A Baby by Christmas

    #1167

    by Linda Warren

    Harlequin (Superromance)

    November 15, 2003

    ISBN-13: 0373711670

    Available in: Paperback

    Read an Excerpt

    A Baby by Christmas
    by Linda Warren

    Jake's wife, Elise, wants a baby more than anything. Then Jake discovers that a brief liaison more than three years ago—before he even met Elise—had an unexpected consequence. A baby. A child who's been abandoned by his birth mother and needs a home. And he's not just any little boy—he has some special needs and requires extra attention.

    Jake knows he can be a father to his son and can put in the time and effort it will take to make Ben grow up to be a healthy boy. But can Elise become this little boy's mother? She'd hoped to be pregnant by Christmas. Can she accept another woman's child instead?



    Linda Warren's Bio

    After selling her first book to Harlequin Superromance, Linda Warren's life hasn't been the same. It's fun, exciting and she never has enough time, but she enjoys every minute.

    She grew up in a small farming community called Smetana outside of Bryan, Texas. Writing was never in her plans. She enjoyed it and even won an essay contest in high school. Her English teacher said if she could get her grammar and emotion on the same level that she could be a good writer. Linda didn't pay much attention to her words because she had always planned to be a nurse.

    In college her life took an unexpected turn. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and had to drop out of school because of the pain. Nothing in life had prepared her for this, but luckily she had a wonderful man waiting for her (her high school sweetheart and own personal hero). With his love and support she learned to deal with a crippling disease at an early age.

    With a lot of time on her hands, Linda took art classes and began to paint. To her surprise her paintings started to sell and win awards. This kept her busy for a number of years. Then the turpentine and fume from the oils began to irritate her eyes. The doctor suggested that she put the paints away for a while or try watercolor or acrylics, but she wasn't sure what she wanted to do.

    Linda had always loved to read and when she had to be in the hospital, friends and family would bring her books. That's how she discovered the wonderful world of Harlequin. No matter how bad she was feeling, she could lose herself in a Harlequin novel, knowing that whatever trials the heroine had to go through there was always hope, always a happy ending.

    Her family was pressuring her to start painting again, but secretly she was thinking of trying her hand at writing. The only credentials she had for such an insane idea was years of reading and sheer determination. She didn't do anything about the idea until her dad gave her a push. His reasoning was that she had read so many books that it should be a snap. She began by writing long hand in a tablet-testing her skills. Her husband then bought her a computer and she had no choice. She had to write in earnest.

    After a lot of hard work, tears, perseverance . . . and more patience than she ever thought she possessed, Linda's finally doing something she loves - writing. And those happy endings? She writes them now and hope they touch someone who needs a lift, a smile, or just a good feeling day. No matter what, Linda believes, there is a happy ending - you just have to find it.

    Linda loves hearing from readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 5172, Bryan, TX 77805 or LindaWarren@super authors.com or visit Linda's new website at LindaWarren.net