Nancy Pica Renken’s “Christmas Spirit” in The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here

I asked fellow The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here anthology contributors to share some things about themselves prior to publication and those generous enough to do so will be appearing here for the next week or so.

Each entry gives a taste of their contribution, a little about them, how to contact them, how their story came about, and definitely a link to The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here (which you should purchase because it would make each and every one of us happy.
you do want to make us happy, don’t you?
i mean, considering what we wrote, you want us to know you’re a good person, right?).

And now, Nancy Pica Renken’s Christmas Spirit:

Christmas Day, 10:31am.
The sparkling, newly fallen snow viewed from her picture window filled Marina with holiday spirit unlike the slivers of translucent tape clinging to her papercut fingers, an irksome reminder of her hasty, late-night present-wrapping marathon that seemed like a good idea at the time. She hefted the weight of the overflowing black trash bag of gifts against her hip, pulled on her doc boots and black coat, and grasped the bag of presents to take to her parents’ house. Nothing like the holidays to bring people together. Home is what you make of it, she mused to herself, knowing her parents’ house would be brimming with pine, cinnamon, cloves, harried siblings, and romping, half-pint nieces and nephews. A pinging vibrated into the cramped pocket of her skinny jeans as she extracted her cell phone.
Face Time call from Charlie Jones.


How the story came about:
My writing inspiration was a mash up of the Twelve Days of Christmas, the paranormal, and Face Time. After a lot of trial and even more error, “Christmas Spirit” was born.

About Nancy Pica Renken:
Nancy Pica Renken, a member of RMFW and Spec Fic Writers, resides in Colorado and writes about dark fairies, creepy pasta sauce, spooky characters from folklore, and flash fiction. Her work has appeared in Wyldblood Magazine, multiple anthologies, and will appear in the Summer 2024 Dragon Gems anthology by Water Dragon Publishing. www.NancyPRenken.com

See all The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here stories here.

The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here is available on