Today’s Jen’s Jewels author spotlight is shining on COZY LITTLE CHRISTMAS by New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne. If you love second-chance romance, small-town charm, and plenty of holiday sparkle, this festive new read belongs on your Christmas TBR! Read on.
LIGHTNING ROUND
What’s your favorite way to spend an autumn afternoon?
I’m lucky enough to live in the Rocky Mountains with beautiful trails close to my house. After a day of writing, I love taking my dog and exploring our favorite trails to enjoy the fall display and the crisp mountain air.
If your main character could plan the perfect early autumn getaway, where would they go?
Both of my characters grew up near the beautiful Lake Haven in central Idaho, a setting I first created in my Haven Point series and have carried through in my Shelter Springs series. I believe they would both enjoy hiking into the mountains around the lake to steal one last outing before winter snows cover everything.
What simple ritual helps you settle into a productive writing day?
I love to light a scented candle that evokes the season I’m writing about. If it’s a summer book, I have beach-scented candles or scents that remind me of sun-warmed days. For my holiday books, I love pine- or cinnamon-scented candles. I also turn on the TV in my office to a relaxation channel set in the kind of surroundings I’m writing about.
THE FALL INSPIRATION
October often brings a sense of change and new beginnings. Did writing this book inspire you to try something new or push yourself in a different direction as an author?
Definitely. I explored the healing power of music in a way I’ve not done before. I listened to many different genres of music that I normally don’t experience as I tried to put myself in the shoes of Hannah Goodwin, a music therapist who has spent her life helping others find peace through songs.
What was the very first spark that inspired this story?
I introduced Hannah, my MFC, in previous books of the series. She was always a loving, supportive friend and sister and I knew she deserved her own happy ending. I wanted her to find the perfect hero, and I was so happy when the idea of Wes, a wounded K9 police officer, took shape.
Did any character unexpectedly take the story in a direction you hadn’t planned?
In this case, the MMC’s dog Kodiak stole my heart from the very beginning. Wes Kenner is a K-9 police officer and his police dog Kodi was injured in the line of duty while trying to protect Wes. Wes takes him home to Shelter Springs to heal, the perfect place for it!
Your setting feels like a character in its own right. What inspired you to choose it, and how does it shape the story?
I fell in love with the Lake Haven area more than a decade ago when I first created it for my Haven Point series. The neighboring town of Shelter Springs is every bit as caring and compassionate as Haven Point was. This is probably my final book in the series and I’m more than a little sad to say goodbye to this area I have loved!
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
Can you share a behind-the-scenes fact about writing this book that readers might find surprising?
While I don’t necessarily consider myself musically inclined, music has always been a huge part of my life, like Hannah. When I was a kid, I actually paid for my own piano lessons by babysitting. While I took piano lessons for about four years, I never became particularly adept at it, though I still find great peace while at the piano, particularly playing Christmas music.
Fall is the perfect season to curl up with a great book. What’s currently at the top of your TBR pile?
I’m reading Ariel Lawhon’s latest historical fiction, THE PIRATE QUEEN and listening to DOLLY ALL THE TIME by Annabel Monaghan.
If readers could step into one scene from your book for a day, which would you choose and why?
I would love for all my readers to have loyal and caring friends like Hannah and her circle. When their friend Morgan needs help caring for her children while she undergoes medical treatment, the entire town jumps in to lend a hand. I wish everyone could have that sort of village around them.
LOOKING AHEAD
Can you give readers a sneak peek at what you’re working on next - without giving away any spoilers?
I’m currently writing my 2027 Christmas book, which is a romantic take on Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I’ve had so much fun putting my characters through all sorts of challenges as they try to make their way home for the holidays.
Where can readers connect with you and stay up to date on your latest books? Please share your website, newsletter, and social media links.
My website, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
BONUS: The Author’s Playlist (Optional—but always fun!)
Share 3–5 songs that capture the mood of your book or inspired you while writing.
This one is easy since I did have a wonderful playlist! Here are a few I enjoyed:
“Christmas Lights” — Coldplay
“2000 Miles” – The Pretenders
“Christmas TV” — Slow Club
“The Angels Cried – Alan Jackson and Alison Kraus
“The Christmas Song” — Phoebe Bridgers
Narrator: Carly Robins
A Second Chances Holiday Romance Novel
Christmas in Shelter Springs is the season of twinkling lights, open hearts and unexpected second chances. And for Hannah Goodwin, it also brings the one person she never wanted to see again...
Hannah’s built a full life for herself in the warmth of her close‑knit town, with her family, her work and her music. And when her dear friend Morgan desperately needs her help, Hannah temporarily steps in to care for Morgan’s children. That’s what friends do—especially at the holidays. But she never expected to run into Wes Kenner...
Moving back home is the last thing K9 law enforcement officer Wes Kenner ever wanted. It’s where he fell in love with Hannah—and where an accident changed his mother’s life forever. But when his grandfather needs a helping hand, he can’t say no. It’s the perfect opportunity for him and his beloved K9, Kodiak, to recover. Still, seeing Hannah again fills him with regret—and hope.
After all this time, Hannah still represents all of the joy and light Wes pushed out of his life. Everything he’s desperate to get back. And as Hannah brings much‑needed holiday magic to Morgan—and her kids—he realizes this is his chance. Because this Christmas, all he wants is her.
A cozy and uplifting reunion romance about two exes who work together at the holidays to help a family in need—and realize their Christmas wish is for a second chance with their first love.
Perfect for readers who love:
- Holiday feels
- Reunion romance
- Second chance
- Forced proximity
- Longing
- Small town setting
Romance Contemporary | Romance Holiday [ MIRA, On Sale: October 6, 2026, Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781335013217 / eISBN: 9780369764201 ]
Stories of Hope, Healing, & Heart
RaeAnne Thayne will do anything to tell a story. In 15 years as a newspaper reporter and editor, she rode along with a motorcycle gang, took a trip in a hot air balloon and even gave a hunky country music star her home phone number (it was for an interview -- honest!).
When she wasn't working as a journalist, though, RaeAnne worked on her real love -- writing romance novels. She dreamed of publishing a book long before she ever thought it was possible. In fact, college friends used to spend hours when they should have been studying, trying to help her come up with a good pseudonym (none of which she actually ended up using, since she writes under her own name!).
After graduating from college, she took a job as a reporter at a daily newspaper, then moved to news editor. It wasn't until she was home on maternity leave after the birth of her first child in 1990 that RaeAnne seriously tried her hand at fiction writing. She sold her first book in 1995 and quit her editor job two years later to write full-time.
She is a two-time recipient of the Heart of Romance Reader's Choice award and has been a finalist for the RITA and for the National Reader's Choice award.
Jennifer Vido is the award-winning author of the Gull Island series, a collection of sweet Lowcountry romances inspired by her love of coastal living and small-town charm. Her debut novel, Serendipity by the Sea, won Best First Book from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest. Jennifer has been named Baltimore Magazine’s Best Local Author for three consecutive years (2024–2026) and was named The Baltimore Sun’s Best Author in its 2026 Best of Readers’ Choice Awards. When she’s not writing romance, Jennifer shares her love of books through her weekly Jen’s Jewels column, where she spotlights exciting new releases and talented authors.
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