Guest Author: Andrea Byrd and Smoky Mountain Christmas

I love to connect with other authors through events such as the annual Twelve Days of Christmas celebration hosted on the Facebook group called Inspirational Reads and Authors. Each author had a three hour block to share our books, and during the nearly two weeks of the celebration I met so many wonderful authors and readers. One of the other participating authors this year was Andrea Byrd, who told about her holiday romance set in the Smoky Mountains. It’s part of her five-book Smoky Mountain romance series. I invited Andrea to tell us more about it, and she kindly agreed. Please welcome Andrea!

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The Story Behind Smoky Mountain Christmas 

I know we’re a little past Christmas and most people are ready to push it behind them. But, when choosing which of my works to share with you, I couldn’t go without sharing the story behind Smoky Mountain Christmas. This 22,000-word novella is near and dear to my heart. In this story, the main character avoids connections because after years of suffering from endometriosis, she had a hysterectomy at only twenty-five years of age. She can’t risk falling in love, because after all, who would want an incomplete woman who can’t have children? To her, no connections mean no heartbreak. Or so she thinks, until she meets family that are a true, shining example of the love of God and the true meaning of Christmas.

Infertility and the related issues that woman face are something I feel strongly about, especially in romance literature. I myself suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). While I have been blessed with two children now, our journey into parenthood isn’t exactly what we dreamed it would be. It took us a full year to become pregnant with our first child. I know that there are so many who have faced much longer waits, or are still waiting. But if you’ve ever had to wait for a child, you know how grueling each month can be on a woman’s mind and her relationship with her husband. You know how heartbreaking it can be to see a negative on pregnancy test after pregnancy test after pregnancy test. Or all the swirling emotions that, while you know are unhealthy, rise up each time you encounter a pregnant woman. I’ve been there and I feel you.

During those agonizing twelve months, I continued to read the romance novels that I loved. At the time, I was still reading secular works and every single book I read, seemed to have a surprise pregnancy or end with a baby. Even the ones with characters who experienced their infertility struggles. It hurt my heart and, in that season, was completely unrelatable. But it also lit a passion within me – a desire to represent the struggles that women face.

So, when I began my foray into publishing, I knew I wanted to write a character that I, and other women, could relate to. Enter, Camille Lansing. I hope you decide to take the journey with her as she finds herself stranded in the middle of a snowstorm and wrapped up in a whirlwind romance that only our incredible Father could orchestrate.

And no matter what, I pray that you leave here knowing that you are not alone.

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Blurb for Smoky Mountain Christmas:
After years of struggling with endometriosis, Camille underwent a hysterectomy at merely 25 years of age. Since then, she has spent the past five years running away for Christmas. In a time filled with love, she can’t risk falling into a holiday romance. After all, who could love her once they know the truth?

But when a Smoky Mountain snowstorm leaves her stranded at the cabin of a handsome stranger and his eclectic family over the holidays, she might learn just how truly loved she is.

You can purchase Smoky Mountain Christmas at Amazon.

About Andrea:
Andrea Byrd is a Christian wife and mom in located in rural Kentucky, with a deep affinity for an old-fashioned, natural lifestyle. Often described as having been born outside her time, she loves to spend time with her family in the great outdoors, one with nature.

With a degree in Equine Health & Rehabilitation gathering dust and a full-time job tethering her to a desk eight hours a day, she decided it was high time to invoke change in her life. To show her children it is truly possible to make your dreams come true, she dove into the role of Christian Romance author with my debut series, Smoky Mountain Romance. 

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