Tag Archive | gnomes

Author Confessions: Gnomebody But You (Book Release)

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Author Confessions: Gnomebody But You (Book Release)

Sooo, life has been crazy in my world and some days I’m barely treading water with all I’m trying tt juggle and technology doesn’t always help me like I’d hoped it would.

For instance, I thought, wrongly, that my Christmas novella, Gnomebody but You, was releasing December 1st.

I was wrong. It comes out TODAY!

Here’s the back page blurb:

Love and trouble are brewing at TrueSpark Trucking… Tali Shadowgrace just wants a fresh start. After escaping an abusive ex, she’s moved to a new state, landed a job at TrueSpark Trucking, and is almost convinced she’s safe. But trust? That’s another story. Especially when it comes to men.

Enter Puck Bellpepper—yes, Puck—a man with three non-negotiables for a relationship: she must be shorter than he is, willing to tolerate his twin sister Quincia, and, most importantly, share his faith. When he meets Tali and discovers she works with Quincia, he starts to think his prayers might’ve been answered. (Even if her name does sound like a cartoon villain.)

But when strange “accidents” start plaguing TrueSpark, Puck’s determined to get to the bottom of it…and spend more time with Tali. Is her ex back for revenge? Or is someone else stirring up chaos? With sabotaged trucks, a meddling twin, and a Christmas party that reveals all, Puck and Tali must figure out: Can love bloom when danger’s lurking? And will Tali ever believe that a man like Puck, a gnomebody as sweet as he is quirky, is exactly who she needs?

A whimsical Christian rom-com with a dash of suspense, faith, and holiday magic—perfect for fans of:

  • lighthearted romance,
  • quirky characters, and
  • love stories where the hero’s name is literally Puck Bellpepper.

WHY GNOMES? 

This is a question I often ask myself. I love the gnomes and resisted collecting them for years. I’m not gnome-wild, mind you but since I’m on the short side and my husband isn’t super tall and wears a short beard… well, you get my affinity for gnomes!

The challenge for me was that gnomes, while fictional, are considered to be mischiouvous creatures. They can be considered magical which I don’t believe in because of my faith in Jesus Christ and my publisher won’t go for anything like that. So I decided to try to have fun with the silly names gnomes can have but set aside the unsavory aspects of them that don’t jive with my faith, and create human gnomes. I get to write stories of real life people with a heaping side dish of whimsy.

The hard reality of life can be lightened with the silly names and gnome-like characters and that made them fun to write. And Christmas is a perfect time for a little bit of whimsy, don’t you think?

MY WONDERFUL PUBLISHER

My Editor-in-Chief was willing to give this risky recipe a shot. While there may be nothing new under the sun, there were no inspirational gnome romance stories I could find, much less Christmas ones. Who knows, maybe gnomes will be the new Amish fiction explosion! LOL! An author can wish. I’m grateful that I was given the freedom to try something new and fresh in the world of Christian publishing.

I hope you’ll purchase the book! I have a vareity of other Christmas novellas. I’ll list them below by catagory.

If you enjoyed I’ll be Gnome for Christmas, you’ll probably love Gnomebody but You!

My publisher created a wonderful book trailer for it which you can see here:

OTHER CHRISTMAS NOVELLAS:

All are available in Ebook format. Some can be purchased directly from me in print but they are not offered online in that format with the exception of Operation: Camoflague Christmas.

Historical (Prairie):

Fragile Blessings (I have print copies)

Historical (Regency)

Gabriel’s Gift

The Doctor’s Daughter

A Husband for Christmas (audiobook https://amzn.to/47qOGpI)

Jingle all the Way

Contemporary:

Sugar Cookies and Street Lamps

Pixie’s Almost Perfect Christmas

A Slam-Dunk Christmas  (A spin-off of Whitney’s Vow)

A Tangled Christmas (A spin-off of Whitney’s Vow)

Military (with DeeDee Lake):

Operation: Camouflage Christmas prequel to the Rules of Engagement series (I have print copies)

Gnomes

I’ll be Gnome for Christmas  (I have print copies) 

Gnomebody but You (I hope to have print copies soon) 

WHAT ABOUT 2026?

I have two Christmas novellas in the works already for next year but might still want to add a Gnome-themed one! We’ll see. I  think Puck’s sister, Quincia Bellpepper deserves to find love too. Do you have any suggestions for a fun holiday Gnome title? I’d love to hear your ideas!

REVIEWS 

As always, a simple review on Amazon goes a long way to helping an author as well as telling your friends (whether in person or via social media) about books you enjoy. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising for an author!

Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy Gnomebody but You

Minnie’s Remarks: I’ll be Gnome for Christmas (Book Review)

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Hi, I’m Oliver’s smaller but older sister, Minnie, as in Minnie Pearl, because the foster family had named me Dolly Parton and no offense to Dolly, they thought my petiteness needed to be mentioned every time they talk to me. Humans are odd, but I love my life with them, much better than the Amish puppy mill where I lived for three years. Now I get sunshine, snuggles, toys I’m learning to play with, and a buddy in Ollie, who like any brother, can be a pain, but I let him know in no uncertain terms when he crosses the line.

Mom asked me to review her latest Christmas novella, I’ll be Gnome for Christmas, a whimsical inspirational romance. She wrote it before I came to the house but she let me look at the story when she was making corrections during editing and I gotta say, there’s some funny names in this story which lighten the emotional weight of struggles the two main characters carry.

Gigget Wicket is a widow with two young children and she carries shame from her husband’s infidelities. Not only was he a cad, he left her high and dry when he died which was rude. She’s barely making it and isn’t looking for a new man to love because she fears part of the problem was that she was unworthy. She clings to faith in God and good friends and works hard to make ends meet, even selling produce at the local Farmer’s Market in town.

Bingle Twinkle was left high and dry when his wife decided she preferred his then-best friend. Losing a wife meant losing his dream for a happy family. Between factory work and serving in the Army National Guard, he keeps himself so busy that usually he doesn’ t have time to experience the loneliness. But when he runs into Gigget and her two little gnomes at the Farmer’s Market, sparks fly between them.

Gigget’ s children, Djoni and Amoretta really like Bingle and his way of diffusing a hostile man without raising a fist. They are praying for a dad who’ ll make them and their mother happy. With the holidays approaching, could a Christmas miracle be in the works?

This book entails real life mixed with wit and whimsy and a touch of dreams really do come true. Buy it for me mom and leave her a nice review so I can get more bully sticks since Oliver keeps stealing mine. I’ll give this book five bones so go buy I’ll be Gnome for Christmas, you’ll be glad you did.

You can listen to my mom talk about this book here: