Celebrate the Holidays with Luther Vandross' Classic Tune, "Every Year, Every Christmas," and the Novel it Inspired by Anthony Lamarr

Have you ever heard a song and thought, “There’s a real story here. Somebody’s lived this song?”

Novelist Anthony Lamarr remembers thinking this the first time he heard Luther Vandross’ Christmas song, “Every Year, Every Christmas.”

“The lyrics told a story that was heartfelt and moving,” Lamarr says. “Then Luther’s masterful vocal delivery added genuine emotions and made the story real It instantly became one of my favorite holiday songs.”

That was in 1995, when the song, co-written by Vandross and singer/songwriter Richard Marx, appeared on Vandross’ album “This Is Christmas.” Now, more than 25 years after Lamarr first heard the song, which has become one of radio’s most-played holiday songs, he has written and published a novel, Every Year, Every Christmas, about a fictional couple whose love story is inspired by the song.

A few years ago, during the holiday season, Lamarr was listening to the song on the radio when he began imagining a story about a couple meeting, falling in love, and then parting and promising to meet again. But for some reason they don’t. The following year, when the holidays rolled in and Lamarr began hearing the song, he thought about the story again. This time he gave the couple names—Bryant and Cassie.

A year later, during the holidays, Lamarr resolved to do something about the song and the story it evoked. “I was in the car when “Every Year, Every Christmas” came on the radio,” Lamarr recalls. “It was my first time hearing the song since the previous Christmas. As soon as it came on, Bryant and Cassie’s story started to replay in my mind. Right then, I knew it was time to put their story on paper.”

Lamarr’s novel, Every Year, Every Christmas, is being described as an inspired merging of music and literature. In the heartfelt romantic novel, Bryant, a thirtysomething newspaper reporter, returns to a small café in Chicago every Christmas Eve hoping to reunite with Cassie, a beautiful woman he met and fell in love with at the café on an unforgettable Christmas Eve three years ago.

“I wanted to capture the magic of a chance meeting and instant romance between two strangers on Christmas Eve, and I hope that’s what I’ve done,” Lamarr explains.

This is Lamarr’s third novel – his second with a music tie-in. His second novel, The Pages We Forget, a USA Today “Must Read” romance, tells the story of fictional singer/songwriter June Thomas and the recording of her swan song CD, a collection of songs about her first love – the man who walked out of her life without saying goodbye.

“I love writing and literature, but I’m also a lyricist and a shower singer,” Lamarr reveals. “So, music has a major impact on my writing.”

Lamarr’s first novel, the literary romance Our First Love (2013), and the novel, The Pages We Forget (2014), were both published by Zane’s Strebor Books / Atria / Simon & Schuster.

###

The power of love at first sight is tested in this charming and innocent tale by Lamarr (The Pages We Forget). Atlanta journalist Bryant Fuller returns to his native Chicago for Christmas and on December 24th stumbles into a chance encounter with Cassie Knight at Pearlie Mae’s Café–and, despite being total strangers, the sparks fly and a connection is forged. Cassie impulsively tags along with Bryant for some last-minute Christmas shopping, disclosing in the process that she is engaged to be married in the spring. The duo spend a companionable evening together, after which Bryant claims Cassie is “the girl I’ve been waiting for since fifth grade.” They regretfully part ways–Cassie is engaged–but not before Bryant makes a promise to wait for Cassie at the café every Christmas Eve in case her relationship fails.
pired by the evergreen Luther Vandross ballad “Every Year, Every Christmas,” Lamarr kindles a feeling of holiday warmth with this story of slow, simmering love. Bryant, a gentleman who holds open doors, is attentive to Cassie’s feelings, and the encounter causes her to question her relationship with her fiancé, Malcolm, a charmer who largely ignores her and has cheated in the past. But Cassie still goes through with the wedding, staying away from the café—and Bryant—to devote herself to making her marriage work. Meanwhile, Bryant faithfully spends several Christmas Eves waiting for her in their booth, while his own romantic relationships never quite get off the ground.Lamarr’s sensitive handling of the sweet, budding intimacy between Bryant and Cassie will engage lovers of gentle grown-up romances, despite the story’s shortage of dramatic events. The abrupt ending, though happy, proves anticlimactic and unceremonious, given the extensive time both characters spend longing for the chance to reunite. Readers who fancy delicate romance and wholesome characters will find this tale of loyalty and love appealing.