Author Override is the place where authors take the reins and take you on a journey into their world. Some may allow you into their private writing dens. Others may take you along with them on research trips or interviews. Whatever the case may be, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride because here you’ll get an in-depth look into an author’s musings.
ANN MAYBURN
Christmas and/or the holiday season in general is a time when we are encourage to be with our families, to spend time with our loved ones, and is an excuse to get together with friends you haven’t seen in forever. But the main image that sticks out in most people’s minds is sitting around the Christmas tree on Christmas morning opening presents with your nearest and dearest. For families that have been unsuccessfully trying to have a child this can be a rather sad time of year.
You look around and see your friends posting cute pictures of their kids doing holiday stuff, are bombarded with toy commercials featuring amazingly cute toddlers, and you tend to get that meaningful look from your Mom silently asking when you are going to make her a grandmother. For couples that cannot physically have their own child, for whatever reason, there seems to be extra pressure from everyone to have a baby by Christmas.
I know when I was going through my fertility treatments I kept imagining what would happen if this time it finally worked, if this time I managed to carry to term. Inevitably my daydreams would wander to Christmas and how wonderful it would be to spend it with our child. All the things we would do together, all the ways we could celebrate it as a family.
And, for those years when nothing seemed to work and we started to consider adoption, I would start to picture children of all different ages, nationalities, and genders sitting around that tree with us. Fortunately through a friggin miracle I finally was able to get pregnant and carry to term, not once but three times, but I never forgot those days of praying with all my heart and soul for a baby.
In my M/M Holiday novella, ‘Adore’, I used my own personal experiences and those of my friends to write a story about not only the struggle of adoption, but also the reward at the end. In the book, Sam and Cody have the additional struggle of trying to adopt as a gay couple, but that wasn’t really the focus of it. I wanted to tell a short story that took the readers beyond the gender issue and made it more about two human beings trying desperately to have a child rather than make it all ‘OMG they are GAY and trying to have a KID and they’re GAY’.
For those that have never had to go through the adoption process, it is long, rigorous, exhausting and has resulted in more than one marriage ending. Sam and Cody reach a point during their struggle to have a child where they come to that cross-roads, to either abandon any thoughts of having a family or try one more time at the possible cost of their marriage. Setting the story around Christmas was important to me because it is the season for miracles, something Sam and Cody will need in spades.
Sam and Cody have settled into married life, live in their dream house, and are more in love than ever. There is just one thing missing from their lives to make their home complete. A baby to share their love with.
Adoption is hard enough, but the struggles and hardship of trying to adopt as a gay couple may be too much for the men to handle. When a series of setbacks leave both men with broken hearts and wounded souls, it will take a Christmas miracle to give Sam and Cody the strength to give adoption one more try.
For those that haven’t read the previous ‘Sam and Cody’ books I’ll be giving away a copy of ‘Want and Cherish’ to someone who comments below. You can talk about anything you like, tell me your favorite holiday tradition, your favorite toy as a kid, or what Christmas was like in your family when you were growing up.
Construction foreman Cody McPherson always considered himself as straight as they come. That is until he finds himself falling for the handsome stonemason, Sam Denham, that constantly occupies his thoughts. He wants Sam, badly, and can’t get the man out of his mind. Worse yet, he isn’t even sure if Sam is gay. When he finds out that Sam has signed up with a dating service searching for a guy who looks exactly like him Cody is even more eager, and confused than before.
Sam can’t believe that he’s developed a huge crush on his obviously straight co-worker. Even worse, the job that allowed him to see Cody on an almost daily basis has ended and he desperately misses his buddy in a way that goes far beyond just friendship. In an effort to soothe his aching heart and body, he tries to get a blind date with someone like Cody so he can pretend for just one night that he holds Cody in his arms.
When Cody himself shows up as Sam’s blind date, he is at once elated and afraid of having his heart broken by just another straight guy looking to sample the gay life. He wants to be so much more than Cody’s 1Night Stand and if he’s given the chance, Sam will do anything to prove that love doesn’t discriminate based on gender.
What started out as a one-night stand has turned into the best decision of Sam’s life when he marries Cody, the man of his dreams. When Cody tells him he has a special surprise for him on their honeymoon, Sam can’t help but wonder what it is. Secluded from the rest of the world in the cabin they built together in the mountains surrounding Las Vegas, the two men begin their life together with plenty of passion and love.
Great post! We’ve been very fortunate in our family in that there are no fertility issues – with us it’s actually almost been the exact opposite but I always feel so bad for those having to go through fertility issues – it really makes the holidays even more difficult.
Maria, I come from a family of seven kids, and my husband comes from a family of seven kids. No one could understand that we were having a problem. 😉
Congrats to Ann on her new release and life accomplishments 🙂
Thank you, Erin 😀
Christmas is a time to be with family for me. I love the theme of this book underneath the holiday aspect. Our family has several adopted kids in it because a few couldn’t have children. I have been privy to what it is like for those going through infertility and then adoption and then after for both parents and children who are adopted.
I haven’t read any books in the series. They sound good. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
Thank you, Sophia. 🙂 It amazes me how many people have someone adopted somewhere in their family.
Loved CHERISH, and can’t wait to see the next installment!
Girl, you are going to love it. 😀
All of these books sound great! Due to medical problems and a medication that I have take that can cause severe birth defects, I do not have children of my own. That has made me even more thankful for my nieces & nephews though. Congrats on being able to finally have your 3 children. Many people in my family have had fertility problems, and my uncle and his wife ended up adopting a sweet little girl.
I will definitely be putting these books on my TBR list.
Thank you, June. 🙂 Your nieces and nephews are very lucky to have so much love in their life.
I have a very dear friend who was not able to have her own and so she and her husband began taking in foster children and then they adopted each one. They now have a house full with six kids and I have never seen her happier!!!
Josiehink122026(at)gmail(dot)com
That’s lovely! I’m so glad that not only did she finally find her children, but that her kids found their Mom. 🙂
great post. I tried to be sensitive to both of my sisters when I could get pregnant at the drop of my husband’s pants and both of them couldn’t for the life of them. Here I was pregnant and I was growing inside a baby and they somewhat envied me. We talked to great length because it was a tough time for both of them. They were both happy for me but still it was a yearning they both wanted for themselves. Thankfully years later they both were able to have children of their own. So i saw it upfront what it can do to a family.
It is difficult for everyone involved, not just those having infertility issues. Anyone that loves you wants to fix it, wants to make you happy and feel better, but when they can’t it can get frustrating. I’m glad you were there, honest, and open with your sisters. I’m sure it helped a ton.
Great post…my heart goes to all of those who want children but have issues conceiving or carrying the baby to term, it’s just so heartbreaking…
It is, but I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and that in the end we all get our happily ever after…just maybe not the way we first pictured it.
Thanks for the great Blog Ann & sharing you struggle with having a family, have this series on my to be read list can’t wait to start reading. 🙂
Xmas eve is insane at my house and I love it….we go to church then come home, eat dinner, decorate our Xmas tree, while continuing to drink and eat, sing Xmas carols and watch tv…then we exchange our Pollyanna gifts and help the kids open their gifts from the family ….an of course we watch all 24 hours of a Christmas story
[email protected]
Ann, I have read your books and loved them! I know your kids are little angels and are well loved each day! We are blessed with 2 daughters that are adults ( back at home, yeah!) now. Keep up the great story writing! Do you need stickers for the kids? *wink* beth
I love Ann’s books. I have not read these though I plan to. They sound so great don’t they?
Ann and Ladies of UTC:
What a compelling post ( at least for me)–I had to write after reading it.
I, too, went through a long period of trying to conceive and it almost broke up my marriage. On a side note, I am happy to say that I am STILL married to this wonderful man for 22 years.
After trying unsuccessfully for three years to conceive, I gave up. It was heart wrenching–I would sob alone at night, afraid my husband wouldn’t understand just how empty my arms felt.
I am blessed with two beautiful children through natural pregnancy and couldn’t begin to tell you what worked or if there was some other stronger force involved. It doesn’t really matter–It’s not the important thing to know–just accept, be thankful, and experience life the way we are meant to be.
But my heart goes out to those who cannot have children via natural birth. I know the pain of that. You feel like a failure–as a woman, as a wife.
I have also seen the struggle through close friends with adoption. The heart of conception is NOT in your ovaries, it is in your heart. And I am happy to see that Ann has written about such a fragile matter. I am anxious to read this book. Better get my tissues ready.
GREAT post today, ladies!
Congrats, Ann, on the new release. My favorite Christmas tradition, is on Christmas Eve, We gather the family in the cat and head over to the drive thru holiday lights display, with music and 3D glasses. Then we go home, put the Yule Log DVD in and open presents. Om Christmas, we sleep in and have a big Christmas Day brunch.
I have not read Sam and Cody’s books yet. They sound fantastic. Put them on my wishlist.
Christmas was magic growing up. I have continued on with the same traditions with my children.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I haven’t read either of the books. They both sound like they would be such great reads.
sstrode at scrtc dot com
Thanks so much for your wonderful post. I can’t wait to read this series, it sounds amazing!
tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com
It is not easy to keep the relationships alive; it needs a lot of effort. You may require a lot of patience and you need to convince yourself that I need to save my marriage for the sake of all the good times and for the children. There are always some hope and ways to resolve the problems your marriage. The conflicts in married life may be because of ego or some misunderstandings.::*;
Stop by our personal web site too
<http://picturesofherpes.co/