Festivals of Love Anthology
19 members of Midwest Fiction Writers
have created stories of romance
at one of Minnesota's unique festivals.
Digital
Paperback
About the Book:
Minnesota: A state blessed with 10,000 lakes, four beautiful seasons, and countless romantics looking for love in all the right places! What better place to find a perfect happily-ever-after than one of Minnesota’s uniquely fun, flirty, artsy, musical, fishy or, yes, frigid festivals?
Festivals of Love brings you nineteen wonderful love stories, each set at a different local celebration. From finding an honest-to-goodness genie on the banks of the Mississippi during a jazz festival to taking out a handsome sportscaster on a frozen lake during a pond hockey tournament, the heroines and heroes of Festivals of Love will bring you on romantic journeys that go back in time, celebrate contemporary themes, sigh at young love, and even delve into the fantasies that fill all our dreams of romance.
Join us when a missing WWII soldier shocks the girl who thought she’d lost him; when the magic of Judy Garland brings together two smart, giving, creative men; for a little magic between a singer, an artisan, and their fairy godmother at the Renaissance Festival; and for unrequited love that fuels a food fight between would-be lovers on a pair of parade floats.
From pond hockey to zombie pub crawls, food trucks to fantastic art in the heart of Minneapolis, and from poignant to fun-filled, the Midwest Fiction Writers authors who brought you the popular Love in the Land of Lakes anthology will enchant you with the short stories in their delightful new collection. Come visit these festivals of love with us!
Available now on Amazon as an e-book for $4.99.
Our Stories
Dylann Crush
Your Lederhosen are Showing - Liane Bieterman has buns on the brain…fresh baked buns, that is. When she sets up a booth at New Ulm’s Oktoberfest to sell her German baked goods, she meets more than her match in sexy sausage vendor, Barrett Schmitz. But she’ll have to overcome a longstanding family feud and look past the Lederhosen if she wants to find a chance at true love.
Sherri Hildebrandt
A Rose by any Other Name - Rosie Jensen had the perfect name to be pageant queen of the annual Rose Days celebration in Kenyon, Minn. So while she dreamed of the rhinestone tiara, the real winning moment was when Mark Dahlstrom, the coolest guy in town, asked her to go out with him. Ten years later, that old romantic feeling sprang up again at the Rose Days pageant – and took a surprising turn.
Nancy Holland
Eugenia’s Wish - When Mark Reilly wanders away from the Saint Paul Jazz Festival and finds a strange metal pot, all he wants is his old life back. All Genie wants is her freedom. Only one of their wishes can be granted, putting the love they’ve found, and Genie’s continued existence, at risk.
Kathy Johnson
The Fish House - Sheila and Joe separated due to their respective career paths. Until the day Sheila returns for a much-needed vacation from her high-pressured job. A fishing festival and thousands of people are in town so no need to fear seeing Joe until, forced together, old feelings surface. No involvement is Sheila’s mantra.
Jennell Jorgenson
Turtle Fest - Can love happen faster than little turtles running a race? Will Crystal allow herself to love again and share her family’s greatest secret? Is Dunkan ready for the gift life has put before him, one he never considered he would find during his travels, or will he let it pass by and return home?
Ellen Lindseth
As Time Goes By - Maggie Miller has it all. She’s the 1942 Raspberry Festival Princess, beloved by the whole town, and has caught the eye of a wealthy bachelor. Except her heart still beats for another man, a Marine M.I.A. in the South Seas that everyone warns her is likely dead . . . or is he?
Rose Marie Meuwissen
Dances of Love - Sarina never imagined by dancing with her Belly Dancing 101 class on the stage at the Renaissance Festival, she would meet Tony, one undeniably hot and sexy Italian stud. But after ditching him at the front gate, would she be able to dance her way back into his heart?
Ava Parker
Mona Lisa - A spontaneous trip to visit family in Minnesota, a casual stroll through Saint Paul’s Art Crawl: Anna, comes face-to-face with the last face she expected to see hanging from an atelier wall – her own.A bewitching woman in a sidewalk café in Spain, a sudden trip to the emergency room on the morning of his art showing: renowned painter, David, comes face-to-face with the last face he expected to see in the flesh – his muse.
Peg Pierson
Zombies Night Out - Bryce never wanted to be a zombie. He certainly never wanted to eat brai...well, you know. And he definitely never wanted to be a hero. But when chaos erupts at the zombie pub crawl and a beautiful girl’s life hangs in the balance, Bryce may just have to change his mind. About a lot of things...
Michel Prince
Tightly Wound - Quinn Masters doesn't take chances on anything, but when Diesel Broderick comes to her food truck at the History Cruzers, he's got his own goal:Teaching her that life is more than living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Joyce Proell
Prairie Rose - After a nasty divorce, Tibby Beacham wants a predictable, tidy life with no surprises. So when she’s fished out of the lake by a man who stirs unwanted desires, she’s shaken. It takes a little girl to teach her that if she wants the prize, she’s got to take a risk.
Cara Rowe
Reigniting the Spark - Still wounded from an old heartbreak, Emily agrees to a blind date setup at the Northern Spark dusk-to-dawn art festival. But when the match isn’t what she expects, Emily must decide whether she can leave the past behind, and whether she wants to.
Cat Schield
First Love, Second Chance - When Kelly Hart bumps into her first love, high school-boyfriend Paul Kennedy, at the kickoff parade for the St. Paul Winter Carnival, he's playing one of the fiery Vulcan Krewe. The festival legend tasks the group with defeating the icy King of the Winds and returning summer to Minnesota's capital city, but as she keeps running into Paul at various events, it's Kelly who's feeling the heat.
Lizbeth Selvig
Bun Wars - It's been twelve years since Emmie Linderhof last saw Flynn Havlicek. That was the day he wrecked her Czech pastry booth at the annual Kolacky Days festival, and her high school crush on him died. Now he's back, a famous TV food chef who made his name using Emily's family recipe. The only way to pay him back might be to finish the bun wars he started, but will a food fight on two parade floats be disastrous--or romantically delicious?
Joel Skelton
Judy - It doesn’t take help from a wizard for Derek Mortenson and Sam Whitefeather to act on the sizzle they experience meeting at The Wizard of Oz Festival. Will the men discover that what they are looking for can’t be found at the end of the yellow brick road, but deep in their hearts?
Margot Starr
Lost & Found - Tessa McGillvary rides a crazy train of activity. Could a chance encounter at a church festival slow her down and help mend her heart?
Naomi Stone
Faire Play (A Fairy Godmothers' Union story) - In her Renaissance Festival role as Lady Marlinda, Marly meets the roguish Laszlo, 'a troubadour of ill-repute,' and wonders how much of his flirtatious role is true to Miklos, the man behind it. Hiring a pair of faire urchins to pretend to be his nieces - just to get in Marly's good graces - does not really help Miklos' cause, but Marlinda's fairy godmother gave her a magic ring and it too has a part to play.
Jody Vitek
Love in Concert - Focused on her future throughout high school, Rachel Christof remains focused as she graduates. While attending the Vans Warped Tour with her best friend, she runs into Lukas Quinn—her secret crush. As the high school jock who hung with the in crowd, he was off limits. What happens when secrets are revealed?
Jude Wiesner
Romancing the Puck - Ellie Lighter is both local reporter and volunteer coordinator for the U.S. Pond Hockey Championship. Confronted by Sam Adair, hockey legend and ESPN reporter, she sees him as nothing more than an ego with a microphone. When she’s forced to make him
part of her magazine article, the interview becomes more in-depth than either expects.
All proceeds go to
Midwest Fiction Writers.
Editors:
Sherri Hildebrandt
Lizbeth Selvig
Print Layout:
Ava Parker
Cover Art:
Michele Hauf
Coordinator:
Michel Prince