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A Sweet Diverse Reads Holiday Novella


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Earth�s Door is a brilliant blend of fantasy and sci-fi with masterful world-building and rich character development that will leave readers tearing through the pages. Breakout author PJ Dudek has written a captivating story that fans of Stranger Things, Terry Brooks, James Islington, and Brandon Sanderson are sure to love!


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A gripping time-travel tale set on a pirate ship in 1727 and in the gaslit streets of the Prohibition.


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A demon seeks to destroy all. Can she stop him?


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Two restless souls, one wild Christmas on the ranch�where sparks fly, and dreams ride free.


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From jilted bride to fake-fianc�e: falling for the bad boy was not part of the plan!



Best November Reads


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Jen's Jewels
Get the lowdown on your favorite authors with Jennifer Vido.

Jennifer Vido | Jen's Jewels Interview: THE NOEL BRDGE by Jenny Hale


The Noel Bridge
Jenny Hale

AVAILABLE

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October 2024
On Sale: October 15, 2024
ISBN: 1963483111
EAN: 9781963483116
Kindle: B0DGDL7K9J
Paperback / e-Book
Add to Wish List

Also by Jenny Hale:
The Noel Bridge, October 2024
We'll Always Have Christmas, October 2024
Add to review list
The Golden Hour, May 2024
An Island Summer, May 2024

Get ready to immerse yourself in the heartwarming magic of the holiday season! In my latest Jen’s Jewels author interview, I chat with bestselling author Jenny Hale about her enchanting new release, THE NOEL BRIDGE. This moving tale, set in the Smoky Mountains, weaves together themes of healing, hope, and the power of love—perfect for cozying up with this Christmas. Discover the inspiration behind the magical covered bridge, dive into the emotional journeys of Alicia and Leo, and learn how Jenny masterfully balances mystery, romance, and a touch of holiday wonder.

Jennifer Vido: Your holiday stories always evoke such strong emotions. What inspired this novel's magical idea of a covered bridge that heals the sick and mends the broken?

Jenny Hale:  While maintaining a secular story, I wanted to build a novel that asked people to assess their own beliefs by posing a question: Is there a place anywhere that could help us find our connection to our beliefs? Christmas is already a time when we turn our focus toward our faith, so I figured it would be nice backdrop for a book like this. Then, I needed a place. And what’s more romantic and Christmassy than a covered bridge?

(Funny note: I was visiting Harpeth Road’s distributor in Indianapolis, and in chatting with their president about cover design, he mentioned covered bridges. That idea stuck with me, and might have been in the forefront of my mind as I built this story.)

Jen: Alicia Silver is experiencing a significant loss during the holiday season. How did you approach writing about her journey and balancing her grief with the hopeful theme of Christmas?

Jenny: While my books are light, easy reading, I always try to focus on real-life issues that we’re forced to deal with. My goal with every book is to provide an underlying message of hope. In any situation we deal with, we can really be going through it, but if we have hope (and faith), the balance is already there.

Jen: Leo Whitaker is dealing with the mystery of his missing father. How did you weave together Alicia and Leo’s stories to create a sense of urgency and emotional connection between them?

Jenny: Whenever two people come together, they bring their entire life story along with them. The goal is to give them enough common ground for an emotional attachment to take hold, and then they can support each other as they manage their own life’s trials.

Jen: With your novel set in the Smoky Mountains, how does the recent flooding caused by the hurricane impact your thoughts on the setting, and has it influenced any aspects of your writing or view of the story?

Jenny: What happened with Hurricane Helene is absolutely devastating, and the areas affected have been in my thoughts ever since. In terms of my writing (and brand), I try not to bring in specific world or regional tragedies, opting instead for universal trials that we all face. My hope is that by portraying the Smoky Mountains in happier times, the story can provide escape and hope for readers. As horrific as the hurricane was, we have to hold fast to the idea that this, too, shall pass. With strength, determination, and faith, we will overcome.

Jen: Your book focuses on healing, hope, and divine intervention. What do you hope readers take away from Alicia and Leo’s experiences at the bridge?

I hope the novel asks readers to take a look at themselves. What do they believe, and how can they strengthen their beliefs?

Jen: How do you capture the holiday spirit and incorporate it into your characters' lives while they face personal challenges?

Jenny: The holiday spirit is the faith we have and the idea that with that faith, we can find happiness in the tiniest of places. So if my characters are sitting by a Christmas tree, for example, I write that tree as a sense of something hopeful juxtaposed to their challenges. The spirit isn’t tangible, so I have to write it as a feeling, a thought, an idea.

Jen: This novel combines mystery, romance, and a touch of holiday magic. How do you balance these different elements without one overshadowing the other?

Jenny: I break my books into 3 to 5 acts, and the character’s arcs are evenly distributed throughout those acts. Then I carry the plot through those acts, and the characters react according to where they are in the character arc. When I focus on that strategy, everything falls into place.

Jen: The covered bridge is a central metaphor in the story. How does it symbolize the characters’ journeys, both individually and together?

Jenny: I liked the idea that a bridge is open on both ends, and cars travel through it. In many ways, we face life the same way: events travel through us, and we are changed only when they’re gone. My characters’ biggest changes came after their experience with the bridge.

Jen: Your books have been adapted into popular holiday movies. When you write your holiday stories, do you ever envision them as films? Does this influence how you craft certain scenes?

I actually don’t think about anything but the story. I don’t envision film at all. I want to write stories that are from a unique perspective, that haven’t been done exactly that way before. If I try to let films influence me, I fear I’ll write a secondary version of something that’s already been out. Instead, I have coffee with screenwriters, and we chat about process. That’s more informative to me than allowing films to influence me.

Jen: What are you working on right now that has you most excited?

Jenny: Sitting on my front porch one day, I got a full book idea, the title, the retail description, and the cover design layout in the span of about five minutes. I rushed to my computer, putting it all on paper, averaging over 4,000 words a day (which I’ve never done in my life). I wrote it in a month, and it will be out next fall.

Jen: What’s the best way for readers to stay connected with you?

Jenny: I’m available through my website/social media and Harpeth Road’s.

Jen: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk about your latest release, THE NOEL BRIDGE. It's the perfect heartwarming story to embrace the holiday spirit!

Jenny: Thank you for having me! It’s been a blast.

THE NOEL BRIDGE by Jenny Hale

The Noel Bridge

Fans of the USA Today bestselling author of the book-to-TV stories Coming Home for Christmas and Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses, with over one million copies sold, comes a moving holiday read that's perfect for fans of Sheila Roberts, Debbie Macomber, and Jill Shalvis.

They say there’s a covered bridge that heals the sick and mends the broken. Actual miracles have happened within its green clapboard protective shell. When Alicia Silver faces spending her first Christmas without her fiancé, she knows that the only way she can manage through the season is if she has a little divine intervention. So she heads to the snowy Smoky Mountains to visit that bridge, hoping to reach her fiancé somehow.

But she isn’t expecting to encounter Leo Whitaker when she gets there. He, too, is looking for answers. His father is missing. He hasn’t seen even a trace of him in five days, and with the snowstorm, every day he can’t find him the situation becomes more dire.

Under the sparkle of holiday lights and swags of greenery, the two must face the answers they’re given. Will the bridge be their Christmas miracle? Or will it uncover more than it covers this holiday?

A heartwarming holiday getaway that will have you believing in the power of love. If you enjoyed the Christmas movies based on Jenny's books and are searching for more feel-good, small-town romance, look no further!

Romance Contemporary | Romance Holiday [Harpeth Road Press, On Sale: October 15, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781963483116 / ]

Buy THE NOEL BRIDGEAmazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Powell's Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR

About Jenny Hale

Jenny Hale

When I graduated college, one of my friends said, “Look out for this one; she’s going to be an author one day.” Despite being an avid reader and a natural storyteller, it wasn’t until that very moment that the idea of writing novels occurred to me. Sometimes our friends can see the things that we can’t. While I didn’t start straight away, that comment sowed a seed and several years, two children, and hundreds of thousands of words later, I completed a novel that I felt was worthy of publication. The result is Coming Home for Christmas, a heart-warming story about friends, family, and the magic of love at Christmas. The rest is history. When I’m not writing, I’m a mother of two boys and a wife to a very supportive husband.

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About Jennifer Vido

Jennifer Vido

Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry, earning acclaim as the award-winning author of the Gull Island series. Her debut novel, "Serendipity by the Sea," secured the prestigious Best First Book award from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest. In 2024, Vido's talent garnered further accolades, with Baltimore Magazine readers naming her Best Local Author in their annual Best of Baltimore poll, while the Baltimore Sun acknowledged her with an Honorable Mention in their Best of 2024 Author category. When not writing fiction, she interviews authors for her weekly Jen’s Jewels column, leads water exercise classes, and directs a legal nonprofit. Currently residing in Maryland, she and her husband are proud parents to two grown sons and a rescue dog named Fripp.

Gull Island

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