Christmas | CW Hawes

Christmas with the Wrights: What the Readers Say

The stories in Christmas with the Wrights started out as gifts to my mailing list. If you want to get in on the fun, click or tap on this link: https://BookHip.com/BMNGDTB

When you do, the link will take you to BookFunnel, where you’ll get a free copy of Vampire House and Other Early Cases of Justinia Wright, PI (a $3.99 value), and join my mailing list. I’d love to see you at the party!

I’ll admit short stories are a hard sell for indie authors. And I don’t know why. They’re perfect for the person on the go.

Our schedules are busy. A short story can fill those odd moments of the day: waiting at the doctor’s office, commuting to work, lunch or coffee breaks. Or any other time when you are in between things.

I love short stories. A well-crafted short can be as satisfying an experience as a novel — only you get that experience of satisfaction faster. And more of them.

Christmas with the Wrights sees Tina and Harry dealing with 3 very different cases.

There’s Cordell Oscar Hellman, a conservative political pundit, who’s recreational morphine use has come to the attention of a vicious blackmailer.

Mrs. Solberg’s dope of a husband is being hoodwinked by the office minx and the Missus doesn’t like that one bit. But what can Tina do about it? She’ll have to get very creative.

Finally, there’s Emil Papenfuss. He’s homeless and a millionaire. Only he doesn’t know he’s millionaire. But Tina has to find him first before she can deliver the good news.

Three cases. Three chances to do a good deed. And with the inducement of three big, fat fees, and Harry’s help, Tina delivers the goods. But not without difficulty. A lot of difficulty.

So what do the readers say about all this? Let’s take a look.

If you like a story with fascinating characters and a good plot, as well as clever dialogue, check this one out.

That is a very satisfying review for an author to receive. Especially since it comes from another writer: Maryann Miller.

Here’s another review:

CW Hawes has done such a marvelous job of creating Justinia & Harry Wright, brother-and-sister sleuth team, that I keep coming back for more. I had just finished reading a story by this author when this Christmas book caught my eye. The characters were still in my head, and I decided to see what good deeds (hopefully) they might be up to during the Christmas season.

This book was as delightful as it promised to be … with three feel-good stories driven by Hawes’s exceptional characters of whom I’ve grown quite fond. The stories were great fun – the last one being my favorite.

Although this book offers Christmas cheer, it’s a great read for any time of the year, and again … just like the other books in this wonderful series.

Such a delightful review.

Fellow mystery writer, Joe Congel had this to say:

I have enjoyed CW Hawes’ Justinia Wright series for a long time, and this short story collection has arrived just in time for the holiday season. If you’ve followed the progression of the series, you’ll be delighted to know that the three stories in this volume have all the fun, mystery, and mayhem that you love in the full-length books. And if you’re new to the world of Minneapolis’ top private sleuth and her equally talented brother, Harry, then you are in for a real treat!

The stories are told through the eyes of Harry, which lends a bit of the whimsical to the narrative as Harry pulls no punches regarding his sister’s down falls as well as why she is the best PI for any client looking for justice in a cruel world. You can feel the love, trust, and admiration between the two characters as Hawes has done a superb job allowing the dialog to show the reader the tight, though somewhat flawed relationship between a brother and sister.

Hawes is a master of his craft, and these three tales pack a lot of surprise and intrigue inside each crisply written mystery. One of the things I like best about this collection is that even though the common thread throughout the book is that it’s the holiday season, these are not stories about Christmas mysteries, but rather good old fashion mysteries that happen to take place during Christmas time. It’s a wonderful blending of a magical time of year and the realization that mystery, bad decisions, and crime do not take a break during the holidays.

Do yourself a favor, and pour a cup of eggnog (spiked if you prefer), get cozy in front of the fireplace, and enjoy some of the best storytelling you’ll find between the pages of a book.

Now that is high praise, indeed — especially coming from a peer, who is no slouch when it comes to spinning an engaging yarn.

Richard Schwindt, another writer, who I think is one of the best storytellers writing today, wrote:

Christmas with the Wrights is the mature Hawes at the top of his form.

Now that comment is the best award I could have ever won.

Enjoy some Christmas cheer. Christmas with the Wrights is available from Amazon and is only 99¢. Which makes it the perfect stocking stuffer for that mystery reader on your list. As well as for yourself!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

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The Meaning of Christmas

Let me begin by saying, Christmas means different things to different people. So, I suppose, I should have titled this post: The Meaning of Christmas to Me. And you, my dear reader, are completely free to agree or disagree with my thoughts.

At base, Christmas is a Christian holy day that celebrates the birth of the Christ; the one who came to take away the sins of the world.

However, in this largely post-Christian era, Christmas has essentially become a secular holiday devoted to exchanging gifts and having a feast with family and friends.

For myself, even though I no longer believe there was a historical Jesus, I try to steer a middle way between the religious and the secular.

Now you may ask, how the heck can I do that? Isn’t it one or the other? Especially if I don’t even believe there was a Jesus?

For me, the answer is simple. The Christmas story expresses a hope. A hope that humanity can transcend its desire for self-destruction. That we humans can, in fact, become a species that values the other above self. That we can learn to practice the Golden Rule in our thoughts and in our actions. That we can learn to value peace over war, love over hate, freedom over slavery.

Stoicism is my life philosophy of choice. In particular, the Stoicism espoused by Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

Seneca’s Stoicism was pragmatic, not dogmatic. And that put him at odds with Stoics in his own day, and it puts him at odds with many of the Neo-Stoics of today.

For me, Seneca is a philosopher for the 21st century. Even though he lived two millennia ago, he could have just as easily lived today.

“All truth is mine,” he wrote to his friend Lucilius. Seneca was not a dogmatician. His Stoicism fit the practical needs of the Romans of his day, and it fits the needs of those of us who live in the first world of today. The times haven’t changed all that much.

With Seneca, I say, ALL TRUTH IS MINE. I basically follow the Stoic way, but deviate where I need to do so in order to follow the truth (more accurately, what is truth for me).

As a result, I can rejoice in the hope of the Christmas season without being a Christian, or believing that Jesus existed.

Because the truth is — everyone hopes the meaning of Christmas becomes a reality. That weapons of war are turned into tools of peace. That we all turn the other cheek, rather than get offended and strike back. That we forgive others, as we ourselves wish to be forgiven. And that we do to others, as we want them to do to us.

Christmas is our wish to transcend ourselves and become Human 2.0. And who, at heart, doesn’t want to become a better person? Merry Christmas!

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy living!

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Christmas in Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota is home to Justinia and Harry Wright, sister and brother private detective team. It also happens to be my home.

Minnesnowtans are well acquainted with winter. The cold, the ice, the snow. The traffic jams and snow-clogged streets. Ever try parking at the curb-side meter when the snow is three feet high and the curb is nowhere in sight?

While many of us prefer to worship at the feet of Helios, there are those intrepid sons and daughters of the original settlers in whose veins the blood of ancient Norsemen flows. And they love the winter. Positively love it. Skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and snow angels.

However, I don’t think I’d be far off if I said everyone loves the Yule season. Therefore, in the spirit of the Yuletide, below are pictures of downtown Minneapolis from the 1920s to the present. Happy Holidays!

The picture below is how I remember Nicollet Mall looked when I first moved to Minnesota. Nicollet Mall in the ’70s.

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White Christmas

At least in Minneapolis we’re dreaming of a white Christmas. Unseasonably warm weather and rain have vaporized our snow. NOT that I’m unhappy about it. We had a couple weeks of snow and I’m ready now for spring.

The weather prognosticators tell us very cold weather is headed our way after Christmas. Night temps going below zero. With no snow, that will be hard on the plants.

At times, I wonder what the Advent and Christmas seasons would be like without snow. No chance of even having snow. I’ve visited family at Christmas time who live in no snow zones. The time away from the cold and snow was welcomed. But to live in a place where snow never fell, that’s a sleigh of a different color. Although those family members assure me they don’t miss having to shovel at all.

But with no snow, there would certainly be no frosty cold made moan in the bleak midwinter. Jack Frost wouldn’t be nippin’ at my nose and while the weather outside might be frightful, I wouldn’t be singing, “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.”

The Christmas culture is inextricably tied to snow. Santa may have come one winter in a whirlybird, but it was an experiment that apparently didn’t catch on. His sleigh continues to be the preferred mode of transportation. Although one look out my window and I’m thinking Santa might want to reconsider ditching the whirlybird. Or at least consider using an ATV.

Weather aside, and even religion aside (because the yuletide existed long before Christianity), this time of year is to be with and remember family. Whether actual family or those who are considered family. We humans are social creatures, even the most misanthropic of us. That’s the point of A Christmas Carol. Scrooge becomes “normal” again. Our ability to form large social networks has enabled us to thrive as a species. To the point where we’re endangering the survival of where we live. But that’s the subject of another post.

I wish you all a happy Christmas (in all its symbolic richness) and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. We all want to hope and dream and, with those we love, to see those hopes and dreams come to fruition. May it be so for you and yours.

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