Christmas Sonata - Chapter 1

 

“I’m going to say it one more time, man. A Christmas album is the best option for you.” Ozi North leaned back in his desk chair looking relaxed, but Matthew knew that the music producer was frustrated with him. After his slip in an interview, his sales had dropped and then continued in a downward trend. To make matters worse, people had started a #boycottMatthewWhittier campaign on social media urging people not to listen to any of his music.

Matthew propped his right ankle on his left knee and sighed. “You know that isn’t going to happen, Ozi. I can’t do it.”

Ozi shook his head. “You are bound and determined to be the martyr in this situation, but this is the mess you got yourself into. I’m offering you a way out, but you refuse to take it.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his black desk. “No one even wants to talk about supporting your next album. Your other option is to take a sabbatical and pray to God that one day what you said will be forgiven and forgotten so that you can make music again.”

Matthew ran a hand down his face. A year ago, he had been one of the top selling Christian artists in the nation. Crowded arenas had sung his songs with him in worship. Churches regularly used his songs for their worship time. Now, no one wanted to hear from him at all.

“How long can they hold a grudge? It’s not like I committed some serious sin! All I said was that there was nothing worth celebrating at Christmas.” Even as he repeated it, he didn’t see anything wrong with what he said. Christmas was over-commercialized even within the church. The holiday didn’t even take place during the time of year when Jesus was most likely born. As far as he could tell, that day in December only promoted self, greed, and indulgence.

Ozi sighed, and Matthew took a moment to study the man who had been his mentor and supporter since the beginning of his career. Ozi hadn’t seemed to age a bit in the ten years that they had worked together. His black hair was done in cornrows tight against his scalp. Black glasses framed his brown eyes and he had a goatee. His brown fingers drummed a beat on top of his desk.

“That was only your opening statement,” Ozi reminded Matthew. “If I remember correctly, you started on a tirade that the interviewer had to cut off because you were getting a little too – animated.”

Matthew shrugged. The actual interview was a blur for him, and he had refused to watch it or listen to it after it happened. To be honest, he had thought it would blow over faster than it had.

“I’m entitled to my opinion,” he said folding his arms across his chest.

“You certainly are, but people generally don’t like to be called ‘dumb sheep’ and hear their pastors called ‘wolves’ and ‘false teachers’ for ‘exploiting’ the birth of Jesus for monetary gain.” Ozi looked down at some notes on his desk. “You also said that anyone who bought gifts, had a tree, or listened to Christmas music should question their Christianity, because they were worshiping the gods of commercialism, greed, and comfort.”

While he didn’t remember saying it, Matthew didn’t question that it had happened, because they were thoughts he had often had before. He never went to church during the month of December because of his strong feelings on the subject.

It wasn’t that he didn’t think that the birth of Christ was important. He often read the accounts in the gospels about the nativity, but never in December. It was better to keep it separated from the taint of modern Christmas celebrations.

“It seems like we’re at an impasse,” Matthew finally said. “You think the only way to get back into the good graces of the industry is to do a Christmas album, and I refuse to do that.”

Ozi grinned. “Why not? You could release a new Christmas classic called Why Christmas is Detrimental to Christianity and let’s not forget that great hit, Christmas is for Suckers.”

“I’ve never said that!”

“I believe that was your closing line before the interviewer cut you off,” Ozi said with a chuckle as he looked back down at the transcript. “Yep, here it is. ‘People should wake up and realize that Christmas is for suckers.’ Seems like you were about to go on, but the interviewer had more sense than you did and stopped the interview before you dug your grave any further.”

Matthew frowned. “Okay, I might have gone a little far with that.”

“You think?” Ozi scoffed. “You insulted almost everyone that would support your music. How did you expect them to react? Even the people who tried to support your beliefs did so tentatively and reluctantly because they didn’t want to be seen as supporting you personally after how antagonistic you were. If you genuinely wanted to change the culture, you couldn’t have done it in a worse way.”

“Well, I can’t go back and undo it. I refuse to apologize for my beliefs. There’s no way I’m going to make a Christmas album. So now what?” Matthew felt his stomach twist. He knew that Ozi could very well tell him that he appreciated what he had done, but Glory Records no longer had a place for him there. If it came to that, he didn’t know what his next step would be.

Ozi stood up and came around his desk and perched on the front of it. “I know you well, and I know that you love the Lord dearly. There’s a reason why your music has been so well-received for the past decade. There’s a chance that if you lie low for a little while, you can stage a comeback, but I’d give it at least a year. People have a short memory most of the time.”

“What do I do in the meantime?”

“Write your music like you would normally. You can even use the studio to record it.” Ozi put a hand on Matthew’s shoulder. “You have a God-given ability to express the truths of God in a way that resonates with people. I believe that He has more for you in the future. This is just a little setback. You’ll get through it.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Matthew was thankful that he had lived modestly and saved most of what he had earned. It seemed like he was going to need that savings for a while.

Ozi smiled. “And if you need a little extra money, you can always teach piano to kids in the neighborhood.”

“I doubt any mothers are going to want me near their children. I might tell them Santa Claus is a myth or that the Easter Bunny isn’t real.” Matthew didn’t even want to get started on that tangent.

With a laugh, Ozi stood up. “Glad to see you can joke about it.”

Matthew got to his feet. Ozi was a good friend, but he was also a busy man. He no doubt had other things to do than deal with Matthew’s mess.

A tap on the door drew their attention. The person on the other side didn’t wait for an answer. She burst through, her chest rising and falling as if she had run, but Matthew wasn’t sure how she would manage that with the three-inch heels that she was wearing.

“I’m sorry to barge in,” she said, “but I need help!”

Holliday Hotel Book 8

Are you getting excited for the next Holliday Hotel book? This one has been on my mind for a long time. When I began this series back in 2016, I knew that the Thanksgiving book would be May Holliday's story, but I didn't know the journey that May would take to get here. At the end of Independence Hall, I left poor May in a bad place, and I had several of you reach out to me wanting to know what was going on with her and wanting me to make it better. 

In response, I left May sitting while I told Autumn's and Miguel's story in Harvest Hollow. Carol would celebrate Halloween, of course, but she would make it an opportunity to share the light of Jesus. I couldn't skip over that holiday. Besides, May's story was always supposed to be the Thanksgiving book, so she needed to wait. I think it was worth it though. 

After May's long wait, I'm please to announce that Pilgrim Passage will be releasing in October 2023! 

When May Holliday returned to Holliday Hotel, she was broken, discouraged, and questioning her life decisions. Her biggest fear was that her former boss, Terrell Lindsay, would show up in Willow Creek and manipulate her into working for him again. Instead, William Brewster, her old friend-turned-enemy returns to town.

Will is now a successful business owner, well-known in the car industry for the technological improvements his company adds to luxury cars. None of that matters as he comes home to take care of his parents as their health begins to fail. Running into May could give him the friendship that he desperately needs, if only he can get her to forgive him for the stupid things he did when he was young.

But when Terrell Lindsay shows up at Holliday Hotel, Will makes an even bigger blunder. Will tells Terrell that he and May are engaged. With a fake engagement, a new working situation, and taking care of his parents, Will has a lot to handle. Can gratitude be the secret ingredient to making everything work?

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more updates including a book cover reveal which will coming soon! 

Photo by RDNE Stock project: https://www.pexels.com/photo/baked-pumpkin-pie-near-basket-of-fruits-5847890/

Sneak Peek at Harvest Hollow

 

I'm so excited to announce that my new book is now available! I wanted to share a little bit of it with you, so here is chapter one. Enjoy!

“I’m not going and that’s the end of the story!” Autumn couldn’t believe that her boss, and the person she considered a good friend, would even ask it of her.

On the screen of her laptop, Ally Breen tilted her head to the side. Video conferences were the only way she had seen her friend in over a year. Autumn had thought Ally understood, but apparently, she was like everyone else who thought it was time to get on with her life. As if that were a possibility!

“Autumn, it’s time.” Ally’s voice was low. Her light brown hair hung to her shoulders in waves and her eyes, the color of maple syrup, were framed by silver glasses. “I’m not telling you to move on.” Autumn snorted, but Ally continued. “But you haven’t left your house in over a year and it’s becoming a phobia.”

“So, send me to the grocery store! Don’t send me across the country!”

Ally’s eyes watered, and she looked away from the screen for a moment. As if gathering her composure, she leaned in. “This isn’t my decision, Autumn. I’ve given you as much time as I could. You have no idea how much I have fought for you, but Harmon is done. He hired you to be a travel blogger, not to sit at home. While we’ve appreciated your help working from home editing and brainstorming, Harmon says that if you’re not going to do what he’s paying you for, then he’ll find someone who will.”

Tearing up, Autumn looked over at the framed picture on her desk. The mountains in the background were covered in snow. In the foreground, a man with longish blond hair curling from under his red beanie had his arms around her. It seemed like a lifetime ago. “He didn’t hire me to be a travel blogger. He hired us, but there is no ‘us’ anymore.”

Ally leaned back in her chair. “Harmon sees your talent. Logan was not the only one with skills, you know. You have plenty of ability yourself.”

“I have no desire though. I don’t want to travel anymore.” Why couldn’t they all understand that her life had altered that day? She couldn’t be who she used to be.

“I understand, but unfortunately this is sort of an ultimatum. You either go visit Willow Creek for a month, writing a blog once a week with photographs attached, or you need to find another job. Harmon Bryant has been more than patient with you Autumn, but his patience has run out.” Ally leaned in again. “I know it won’t be easy, but this is a stay at a bed-and-breakfast in a small town in America. You’re not being asked to go backpacking across Europe alone.”

Autumn shook her head. It didn’t matter where they sent her, she wouldn’t go. “Then I guess I need to look for another job.”

She had never seen Ally look so sad and defeated. “I told Harmon that’s what you would say, but he was unflinching.” She sighed deeply. “Look, I don’t meet with him until the end of the week. Why don’t you consider it for that long, and then let me know? Everything is always scary at first.”

“I’m not going to change my mind.”

“Probably not.” This time Ally didn’t bother to try to hide the tear that slid down her cheek. “I guess I had hoped you would see that you still have a purpose, that you didn’t die with Logan for a reason.”

Another tear tracked down Ally’s cheek, and Autumn watched it in stunned silence. Ally was tough. She had never seen her cry.

Ally sat up straighter in her chair and wiped her cheek with such force that Autumn thought she was warning any other tears that might be ready to escape what would happen to them if they had the audacity to leave. “I don’t care what you say right now. I’m giving you until the end of the week. I’m begging you to talk to the people who love you most. If any of them tell you that you are handling this in a healthy way, then I will miss you, but I won’t say another word.”

“You don’t have to miss me. We’re friends. We’ll see each other outside of work.”

On the screen she saw her friend tip her head to the side and frown. “I haven’t seen you outside of a computer screen for a year and then it’s only been because you have to talk to me for work. Do you really think our friendship will survive if you leave Travel On?”

Autumn wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. In fact, the only people she had seen in person in the past year were delivery people, and her sister and brother who refused to let her completely disappear from their lives. She didn’t think Ally would count the delivery people in the list of ‘people who loved her most’ so it was only Gracelyn and Skylar, and she was fairly certain that neither of her siblings would agree that she was handling her grief in a healthy way. Both of them had tried to entice her out several times in the past year, but nothing had succeeded.

“I’ll think about it.” It was the most she could offer.

“That’s all I ask.” Ally’s mouth tightened for a moment, then she added, “You can do this, Autumn.” Then she ended the video call.

Her eyes went back to the picture on the desk. “Oh, Logan, why did you have to leave me?” It wasn’t the first time she had whispered the words. She had screamed those words, cursed God for taking her husband away from her, sobbed into her pillow until she fell asleep. Nothing dulled the ache. Nothing brought him back.

She stood up and tightened the drawstrings on her baggy plaid pajama pants and shuffled into the kitchen to get some dinner. Opening a can of soup, she poured it into a bowl and heated it in the microwave. Besides the humming of the appliance, there was nothing but silence. She hated it, and yet it enveloped her every day.

Other than editing other people’s blog posts and researching possible travel destinations for other bloggers at Travel On, her small apartment sat silent. She never turned on the television or listened to music. Books were her friends and her phone kept her as connected as she wanted to be.

At first her friends and family had respected her space. Then gradually they began to tell her it was time to rejoin the living, to stop grieving, as if that was possible. Friends eventually stopped trying. It was depressing spending time with her. She was well aware of it. They could only stand the darkness for so long, then they wrote her off and walked away.

Skylar and Gracelyn were different. Autumn couldn’t get rid of them if she wanted to. They came over unannounced and didn’t care what she wanted. Gracelyn would bring her new books and chatter until she thought her ears would go numb after being in silence for so long. Skylar always brought her favorite foods. He claimed she needed to take better care of herself.

Both of her siblings seemed sort of lost as well though. As the oldest, Autumn had protected them through school. Then their mom had left them when they were all still teenagers saying she needed to ‘find herself’ – whatever that meant. Autumn had taken over the responsibility of cooking and cleaning the house on top of her school work to help out her dad. Only six months after she had married Logan, her dad had died of a heart attack. Once again, it had been her that had held the family together.

But when Logan died, there was no one to hold her together. Try as they might, Skylar and Gracelyn had no clue as to what she needed. She didn’t even know what she needed.

Her phone pinged and she saw a text from Ally. Check out the b-and-b. It’s called Holliday Hotel. Super cute! She was about to toss the phone onto the counter and ignore the website link her friend had sent when it pinged again. You promised to think about it!

Autumn sighed. She clicked on the link and scrolled through the options. The rooms were each themed after a different holiday. While it could have been really cheesy, the decorations were well thought-out and beautiful. Nothing made her want to leave her tiny apartment though.

As she was about to close the link, something caught her eye. A room was called Harvest Hollow and it was supposed to be the Halloween themed room. It was strange that they hadn’t named it something that represented Halloween closer. She opened up the photos and scrolled through them. The room was decorated in various shades of oranges with pops of green and purple. Like the other rooms, it was decorated in a way that paid homage to the holiday without feeling like the room was done by a small child on a post-trick-or-treat sugar rush.

Her eye caught the room’s name again. Harvest Hollow. Her mind switched it. Autumn’s Hollow – a place to heal. The words repeated themselves through her mind again and again. It took her breath away for a moment. She hadn’t felt that still small voice in a long time. Was it possible that after she had turned her back on God, He still would speak to her?

“Is this where I should go, Lord?” It felt strange to pray. Since Logan’s death, she hadn’t prayed at all, except at the beginning when she begged for God to take her, too. When He hadn’t answered that prayer, she had stopped praying and wallowed in her grief.

Autumn’s Hollow – a place to heal.

She knew she needed to heal, but she wasn’t ready. The grief was familiar and if she decided it was time to move on, she was afraid that it would mean that she would start to forget Logan. It felt like a betrayal to move forward in life when he couldn’t.

It’s time.

She gasped at the words. They were so final and intense. It was time.

“I’m not ready. I can’t do it.”

Be strong and courageous. I am with you. I will not leave you.

Her eyes filled with tears. He should have left her. She hadn’t stayed faithful to Him. She didn’t deserve His love or compassion, but she supposed that was the point of grace. It was undeserved.

“I’ll go, but it won’t be easy.” She felt calm as she picked up the phone and sent a text to Ally.

I’ll do it. Please have them book Harvest Hollow for my stay.

The bookshelf near the computer was filled with notebooks. Most had already been filled in, but there were a few that were blank. She grabbed one of the blank ones. It had an orange cover, and made her smile as she remembered the orange palette the room had been decorated in. She opened it up and ran her hand along the first page. Blank pages were always so full of possibility. With a pen she began to write in her loopy letters a list of the things she needed to do before she left. Her hand only trembled a little as she realized that for the first time, she would be planning it all by herself.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could do this, and she wasn’t by herself. Opening her eyes, she steadied her hand, and continued to write.

If you're interested in reading the rest of Autumn's story, you can find it here: Purchase Harvest Hollow

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