Character: Liz McCallBook: Death of a Toy Soldier
by: Barbara Early
Liz McCall here, and I need your advice. Dad spent his evening in a creative endeavor, which is sometimes truly wonderful--but at other times incredibly scary. (And sometimes both.) But he was up almost all last might making what he says is a perfect ad for our vintage toyshop, Well Played. Before I unleash it on our friends and neighbors, I thought I'd test it out.
And I've been so busy at the shop, I haven't had time to put up our shop tree yet, but we decorate it with small toys. This is last years:
Comment below and tell me something you remember from your Christmases as a child, and you'll be entered to win a (signed) copy of Death of a Toy Soldier, the first book in the Vintage Toyshop mystery series. Make sure you include your email in a safe format (Name AT Provider DOT com) so I can contact you if you win. International readers may enter,but if you win, your book will not be signed.Edited to add: Forgot to put a cutoff time. I'll choose a winner on Thursday, December 1st at 5pm eastern.
Liz McCall grew up in a playful winter wonderland but it was never her dream to manage her father’s vintage toyshop. However, after he sank his entire police pension into the business, someone needed to help him turn his dreams into reality—and keep him from sneaking off to patrol the not-so-mean streets of East Aurora, NY.
The mood goes from nice to naughty when a nervous man, who was trying to have his antique toys appraised, is found in the shop with a lawn dart through his chest. Suddenly, Liz’s business plan is plunged into deep freeze, while she and her father find themselves toying with a cold-blooded killer who’s playing for keeps.
Now, it looks like Christmas might be cancelled for the neighborhood kids if Liz can't wrap up the case in Barbara Early's delightful debut Death of a Toy Soldier.
Posts
There are so many wonderful memories of Christmas from when I was a child. It was hard to choose. One would be Santa peeking in the kitchen window and waving. Another memory would be the rocking horse I got (I still have it) and of course, just spending the holidays with my parents, Aunt and Grandfather. dbahn(at)iw(dot)net
ReplyMy grandmother always spent the night Christmas Eve. We learned when we were older that she was in charge of filling the stockings. Looking forward to this new series! Thanks!
ReplyJHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
I remember asking for pink notebook paper. It was the hight of fashion to have in school. The video sorta scared me. The monkey and druming santa... nerdsrgood at msn dot com Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyI got some ragdolls one Christmas. They were my favorite.
Replydebby236 at gmail dot com
I remember the wonder and amazement of Christmas morning. Running down stairs to see the miracle that happened over night when Santa brought your first bike! And who ate the cookies and drank the milk you set out? Truly blissful times. mlarkin at rmrgroup dot com.
ReplyThe doors to the living room were closed on Dec 1 (there was no TV and we listened to the radio
Replyin the kitchen). The doors weren't opened again until after I'd gone to bed on Dec 25.
Mother would make lots of clothes for the baby dolls (and maybe a new doll would be there)
along with lots of other presents. It was magical.
thanks for the offer of the book.
Mary Lou at txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com
My grandmother would start baking early and the wonderful scents of apple, cinnamon and vanilla would permeate the entire house. Her delectable treats were something special. What a baker and cook from whom I learned. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyLately I keep thinking of the Christmas cookies we made with my Dad, he had started to make them with my kids. Everytime I taste one it tastes like home.
Reply[email protected]
I remember my sister and i sleeping in the same room on Christmas eve so we could stay up late watching the snow hit the window and hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa claus.
Reply-mollie [email protected]
My dad loved Christmas, and he saved all year to have a lavish amount of gifts and goodies for my sister and I. Looking back it wasn't that extravagant, but it looked like it! [email protected]
ReplyMy favorite memory was getting a Mrs Beasley doll, I was 5, I wanted that doll so badly ! I can still remember opening the box and seeing that it was her and being so happy ! I had that doll till I was in my teens ! [email protected]
ReplyWe would anticipate the evening and enjoy storytelling with our family. This was especially meaningful.elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyWhen I was younger we spent every Christmas eve at my Grandparents house. Every year I helped my Grandma wrap presents for our whole family and set up her tree. Now that we are older and have our own families we spend new years day at my Grandmas house. This year my kids and my niece will help put up the Christmas tree. (its going to be interesting) utaker555(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyLove that video, that will be my new favorite version of The Twelve Days of Christmas. And I want the tree with the little toys. Some of the old toys bring back memories. We would always read A Night Before Christmas and then off to bed. Back up at midnight after Santa arrived, and in the morning there would be long support hose stocking filled with fruit, nuts, candy and little gifts, that Santa came back to leave. Gifts were not elaborate but plenty, and always new PJs to read the new books in. Strange traditions when I thought about it after growing up, but felt like home so I continued with my children.
Replysallycootie(at)gmail(dot)com
Most Christmas morning when we kids my father worked (Chief of Police). My dad would take the midnight officer home. We could see him driving down the road which was our sign it was just about time to run down the hall to the living room where our tree was. It was so exciting to see what Santa left for us. Such memories. Thanks. Lsum1258 at aol dot com.
ReplyI remember getting a real pony for Christmas and going to the barn to be surprised! [email protected]
ReplyOne of my favorite memories is when we were able to fool my mom about her gift. I remember lots of laughter as she was trying to guess.
ReplyOne of the Christmas rituals I most fondly remember was our Christmas morning ritual. My parents had a rule -- we couldn't go into their room to wake them until 6:00 a.m. On Christmas morning, my sister and I would wake up between 3:00 and 4:00, quietly open our bedroom door (on the second floor) and peer down at our stockings and the wondrous presents Santa had left for us. Then we would close our door and loudly play with our Barbie dolls in hopes Mom and Dad would hear us and relent. My poor parents! It must have been so hard to make us wait, especially given the 2+ hours of chatter. Thank you for this opportunity to win a copy of your book. -- Barbara (sunjester24 AT gmail DOT com)
ReplyOne Christmas at my foster home was simply the best as usually we got a tree and that was it so this one year a social worker came to see our little foster brother and out of her car she pulled large stockings with all of our names on them. I was crying and it still at my age makes me tear up. They had drums and soliders and a few other things on the front then the top had our name. I had never seen anything like it. When i went to volunteer at that same agency years ago i was in a case aide and had a room full of toys that all the depts of the county had donated and i got to let the social workers shop inside. I remember this one social worker came just a few days before Christmas and said I bet you have nothing left and i said I do well she picked a few things and then i had some gift cards and i told her here remember to put something in their stocking and she looked at me and said I almost forgot. I was so happy to help her out and now 55 years later i still have that stocking and so proud of it with all the little toys on the front. [email protected]
ReplyI love those old vintage toys, they require imagination unlike most of the video games so popular now.
Reply[email protected]
When I was very young we lived upstairs over my family's office. There were two apartments, ours in the back and over the store itself my friend Patty's family. I think they were Polish Catholic and they always made a big splash for Christmas. The tree seemed to fill the living room and reached up to the ceiling.
ReplyOne year her uncle dressed up as Santa and on Christmas morning we all woke up to a lot of noise on the roof. There coming down the roof access ladder was Santa. He had a bunch of pillow cases stuffed with presents for ALL OF US! That year Hannukah and Christmas overlapped so the parents decided that they'd celebrate both together and it was a blast. That was my first experience with Christmas. The following year I was put into a Religious Day School and we moved away.
I remember mom making her fruitcake and making me wait until it had aged a few days before I could have some. It wasn't that gooey kind you get in the stores. It had a more cake like batter and was wonderful.
ReplyI love that you had many Hallmark ornaments on your tree as I work for a corporate Hallmark store.
The 12 days video is cute, although ever since I read Stephen King's short story about the cymbal playing chimp, I look at that toy in a different light.
I forgot my email, which I suppose you need.
[email protected]