Upon a Midnight Clear by M.J. Schiller is a Christmas in July Fete pick #99cents #romanticsuspense
top of page
  • N. N. Light
    • Jul 11, 2023
    • 4 min read

Upon a Midnight Clear by M.J. Schiller is a Christmas in July Fete pick #99cents #romanticsuspense



Title: UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR


Author: M.J. Schiller


Genre: Romantic Suspense


Book Blurb:


Dylan Fisher is an EMT and part-time Santa Claus at a mall in Denver, Colorado.


He has logged plenty of time with children sitting on his lap asking for anything from the latest electronic gadget to a week’s worth of homework passes, but he never heard anyone ask for what little Delaney Kelly asked for on one snowy night in December. A dad! When Dylan’s eyes search the crowd for Delaney’s mother and land on Keira Kelly, the paramedic almost finds himself in need of a little CPR. She is stunning.


Keira Kelly is still grieving over the loss of her husband…


… but a reckless driver has her thinking about nothing but survival as she’s headed home from the mall. When Keira wakes in the hospital to find a hunky EMT at her bedside, she begins having a few thoughts that would put her on Santa’s Naughty List for sure.


Neither is ready for what is coming UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR.


When she finds out the EMT is only hanging around because the police believe someone is out to get her, she’s not sure what to think about his kindness. Is he helping her because he wants to, or because he feels he needs to? And what about the man who rammed her car, could he have had something to do with her husband’s death?


Excerpt:


Max didn’t expect the explosion. He heard the tremendous, almost rhythmic sound of metal crunching as the car cartwheeled down the side of the cliff like a preschooler at recess. The thunderous BOOM of the sedan going up in flames caught him by surprise. He was rushing to peer over the edge, but was stopped dead in his tracks by the blast. By the time he got to the side of the ridge, the fire had already engulfed the vehicle. The flames licked hungrily at the night sky like so many devils’ tongues and consumed the car with such vehemence that, within seconds only a black outline of the frame remained.


Looking back on it, standing on the side of the road was an incredibly stupid thing for him to do. Anyone could have seen him as they whizzed up the side of the mountain, and perhaps even noted the dents in his car and copied down the license plate number. But he wanted to see the results of his handiwork. Besides, he wasn’t thinking at all clearly that night.


It gave him a raw thrill to chase the sedan over the edge of the cliff. He followed Kevin home from work, desperate, not knowing what he would do to solve his problem. At first he only picked up speed to keep pace with Kevin, but then recklessness began to pump in his veins. HHe pulled out into the lane meant for on-coming traffic, not even realizing what he was doing. His eyes darted everywhere, his pulse raced, frightened witless as the scenery flew by. Luckily, for some reason, the usually well-travelled road lay deserted. Thinking he wanted to pass him, Kevin slowed down, no doubt cursing the crazy driver beside him. But he only matched the sedan’s speed. Kevin glanced over, and in the flash of a streetlight, seemed to recognize him.


He must have thought ol’ Max didn’t have it in him. But I did.


He remembered the changing expressions on Kevin’s face as he began to understand his adversary’s intentions. At first his brow had been furrowed in confusion. Then his jaw went rigid and he tightened his grip on the wheel, glaring at Max, who feinted with his car. Kevin had to swerve onto the shoulder before correcting the path of the sedan. That was when Max’s prey stared back, his eyes hollowed by fear. A wild laugh burst through the air and Max wondered at first where it came from, before realizing it belonged to him.


The vehicles jostled, and tires screeched. When Kevin’s car finally did careen over the edge of the cliff, Max could have sworn he felt the heat of the gigantic explosion, although he knew that was impossible. For him it was like an orgasm, a wave of pleasure and relief. Kevin Kelly was no more.


If only that had been the end of it.

Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):


ON SALE NOW FOR 99¢!









What I love most about the holiday season:


For me it’s being able to spend time with friends and family. That’s what made staying at home during the height of COVID so difficult! We made the best of it, though, and set up Zoom meetings with several groups (neighbors, family, friends). I created a Christmas trivia game and a list of questions that helped us to get to know one another better, even friends I’d had for a long time (What was your first car? Etc.).


Why is your featured book a must-read to get you in the holiday mood?


It’s fun because of Dylan’s dual role as an EMT and mall Santa. In addition, the suspense and the romance get your heart thumping! It’s like a two-for!


Giveaway –


One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card:



Open internationally.


Runs July 1 – 31, 2023.


Drawing will be held on August 1, 2023.



Author Biography:


Bestselling author M.J. Schiller is a retired lunch lady/romance-romantic suspense writer. She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. In her mind everybody has a romance. She is the mother of a twenty-six-year-old and three twenty-four-year-olds. That's right, triplets! She likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.


Social Media Links:


Tags:

bottom of page