Phyllis Clark Nichols – författare

Nestled in the snow-covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Santa Fe, the Grey Sage Inn looks like the perfect place for weary travelers to escape the craziness of the Christmas season. There's plenty to see in historic Santa Fe during the day, and the inn's owners, Maude and Silas Thornhill, are happy to spend their evenings hosting this year's guests from across the country. But an unusual snowstorm throws a wrench in the festive mood. The sprawling inn becomes close quarters as stranded guests discover this Christmas won't be the relaxed vacation they expected. Tension and fear mount as the storm worsens, and Silas, a retired doctor, is called away in the middle of the night to care for a neighbor. The snow and stress unlocks tongues--and in the unexpected conversation that follows, secrets and pasts are revealed, and hearts are healed. In the midst of snowdrifts and fireside conversations, of tales of days gone by, the warmth of Christmas brings a renewed hope as these trapped strangers become friends--proof again that the joy, hope, peace, and love of Christmas can be experienced no matter where you are.

Caroline Carlyle''s dreams were crushed when her fiancé died six weeks before their wedding. For years she wrestled with aching loss and shattered faith, struggling to find the inspiration that once came so easily. Abandoning her half-finished piano compositions, Caroline trades her old ambitions for the comfort and familiarity of life as the town’s piano teacher.But Caroline''s world turns upside down when a mysterious stranger enters her life. Filled with courage and fresh purpose, Caroline embarks on a quest to track down the beloved, rare piano she played as a child. Her search leads her to Rockwater, the Kentucky estate of a wealthy gentleman, where Caroline finds her heart may be composing a surprising new song.

Everyone in town knows Emerald Crest, the green granite mansion atop the highest hill, and the legendary, lavish Christmas festivities that used to light up the nights--and the silence that followed when the parties abruptly stopped many years ago. And everyone has heard whispers about the reclusive, mysterious master of the manor, Henry Lafferty the Second.When eleven-year-old Julia Russell steps into the great house for the first time and meets Mr. Lafferty, the entire course of her life shifts. He''s nothing at all like the rumors she''s heard from neighbors and classmates. He''s kind and extraordinarily talented--he also happens to be deaf and use a wheelchair. And when she overhears a secret about him, Julia decides it''s time for the town to bring Christmas back to Emerald Crest--an act that will change them all forever.

Life''s true beauty is found when the heart is set freeCaroline Carlyle has finally shed the heavy shackles of grief and rediscovered her heart''s song. Between her return to making music and a budding relationship with the charming Roderick Adair, Caroline''s life is full of fresh inspiration and new hope.But just as she begins to experience this freedom, Caroline discovers that one of her piano students is carrying a painful burden of her own. Bella, a prodigious musical savant, and her caretaker, Gretchen, share a dark, hidden past—more dangerous and complex than Caroline ever could have anticipated.The more Caroline uncovers, the deeper her loyalty to the two women grows. Can Caroline help Bella and Gretchen find the same freeing power of love to break the hold of secrets and oppression?