November Stories!
By Mary Jo
For writers, months can go by with no new work to talk about, and then POOF! All of a sudden there is much happening. This is my November. <G>
Christmas Silks
I have two Christmas novellas coming out. The one I’m most excited about is Christmas Silks, a story that is connected to my Silk Trilogy. (Silk and Shadows, Silk and Secrets, and Veils of Silk.) The Camerons are central characters throughout the trilogy, and David Cameron was an important secondary character in Veils of Silk, where he is a strong, capable, and utterly loyal younger brother to Ian Cameron, the hero of Veils.
I always really liked David and wanted to write a novella about him. I even had a story idea I thought was pretty good and I wrote a few pages of the first chapter back in–2016! Over the years I never forgot about the story but never had time write it, until now. I don’t have a buyer’s link yet, but Christmas Silks is completed and will go live on the various ebook platforms in the next week or so.
David has resigned his commission in the India Army and is returning to Scotland for good. He’s heading to Falkirk Castle, his brother Ian’s estate, and plans to arrive in time for the family holiday gathering. He’s in Northern England, just short of the Scottish border, when his stay at an inn is disrupted by a mad young woman named Caitlin who is gagged and chained as her cousins take her to an asylum. During the night, Caitlin manages to escape into the blizzard that is hammering at the inn. David can’t stand by when a vulnerable girl is risking death, so he heads into the storm after her.
Things happen. <G> A happy ending is guaranteed as David and his wild lass end up at Falkirk to be embraced by all the Camerons.
One reason this story is special to me is that while I’ve published most of my backlist over the years, Christmas Silks is the very first story that I’ve written from scratch for indie publishing. The first of many, I hope!
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know is the only Western romance I’ve ever written. I had fun writing it and a Western writer friend who read it said I did a decent job on the setting and the Western-ness, which was a relief. But the Regency is my home so I’ve never written another Western. Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know has been released with other stories in the past, but I hope that a standalone edition will bring more attention to the story
Golden Lord, Dangerous Gifts #2
Golden Lord is my biggest release of the year, a full length novel from Kensington. It will be released on November 26th, just before Thanksgiving, so it might be a good story to read while digesting turkey and pumpkin pie. <G> The hero is Cade Tremayne, foster brother of Bran, the hero of Silver Lady, the first Dangerous Gifts story. You can learn more about the story and read an excerpt on my website.
A Wraith at Midnight was released at the end of October, not November, but it still feels new to me! An anthology of 
Halloween stories, it contains short stories by me and Susan King and nine other authors. Lots of ghosts, romance, and happy endings!
So here are my November stories, and I hope you enjoy any you might read!
Mary Jo
PS: Good grief, it took hours for me to realize that I forgot to mention another important piece of news! Silk and Secrets, Book 2 of my Silk Trilogy, has a BookBub featured deal starting tomorrow (Tuesday) and will be free domestically and internationally on most ebook platforms. Melinda Helfer of Romantic Times said: “[Silk and Secrets] fulfills every dream of your heart, every yearning of your soul, as a pair of memorable lovers find their way back to each other’s arms . . . This remarkable novel of high adventure and unquenchable love is a stunning reading experience, one you will remember and cherish forever.”
Mary Jo, so excited about the Silks novella! I loved the Silks trilogy and wished you had written more in the series! So nice to have a wish granted! I look forward to reading Christmas Silks with a steaming mug of hot chocolate!
Jane, A I’m equally happy to finally have had the time to write this story! I love the trilogy, and David was a very well developed character in Veils so he definitely deserved a story of his own.
All these fabulous releases at the same time! Golden Lord is currently on my nightstand. I read ‘Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know’ when it was released & I still remember the story. ‘A Wraith at Midnight’ is on my TBR list. But I am most excited about your new Silks novella because I read ‘Silk and Secrets’ at least once a year, for over 20 years. Thank you for creating such memorable characters.
Melissa T, thank you for all the lovely compliments! Silk and Secrets is one of my all time favorite stories, and I loved returning to that world.
Just finished reading ‘Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know’ and loved it. Can’t wait for the silks release!
Dhyra, I’m so glad you enjoyed Mad, Bad, Etc! It’s a bit edgier than most of my novellas, but I thought the story and characters were well worth writing about.
Love that Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know is getting its own release! Probably my favorite of your novellas, and I have 2 1990s ppbk anthologies with it included and an ebook anthology. Will be buying Christmas Silks too.
Always love your novellas! So I guess A Wraith at Midnight will come home to me also.
Denise, a great thing about writing historical romance is that the stories don’t age in the same way contemporaries do! Yes, Mad, Bad, Etc originally came out in 1998 (!!!) and I like that it’s held up so well after all these years.
Mary Jo, I love your holiday stories, and can’t wait to read Christmas Silks! I was inspired by The Christmas Cuckoo to create my very own this year. It’s probably not as beautiful as Phoebe’s, but I’m extremely proud of it.
Christmas Silks will also solve a problem for me. Hubby and I are off to Florida in March, and of course, a book is a necessity on an vacation. This way, I can get my MJP fix with a Christmas novella, and save The Golden Lord to read poolside! :}
Cynthia, CONGRATULATIONS on writing your first Christmas novella! I hope my stories help you with the holiday relaxation that you’ve earned! I love e-readers because one can take so many more books on vacation and still have room in the suitcase for clothing.
I am a fan of holiday stories. Thanks for the reminder of how lovely those stories are.
You’re very welcome, Annette N. I love writing holiday stories because I can be over the top emotional, which is great fun!
Cynthia, CONGRATULATIONS on writing your first Christmas novella! I hope my stories help you with the holiday relaxation that you’ve earned! I love e-readers because one can take so many more books on vacation and still have room in the suitcase for clothing.
What a hugely busy month, Mary Jo. Congratulations on the new releases and the re-releases! You have definitely earned a relaxing Thanksgiving.
Kareni–I love Thanksgiving but it’s a fair amount of work since I always do the hosting. But everyone brings different dishes so we share the labor and it’s a lovely time. Thanks for the good wishes!
So excited to read the Christmas Silks! I loved that trilogy, the research must have been tremendous, it makes a wonderful, exciting and feel-like-you-are-there read! Congrats on all the releases! Can’t wait for Golden Lord either!
Jenni, Thanks so much for the kind words, and yes, the amount of research was HUGE!!! I loved every minute of it. GOLDEN LORD will be along in just a couple of weeks–finally!
Wow – talk about busy! Great November for us readers now too.
Happy reading, Jeanne! I’m running like a hamster on a wheel, but at least I’m seeing good things happen!
I’ve always enjoyed Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know. I’m glad it is getting republished so everyone else can read it.
Looking forward to the Silk Novella now…I always did like David. He was such a compassionate person.
Vicki, I’ve found that publishing a story as a standalone attracts more attention than when it’s part of a collection. That’s particularly useful with this story since it’s the only Western I’ve ever written, and as a standalone it can reach people who particularly like Westerns.
I just picked up the free Silk and Secrets e-book, and I’m looking forward to the novella!
Lovely, Karin! David Cameron, the hero of the novella, doesn’t appear in the trilogy until book 3, Veils of Silk, but he made such a strong impression on me that I’ve been wanting to write about him ever since.