Happy December, readers, and welcome to new subscribers from the O’Fallon Holiday Market and Francis Howell Craft Fair! Between family and church events, my day job, designing covers, and completing my Missionaries of Joy classes, there hasn’t been a lot of time for writing lately. But don’t worry; I’m still making progress on Astonished. Slow and steady wins the race!
What’s in this Edition:
- 2025 Reader Preferences Survey – Let me know what you want to see!
- Events! – Photos from 3 Recent Events
- Christmas Gift Guide – Gifts from the Catholic Marketing Network
- Releasing in December– Other authors’ new releases I’m most excited about
Reader Preference Survey
My last reader preference survey was in August 2022, over three years ago, which means it is past time for an update. (How does time always get away from us?) With so many options available to readers, it’s important to pinpoint what brings you back to my individual stories time and again. Obviously, you each signed up for this newsletter for a specific reason and there are reasons you continue with me month after month. There are reasons why you buy a book and reasons why you don’t. I want to know all those little details that help bring an ideal experience to my readers.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could take ten minutes of your time to complete the survey below. All the questions are optional, but I do hope you will consider completing them. Responses are anonymous, so please share all your thoughts! Thank you in advance! Survey closes on December 17.
Provide Your Reader Preferences
Events!
On November 8, I attended my first JustRead Rendezvous, an event that brings Christian authors and readers together for laidback discussion, community building, and of course, lots and lots of books! This year, the event was held in my own hometown of St. Louis which means I didn’t have to journey far to spend the day with over 150 other people who love Christian Fiction just as much as I do. The best part of the event was meeting bloggers I’ve only talked to online, talking to both familiar and new authors (yes, authors can still geek out about meeting other authors), and meeting readers who would literally chat all day about books. Seriously, so many free books. Out of this pile shown, I only ended up buying two of them. I’ve already finished Christy Award winner, Between the Sound and the Sea by Amanda Cox (5 stars!). Which one do you think I should read next?
On November 19, O’Fallon, Missouri had their Tree Lighting Ceremony which included a Holiday Market. Fellow author, Susan Laspe and I sold our books wearing festive hats within a corridor that doubled as an art gallery. The current exhibit showcased paintings by local author, Hannah Smith, including the one behind me in the photo above. I don’t know Hannah personally, but her acrylic paint and permanent marker art was a beautiful way to spend an evening. Here are a few of my favorite pieces linked from her site on Best of Missouri Hands.
Finally, to finish out 2025’s events, Susan Laspe and I had a table at Francis Howell High School’s Craft Fair on December 6. There was a huge crowd at this one with lots of opportunities to chat about books and even take photos with readers. Thank you to everyone who came out to all three of these events. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s events!
Christmas Gift Guide
Still looking for Christmas gift ideas? Check out the Catholic Marketing Network’s 2025 Christmas Magazine. My books are listed on page 13 along with many other Christian books and gifts.
See the 2025 Christmas Catalog.
Releasing in December
Need another read? Here are the new releases I’m excited about:
- Every Voice Heard by N.Y. Dunlap, Sarah Hanks, & D.T. Powell – The third novella collection from the Brave Authors group focused on stories of overcoming church hurt and abuse
- Waking Courage by Madisyn Carlin, Samantha Seidel, & Courtney Ranger – A collection of fantasy fairy tale retellings
- My Fair Frauds by Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne – A high society fraud and a scrappy swindler team up to take down Gilded Age New York in a tale of intrigue, drama, and female friendship.
- The Relationship Remodel by Callie Thomas – Opposites attract during a cross-country RV roadtrip romance
- Perfectly Complicated Christmas Romance by Grace Worthington – A closed-door holiday hockey romcom, featuring a grumpy athlete with a soft heart, a sunshine single mom, and a bet that proves opposites don’t just attract—they make a perfect mistletoe match.
Want to know what I’m currently reading? Follow me on GoodReads.
Did you know reviews help both readers and authors? Even one sentence is enough, and every word greatly appreciated. Consider leaving a rating on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and/or your favorite retailer!
Until next month, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey
Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com
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COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2025
Purple Mask Publishing
2025 Zumbehl Rd, Ste. 33
St. Charles, MO 63303
