and crash gets a little too frenetic for me. I’ll sit down and spend a bit of time with Meteor and his family, and remember why I love the holidays.

Life as seen through the eyes of a golden retriever is endearing and has lessons for us humans. I not only read it but then gave three copies as gifts to friends and family.

If you want to read a lovely short story about the Darcy's First Christmas at Pemberley written by Sally Smith O'Rourke, follow the link to this heartwarming and very touching story. It is everything you would imagine their first Christmas to be!  The Darcy's First Christmas at Pemberley  There is also a link to their first New Year on that same page!

Celebrate an Austenesque Christmas in July with these other authors and their books

Regina Jeffers                                    Sharon Lathan                                 Kara Louise
Christmas at Pemberley                     A Darcy Christmas                           Pemberley Celebrations
                                                                                                              (other holiday stories too)
Amazon                                            Amazon                                           Amazon
Barnes & Noble                                 Barnes & Noble                                Barnes & Noble

                             

Thank you Sally Smith O'Rourke for telling us a bit about your Christmas novella. I love Christmas stories and this one sounds perfect. I look forward to reading it. For a special treat with this Christmas in July post Ms. O'Rourke, Regina Jeffers, Sharon Lathan and Kara Louise are kindly giving away one trade paperback (domestic only) OR one eBook (international) for an eReader of Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage, Christmas at Pemberley, A Darcy Christmas (eBook only) and Pemberley Celebrations to one very lucky winner. Isn't that fantastic! Thank you, ladies, for your generosity! To be entered leave a comment below. Good luck to all. Be sure to include your email address in the comment. To prevent unwanted spam, put your email address with an (at) instead of @.  Winner will be chosen in a random drawing. Giveaway ends at midnight, July 29.