Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, where I share snippets from new and past releases and works-in-progress, and occasionally wrangle author buddies into doing the same.

Today is one of those days, but more on our delightful guest in a moment.

What has been happening in the Hein house? Well, other than me living up to my dad’s “Us Heins weren’t meant to play golf” lament, it’s been writing, writing, writing here. The light at the end of the Scarlett and the Model Man first draft tunnel is getting brighter, and I’m so keen to reach it. Alas, life has a habit of getting in the way which means it’ll be a while away yet. More on that next week because this week I want to talk about our guest, Nicki Edwards.

You probably know Nicki from her gorgeous medical rural romances. Books like Intensive Care, Emergency Response, Life Support and the wonderful The Peppercorn Project. This month she has a new title out and it’s the silly season all the way with Second Chance Christmas.

Ooh, I love seasonal romances, don’t you? They’re usually a lot of fun and very cute. Second Chance Christmas sounds like it fits this brief to perfection.

Here’s Nicki to tell you more about it. Remember, it always pays to read Teaser Tuesday posts in their entirety because sometimes we hold special giveaways. Will there be one today? Read on and find out!

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Hi Cathryn,

Thanks so much for having me as your guest today. I’m thrilled to share my latest book, Second Chance Christmas with you. The story is set in Canada although it features an Aussie hero and all the language and spelling is Australian. My family and I spent last Christmas in Canada (a trip of a lifetime for our family) and we visited Niagara on the Lake, Lakefield and Huntsville which is why these towns feature in the story. For those who don’t know me, Canada stole my heart 30 years ago when I lived there as an exchange student.

I had a long break from writing during 2018 and most of 2019 and while deciding whether I wanted to continue telling stories, my muse showed up unexpectedly. The writing mojo returned in a rush in August and I started penning another Christmas novella (I’ve written two others, also set in Canada). Well, the book practically wrote itself and what started out as a novella ended up a full-length Christmas story!

Second Chance Christmas features Jack and Olivia and their daughter Scarlett. Their marriage is all but over when Olivia extends an olive branch and invites Jack to spend Christmas in Canada where she has returned home after the breakdown of their relationship. Jack has done some soul searching during the separation and sees the invitation as his opportunity to have a second chance with Olivia.

I hope you enjoy the story which features one of my favourite scenes ever – a dog sledding incident. I won’t give too much away, but let’s say I wrote it from genuine ‘lived’ experience. Lucky for my hubby, he didn’t end up in hospital though!

I hope you enjoy the story.

Much love, Nicki

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As the plane touched down on the tarmac with a shudder and lurch, Jack tipped his head back, closed his eyes and let out his breath.

The window-seat passenger nudged him with an elbow. Jack removed his headphones and glanced over at him. ‘Not a fan of flying?’ the guy asked with a grin.

‘Just glad to be here,’ Jack replied.

The flight had been delayed leaving Vancouver and he was now two hours behind schedule. Olivia hated his ability to be perpetually late. Not that he had any control over time, but if he did, he’d turn back the clock eighteen months. And he’d never be late again.

‘Where are you from?’

‘Australia.’

The man’s eyes widened. ‘That’s a long way, eh?’

‘Sure is.’

He’d taken off from Brisbane twenty-eight hours earlier, excited but nervous. Twelve months was too long. He wasn’t worried about whether Scarlett would remember him, but he was anxious about seeing Olivia. Last year was a disaster and he didn’t want a repeat of that.

‘Hope you like the cold.’

Jack glanced past him through the tiny oval window at blue, cloudless skies. ‘Looks okay out there. I expected snow to be honest.’

‘Still two days. Plenty of time for it to snow before Christmas.’

‘That’s good.’

A white Christmas would be nice, but that wasn’t why he’d flown halfway around the world. He’d come all this way to see his wife and daughter, and they were his priority. His stomach re-knotted itself, as it had done since Olivia’s invitation. A lack of snow was the least of his worries.

The guy was still making small talk, going on about the weather. Jack tuned back in.

‘It’s summer in Australia, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah.’

The guy shook his head. ‘Dunno why you’d come all this way in the middle of winter. Must be mad, eh? Where’re you headed?’

‘Niagara-on-the-Lake.’

‘Nice one,’ he drawled. ‘Got friends there? Family?’

The knot tightened. ‘Family.’ My wife. My daughter.

Missing Scarlett was a constant hum in the background, no matter how busy or chaotic his life was. And no amount of Facetime would ever compensate for holding her in his arms.

‘Nothing better than spending Christmas with family,’ the guy said, putting a hand to his heart and tapping his chest with a closed fist. A wedding ring shone. ‘Home. The best place on earth.’

‘Yeah, nothing better.’ Jack tried to smile but his face felt stiff and heavy.

When the flight attendant announced they could disembark, Jack quickly stood and retrieved his carry-on case from the overhead locker to avoid further conversation.

‘Merry Christmas.’

‘Yeah, Merry Christmas to you, too, mate.’

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Merry Christmas indeed, and in Second Chance Christmas we even have a white one. You’ve got to love that. Well, you will, when you grab your own copy. Purchase Second Chance Christmas right now from:

amazon.com | amazon.com.au | amazon.co.uk

Apple Books | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

Booktopia | Bookdepository | Angus & Robertson

Now, aren’t you lovely for reading all the way down to here! That means you get to hear about Nicki’s…

GIVEAWAY!

For your chance to be in the draw for a paperback copy of Second Chance Christmas, simply share where you’d like to spend a dream white Christmas and you’re in!

Sooooo many possibilities. Hmm. I think somewhere in Germany for me, perhaps Nuremberg or Cologne which hold spectacular Christmas markets. I loved Christmas markets when we lived in Europe. They were glittery and lovely and so very Christmassy! And even though it was freezing, visiting them gave us a great excuse to sip gluhwein while wandering the chalets and sampling all the naughty things on offer.

What about you? Where would your dream white Christmas be? Hunting for Santa at the North Pole? Strolling Charles Bridge in magical Prague? Or maybe skiing or adventuring in Canada? So many choices! Share and we’ll pop you into the draw to win a print copy of Nicki’s Second Chance Christmas.

Please note: Giveaway closes midnight, Australian Eastern Daylight Time, Friday 8^th November 2019. Australian postal addresses only.

If you’d like to learn more about Nicki and her books, please visit her website. You can also connect via Facebook and Goodreads.

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