Can you fall in love in twelve days? Well, I'm as sure as #Christmastide (I'm sorry, but puns are definitely a part of me I'm carrying over into the new year - along with the rest of your serialised novella!)
Happy New Year dearest readers - and Happy Twelfth Night.
For those who’ve been following along with me over the break you’ll know I drank too much cider one night and agreed to write a serialised romance in real time, based on the Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas.
(Note: No shade if you’ve been too busy to follow my chapter a day. As one of my readers says on Twitter, this time of year is Nucking Futs).
Need a reminder of the lyrics?
Here you go:
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings (five golden rings)
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtledoves
And a partridge in a pear tree
What’s Christmastide?
I’m glad you asked! Christmastide is the magical name for the twelve days between Christmas day, and Twelfth Night (which falls on 5th or 6th January, depending on which UK tradition you prefer). In the case of my novella, Callie and Tom get their hard-won HEA on 5th Jan, with a sexy epilogue closing it all out on the 6th (why the extra sexy bit? Because I’m superstitious, occasionally pagan, and I love writing steam for you all).
I wrote more about Christmastide and Twelfth Night here.
Did you say #freeread?
I did - and Caroline’s Christmastide (can you tell I love saying ‘Christmastide’?) is free right now - but for a strictly limited time. Once I disable the #freeread link, this story will be available to clyerose.com subscribers only. No one else.
I’ve posted one new chapter every day since Christmas, and tonight I’m loading up the twelfth day, my last chapter - the #HEA I've been writing towards since Christmas day 2022. I’ve had an absolute blast prepping it for you all.
Did I miss the #freeread?
No! I’ve been delivering this serial romance work across the twelve days of Christmastide because it’s been fun for me, but I'm well aware of the nucking futs holiday season! If you’ve missed a few chapters, or even all of them so far, you can catch up for as long as the novella stays live at clyverose.com.
All the previous chapters are available in your favourite ebook format via a handy download. Simply log on here & read at your pleasure.
The novella stays up until the end of January. After this time, the complete free downloadable novella will be free for clyverose.com subscribers only. If you haven't signed up for my updates, you can do that here.
Is Caroline’s Christmastide connected to the other Clyve Rose stories?
Nothing gets past you guys, does it?! If you read your holiday novella closely, you might find a familiar name or two. This is entirely intentional, because I have PLANS for 2023. Can’t say too much though (spoilers, right?).
On Christmas Day in 1815, Callie Partridge loses a valuable family purse. As a gamekeeper's daughter, this isn't something her family can afford - especially during one of the coldest winters Yorkshire has ever seen.
The fellow who finds her family's treasure isn't her sort at all. His valet is far more interesting, though Mr Doyle seems terribly stiff. Callie would like to see him unbend a little, enjoy himself these holidays - and she'd like, above all things, to dance with Mr Doyle and hear him sing - but who's ever heard of a valet having fun?
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