Christmas and Pining for You

Time for a Pining for You update.

Since handing back my manuscript to my agent, I’ve had time to reflect once again on the setting of the book. I know you are all aware of my love for Jim Thorpe. My agent commented that she was excited to “go back to Jim Thorpe” for her second read of the manuscript with my changes. She’s told me one of my strengths in writing is world building. It’s funny because that was something I was always worried about when I first started writing novels.

One of my favorite things to do when I was working on the worldbuilding for Pining for You was to walk the streets of Jim Thorpe, take rides on the train, visit shops and restaurants, and see the world through my characters’ eyes. That’s one thing that writers do—they immerse themselves in the places they are writing about. I mean, in some cases, like fantasy and sci-fi, you’re limited, obviously, but real places can be visited. It’s why many authors write on location. I know I did when I wrote Pining for You.

So I’d like to do some blog posts on some of the shops in Jim Thorpe that inspired the fictional shops in the novel.

First up…

Since Christmas is right around the corner, let’s talk about a very important spot that has a big place in the novel. In the book, it’s called, Christmas Miracles. There is an actual Christmas store in Jim Thorpe that inspired the fictional shop. It’s called Jingle Bells Christmas Shoppe, and it’s amazing. Set up in a house on Race Street, customers can shop for ornaments, decorations, candles, and chat with the lovely store owner. There’s a cute Santa that greets you when you first walk in and a sign about unsupervised children. After you walk inside, you’ll find multiple rooms with decorations like a kitchen that has food-themed ornaments, a vintage Christmas decorations section, and a gorgeous tree that sparkles by a front window. There are additional Christmas trees with decorations throughout the store, and I’ve spotted mistletoe hanging above my head too. It’s a wonderful shop.

In the book, there are multiple scenes that take place there and it is important for the plot. The first kiss happens there. I know! How romantic… A first kiss in a Christmas shop? CHECK. The main characters buying each other ornaments to commemorate the first date? CHECK. In addition, the fictious owner of the store, Susan, is one of the only people who knows the identity of Nicole’s mysterious woodsman. Nicole, a romance author, writes a novel inspired by her love for Everett, but keeps his identity a secret for his privacy. But the book blows up, and everyone wants to know who her woodsman is. Susan, a long-time family friend of Everett’s, is the only person in town who knows his true identity. She, of course keeps the secret.

There are other fun plot points that happen at Christmas Miracles but I can’t spoil it…

Suffice it to say that the Jingle Bells Christmas Shoppe is a wonderful place to visit and shop, and I recommend you do so if you are in Jim Thorpe. The real-life owner is lovely. In general, Pining For You is not just a romance story but a holiday romance too. Half the book takes place in December, leading up to a December 22^nd holiday book launch. There’s something special about the holidays, and Pining for You relies heavily on that notion. My main characters, Nicole and Everett, celebrate Christmas and love the holiday. So it’s fitting that they would spend some time in Christmas Miracles and maybe, just maybe, there’s a miracle in store for my characters at the end…

Christmas is, as I like to think, a time of wonder and magic.