Dear Reader,

I like small towns. I’ve lived in one after another—places named Jupiter, Lake Park, Hartsville, Kinston, Grassy Creek. I’ve resided in big cities, too—Chicago, Charlotte—but I find life more manageable when scaled down to small-town size.

In a small town it’s easier to stand out. People know who you are. You can see where you’re going, and you know where you’ve been. Of course, not everyone agrees that this is a good thing. Small-town life has its disadvantages—mainly that everyone knows everyone else’s business.

When I wrote Breakfast with Santa, I wanted to tell the story of a little boy from a small town who was desperate enough to ask Santa Claus for a real dad. He introduced me to his mother, Beth, who had been searching for love all her life but had never found one that lasted. She deserved a wonderful guy, one who took his responsibilities seriously and wouldn’t let her down, and so I created Tom.

Christmas is a season for miracles, but everyone knows that Santa can’t bring us love. However, when Santa and the hero are the same person, maybe he can.

So make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, curl up in a comfortable easy chair, pull up that warm afghan against the winter’s chill and mosey along with me to Farish, Texas, to find out how.

With love and best wishes,

Pamela Browning

P.S. Please visit me at my Web site,

www.pamelabrowning.com.