Poppies For Christmas
Stacy Keywell
Publication date: November 15th 2016
Genres: Romance, Young Adult
A celebration of love without labels. It’s easy to be brave with you by my side!
Popular DJ Dexx finds himself positively smitten by the precociously pristine Poppy Paris. Too bad she’s already taken by an older boy, Declan Davies, a beautiful model with a thriving career, and a perfect family. By a dreamful stroke of chance, Dexx finds himself invited to spend Christmas at the Davies home by a gorgeous girl, granting him the opportunity to pursue the precious Poppy. But in his quest to win her over, he unlocks a world of imperfection and insecurity, where people are picked on for their disabilities, speech, appearance, and eccentricities. For Poppy and her friends, love trumps labels, and everyone deserves a brave friend to stand by their side. What gifts will Dexx discover this Christmas? Will he ultimately find true love, or will he discover something even greater?
You are invited to read a powerful story about living with autism, but not letting it define you, about being bullied, but carrying on with determination and grit, and about having dreams, but not giving up in the face of adversity. Come celebrate something beautiful with Poppies for Christmas.
Author Bio:
Stacy Renée Keywell enjoys spending time misusing, mispronouncing, and misspelling languages, especially in her native tongue, English. When she is not stargazing or daydreaming she creates adventures for her family to conquer. Besides following her whimsical dreams, Stacy likes to sing to the music in her head, dance poorly, and compose non-sensical words. She is also the author of Forbidden Sky- Book One of the Dark Wing Series. Stacy resides in Michigan in a little house in the woods with her husband, and two daughters.
What are the best writing books or blogs you’ve ever read?
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg was the most eye opening book for me as a young writer. It inspired me to keep a lot of the notebooks that I use when I write. Since I signed with Soul Mate Publishing, I’ve enjoyed their author blogs, newsletters, and online author group. They are a very supportive bunch. The Authors Publish magazine is a must-have online tool for authors who want to move beyond the dream of writing a manuscript, and dare to enter the crazy world of publishing.
What are your non-writing hobbies, or what do you do to relax?
I have so many hobbies it’s hard to have the time to pursue them all, but I do try! When I am not writing, I love to devour books. I will read several at a time to catch up the new releases, popular reads, and old classics. Traveling is my passion. Since I love to explore different cultures, when I am not traveling, I go to unique stores and restaurants in the area. I never stay put. Every weekend I visit different parks, botanical gardens, museums, see movies, or attend art fairs. I also don’t mind staying home and being a homebody. I enjoy cooking for my family, listening to music, and hanging out watching TV on the couch with a big bowl of ice cream.
Do you have any personal heroes/heroines?
In my life, my heroines are all of the strong women who follow their dreams. All of the women who raise a family, go to work, pursue their passions, and make time for their loved ones. I want to be that person for my daughters. I want to teach them about love, compassion, responsibility, hard work, and the chase! I want to be their greatest example, so that they go after their aspirations and chase those lucky stars. To me, the women that can do that are my heroes.
Have you had any unusual or noteworthy occupations?
I’ve been an educator for over twenty years. Both of my parents were also teachers. As a little girl, I used my father’s lesson planners to teach my stuffed animals and dolls. Now, I teach French. I am also a certified social studies teacher. At school, I use stories, songs, pop culture references, and my passion for culture to instruct my courses.
What was your best date ever?
My best date ever was with my amazing husband. He knows I have a passion for Christmas decorations, food, wine, music, and a good old fashion stroll. In a town called Rochester, which is in Michigan where I live, they string Christmas lights on all of the businesses in the downtown area, and create a light show in December. One night, a couple of years ago, he surprised me with an evening out. He took me to a local wine tasting room where we had French cheese and crackers, and got to sip eight different samples of wine. Then he whisked me off to a delicious Japanese Steak House where we had a hibachi table top show, lots of sushi (my favorite food), and fun company with some friendly couples who sat at the same table. We meandered around the city in the snow to look at all of the beautiful lights, and decorations. Then, we ended the night at a cozy, little coffee shop where they froth the milk on the mocha lattes to look like little hearts, and have local musicians play music. It was the kind of romantic night good dreams are made of!
Tell us something you are really proud of.
I am very proud of my book, Poppies for Christmas. It is not my first novel, but it is something I wrote with my heart, and poured a lot of my soul into it. It took a lot of bravery on my behalf to pen such a personal journey. While it is not based on personal events (it is completely fictional, although I wish I could meet the Davies family and attend one of their parties), I found a lot of inspiration from individuals in my life. I am also very proud of my two children. They worked very hard at helping me create our own movement, Love Without Labels. We have a Facebook page. We donate to local charities, and do readings. I have a children’s book called Poppy and the Pesky Pudding Problem. It is the back story, and companion piece to Poppies for Christmas.
Can you confide something you wish you were better at?
Oh my goodness, yes! Ha, ha, I can’t spell! It doesn’t matter what language, or what alphabet, it could even be phonetic, but my brain just doesn’t work that way! Everyone assumes that since I am writer, I can spell well. Nope! Surprise! I really stink at it. I keep a good dictionary with me when I write. But, I use my weakness as a learning tool when I teach. I like to show the students that they should use all of their resources when they learn, and that having a weakness should never stop them from following those dreams.
GIVEAWAY!
Jacquie Biggar-USA Today Best-selling author 
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