Image Courtesy of Pixabay 

It's December and the race to decorate, shop, send cards, travel, wrap presents, cook special meals, meet and exceed everyone's expectations, and most of all, relax and enjoy ourselves is on!

Okay, there's a little hint of snark going on here. I love Christmas. I do. But, it must be the most fracking stressful holiday ever invented, at least for women.

This year, I'm ordering almost everything on-line. You'd think that would be easy, but no. Depending on the delivery dates, I'm using four different addresses. I need a spreadsheet to keep track of what I've ordered, when it's shipped, where it's delivered, and who is supposed to receive it. Every day, I get multiple emails from retail sites, and the gifts I need tomorrow, that are guaranteed to arrive today? Not here. So. Much. Fun.

Since a lot of the holiday decorations I see include The Grinch, I think I may not be the only person dealing with holiday stress.

So, to make things even more fun, I decided to expand my newsletter. Yeah, I'm smart like that.

This month, I've included two featured reads, and I'm giving two newsletter prizes in addition to all the regular goodies.

Read on for freebies, two book recommendations, a jigsaw puzzle, a recipe, the monthly newsletter contest (with two prizes), and more! I hope you have lots of fun!

I'm still waiting for The Green Witch's Warning to reach the top of my editor's TBR pile. She's very busy! 

Even though the book probably won't be released for months or a year, I want to begin sharing some little tidbits about it. 

The main character is Kacey Vaughn, who desperately wants to save her late aunt's cottage in Cassadaga, Florida from the bulldozer her brother, who inherited it, plans to employ to get the most money when he sells the property.

Because Kacey believes her aunt intended the house for her, not her brother, she insists on buying it from him, even though she has no money.

Her plan to finance the purchase is to start a bakery, live in the cottage, and fix it up.

She'll establish the bakery using spelled cookie recipes from a grimoire she found in her aunt's magically enhanced closet.

Writing the book involved creating and adapting recipes that Kacey and her love interest make during the story.

Since I have all these recipes, which I have actually baked, with pictures and spells to go with them, I'm thinking of putting together a recipe book/grimoire. I don't know exactly what I'll do with it yet. 

Some of the recipes I've already shared in this newsletter but with different names. A few, I'm saving for after publication of The Green Witch's Warning. 

I'll include most of the rest of the recipes, along with their spells, in these newsletters. 

In this issue, the recipe is Sweet Solstice Sugar Cookies. They are based on traditional sugar cookies my grandmother made, but I revised and renamed them for Kacey's story. The spell is just a short poem, or maybe a prayer, for the well-being of everyone this year and in the future. It's included below with the recipe. I hope you enjoy it and the recipe. 

Made for Me by Laura Ranger

#1 Bestselling Release in Teen and YA Sci-fi Mystery books!

Featured on the "Best Sci-fi with a Female Protagonist" list on Goodreads.

Be careful what you wish for...

Sandi Powell built the perfect boyfriend. But perfection comes with a price.

She is brilliant, lonely, and tired of being the school’s favorite target. Born into a prestigious family and burdened by a genius-level IQ, she’s never fit in, and never felt truly seen. Desperate for connection, she does the unthinkable: she uses her intellect to create Max, the ideal boyfriend. Charming. Loyal. Everything she’s ever wanted.

But wishes have consequences.

Max isn’t just a fantasy come to life—he’s something far more powerful. And far more dangerous. As classmates grow suspicious and whispers turn to threats, Sandi realizes she’s not the only one watching Max…or trying to control him.

Because when you play god with love, someone always gets hurt.

Made for Me is a sharp, emotional, and twisted tale perfect for fans of The Madman’s Daughter and Vicious.

"An evocative, compelling story of growth and discovery that will attract sci-fi enthusiasts and teens who like stories of evolving families as much as developing dilemmas."-D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"Clever, chilling, and deeply human, Made for Me reads like a twisted Frankenstein for the modern age. An unforgettable novel." -S.J Pierce, Bestselling YA PNR Author

My 5 Star Review: 

“Here There Be Monsters”

Laura Ranger’s new release, Made for Me, is listed as Young Adult, but it’s a story that resonates for all adult age groups. Who hasn’t been bullied, rejected, lonely or isolated? We all know what it’s like to feel we’re different and don’t fit in. It’s easy during those difficult times to believe that if only the right person showed up, all our problems would be solved.

If only can easily lead to what if. What if you could design the perfect person, exactly the way you want them?

Made for Me grabs that idea and runs with it, but not where you think it’s going. The twists and turns shock but feel inevitable. It takes you over the edge of the known, safe world into a place where monsters could dwell, and you’ll love the journey!

NEW RELEASE FOR THE HOLIDAY! Every book can be read as a standalone mystery - hop in anywhere in the series. By USA Today, Wall Street Journal & Amazon All-Star bestselling author Amy Vansant.

Someone is leaving clementines and rotten potatoes on the doorsteps of Pineapple Port residents. After the recipient of a potato is publically humiliated on the bowling alley monitors for not fessing up to a neighborhood crime, Charlotte and Declan realize the community is being terrorized by real-life Yule Lads—thirteen troll-like brothers from Icelandic folklore who judge children "naughty or nice" at Christmas. They've thrown in aspects of The Twelve Days of Christmas too, just for good measure.

Who will get the next stinky potato and why?

When the death of someone close to the Pineapple Port crew suggests the Yule Lad might be tied to the sale of the community, Charlotte and Declan struggle to solve the crime before someone else suffers the Yule Lad's wrath.

My Five Star Review:

Loosely based on The Twelve Days of Christmas and the Icelandic tales of the Yule Boys, Pineapple Partridge is a fun romp in Amy Van Sant’s Pineapple Port world. While the initial rotten potatoes go to residents who are guilty of minor offences, the murder that ensues rocks the world of Charlotte and Declan.

Figuring out this holiday mystery is a fun read that enhances the Pineapple Port mystery series set in Florida. All the books can be read as stand-alones, so if you haven't discovered them yet, Pineapple Partridge will be a great, seasonal entry point!

Image courtesy of Pixabay

December Jigsaw Puzzle

Link to Jigsaw Planet not associated with Katherine Smits

Image Courtesy of Pixabay and edited with Canva

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 C. All Purpose Flour

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1 Tsp. Cream of Tartar

1 1/2 C. Sugar

3/4 Softened Butter

2 Eggs

1 Tsp. Vanilla

1/2 Tsp. Lemon Extract

1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 C. Sour Cream

Directions:

Sift together flour, salt and cream of tartar.

Cream together sugar and butter

Beat into the sugar and butter mixture, the eggs and both extracts.

Dissolve the baking soda into the sour cream

Stir into the creamed mixture, the flour mixture and the sour cream and baking soda mixture.

Chill dough overnight or for several hours.

Roll out a third of the dough at a time while returning the rest to the refrigerator. 

Rolled dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.

Cut and place cookies on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.

If you plan to frost the cookies, do not add sugar to the tops. If you are a purist, use the back of a spoon or small pastry brush to brush a little cream or half and half on top of each cookie and sprinkle them with sugar. You can also press the sugar into the dough a little to help it stay on. 

(I like these best with red and/or green colored sugar, but the granddaughters like to decorate, so I frost some of them.)

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are flecked with delicate brown. Do not overbake. Cookies should be crisp outside but a little soft inside.

Don't skip the lemon extract! It won't give the cookies a lemon taste, but without it, they lack flavor.

Mixing the ingredients separately as directed makes it easier to work with the dough.

Coat the rolling pin in flour to avoid the dough sticking to it. Cookie cutters can be sprayed with nonstick baking spray. If dough becomes too sticky, add a small amount of flour or put it back in the refrigerator to chill while working with a different section. 

A three inch cutter will make about 40 cookies.

These cookies are a lot of work. Every year, I swear I won't make them again, but I do because they are so delicious. You really can't buy anything that rivals them.

Here's the Incantation or prayer to go with it: (See above for info about this)

Blessed be to thee as well as me 

Blessed be to everyone 

Celestial light and warmth to see 

From star and moon bright spun. 

Blessings to you for home and hearth 

Blessings to kin and friends 

Invoke upon this yearning earth 

True peace that never ends. 

Searching for your next story?

Look no further! These authors have teamed up to offer a selection of books you may enjoy. Available for a limited time.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the November contest! Indie S. won and I've sent her prize to her. 

You shared great Thanksgiving related stories, pictures, gratitudes, recipes, and favorite foods. Some of the stories I liked best included family traditions of playing football, eating roast beef because a family member doesn't like turkey, and Thanksgiving Day shopping while wearing ugly Christmas sweaters and eating hot dogs instead of turkey.

The December contest prize for U.S. residents is a gift bag with a signed copy of a book by Nora Roberts along with some other goodies, or a book bag with a signed copy of a book by a Florida author, or a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. Winners choice. For non-residents, the prize is a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Two winners will be chosen.

Enter by replying with whether you prefer to read ebooks, print books or both and what you like about your chosen way to read. 

Contest closes at midnight on Friday, December 26, 2025. (I'm keeping the contest open a little longer this month because I'm sure everyone is super busy right now!)

The Sea Witch and the Mage is the prequel novelette to Siren Descending. I recommend reading them in order.

Let me know if you would like one or both of these for FREE! I will send you BookFunnel links to download. It's easy and safe.

Check out my website for pictures, excerpts, book trailers, and more!

Please add this email address to your contact list to avoid the newsletter going to spam:

katherineeddingersmits@katherinesmits.com

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Thanks so much for being part of our book lover's community!