Celebrating Christmas Books with Jean Oram

How did you come up with the idea for your newest Christmas book?
Moms need love too!
Sweet Joymaker is my newest Christmas story, and I wrote it for a multi-author story world set in the beach town of Indigo Bay, South Carolina. Several of us have been writing in this world for several years, and this is my fifth book set in that world.

When I was working on Sweet Joymaker, I was also working on a five book series set in Sweetheart Creek, Texas. This is a cowboy brothers series. I knew I wanted Sweet Joymaker to tie in with the cowboys series as they’d be releasing together.

While I was writing the brothers, I realized that their mother, who had been divorced in one of the earlier Indigo Bay books (Sweet Troublemaker), could use some love in her life, too. Of course, she didn't believe that, but that's where the local mechanic Clint came waltzing in! He follows her to Indigo Bay just before Christmas and convinces her that she could use a boyfriend.

The tricky part was that the storyline for Sweet Joymaker ties into the same timeline as the third book (The Cowboy’s Second Chance) in the Cowboys of Sweetheart Creek, Texas series. That was a fun challenge as I had to make sure the conversations and timelines lined up with each other. But it was worth giving Maria a heartwarming second chance at love.

Could you give a short synopsis on the book for my readers?

Maria Wylder’s not used to catching the eye of the local mechanic Clint Walker whose gaze lights up every time he sees her. When they both end up visiting the beach town of Indigo Bay to help with a Christmas fundraiser, will it become a chance for them to step outside their tired old roles and discover something new together while proving there's no age limit on falling in love?

I agree. There is no age limit to love. I recently met a couple who had both lost their spouses several years  and found love again in their early 70s! What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?
One of my favorite traditions is to go downhill skiing on Christmas day. I did this a lot as a child and there's been a few times that I've done this with my own family as well. Although, I have to say the year we gave the kids Nerf guns and bought two for ourselves was pretty fun. We had a Nerf gun war throughout the house on Christmas morning. There's nothing like starting the day off with lots of laughs.

What’s next? 
A spinoff series for the Cowboys of Sweetheart Creek, Texas is coming! Some of the secondary characters such as Daisy-Mae Rae from the series won over my heart and they need love too!

Daisy-Mae Rae is a former beauty pageant queen with a major crash on a cowboy who happens to be an NHL star. I’m writing her story right now, and it's a lot of fun putting these two together. I don't have a title for the book yet nor a release date, but if you follow me online you'll hear about these two when their book is ready.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given you’d like to share?
I think the biggest thing is realizing that we are all very different. From what we want to write, to how our workday is organized, to even the little things like how much we write in a day. 

We all have our own methods that develop overtime, and while we are bombarded with “shoulds” (We should do this, we should do that), I think the system that we develop naturally is always the best one to follow. Of course, there are ways to tweak and improve those systems, but I think we writers could trust ourselves a little more instead of secretly fearing we’re doing it wrong.

How true! What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?
Sometimes I think that if I’d started out knowing all the things I know now I’d be a millionaire writer! It definitely would've been a fast forward for me. But I also think it would've taken the fun out of this writing gig, maybe made it too serious and full of pressure and maybe even burned me out. I kind of believe that we are where we are supposed to be right here, right now. Even when it’s tough!

Any last words or tips?
I’ve been thinking about joy a lot lately. I personally think that if something isn't bringing you joy, it's a good time to take a look at it and figure out how to bring the joy back or decide whether it’s time to move on. Life's too short to drink crappy drinks, and it’s too short to have an absence of joy.

Are there any other books that you’d like to tell my readers about?
I have over 30 books to choose from which is really exciting as both an author and a reader who likes sweet, small town romances. If you like one of my books it’s like dicing into a treasure chest because there’s more bounty waiting for you!

I love being an author who makes readers laugh and feel good. That brings me joy.

If you want to check out my books, I have five series—and almost every single book can be read as a standalone. I have I have the five brothers family saga—The Cowboys of Sweetheart Creek, Texas. I have a five-sister family saga set in Canada which is The Summer Sisters series. I also have seven lighthearted romantic comedies set in the Blueberry Springs series, and a spinoff series set in that world that centers around marriages of convenience called the Veils and Vows series. I also have my Indigo Bay books as I mentioned earlier.

There are lots of places for readers to dive in! Find one that speaks to your heart and go for it!

That's all for today's interview. I hope you enjoyed learning about Jean's writing journey. If you'd like to learn more about her books, here are some links to get you started.
Website:  https://www.jeanoram.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJeanOram/
Instagram: at https://www.instagram.com/author_jeanoram/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeanoram