Today I welcome author Gail Kittleson and her fellow authors as she shares about their recent release.

What happens when five writers compile stories set in a unique area sharing a colorful history? 

Two of these authors experience seeing their names in print for the first time!

Reading these stories warms hearts. Readers learn details from long ago that may well impact their lives today. People from other locales awaken to the beauty and struggles of others living in a different area, during various eras of history. New perspectives are born—perhaps  fresh ideas surface about how to face some of our modern-day challenges.

And through it all, the timeless truths of Christmastide sink more deeply into our souls. 

One of our reviews says it best:

I’m not a Texan, y’all. I’m an East Coast, New England, city girl. I’m not a history buff, and I never knew what a topsy-turvy doll was. But I was sent a copy of A Hill Country Christmas – Hope for Hardscrabble Times, with the possibility of writing a review of it. Here’s my personal opinion of this book: it’s lovely. It made me feel wistful for something I’ve never known.

Most of the stories were written about a simpler time when people worked harder than I do and went through more random sorrow than I’ve gone through. But there was a dignity to their lives, their faith, and the way they loved.

The book contains seventeen stories about happenings in the great land of Texas, arranged chronologically from 1835 to 2021. Reading them gave me a respite from the disillusionment of the post-modern, age of information I live in. I said respite instead of escape because a respite can produce growth instead of numb avoidance. The book made me want to change – slow down, appreciate nature, my family, savor a slow cup of coffee. It made me want to really listen to people – something that doesn’t always happen in my break-neck life. 

Read it for Christmas, or when it’s hot out. It will help you lean into kindness and simplicity.

This photo shows four out of our five authors jubilating at a book launch in October. Too much fun!

Please visit our FB page for more information about A Hill Country Christmas, and about a retreat we’re developing for late February, 2023. 

https://www.facebook.com/ahillcountrychristmas