#SaturdaySpotlight is on Annette M Irby & Christmas on the Islands!

Good Morning and Welcome to this week's edition of All Christmas thru Christmas. 

Our guest visited in 2011 so it is my pleasure to have Annette M. Irby back on our blog. Good to have you here again, Annette. Please tell us about your Christmas on the Islands box set...

It's good to be back on your blog, Pam. Thank you for having me!

I remember a couple of decades ago when I spent the entire Christmas season reading Barbour Publishing’s four-in-one Christmas novella collections. They inspired me. Reading them helped introduce me to various Christian authors. I thought, I’d like to write Christmas novellas one day.

Another piece of this puzzle was that as I wandered through a brick-and-mortar bookstore well over a decade ago, I wanted a collection set in the Pacific Northwest, something beachy. But there was nothing like that on the shelves.

So, why not write Christmas novellas, set in the PNW? And voilà! A series idea was born: Washington Island Christmas. With this boxed set, they’re all combined in one place.

These books are sequels to my full-length summertime novels set on Puget Sound. That series is called Washington Island Romance.

My hope is that readers feel transported to Christmas in the Northwest where they can enjoy the scent of conifers, delight in the sea views, and smell the snowy Cascades or Olympics. We might have rain, but that’s all the better for curling up with hot cider or cocoa and diving into a holiday story!

OH how wonderful! I bet Christmas is lovely on the Sound and Islands. Can you share a blurb of each story with us?

Sure...

Visit Puget Sound and the Salish Sea islands in this series of holiday novellas! Enjoy getting to know new characters, with some cameo visits from previous friends. Here you'll find heart-warming scenes, layered family dynamics, romance, and hope in Jesus.

A Christmas Duet

An uninspired composer.

A distressed pianist.

And the duet that brings them together.

Sequel to Cascade Award-finalist novel, Finding Love on Whidbey Island, Washington.

Following a breakup, professional cellist Kate Fleming’s well of inspiration has run dry. Her musical ensemble is counting on her to write several cello and piano compositions for their next album. She’s rented a beautiful beach house on Whidbey Island for the Christmas season. But the atmosphere may not be inspiring enough.

Church music director Zach Tillmon would love to book a professional musician for the upcoming Christmas program. His number-one choice is out of reach. But perhaps the newcomer wouldn’t mind sharing her talents with the congregation.

When these two perform together, sparks fly. But their lives aren’t settled, so a romance is out of the question. Or is it?

Join them near picturesque Puget Sound at Christmastime for a delightfully musical love story.

A Christmas Romance

A wannabe novelist with writer's block.

A best-selling children’s book author with a knack for story.

And the romance they brainstorm together.

Sequel to the Selah Award-winning novel, Finding Love on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Bookshop owner Peyton McKinley lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington. An inspired reader, she writes wholesome romance novels, dreaming of publication. Unfortunately, a past breakup has soured her on relationships. When a literary agent wants to see her manuscript as soon as she can finish it, writer’s block stalls her progress.

Best-selling picture book author and illustrator Eli Jaxon has relocated to Puget Sound to be nearer to his family. He’s on deadline for his next Prescott the Proper Peacock volume, but worry for his niece distracts him. Past mistakes keep him closed off to dating.

When Peyton needs help with her story, previously married Eli volunteers to help her brainstorm. Can they deny their attraction, or will they live their own Christmas romance?

Join them near picturesque Puget Sound at Christmastime for a delightfully bookish love story.

A Christmas Gift

A stateside farmer.

An international boy-next-door model.

And the Christmas reunion that brings them back together.

Seven years after Finding Love in Friday Harbor, Washington.

Aurora “Rori” Teagan can’t escape her genes. Though she’d be in demand, following her mother’s modeling career path is unthinkable. Instead, she works her family’s farm with her father on San Juan Island, determined to build her own life. But change is in the air this holiday season.

Jonah Cahill hasn’t been home for Christmas since his dad died years ago. When the opportunity arises, he joins his best friend and returns to Friday Harbor, where he grew up. He’ll have to face what he’s avoided in the States, while a challenging situation in Europe remains. Anxious to see Rori, he’s worried that old feelings will reemerge. Problem is, he hasn’t resolved everything from his last overseas relationship.

Her brother’s best friend has changed a lot since he left the island. The wonder of Christmas inspires connection and romance, but their lives are on two different continents. Will Rori and Jonah find love before the Christmas lights come down?

Revisit Friday Harbor and some familiar characters in this Christmas novella set in the Salish Sea.

AND And here’s an Excerpt from the Chapter One of A Christmas Duet:

The evening’s chilled, salty wind brushed Kate Fleming’s hair away from her face. Leaving her cello wedged under blankets inside her sporty station wagon, she locked the doors and headed toward the stairs. She’d rather cross Puget Sound on the Whidbey Island ferry’s upper deck.

Lights from the terminal and other vehicles shimmered off the water as she found a spot on the main level. Salty air blew in whenever someone opened the outward doors. But here, inside, as people spilled into the space from the vehicle levels below, heat. Faint Christmas carols played overhead, and Kate tried not to flinch at how tinny the music sounded. Her best friend, Haley, accused her of being a music snob. So be it. Her compositions now garnered national attention. The Piano Guys had opened doors for instrumental musicians to find a larger audience.

Fellow passengers milled around, choosing their own nooks for the sail across Puget Sound to Clinton, Washington, from Mukilteo.

A passenger walked by with a paper cup piled high with whipped cream, and Kate caught a whiff of chocolate steam. Just what she needed. Her fingers were still frozen from waiting in her car for the second ferry to arrive. She’d turned off her engine like everyone around her, forgoing heat to protect waiting passengers from breathing exhaust fumes.

She slipped from the vinyl bench seat and made her way to the concessions area. The café was one large square, near the center of the boat, with space to walk around and choose snacks or beverages. The aroma of popcorn and the odor of coffee were the strongest. But she found a banana muffin in the case and waited her turn to pump cocoa into a cup. Then, she squirted a dollop of whipped cream and got into the cashier line.

The scent of leather wafted off the man in front of her. His sherpa-lined brown leather jacket shone in the ferry’s interior lighting. He stood a few inches taller than herself, cell phone in hand and plastic, wireless earbuds jutting straight down about an inch from his ears. They were about five people back in line and Kate sipped her cocoa, knowing the risks of whipped topping decorating her nose. She reached for a napkin, glancing over at leather-jacket guy. His phone tilted, and she caught a glimpse of the screen.

The MP3 player app displayed an oh-so-familiar album cover—hers. Well, her ensemble’s. Whoa, this guy who looked a bit like a lumberjack, with his jeans—and was that plaid flannel under his jacket?—listened to her music? Instrumental? She’d peg him for country or classic rock but not cello with piano. She tucked herself behind him in line again, unable to squelch a smile. She wanted to ask his opinion. Did he like the melodies she’d invented? Which instrument did he favor? Her ensemble included a guitarist, pianist, and a vocalist who rarely sang words. And of course her cello, the lead instrument on several tracks of their latest record.

Lumberjack Guy hummed a familiar refrain, and she caught her breath. Plenty of background noise droned on the boat. But this guy’s baritone voice carried easily. Clear and smooth. She could listen to him all evening. Was he a musician as well?

~*~  ~*~ ~*~

Perfect. Now tell us about yourself and where we can find you and this lovely collection.

Of course. Here is my "official" bio... 

Award-winning author Annette M. Irby has enjoyed writing stories since her teen years. If she’s not writing, she’s reading for review, or editing. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and has worked as a freelance editor nearly twenty years. Her book, Finding Love on Bainbridge Island, Washington, won a Selah Award in the contemporary romance category. More recently, her book Finding Love on Whidbey Island, Washington, finaled in the Cascade Award Contest. Married over thirty years, she makes her home with her family in the Northwest.

You can connect with me and sign up to receive my Newsletter via my Website. Find and follow me on Facebook, Amazon, BookBub and X: @AnnetteMIrby

Christmas on the Islands can be found at Amazon for only $3.99 or FREE in KU!

THANKS again, Annette for visiting with us and sharing your lovely Christmas collection. We wish you the Best of luck and God's Blessings on these and all of your books!

Well Friends, only one more Christmas book to share with you after today and it's all over until next year. 

Until next time, I pray your New Year celebration is blessed, happy and safe!

PamT