The Christmas Orphans Club

From bookfluencer and host of the BAD ON PAPER podcast, a riotous holiday rom-com about four friends in NYC who hold onto their unconventional Christmas tradition even when their paths diverge—but the changes they fear might be exactly what they need… Hannah and Finn have spent every Christmas together since college. Neither has anywhere else to go—Hannah’s parents died, and Finn’s disowned him when he came out. Their tradition of offbeat holiday adventures only grows more outrageous with time. When the pair starts their adult lives in New York City, they add stylish Priya and mysterious Theo to the group, solidifying a found family and sense of belonging they’ve always craved. But now, when Finn announces a move to L.A., this Christmas may be their last. Hannah is terrified of losing the family she’s built for herself, even as her boyfriend nudges her toward commitment. Meanwhile, Finn struggles with the things he’s about to leave behind—namely, his unexpressed feelings for Theo. Does growing up mean growing apart? This Christmas the changes these friends fear may be exactly what they need. . . .

From WATER STREET PRESS Two days before Christmas, eons ago in 1962, eleven-year-old Jeff Greenaway overhears his parents having an argument in their New York City apartment. Could it be, as his mother declares sarcastically, that he was "an orphan found on the doorstep in a willow basket?" And are these people who claim to be his mother and father actually imposters? The heartbreaking news propels Jeff into a strange adventure on the verge of the Great Holiday. He sets off for Grand Central Station to find the town of Drakesburg, Vermont, inspired by an episode of his favorite TV show, The Twilight Zone-the show that happened to be on when his parents started their quarrel. In Drakesburg, he imagines, with its quaint turn-of-the-century charm and its people full of tender-hearted goodness, he can start life over as an orphan, maybe even find a sympathetic family to adopt him if he promises to milk the cow and take out the garbage. Jeff rides the Holiday Special train north through the night to Vermont, with his baseball mitt and some fresh underwear in his school briefcase, only to discover that the sparkly New England town of television land is not quite the paradise he imagined. The locals in the town diner have never seen anything quite like him, a boy on the run from parents he says were phonies. Jeff makes the rounds of the town's best-looking houses desperately seeking a family that might be interested in adopting an orphan. The results are not quite what he expected. But as twilight settles over the snowy streets on Christmas Eve, fate lands him in the perfect situation, a family with a boy his own age, who even has his own horse! The only complication is that the father is the town sheriff.... James Howard Kunstler's charming, elegiac tale returns us to a time when we all believed we would shape life on our own terms-and reminds us that happiness is still something worth taking a few risks to achieve.

From the Sunday Times and eBook bestselling author of A Wartime Christmas comes a gritty saga about love, loss and keeping family together. 1940, London. Molly Swift, at 27, has already suffered the tragic loss of her two-year-old daughter Emily, to the flu outbreak of 1935. Now she waits for news of her shopkeeper husband Ted, who volunteered at the outbreak of war, for the British Expeditionary Forces. Molly is intent on running the general store with the help of her retired father, Bill Keen and ex-proprietor of the business. But after the building is hit during a bombing raid and Bill is severly injured, Molly faces difficult times. Alone in the hospital corridor as Bill is treated, Molly tries to keep positive. But the Blitz is well underway and she is forced to take shelter in the hospital's basement. It's here, as the bombs fall around docklands, that Molly meets Andy Miller and his two young children, Evie and Mark. An unlikely friendship begins as Molly offers the homeless group safe lodgings for the following night, and soon their lives are entwined, bringing unexpected joy and heartache for them all. Molly's Christmas Orphans is a tale of family and struggle set in the heart of wartime London. If you love Dilly Court and Katie Flynn, you'll love Carol Rivers. Praise for Carol Rivers: 'Brings the East End to life - family loyalties, warring characters and broken dreams. Superb' Elizabeth Gill 'Surely one of the best saga writers of her time' Rosie Clarke 'A gripping page turner' Leah Fleming

1940. Molly Swift, at 27, has already suffered the tragic loss of her two-year-old daughter Emily, to the flu outbreak of 1935. Now she waits for news of her shopkeeper husband Ted, who volunteered for the British Expeditionary Forces. Molly helps run the general store with the help of her retired father, Bill Keen. But after the building is hit during a bombing raid and Bill is severely injured, Molly faces difficult times. As she shelters from the Blitz, she meets Andy Miller and his two young children. Molly offers the homeless group safe lodgings for the following night, and soon their lives are entwined, bringing unexpected joy and heartache.

An Orphan's Promise shows a realistic Santa mentoring orphan boys in his toyshop. When Ruby comes to learn toymaking, she also learns, when you are alone at age ten, being with Santa does not resolve the absence of her parents. This is a tale of learning, of hope, and of miracles; showing broken promises can be mended, especially during Christmas.

Two days before Christmas, eons ago in 1962, eleven-year-old Jeff Greenaway overhears his parents having an argument in their New York City apartment. Could it be, as his mother declares sarcastically, that he was "an orphan found on the doorstep in a willow basket?" And are these people who claim to be his mother and father actually imposters? The heartbreaking news propels Jeff into a strange adventure on the verge of the Great Holiday. He sets off for Grand Central Station to find the town of Drakesburg, Vermont, inspired by an episode of his favorite TV show, The Twilight Zone--the show that happened to be on when his parents started their quarrel. In Drakesburg, he imagines, with its quaint turn-of-the-century charm and its people full of tender-hearted goodness, he can start life over as an orphan, maybe even find a sympathetic family to adopt him if he promises to milk the cow and take out the garbage. Jeff rides the Holiday Special train north through the night to Vermont, with his baseball mitt and some fresh underwear in his school briefcase, only to discover that the sparkly New England town of television land is not quite the paradise he imagined. The locals in the town diner have never seen anything quite like him, a boy on the run from parents he says were phonies. Jeff makes the rounds of the town's best-looking houses desperately seeking a family that might be interested in adopting an orphan. The results are not quite what he expected. But as twilight settles over the snowy streets on Christmas Eve, fate lands him in the perfect situation, a family with a boy his own age, who even has his own horse! The only complication is that the father is the town sheriff.... James Howard Kunstler's charming, elegiac tale returns us to a time when we all believed we would shape life on our own terms--and reminds us that happiness is still something worth taking a few risks to achieve.