Guest Blogger, Karin Tabke!

Today I'm very happy to welcome our guest blogger, my good friend, the wonderful, talented, and gracious Karin Tabke, to Title Magic.

It’s Never Too Early For Christmas!

(before I go further, thank you, Mai and all the ladies here at Title Magic for having me as your guest today!)

Hah! I have always been one of those people who roll their eyes and cringe at any mention of the holidays, especially before Thanksgiving! But I have to be honest and say this year is an exception, and I have my heroine, Kimberly Michaels, in HAVE YOURSELF A NAUGHTY LITTLE SANTA, to thank! You see, she too has always been a Grinch who actually does try and steal Christmas! I’ve never gone so far as to take anyone’s Christmas from them, but I have always been a most unwilling participant in all of the hype that goes with it. I hate, hate, HATE! To shop. Hate. It.

I detest the commercialism of the season. I detest the forced quarters with family members I see only once a year (and for good reason!) I detest the burden of expectation, and I really detest those two-ton fruitcakes.

I have always tried to see through the commercialism that has become the reason for the season to the true reason. But I have always fallen short. Maybe it was just easier to complain and rush to put my house back in order in record time on New Year’s Day, or since my kids are now adults I used the excuse that I didn’t need to be cheerful and bright, but grumpy and dull, because darn it, Christmas is a lot of work. No one wants to lug the boxes down from the rafters, or hang the lights outside or god forbid, trim the tree! The only beings in my house who are remotely interested in the tree are my two cats!

But this year, this year when my author copies of HAVE YOURSELF A NAUGHTY LITTLE SANTA showed up on my doorstep I couldn’t help but open the pages, and in no time at all I found myself smiling. Before I knew it, I had read the entire book and as I did when I wrote it, I cried.

You see, Kimberly Michaels has it tough. She’s been married a couple of times, dumped a few times, let down by her parents, and basically always felt like she was the girl in the corner no one was interested in. So she sets out to take the world by the balls and discovers she gets lots of attention as a powerful land broker. But alas, something’s missing. She finds it in the Christmas themed town of Evergreen, California, a town she is trying to buy out from under the good folks who live and die for the holidays, and even when it looks like all will be lost they still gather in the town square on Christmas Eve and rejoice. It is then she realizes that her tiny heart has the capacity to grow. Of course hunky naughty Santa Ricco Maza helps her come to other realizations, but the bottom line for me is this: The reason for the season means many things to many people, and for some it’s the glitz and the prezzies, but for me it’s realizing what really matters; Heart, home and the simple gift of giving of myself, not shopping until I drop to fork over a wrapped present. So instead of feeling put upon by all of the work that goes into creating a warm cozy holiday hearth and home, I have called all four of my children and their significant others to report for duty the Sunday morning after Thanksgiving.

With Christmas carols serenading us, out will come the boxes, up will go the lights and the tree, and together we will trim it, then sit down to Sunday dinner as families should and give blessings that for one more year we are fortunate to be together.

Yep, it’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas around here…how about you? What special holiday traditions do you have? And for a lucky commenter I’ll be giving away a copy of one of my hot cop books, your choice of GOOD GIRL GONE BAD, SKIN, or JADED, or for you historical lovers out there a copy of my historical debut MASTER OF SURRENDER! All you have to do is comment!

Karin Tabke isn't just another author with steamy stories to tell, but a cop's wife who has "seen it all and heard it all." Some of the hottest stories come from behind the blue wall of law enforcement rather than from in front. Married to a street cop, now retired, Karin is intimate with both and proves it with her sizzling tales and hot cops. You can find Karin online at www.karintabke.com or visit her blog here.

If you haven't read a Karin Tabke book, you're missing out! I encourage everyone to run to the nearest bookstore and pick up one of her books!