Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Blurb Blitz & #Giveaway for The Christmas Carriage and Other Writings of the Holiday by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

Welcome to my stop on the Blurb Blitz, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for The Christmas Carriage and Other Writing of the Holiday Season by Alice Jane-Marie Massa.  Please leave a comment or question for Alice to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may follow all of the stops on the tour by clicking on the banner above.  Good Luck! 


The Christmas Carriage and Other Writing of the Holiday Season
By Alice Jane-Marie Massa

Publisher:  Alice Jane-Marie Massa
Release Date: November 28, 2016
Genre: Short Story Collection
Length: 102 Pages
ISBN: 978-1540573162
ASIN: B01N0KYRPE





About the book:

​To celebrate holiday reading, author Alice Jane-Marie Massa invites you to join her on a snowy, imaginary carriage ride featuring her holiday memoirs, short stories, essays, and poetry from her book, THE CHRISTMAS CARRIAGE AND OTHER WRITINGS OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

​Spanning from Thanksgiving through the new year, this collection includes her remembrances of Hoosier holidays in the 1950s and 1960s.  "The Christmas Carriage" (set in Milwaukee) and "The Puppies of New Year's Eve," along with stories about a military family, two holiday weddings, and a homeless person will warm your heart this winter.  From "Zoe's Christmas Eve" to "Snow Dancers," Alice's poetry provides merry and memorable reading for both adults and children.

​With a beautifully festive cover, this book is one you will want to wrap as a holiday gift, as well as a book that you will want to keep beside your chair while you settle into the sparkle and joy of this holiday season.

​For additional information about ordering this 101-page book in either print, electronic, audio, or braille versions, please visit the author's web page:
http://www.dldbooks.com/alicemassa/

​Alice also invites you to visit her weekly blog:
http://alice13wordwalk.wordpress.com




EXCERPT

For at least three decades, Mrs. Nevando's Christmas wish was to have a carriage ride through the city on Christmas Eve.  She never mentioned this wish to her husband:  the idea seemed all too frivolous.  Twelve years ago, when she sat beside  his hospital bed, Mrs. Nevando dozed periodically and dreamed of a Christmas carriage ride.  Each of the past twelve Christmases that she endured with the memories of her deceased, beloved husband, the 74-year-old woman still entertained the thought of  a carriage ride, but then routinely dismissed the notion.  "An old woman riding in a carriage alone on Christmas Eve!  What would people think?" she often found herself wondering aloud--well, in an audible whisper.

In mid-December, Mrs. Nevando was in her usual mode of declining all holiday invitations although she was not receiving as many as she had in earlier years.  One son was somewhere in Europe, and the other son was on the East Coast.  Of course, they knew their mother was a Midwestern girl--old girl--who did not care to join the masses at airports during any holiday season.  After she wrote e-mails to both sons and a few other family members, Mrs. Nevando found herself exploring the website for the city carriage rides.  Although she read that carriage rides were available on Christmas Eve, the cost was too expensive for her taste.  Nevertheless, she reasoned that one carriage ride was certainly way less money than an airline ticket to Italy or even to Boston. 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Although Alice Jane-Marie Massa has lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for over 25 years, growing up in the rural Indiana town of Blanford (with a population of approximately 400) influenced the subject matter and style of her writing. After earning master's degrees from Indiana State University and Western Michigan University, Alice, still a Hoosier at heart, taught for 25 years, including 14 years of teaching writing and public speaking at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Having retired from teaching English and grading stacks of student papers, she now focuses on her own writing.

Alice invites you to visit her blog: http://alice13wordwalk.wordpress.com, where, since January of 2013, she has posted weekly her poetry, essays, memoirs, or short stories. Her writings on Wordwalk frequently focus on her Indiana hometown of Blanford, her four guide dogs, her Italian ancestors, and writing. Additionally, some of her writing pieces have been published in Indiana Voice Journal, Magnets and Ladders, Dialogue, Newsreel, and The ACB Braille Forum, as well as in the anthology Behind Our Eyes: A Second Look.

Away from her desk, Alice enjoys reading, container gardening, and the television program Jeopardy. Since March 21, 1990, Alice's guide dogs have added sparkle, spirit, and independence to her life. Currently, most of all, she is grateful for her long walks with her fourth Leader Dog, Willow (a black Labrador), who is following very well in the amazing pawprints of Alice's beloved first three Leader Dogs—Keller (a Golden Retriever), Heather (a Yellow Labrador), and Zoe (a Black Lab/Golden Retriever mix).



Can I just say YUM!


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10 comments:

  1. I love this feature and giveaway. It is meaningful, memorable and resonates with me since I grew up during the 1950's and 1960's. Alice is special and creative. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanksgiving Greetings!
      I greatly appreciate your wonderful comment.
      A cornucopia of thanks and best wishes--Alice

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  2. Season's Greetings!
    I am delighted to have "Queen of All She Reads" hosting the second day of my Blurb Blitz Tour.
    With thanks and best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving,
    Alice Jane-Marie Massa

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  3. I'm looking forward to checking this one out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good evening, Victoria--I would look forward to hearing from you again after you have read my holiday collection.
      Many thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
      Alice

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  4. Thank you, Alice, for sharing your beautiful poetry and prose during this holiday season. Your talent and creativity are to be commended. Happy Thanksgiving!
    Carole

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    Replies
    1. Greetings from chilly Milwaukee! Carole--Many thanks for the generous compliments. How nice of you to post such a lovely comment!
      Warm wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!
      Alice

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  5. Congrats on the new book and good luck on the book tour!

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    Replies
    1. Thanksgiving Greetings! Ally--I appreciate your taking the time to post such a nice comment.
      Best wishes for the holiday season!
      Alice

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