Christmas Karol

"A new Christmas perennial." - Caitlin Flanagan, staff writer, The Atlantic

"Touching, funny, and remarkably deft." - Clare McHugh, author of A Most English Princess

"A brilliant retelling." - Peachy Keenan, author of Domestic Extremist: A Practical Guide

"A delight to read, a literary confection perfect for the holiday season!" - Abby Roth, Creator of Classically Abby

Karol Charles does not have time for ghosts. It's Christmas Eve and she's at the office. Sure, her kids thought she'd be making cookies with them back at home, but this is important. This is what it means to "have it all." Then, a familiar cough from the adjacent room jolts her out of her work. It can't be possible. Marley is dead. She has been for years.

With Marley's death, Karol is now running their law firm by herself. But she still strives to live by her best friend and law partner's creed: The job makes the money and the money buys the things that make your family happy. Working all the time is a sacrifice Karol has made willingly.

But Karol's life takes a drastic turn when she falls outside of Rockefeller Center and has to be hospitalized. Except something is wrong with this hospital. There's a ghost in the waiting room and another magical visitor in the lobby. With them, Karol revisits long-forgotten memories and begins to unravel the truth about her current situation-and a future that is anything but cheery and bright.

In this modern twist on Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Karol's journey through her past, present, and future reveals a difficult yet liberating truth: It is far better to have what matters than to have it all.

Faith Moore is the host of Storytime for Grownups, a podcast that helps people learn to love classic literature. Her writing has appeared in a variety of venues including The Wall Street Journal, The Federalist, The Daily Wire, and The New York Daily News. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons.