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'Baby, It's Cold Outside' authors wax nostalgic about the holidays

Special for USA TODAY
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Jennifer Probst, Emma Chase, Kristen Proby, Melody Anne and Kate Meader.

HEA asked the authors of the Baby, It's Cold Outside anthology (Jennifer Probst, Emma Chase, Kristen Proby, Melody Anne and Kate Meader) to share what they're most looking forward to about the upcoming holidays. I bet food comes up a lot!

First, here's the blurb about the anthology (courtesy of Pocket Books):

Outside it may be frosty, so turn the heat way up with these stories of desire!

Can a determined woman executive and a playboy billionaire survive being stranded together in a snowstorm? Jennifer Probst depicts an encounter almost too hot to handle…

Drew and Kate play an encore to Tangled in this sexy take on A Christmas Carol by Emma Chase. When a Christmas Eve argument condemns Drew to a troubled night, three dream women teach him that no gift could be more tantalizing than Kate …

With Kristen Proby, ski slopes are quite delightful. Grace Douglas is sure she'll never learn to ski, but instructor Jacob Baxter could teach her lessons of a different kind …

Can a Southern California transplant survive Montana's deep snows? Melody Anne, author of the bestselling Andersons series, melts the icy drifts completely away with the heat between sexy Hawk Winchester and brand-new teacher Natalie Duncan …

What could be hotter than a firefighter? Kate Meader shows how hot it can get as Beck Rivera and heiress-turned-tattoo-artist Darcy Cochrane discover that nothing ignites holiday flames like rekindling a lost love …

Q: What are you most looking forward to about the upcoming holidays?

JENNIFER PROBST

Holidays are magical. I love so many things about the holidays, it's hard to pick one. The wonderful closeness and craziness of family. Watching my kids light up with excitement waiting for Santa. The intimacy of early darkness falling with the twinkle of festive lights, lending an air of mystery and hope. But if there's one thing that stands out the most, I must confess it's this.

The food.

Yes. The food. Coming from an Italian family, we take our food seriously. Thanksgiving is a feast that rivals no other, where the turkey is the last thing everyone is excited over because there are so many dishes to choose from! The desserts lay in abandon over the table, ranging from fresh pies, to chocolate concoctions, to pastries and butter cookies washed down with dessert wine or sambuca. We stay at the table for hours, discussing, laughing, teasing and drinking. It reminds me of everything good in life stripped down to the basics!

I hope everyone experiences such wonder this holiday season!

KRISTEN PROBY

I'm super excited to spend the holidays in my hometown this year. I've recently moved back to Montana, and I can't wait for the small town I live in to be blanketed in snow, with beautiful lights twinkling through. I'll get to decorate my new home, light the fire and enjoy my family. The holidays are the best time of year!

EMMA CHASE

Mmm … this year it's my turn to have the family over for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. And even though planning big gatherings can be stressful (you know what I mean) I'm really excited for it! Our house is kind of in the middle of the woods, so the changing and falling of the leaves is a beautiful sight — like a ballet of earthy colors dancing on the wind. We also have a big fireplace which makes the holiday evenings feel all the more cozy and warm. And if it snows, when the trees and ground are covered in sparkling white, it looks like a magical winter wonderland.

So that's what I'm most looking forward to — staying home (no traffic) and having my wonderful (crazy), hilarious (loud) family all together for the holidays.

MELODY ANNE

My absolute favorite thing about the holidays is the extra time with my family. We get to cook together, shop together and sing cheesy Christmas carols. I love every minute of it and I'm always sad to see it end.

KATE MEADER

It's the most wonderful time of the year and one of my favorite things about the season is the music. I know that for some of you out there, holiday music on the radio, TV and in every shopping mall makes you want to punch an elf, but not me.

I grew up in Ireland where Christmas feels like a bigger deal than it is in the U.S. People save up their vacation time to take a couple of weeks off, the entire country practically shuts down, and there's rabid interest in what will be the Christmas No. 1, i.e. the song that's top of the charts come Dec. 25. It's a big coup to get it, though I don't think it means as much anymore now that every year it's usually just the latest X-Factor winner (shakes fist at Simon Cowell for ruining Christmas). What's awesome about holiday music across the pond is that it's not limited to classics: Every musical act you can think of has released a holiday song at one time or another. Wham? Last Christmas. John Lennon? Happy Christmas (War Is Over). Paul McCartney? He's got two! Pipes of Peace and Wonderful Christmas Time. And those are just the ones you might have heard of. My American friends look puzzled when I mention most of the songs that make up my holiday memories. How about Elton John's Step into Christmas or the classic Ho! Ho! Ho! (Who'd be a Turkey at Christmas?). Anyone? Anyone?

Sure, some of them are ear-splittingly awful, but for this girl, it ain't the holidays without 'em. So come Black Friday, I break out the iTunes holiday playlist with its mix of classics and novelty songs, and let it take me back to another time and place. And this year, I just know that Baby, It's Cold Outside will be getting lots of airplay …

Find out more about the authors and their books at their websites:

www.jenniferprobst.com

authorkristenproby.blogspot.com

www.emmachase.net

www.melodyanne.com

katemeader.com

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