Greetings & Holiday Musings

Hello and welcome! I’m thrilled to be at Love Bytes today for my first monthly installment! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Lane Hayes, author of the Better Than and Right & Wrong Stories series, and the upcoming novel, A Kind Of Truth (which will be released in January). I’ve been invited to come by and chat about whatever is on my mind. Sounds dangerous, right? 😉 That may be so, but at this time of year the one thing I certainly can’t stop thinking about is the upcoming holiday.

I love everything about the holidays. The cooler weather, comfort foods, festive music, cheerful decorations and MM holiday books! The only thing I don’t enjoy is the shopping. I do the bulk of it online, so crowds aren’t the issue. My gripe is the commercial blues. Do you recall one of Lucy’s famous lines in A Charlie Brown Christmas? “Look, Charlie, let’s face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It’s run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.” Unfortunately, sometimes the sentiment rings true. When my kids were little, I didn’t feel that way at all. I happily searched out the best deals for Lego sets, Barbie houses and video game consoles. But under the great mountain of giftwrap and streams of ribbon, the spirit of the holidays was very evident. The gift was in giving… not receiving. I believe it wholeheartedly, but life gets more complicated as we get older. And more expensive. It’s easy to lose the sense of childlike joy that once came so easily and to forget what is truly important in favor of instant gratification.

This year, I’m not buying into the hype. Life has changed. There are college tuitions, mortgages and car insurance for teens. Happiness can’t be bought at ToyRUs anymore. Of course, there will be gifts under the tree, but hopefully the emphasis won’t be on the things we buy, but on the time we spend together. As our kids have gotten older, I appreciate little things, like having everyone at the same table for dinner. Or my son arriving from San Fran at Thanksgiving wearing his rainbow Pride shirt around our very conservative town. It’s the little things! Pride, laughter and having our 14 year old Lab still with us, begging for scraps at our feet.

Everything laugh and shared memory feels like its own kind of gift. Especially in light of what others have lost. I can’t help thinking of the families of the Paris bombing victims or of my dear neighbor who lost her husband unexpectedly at age 50 six months ago. It hardly seems appropriate to worry about fighting for a so-called deal at the mall when that time and energy is better spent with people you love, and in appreciation of what you already have.Frankly, I’d rather make cookies, watch old holiday movies and listen to Christmas music at home with my family. And when they’re tired of all that togetherness, I’ll get back to my WIP or curl up with a new holiday MM romance book and a cup of hot tea.

Happy Reading & Happy Holidays,

Lane Hayes xo

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions in the 2014 and 2015 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband and the coolest yellow Lab ever in an almost empty nest.

Books by Lane Hayes (Dreamspinner Press):

Better Than Good, Better Than Chance, Better Than Friends, Better Than Safe, The Right Words, The Wrong Man & The Right Time

*Coming Soon…A Kind Of Truth (January 8, 2016)

Contact Information:

Website: http://lanehayes.wordpress.com

Twitter:   @LaneHayes3

Facebook: LaneHayesauthor

Email:   lanehayes@ymail.com