Behind-the-Scenes of The December Target

Kristen here. I'm feeling grateful and blessed because my new story, Silent Fight, was recently published as part of The December Target, a Christmas collection of three Christian romantic suspense short novels.

Every story starts with a spark or a "what if" moment, and my story in The December Target is no different.

The first idea for Silent Fight came from the Christmas carol, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" One of the lines includes the phrase, "with a voice as big as the sea." I'm planning this story to be part of a larger series set in Rosemary Beach, Florida where the ocean plays a role in every story.

I wondered, "What if a concert vocalist with a big voice and big reputation suddenly lost it?" From that spark emerged this story. 

Though I'm not a concert vocalist and you may not be either, I think we can all relate to the idea of losing something we cherished or life not turning out the way we expected. For my heroine Nadine, she not only loses her voice, but also finds her picture-perfect marriage in shambles--and desperately needing rescue.

What do we do when our dreams crumble, and how do we pick up the pieces? I explore that idea, among others, in this story. 

In the Bible, Joseph received impressive dreams for his future, only to have them shattered when his brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. But God was working through his slavery and prison years to pave the way for the fruition of those dreams in a way Joseph could never have imagined. As he later told his brothers, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Genesis 50:20 ESV).

Sometimes, what seems like the death of a dream may be a redirection or a new opportunity that can bloom into something beautiful, by the grace of God. 

About The December Target

This collection features three stories in one by authors Lisa Phillips, Sara Davison, and me. I hope you enjoy this preview!

Silent Fight - Kristen Hogrefe Parnell

Nadine Rivas’ vocal career crumbles after someone sabotages her private music studio with chlorine gas. For her recovery, she and her emotionally distant husband Dante relocate to their Rosemary Beach condo, where Nadine hopes counseling might save their marriage. As a biotech company executive, Dante wants Nadine to relaunch her career by headlining his company’s Christmas gala. More threats to their lives occur, and Nadine suspects her husband is the real target. She resolves to unmask the perpetrator at the gala, risking everything for the truth and another chance for their marriage.

The Light of Christmas – Lisa Phillips

Newly settled in as sheriff, Beau Mitchell is determined to prove Rend is no longer ruled by fear and corruption. Christmas should be a season of peace and restored trust—but Beau knows the past doesn’t stay buried just because the town strings up lights.

True crime podcaster Heidi Walters arrives from New Hampshire with a secret agenda and no plan to stay. Officially, she’s fixing up a neglected old mansion for the holidays. Unofficially, she’s investigating the cold case no one in Rend wants reopened: her mother’s murder thirty years ago. As Heidi digs through whispers and buried files, strange things at the mansion—footsteps, broken locks, missing notes, personal warnings—make it clear someone knows why she’s there.

When the threats turn real, Beau must decide whether to stop Heidi or help her. Because if her mother’s murder is tied to secrets still alive in Rend, someone will do anything to keep the truth buried.

The Ice List – Sara Davison

Bodyguard Dale Earnhardt Torrens can’t decide who’s his biggest threat—the bad guy threatening his client or the client herself.

Dale isn’t happy when his boss calls him into work as he’s about to go on vacation. His mood goes from bad to worse when he realizes the woman he is tasked with keeping safe is the one who destroyed his life three years earlier.

Forced to go into hiding with the last person he ever wanted to see again, Dale vows to keep whoever is targeting her from exacting his revenge. Now he just has to keep himself from doing the same.

Available in Kindle and Paperback Versions

The December Target is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback versions, and I also have a special link for a discount on the paperback version.

Special paperback pricing: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=tkETivKTTbxwAIHJqOZrisp31zXjfqRkbeq7pyH289v

Enter to Win a Kindle Copy

Leave a comment, along with your email address, for a chance to win a Kindle copy of The December Target. I'd love to hear from you: What is your favorite Christmas carol, or what Christmas carol do you think could inspire a romantic suspense novel?