Saturday, November 7, 2015

Keeping Christmas by Dan Walsh






For the first time since their children were born, empty nesters Judith and Stan Winters spent Thanksgiving without the kids, and it's looking like Christmas will be the same. Judith can't bring herself to even start decorating for the holiday; her kids always hung the first ornaments on the tree, ornaments they had made each year since they were toddlers. Sure they were strange-looking--some could be called downright ugly--but they were tradition. A tradition she's heartbroken to miss this year.

With Judith refusing to decorate the bare spruce tree in their living room, Stan knows something must be done. And his only hope for saving the holiday is found in a box of handmade ornaments. 




About this author

Dan Walsh's debut novel, The Unfinished Gift, won 2 Carol Awards and has been published in several editions and different languages. It continues to be an Amazon bestseller during the Christmas season 5 years later and has sold over 50,000 copies.

With the sequel, The Homecoming, book reviewers began to liken Dan's writing to Nicholas Sparks. Dan's 3rd novel, The Deepest Waters, earned his 3rd Carol Award for Best Short Historical. His 4th novel, Remembering Christmas became his first national bestseller and was a finalist for Inspirational Book of the Year.

Since then, Dan has written 13 more novels, including a 4-book fiction series with Gary Smalley. The Discovery and The Reunion, both stand-alones, were also named finalists for RT's Inspirational Book of the Year and both have over 350 5-Star reviews on Amazon. The Reunion has also been optioned for full-length feature film.

Dan released his first indie-published novel, When Night Comes in Nov 2014. It is the first book in the Jack Turner suspense series. He plans to release the sequel early in 2016. He's also just released Rescuing Finley, the first in the Forever Home series, a new trilogy of books that will also feature dogs as a main character.

Dan lives in the Daytona Beach area with his wife, Cindi, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel. They've been married for 38 years and have 2 grown children and 3 grandchildren.



My Take~

Dan has once again written a book that tugs at your emotions and pulls you right into the story. You will need a box of tissues for this one. Being an empty-nester I could relate to Judith. We have six kids all spread out and we don't get to see them nearly as often as I'd like. There was a lot of nostalgic familial trend throughout the book which brought back memories of my Christmases as a child and with my children. This is a great book that will put you in the Christmas spirit.
Highly recommended!


 

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