Teaser Tuesday: The Festival at Evergreen Falls
A short, sweet, lightly steamy offering to bring joy to your holiday season!
If you are a seasoned participant of shenanigans at Books by DL White, you know that I like to write something sweet, sappy and holiday tinged to round out the year. I find readers really love these holiday romances and I enjoy ending the year on a high note. This year, I wasn’t sure I’d get to one, but this thing started writing itself in my head and I was powerless to resist.
I just sent this off to the editor and it’ll be out sometime in December. Can’t really pinpoint it closer than that because I don’t compromise on how long the edit takes. It’s a shortie, though so I hope you’ll have it in your face sooner rather than later. Until then, I hope you enjoy Thandie and Kwame in The Festival at Evergreen Falls!
But first…
Tune your debit cards to my website store on Friday, because I am running a lil Black Friday/Cyber Monday thing. I call it Friday, but Make it Black. 50% off of everything- ebook, print (while they last), and audio. I won’t let you forget, but hop on over to Payhip.com/Booksbydlwhite on Friday morning and shop to your heart’s delight!
ABOUT THIS NOVELLA
When elite event planner Thandie Wilson is unceremoniously dumped by her Chicago firm, she does what any self-respecting professional would do—takes the first gig she can find and pretends everything's fine. The Evergreen Falls Holiday Festival is a charming small-town celebration that's about to get a major spotlight on national TV. Perfect opportunity for a career comeback, right?
That is, until she meets Kwame Adel, the festival committee's resident traditionalist who seems personally offended by her plans to modernize his beloved event. The fact that he's gorgeous, is a writer, and has a voice that could melt butter is completely beside the point.
What starts as a classic case of unstoppable force meets immovable object turns into something neither of them expected. Between debates over morning coffee, planning shenanigans, and the most meddlesome group of church mothers this side of the Mason-Dixon, Thandie and Kwame discover that the best traditions are the ones we create ourselves.
The Festival at Evergreen Falls is about finding yourself, falling in love, and learning that change isn't such a bad thing after all.
The town hall’s interior was warmer than she’d expected, with high ceilings and well-maintained hardwood floors. A helpful secretary directed her to the community room. Before she even reached for the door, she heard polite arguing from inside. Thandie paused, her hand hovering over the doorknob.
“Now, Kwame,” said a firm, aged voice. “Contrary to what you seem to think, you are not in charge of this festival and you don’t give the last word on anything around here. Other people have opinions and you know we’ve got to step it up if we’re going to be on national television.”
“With all due respect, Mother Greene,” another voice countered, “overhauling what has made this festival special for the last twenty-five years for a minute and a half isn’t the answer.” The male voice was rich, with the kind of tone that could read a phone book and make it sound interesting.
Bracing herself, Thandie pulled the heavy wooden door open and stepped into the community room. The area was spacious with windows that let in beams of natural light. At the center of the room was a long table surrounded by half a dozen people, but Thandie’s eyes were immediately drawn to the striking man standing near a whiteboard covered in colorful notes and diagrams.
He towered over the others, his warm brown skin glowing in the sunbeams that filtered through the windows. A neatly trimmed beard framed his strong jawline, and he exuded an air of comfort and sophistication in a cozy cable-knit sweater. As he turned to face her, his expression was reserved, but she didn’t miss the swift up-and-down assessment.
An elderly Black woman sat in what was clearly a position of authority, her silver hair peeking out from under a deep purple scarf. Even if Thandie hadn’t heard her referred to as Mother Greene, she would have recognized the type – a church mother whose word was as good as gospel.
“You must be Ms. Wilson,” Mother Greene said, pushing herself up from her chair. “Welcome to Evergreen Falls. We’ve heard so much about your work in Chicago.”
Thandie pushed away a twinge of discomfort. They’d heard about her successes, not her recent career adjustment.
“Please, don’t get up. And call me Thandie. I’m excited to help make this year’s…” She consulted her phone for a few moments, then her face brightened as she returned attention to the room. “This year’s Evergreen Falls Holiday Festival something truly special.”
“This is Kwame Adel.” Mother Greene gestured to the man by the whiteboard. “He thinks he runs this planning committee though he’s not even a full-time resident. He only winters in Evergreen Falls. Nonetheless, he’s one of our most valued members. When he’s not busy writing his little books, that is.”
Kwame frowned at Mother Greene before turning to Thandie, hand extended. His handshake was firm, professional. “Welcome to Evergreen Falls, Ms. Wilson. Though I have to admit, some of us are curious why someone of your caliber would choose our little festival.”
There was a question in his tone that made Thandie’s spine stiffen. “Some of us…as in you?”
“I…I…uh…” Kwame stuttered, then shrugged. “Yes, actually. Me.”
Thandie beamed what she hoped was a disarming smile. “Mr. Adel, I’m only here to help you bring out the best parts of your festival so that BreakfastTV can give Evergreen Falls their flowers. So, let’s talk about how we’ll bring this festival into the twenty-first century.”
Settling into an empty seat at the table, she pulled out a sleek tablet and a digital pen, pretending not to notice the exchange of glances between Mother Greene and Kwame. Lord, she knew that look. It was the same one the church mothers back home got right before they started suggesting their sons stop by to fix some imaginary problem, then invite him to stay for dinner.
She wasn’t in this tired town for romance. She was here to prove she could turn any event, any size, anywhere into something spectacular. And if that meant going toe-to-toe with a handsome author who clearly had opinions about tradition, so be it.
“I’ve prepared some initial concepts based upon your bid,” she said, unplugging the laptop connected to the projector, then adding her tablet via an adapter. “I think you’ll find these ideas provide the kind of visual impact national television requires.”
The first slides showed elegant lighting designs, professional ice sculptures, a European-inspired Christmas market setup with booths surrounding the central focus—an ice-skating rink. She was about to launch into her explanation when Kwame cleared his throat.
“Ms. Wilson, I respect your previous experience doing this kind of thing,” he said, “but our festival has always been about community, not spectacle. People come to the Evergreen Falls Holiday Festival because it feels real. Not like some corporate winter wonderland. It doesn’t even get cold enough for a skating rink.”
“Mr. Adel,” Thandie replied, matching his formal tone. “In my previous, extensive experience running a wide range of events, tradition and innovation aren’t mutually exclusive. And I can create a skating rink in the desert if I need to.”
“In my extensive experience running this festival for the past few years,” he countered, “chasing popular trends is the quickest way to lose authenticity.”
Mother Greene’s voice cut through the tension like a warm knife through butter. “Why don’t we just take a breath and remember we’re discussing the celebration of our Lord’s birth, not planning war strategy? This conversation should be about how to make this festival fun and welcoming.”
Thandie felt heat rise in her cheeks. She knew better than to argue in front of elders, even if this frustrating man was loud and wrong. She would concede that he was passionate, especially the way he clearly cared about his community, but she had a job to do, a reputation to rebuild, and no time for distractions.
No matter how well said distraction filled out a cable-knit sweater. Those shoulders…
“I’m all for a modern touch,” said Kwame, “but let’s remember that BreakfastTV is only going to be here one morning. The rest of the festival is for us, for our town, for our community members.” Kwame looked at Mother Greene before turning back to Thandie. “Of course we want to look polished and professional, but we also want to honor our traditions.”
“Well, we brought Ms. Wilson in for a reason. She has a great reputation, I like some of these ideas, and I would like for this meeting to be worth her time. Continue, child.”
Thandie wanted to stick her tongue out at Kwame but took the more mature route and launched back into her presentation. She had a sinking feeling that this project was going to be a lot more complicated than telling small-town people what to do and taking over their festival. Complicated didn’t mean impossible, though, and she’d learned the hard way that the best opportunities came disguised as challenges.
Even if those challenges came with annoyingly handsome faces and strong opinions about Christmas festivals.
Stay tuned for a release date, Goodreads/Storygraph links and more teases! You’ll meet Kwame soon!
