A Christmas to Live For

It's the holiday season in New York City. Bryan Crandon, from across the room at his best friend's annual Halloween gala, spots an unknown girl, the girl of his dreams, Kristin Greene. Over the course of the evening, he strikes up a casual conversation with her, but they leave the party without exchanging contact information. As the days pass, even though he is reluctant to enter into yet another romantic relationship, he finds it impossible to get her out of his mind. Unbeknownst to...
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It's the holiday season in New York City. Bryan Crandon, from across the room at his best friend's annual Halloween gala, spots an unknown girl, the girl of his dreams, Kristin Greene. Over the course of the evening, he strikes up a casual conversation with her, but they leave the party without exchanging contact information. As the days pass, even though he is reluctant to enter into yet another romantic relationship, he finds it impossible to get her out of his mind. Unbeknownst to his family and friends, Bryan is struggling with issues of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. He does not feel he has the emotional fortitude to enter into a successful relationship, regardless of how enticing the notion seems. However, with strong advice from his best friend, Andrew Cooper, he goes against his feelings and reaches out to Kristin, ultimately yielding to a budding new relationship.With the backdrop of sparkling New York City during the Christmas season, holiday fun and festivity ensues for a young group of friends. Bryan, a clinical psychologist, finds himself fighting to balance his faith, a new romantic interest, his career, and his struggles with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. While this story is a work of fiction, I wanted to delve into a world of disordered eating--something typically seen as a woman's issue--and weave it into a story that is told from the male perspective.***Readers' Favorite Review: "A Christmas to Live For" by Brett Nelson is a unique story. Most authors write about eating disorders in terms of women; this is a fresh look from the perspective of a man with the same disorders. This isn't just a story of personal struggles, although it does show you that what you see isn't always what you get. You can't see from first glance what a person may be struggling with underneath and a bit of kindness can often go a long way. It's also a story about true friendship, celebrating the holidays with friends and a bit of romance. The characters are wonderful, developed into real people with their own issues and foibles and you live their lives through this story. Most people don't think of men as having things like anorexia or bulimia and, fictional though it is, this book is a real eye-opener and a thoroughly enjoyable one at that." Anne-Marie Reynolds - Readers' Favorite