Courage, Love and the Meaning of Christmas reached the top 1% several weeks ago, and is now in the top 1/5 of 1%.

Order your copies from the printer (get $1 off with coupon code KSCBKTSY), Amazon.com, or on Amazon Kindle + B&N Nook — on sale for ONLY .99 CENTS!

Its sequel, The Perfect Gift, has also reached the top 1% and both books continue to climb.

Amazon Kindle version here. Nook version here.

We’re stoked! And we’re grateful to all of you who have helped us spread the word! Merry Christmas to all!

One reason it was delayed was that I needed to get some research done – which meant climbing the tallest mountain in the US (outside of Alaska) where much of the story takes place. I finally did that earlier this month, and even wrote a lot of the story while on the mountain. I finally figured out how to end the book while hiking just above 14,000′.

Stay tuned and I’ll post the first half dozen chapters here by Thanksgiving – and be sure to like Facebook.com/ChristmasNovels to be kept up to date.

Thanks for reading!!!

In the mean time, be sure to check out other books by Shaun Roundy at ThisVampire.com and UofLIFE.com!

Pardon the brief lapse in availability – we just uploaded an improved Kindle version of each book. If you have already downloaded it, you can re-download it and pick up the latest version with an improved TOC plus a few other minor features.

Kindle usually gets things approved within a day or so, so expect them back as early as tomorrow – Tuesday, September 27.

In the mean time, be sure to check out other books by Shaun Roundy at UofLIFE.com!

Once we see some activity there, we’ll add The Perfect Gift as well.

We also dropped the Amazon Kindle price to .99 cents – and we uploaded a new ePub version which should look better than the version we had there. So if you bought it in the past you can download the new version now…wait, hang on – it’s still getting processed, but should be ready within 24 hours.

Enjoy!

Lowest price ever – now only $2.99! These books make good reads any time of year.

Find them at http://amzn.to/christmaskindle and http://amzn.to/christmaskindle2

This was the worst possible timing as an ad went out this morning to 200,000 viewers! We apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced.

Ironically, I would have noticed much sooner had I not been at the local university bookstore for a book signing!

Which went very well, btw, and it was a pleasure to meet many of you and chat with friends and students.

Here are a few of the traits that many Christmas books have in common, and I’d be very interested to hear how you feel about them, or others:

• The Christmas Spirit. Most Christmas stories include instances of generosity, love, forgiveness, and sacrifice. These tales remind us the innate value of living and giving.
• Quick reads. The only Christmas book I can think of over 250 pages is the Bible (and most of that isn’t directly about Christmas, even though Christ’s birth is one of the two most important moments). Do you prefer books that you can sit down and read between cooking, shopping, visiting, etc.?
• Simple writing. Most Christmas books are pretty light reading. They don’t tax your brain while they replenish your heart and spirit.

Well, that’s what comes to mind for me. Think of your favorite Christmas book, or what you’d like to find in one, and please comment below.

Thanks! And Merry Christmas.

For Christmas, however, it doesn’t quite seem right to be reading excessive violence and graphic sex, as many vampire books contain.

For the best of both worlds, let me recommend This. A Vampire Cure for Forever, which I wrote this summer. It has minimal violence but plenty of suspense. It has very innocent teen romance. It has life-changing insights and abundant plot twists and surprises just like my Christmas books.

Readers call it “feel-good and inspiring”, “Another can’t-put-it-down novel by Roundy”, and “Great characters, action, suspense, and an unexpected plot. There were times when I was laughing out loud one minute and then sent on an adrenaline rush the next.”

Find more reader reviews and details at ThisVampire.com.

CLMC jumped nearly HALF A MILLION places from 593,420 to 141,830.

TPG jumped even further – 5.85 MILLION places – from 5,992,480 to 146,447.

Thanks, readers, for making it so! Clearly, you’re enjoying these new Christmas books and spreading the word, and coming back to read the sequel.

I hope we’ll eventually regain the top 200 ranking as the original version of CLMC held for about two years!

1. Inexpensive.
   Most Christmas books cost between $8 and $18. That fits most gift budgets, and it’s difficult to find a classier gift for under $25.
   If you want really cheap gifts for lots of people you aren’t that close to, you can find several relatively good Christmas books for under $5. Consider Gone but not Forgotten on this site, for example – you can get a free copy, and additional copies for just $2 each, and it’s a very popular book with tons of great reader comments on Amazon.
2. Unique.
   Are you shopping for someone who seems to already have everything he or she needs? With new Christmas books coming out every year, you can be assured that the recipient probably doesn’t have them all yet.
3. Enjoyable.
   Okay, we admit that many Christmas books turn out a bit simplistic and cheesy, but even then their touching, inspiring message can be difficult to resist.
   So what about the well-written books? You get to not only enjoy a good story, but the multi-layered holiday message adds an extra bit of sweetness.
4. Make the world a better place.
   The thing that makes the holidays so nice is that everyone’s on board with feeling warm feelings to all mankind, and especially as the outdoor temperatures drop, all those warm feelings and bright, colorful lights can’t help but make you more charitable, forgiving, grateful, giving, and other Christmas values, regardless of your personal views on religion. Christmas books help readers access this Christmas spirit better than ever.
5. Perfect winter activity.
   Yes, yes, getting all dressed up and going outside for a fun snowball fight or building snow figures in the yard, going skiing or sledding or tubing, and other winter pursuits are terrific fun, but with winter’s short days and cold temps, you can’t spend all day outside. So grab a good book and curl up by the fire with a warm blanket and cup of hot cocoa. It’s a sure way to turn Christmas into the most wonderful time of the year, just like the carol says.
6. Reading: the Forgotten Pleasure
   With modern life’s constant hustle and bustle, many people have forgotten how much they once loved to read. Or if they haven’t forgotten, they forget to make time for it. With a Christmas book in hand, it’s natural to sit down and read a chapter or two and rediscover the way reading turns the brain on in such pleasurable ways.
7. Quick reads
   Most Christmas books are relatively short, making them perfect for reading in just a few sittings. The best ones, of course, won’t let the reader put them down, so they go even faster.

So there’s our list. It’s true, isn’t it?! Now you know what to buy for your Christmas list this year! After all, “friends don’t let friends gift fruitcake.”