Excerpt Chapter: "For the Love of Chocolate"
From the Novel, The Christmas Swap,
by Janet A. Martin


Synopsis:

The Christmas Swap is the fictional story of three families in the small, rural community of Clearview, VA, whose lives become entangled as the result of a dare. Disgusted by their wives’ obsessive busyness during the holiday season and feeling unappreciated in general, three husbands unexpectedly meet in a local diner and impulsively pledge to swap their spouses for one day to “teach them a lesson,” in perspective.  In response, the women reciprocate with an ice-cream toast to “Lady Liberty,” and the vow of revenge.  In the span of four weeks, plans go awry, secrets are spilled, and the tension mounts with the arrival of a mysterious stranger, the antics of a greedy developer, and the evanescent presence of a rare white fawn. By story’s end, the people of Clearview discover that their best efforts are defined by the words of a small boy, as “Together, One,” a slogan that not only aligns comfortingly with modern physics to underscore the unity and value of every living thing, but also holds the wondrous possibility that earthly love just may reach beyond the stars.