Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Match Made at Christmas by Amy R. Anguish, Sarah Anne Crouch, Lori DeJong, and Heather Greer, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: A Match Made at Christmas
Author: Amy R. Anguish, Sarah Anne Crouch, Lori DeJong, and Heather Greer
Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance Novella Collection
A-parent-ly Christmas (by Amy R Anguish)
Noel and Joy Davidson didn’t mean to separate, but a job promotion and educational opportunities were too much for their marriage to withstand. Now, it’s Christmas and their son Andy wants them together. Between his mischief, an unexpected snowstorm, and the holiday spirit, they’re remembering why they first wanted to be together. But which one will give up their dream for the other?
A Match of her Own (by Sarah Anne Crouch)
Victoria Wood is torn between elation and devastation now that her sister is married and gone. When she realizes her sister’s best friend is alone and best-friend-less on Christmas, she knows just what to do. Set her up with a boyfriend! But pesky Jared Knight keeps getting in the way. Jared can’t date Victoria—she’s too immature—but he can’t convince his heart to move on. How will he keep Victoria from ruining everyone’s love lives? When will she realize her perfect match is closer than she thinks?
Jingle Bell Matchmakers (by Lori DeJong)
When country music star Aubrey Mayfield is lured home after years away, she’s bewildered when she and ex-fiance-now-widowed-dad Cody Lansdale keep finding themselves in the same place at the same time. As they become reacquainted, however, old feelings stir. Aubrey’s at a crossroads in her career and is contemplating a change. But when a chance at headlining her own tour takes her back to Nashville, Cody realizes her dreams may once again come between them. Unless God, with a little help from the Jingle Bell Committee, has a better plan.
The Santa Setup (by Heather Greer)
Turning friendship into love takes magic. Good thing Nicholas Eckert and Julie Clarke work at Christmas Wonderland. The attraction brims with holiday magic, not to mention four teenage elves determined that Mr. and Mrs. Claus stop playing a couple and become one. The teens will need more than mistletoe to pair up these two. Julie is seeing someone, and Nick won’t risk their friendship for possible love. Only the elven employees’ outrageous antics stand a chance of setting up Santa in time for Christmas.
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Book Excerpt from The Santa Setup by Heather Greer
She’d heard it before. They both had. And every time, she acted like acknowledging it would make it true. Obviously, not an idea she wanted to entertain at all.
“I’d better get out there and greet the kids.” Nick strode from the room. “See you in a few.”
The unease between them would pass as soon as she carried out the platter of cookies. A little time between her and the suggestion. Time worked for him too. By then, his racing heart would calm. The elves had danced too close to the truth. With Jules’s distaste for even the idea of a relationship, the last thing he needed was someone guessing his secret.
Nick Eckert was in love with Julie Clarke.
Book Excerpt from A Match of Her Own by Sarah Anne Crouch
“What?” Jared’s brow wrinkled. “She’s only in town for Christmas, right?”
“That just makes the stakes more interesting.”
“What stakes?”
Victoria gripped Jared’s shoulder with her free hand. “I’m going to set Miranda up with someone. She’ll have a boyfriend by Christmas.”
“Wha–?”
“I think matchmaking is so much more fun than actually being in a relationship, don’t you?”
She raised her glass in a toast, but Jared didn’t reciprocate. Victoria sighed at him and sipped anyway. Men could be so clueless.
Book Excerpt from A-parent-ly Christmas by Amy R. Anguish
Noel said nothing, just waited for her to come to an acceptance. What else could they do?
“Fine,” she repeated. “I’m packing, and then I’m on my way.”
“See you in a few hours.” He hund up and then turned to their son. “You got some major explaining to do. We’re going to go find a place to eat, and you’re going to fill me in.”
Andy’s eyes were big as he nodded in the backseat. But something besides a healthy dose of fear and shame danced in those baby blues. Mischief? Elation? Whatever it was, Noel needed to figure it out before Joy arrived.
Book Excerpt from Jingle Bell Matchmakers by Lori DeJong
But here they stood, father and daughter, her heart reminding her how much she’d missed. Oh, she’d accomplished a lot in the last decade–records, award nominations, magazine covers, talk show appearances. Always going home to an empty condo. Not even a dog or a cat to greet her, since she was on the road so much.
And dating? Kind of hard to do from the road. She’d allowed herself to get involved only once in a tour romance, but nobody had ever captured her heart as completely as the man standing before her.
About the Authors
Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good. Connect with Amy by visiting abitofanguish.weebly.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Sarah Anne Crouch lives in Arkansas with her husband, three children, and thousands of books. She always wanted to be an author, but spent some time as a teacher, earned a degree in library science, and makes feeble attempts to corral her small children as a stay-at-home mom. Sarah loves reading books, recipes, piano music, and emails from readers. Connect with Sarah by visiting sarahannecrouch.wordpress.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Lori DeJong (pronounced DeeYung) is a contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Lori arrived in Texas in 2005 and dug those roots right in. She currently resides in beautiful Georgetown, north of Austin, with her husband of three decades. Connect with Lori by visiting loridejongwrites.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Heather Greer loves growing in her relationship with God and helping others do the same. While she’s served in ministries dealing with toddlers through adults, her focus is on encouraging and challenging teen and adult believers to go further in their faith. She is blessed to be able to use her God-given passion for writing to do this, both in her books and blog. Heather is a pastor’s kid from southern Illinois. While she never intended to marry a pastor, she became a pastor’s wife when her husband answered the call to preach five years into their marriage. Now that three of her four kids have flown the nest, Heather enjoys more time for reading and writing and writing about reading. And when she’s not doing any of those things, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen baking for her friends and family. Connect with Heather by visiting heathergreer.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Multi-Author Interview
Q: What inspired you to write A Match Made at Christmas?
Heather: My love of all things Christmas. We taught our children about Saint Nicholas, and we taught them Santa, as portrayed in movies, was just something we did for fun that wasn’t real. We taught them the real gift and meaning of Christmas is Jesus. But I still love the “just for fun” parts of Christmas too. And Christmas shops. If I find one, I don’t care what time of year it is, I’m going to visit. Put together my love of all things Christmas, my love of the true meaning of Christmas, and the idea of Christmas all the time, and you’ve got The Santa Setup, my story in A Match Made at Christmas.
Lori: I had a loose plot in mind about a man who had left his small town after high school with big dreams and returned several years later wondering if it was all worth it. As I started doing my character development, though, it became clear it was my female protagonist who had left with big dreams and hadn’t been home in over a decade. Once I made Aubrey the center of that plot, the story came together really fast.
Amy: My story was inspired by my son’s asthma. He had to do a daily inhaler puff for several years and we learned the hard way just how hard it is to get a refill over Christmas break in another state. I wanted to explore what would happen if the son purposefully left behind his inhaler when he went to visit Dad over Christmas break.
Sarah: I’ve always loved reading Jane Austin stories and have watched several film or YouTube adaptations of Emma. When Amy first presented the idea of Christmas matchmaking stories, I thought a retelling of Emma set at Christmastime would be a lot of fun. The combination of classic matchmaking and holiday cheer felt like the perfect match—and thankfully, it was every bit as fun to write as I hoped it would be.
Q: How long did it take to write this book?
Heather: If you’re looking strictly at the time from chapter one to the end, a little less than a year. If you subtract all the distractions and interruptions to time actually spent writing the novella, a couple of months.
Lori: Since it was a novella, it was much shorter than my full-length novels, so it only took me about two months to write. That’s with writing a first draft, editing, sending it out to critique partners, then a final edit.
Amy: I write really fast, so this novella took me less than a month total. I can usually write one chapter a day.
Q: What surprised you while researching/writing this novel?
Amy: How things have changed in the airport since I travelled last. Had to research how a child would fly to visit his dad while the mom stayed behind. It also terrified me a bit because I don’t want my children doing that!
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from A Match Made at Christmas?
Lori: That’s a hard one. But this one was a turning point for Aubrey:
Maybe she didn’t have what it took to be a headliner.
Tingling ran down her spine. Maybe she didn’t even want to be a headliner.
Amy: Since when did they teach marriage rules to second graders?
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
Heather: I knew in grade school that I wanted to write. As I grew up and enjoyed the stories of Christian authors like Linda Chaikin, Lori Wick, and Kristen Heitzmann, I was inspired to create for others the same type experience of story and faith blended together in my own writing.
Lori: In high school is when I first started dreaming about being an author, because I loved to read so much and always had stories running around in my head. I had a teacher, though, who discouraged me from thinking about a future in writing. He didn’t think I had what it took. But I guess the bug stuck around because I started writing in earnest around 2002 (twenty years after high school). Around 2005, while packing for a move, I came across a list of goals I had written around eight or ten years before. For a long-term goal, I had written “to be a published author.” And I wasn’t even writing back then. So something inside of me has always felt that’s what I should be doing—writing.
Amy: Middle school. I’ve always loved stories, but in 8th grade, my English teacher was a published author. That made it feel achievable.
Sarah: It happened gradually—almost like falling in love. My passion for books and storytelling grew quietly over time until it became a part of who I am. I do remember telling my husband, during our first year of marriage, that I wanted to write. He surprised me with a copy of Writing the Christian Romance by Gail Gaymer Martin, and that simple gesture helped turn my dream into something real.
Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?
Heather: I’m a chocolate snob. No Hershey’s for me. I want the good stuff.
Amy: I’m obsessed with cute socks. I much prefer them to plain ones and have several pairs for each holiday as well as a lot of book-related ones.
Sarah: My other creative outlet besides writing is music. I sang in choir from age eleven through college, started playing piano at nine, and even spent some time in my high school marching band playing drums. Music has always been a big part of my life—but interestingly, I have a hard time writing while listening to it!
Q: What are you currently reading?
Lori: What Brings Us Joy by my friend, Teresa Wells. Such a good book!
Amy: I’m reading an advanced copy of Laura DeNooyer’s future book, and just like her others, it’s really good.
Sarah: Heart of a Royal by Hannah Curie, but I just finished Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlap and next up is Cole and Laila are Just Friends by Bethany Turner
Q: What is your favorite genre to read?
Heather: Depends on my mood. Currently, contemporary romance.
Lori: Pretty much the same as I write—contemporary romance and romantic suspense. I enjoy western historical, as well.
Amy: Romance—both historical and contemporary
Sarah: Contemporary Christian Romance. It’s always the genre I return to when I want to relax and escape into a story that feels both hopeful and heartwarming.
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
Heather: Whatever I’m working on at the moment. Seriously. I’m a dabbler. I stamp and card make, I’m trying out junk journals, my Cricut either loves or hates me for all times I use it, and I love to bake. And who could forget reading? I always have at least one book I’m reading and a pile a mile high on my TBR list.
Amy: You mean besides reading? Probably either sewing or crochet. Though gardening comes in really close to both of those.
Sarah: Reading, of course!
Q: What is your favorite season and why?
Heather: That’s a tough one. My favorite time of year is the Christmas season. But that’s not the type of season you’re asking about, and winter is definitely not my favorite season. That honor goes to fall. I love the changing leaves, the cool mornings and evenings with a little warmth in between, and all the fun fall activities. I think fall is the most nostalgic season, and I love it.
Lori: Fall is my absolute favorite season. I love when it starts getting cold (and in Central Texas, we have to wait a bit for that), I love the fall colors, and the anticipation of the approaching holidays. My favorite HOLIDAY season is Christmas. Hands down. The colors, the lights, the decorations. I love it all.
Amy: Fall. The colors, the temps, the foods, the holidays. Yes, please.
Sarah: Fall! I love the cooler weather, the fall leaves, the decorations, the food, and the anticipation of the holiday season.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $40 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of A Match Made at Christmas!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 11, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 18, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
I liked the interview.
ReplyDeletesuch a fun interview - loved having all the authors contribute! Thanks for putting it together :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really great collection! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the perfect book for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the variety in the interview with the four authors. I did chuckle when I realized all of them said that fall is their favorite season.
ReplyDeleteThese all look cute!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. This looks really good.
ReplyDelete