The Christmas Coat
‘Tis the Season Book One

Author – Kathleen Shoop
Pages – 76
Released – 2nd December 2019
ISBN-13 – 978-1711321882
Format – ebook, Paperback, Audio

Two days before Christmas, ornery Elliot Ebberts is tasked with school drop-off even though distracted by an important real estate transaction. In the holiday carpool chaos his extravagant, lucky coat goes missing. In a panic, he searches for it, tracing its path as it passes through the hands of good people in dire situations.

Meanwhile, his plan to WOW his wife Libby with an ostentatious gift reveals Elliot’s shallowness to the world and mortifies his entire family. Is it too late for him to rediscover the meaning of Christmas, to remember who he is without all the trappings of the job that defines him? Can Libby and their children ever forgive him?

The Tin Whistle
‘Tis the Season Book Two

Author – Kathleen Shoop
Pages – 108
Released – 14th December 2020
ISBN-13 – 978-0992867201
Format – ebook, Paperback, Audio

Inspired by a true story…

1854 – Jacob Gusky wakes up hoping Santa has arrived. And he has… but not for Jacob, one of two Jewish boys living at the Boys’ Home of Manhattan. When a friend gifts him a tin whistle, Jacob learns the power of giving, the joy in receiving, and hears what he considers to be the sound of happiness.

1881 – Recently widowed and completely out of options, Frannie takes her daughter Molly to the Home for the Friendless. “You’ll be back before Christmas?” Molly asks. Frannie gives Molly half a quilt square and keeps the other, choking on her reply.

Now a happily married father of three, Jacob Gusky owns Gusky’s Grand Emporium, Pittsburgh’s first premier department store. After unearthing the tin whistle from the orphanage, he is reminded of what it felt like to have nothing, and decides to make a difference in the lives of others no matter their faith. But with so little time before Christmas morning, can he even begin to give the orphaned children of Pittsburgh what he knows they need?

When giving is more important than receiving…

Cinder Bella
‘Tis the Season Book Three

Author – Kathleen Shoop
Pages – 251
Released – 3rd November 2021
ISBN-13 – 979-8498619446
Format – ebook, Paperback

She never had anything.
He lost everything.
Together they create a Christmas to remember.

December, 1893–Shadyside, Pennyslvania

Bella Darling lives in a cozy barn at Maple Grove, an estate owned by industrialist Archibald Westminster. The Westminster family is stranded overseas and have sent word to relieve all employees of their duties except Margaret, the pregnant maid, James the butler, and Bella. Content with borrowed books and a toasty home festooned with pine boughs and cinnamon sticks, she coaxes the old hens to lay eggs–extraordinary eggs. Bella yearns for just one thing—someone to share her life with. Always inventive, she has a plan for that. She just needs the right egg into the hands of the right man.

Bartholomew Baines, a Harvard-educated banker, is reeling in the aftermath of his bank’s collapse. With his friends and fiancé ostracizing him for what he thought was an act of generosity, he is penniless and alone. A kind woman welcomes him into her boarding house under conditions that he reluctantly accepts. Completely undone by his current, lowly position, and by the motley crew of fellow boarders who view him as one of them, Bartholomew wrestles with how to rebuild.

With the special eggs as the impetus, the first meeting between Bella and Bartholomew gives each the wrong idea about the other. And when the boarding house burns down a week before Christmas it’s Bella who is there to lend a hand. She, Margaret, and James invite the homeless group to stay at the estate through the holidays. But as Christmas draws closer, eviction papers arrive. Maple Grove is being foreclosed upon. Can Bella work her magic and save their Christmas? Is the growing attraction between Bella and Bartholomew enough for them to see past their differences? Only time will tell and only if time doesn’t run out before they all have the Christmas of their lives.

Always Noel
‘Tis the Season Book Four

Author – Kathleen Shoop
Pages – 70
Released – 24th November 2021
ISBN-13 – 979-8771944081
Format – ebook, Paperback

Albany, Oregon – December 1937

Despite the lingering Depression, Albany, Oregon, is lit up for Christmas. The entire town is bright with hope ushered in by the holiday season. But Jane Scott’s dream for the perfect Christmas is ruined. She’s been accepted to the University of Oregon, yet denied the scholarship that would allow her to afford it. On top of that, her boyfriend, Jack Arthur, stands her up just when she needs him most. Jane wonders if she could ever be happy living without achieving her teaching degree and as each day seems darker, Jane’s strength and faith are tested.

Feeling as though everything she had counted on is fading away, she flounders for an anchor. Little by little, the Scott family Christmas traditions and a benefactor’s encouragement remind her of what the season is all about, what she is all about. Can plans for a new job pay enough to cover tuition? Does Jack’s mysterious absence mean the end of their future together? Is a Christmas miracle on the way?