This is the second novella collection I was privileged to be a part of putting together. This time a sci-fi/fantasy collection of stories centered around Christmas and the threads integral to it as experienced by four sets of characters across hundreds of years. Here’s a bit more:
“Inheriting Peace” by Erin R. Howard
Maggie’s long-lost relative informs her she’s inherited the Starlit Inn, and she jumps at the chance of a brand-new life. Except, the magical place her aunt described is in desperate need of renovations mere weeks before Christmas guests arrive. Second-born prince Alexander is happy not to inherit the crown of a land that hasn’t had peace in twenty years. When the portal to the Starlit is unexpectedly fixed, he packs his bags for his childhood spot only to find it in disrepair. He offers to help Maggie, but how can he put his happiness above his kingdom’s suffering?
“Asunder” by Brett Armstrong
A couple ready to give up hope on their marriage stops at the Inn and finds themselves trapped in frozen nightmare-scape of Vonlaus. As they race to save the planet and themselves, the fire of hope they mutually stoke in one another may be the only thing that can help them return to their world.
“Keeper of the Stars” by Dawn Ford
Grief-stricken girl escapes a Mars space station through a hidden portal back in time to the Starlit Inn on Earth. Once there, mysterious items plague her, and she finds a path to joy she never imagined possible. Time is relevant and surprises abound in this story of redemptive joy.
“A Quantum Christmas” by J. L. Burrows
When key intel drives a researcher into the quantum time-travel loop to travel three hundred years back, she never imagined she’d be assigned a handsome but reluctant protector. Yet even as time twists into a knot, they somehow discover the true meaning of Christmas for themselves–love.
Will trouble reign, or will each visit to the Starlit Inn result in the wonder of joy, peace, hope, and love?
Brett Armstrong 