CLEAR AS ICE by Penelope Marzec

When Ethan’s prayers for his mother’s life go unanswered, he abandons his faith, tossing it out with his mother’s Christmas ornaments. The loss of his hope leaves him empty and he begins to shy away from relationships, but when his dog Rufus, a rescue from a shelter, develops a fondness for a woman skating on the frozen lake behind his house, he’s annoyed. Not only does he resent her using his pond, he doesn’t understand her fear of dogs.

Haylie, once an Olympic figure skater, is afraid of more than just Ethan’s dog. She lives in constant fear due to threats from a stalker, but one day Ethan’s dog chases the danger away, so Haylie decides to try to lose her fear of dogs…But then the stalker’s plans expand to include revenge toward Ethan as well. If they are to remain safe and live to see a happily-ever-after, Haylie and Ethan must put aside differences and learn to trust each other. This Christmas season promises to be the most challenging and the most meaningful of their lives.

Now that you read a bit about the book, the question becomes–Who is Penelope Marzec? Let’s find out.

The author of CLEAR AS ICE, Penelope Marzec, grew up along the Jersey shore. She started reading romances at a young age and fell hopelessly in love with happy endings. Two of her inspirational romances won EPIC’s eBook Award and another was a finalist in that contest. Her paranormal, Irons in the Fire, was a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award. Visit her website at http://www.penelopemarzec.com for more information.

Penelope’s favorite Christmas tradition is setting up the Nativity scene. When she was young, her family didn’t own a Nativity scene. Money was tight, since Penelope was one of four children, and so while her family always set up a Christmas tree and scraped together enough for some gifts, there never was a Nativity set.

When Penelope married, more responsibilities came along–like buying a house and having children. She wanted her very young daughters to understand the true meaning of Christmas. She knew a Nativity set would be helpful in that undertaking. While there were many lovely Nativity sets, most of them were very easy to break.

Then she found a set of large, plastic figurines. While the set did not have the delicate beauty of those more expensive sets, she knew it would stand up to the inquisitive hands of toddlers. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with a stable.

Penelope set about looking for housing for the Holy Family. She found it at a Christmas bazaar in a nearby church. Handmade by a local artisan, it just happened to be the right size.

The figurines stood the test of time with children who once decided to make our set a “living” Nativity scene by placing the guinea pigs inside and added Timothy hay so they would stay there. It didn’t work out well. The guinea pigs liked the hay but the figurines got in their way.

The figurines aged over time. Every now and then, they need a dab of paint when the original paint flakes off. After Thanksgiving, Penelope sets up the Nativity scene each year, adding a bit of dried grass since hay is far too large in scale. Though Penelope could buy a more fanciful set, she loves this one and it has become a wonderful tradition in the family.

Thanks, Penelope, for spending some time with my readers today.

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!