Out Today!

It started with the blip of an idea, as most stories do. It went through about 7 iterations before the story actually worked. I knew what I wanted: a man who hated where he grew up, a man who adopted that place as his own, and Christmas. Eventually we got there. Barrett has reasons to reset his childhood, Morgan has reasons to love his little town, and plenty of holiday shenanigans.

Hickory Hollow was born and took on a mind of it’s own. It became another character in the book, a perfect backdrop to Barrett and Morgan falling in love. It spawned future possibilities. We’ll see where they lead.

But out today Home for the Hawley-Daze. A punny title, perhaps. But so fitting for these two guys. You can get it here!

Barrett McKinnon is at a crossroads. Newly retired from the Marine Corps, and at loose ends, he heads back to the town he was forced to spend half of his childhood in. He never thought he’d ever set foot in Hickory Hollow again. He tells himself it’s only for the holidays. Just to spend some time with his uncle, the only family he has left. Come January, he’ll head out and start the next phase of his life.

But Hickory Hollow is not like Barrett remembers. Morgan Hawley is the driving force behind the town’s now booming economy. The festivals and events Morgan plans have taken it from ghost town to tourist destination. When Barrett unwittingly gets roped into helping Morgan get ready for the Holiday Festival, he starts to see the town in a new light.

Morgan loves the little town he’s adopted as his own, and Barrett can’t wait to get away again. But the more time the two men spend together, the more things change. No matter how much he fights it, Barrett is drawn in to the holiday magic Morgan is creating. And, more importantly, to the man himself. But when the daze of attraction and Christmas cheer settles, it’s up to Barrett to figure out if Hickory Hollow, the town he thought he hated, is now the place he can call home.