Celebrating Christmas Books with Terri Weldon

How did you come up with the idea for your Christmas book?
I had written a previous Christmas novella, Mistletoe Magic, featuring a small town with a huge Christmas celebration. One of the events I mentioned was a living nativity. Even though the two stories aren’t connected, when I decided to write a second Christmas novella the idea of a living nativity and all the things that could go wrong just wouldn’t leave me alone.

Could you give a short synopsis on the book for my readers?
Pastor Jacob Thompson is in need of a director for the living nativity program and veterinarian Molly Kincaid offers to take on the job. The task involves far more than Molly bargained for, nonetheless, she’d do anything to help out the man she secretly loves – even sew costumes or cast eight-year-old Wesley Simpson as an angel.

Jacob’s daughter Emma longs to have a mommy of her own, but the widowed pastor has vowed to never remarry, and isn’t ready to open his heart to love again. Molly dreams of filling the void in both their lives, but fears she lacks the necessary qualities to be a pastor’s wife.

As Molly and Jacob work together on the living nativity, their feelings for one another grow. Will Molly realize she is just what Jacob and Emma need in their lives? Can Jacob be released from his grief-stricken promise? Could this unlikely duo prove to be a match made in heaven?

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?
Oh, that’s a tough question for me and an easy one. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year and I love everything about it. At our house we go over the top decorating. I think I’ve watched too many Hallmark movies! 😊

We have several Christmas traditions but celebrating advent and anticipating the birth of Christ is my favorite. We do an Advent Study each year and between lighting the advent candle, singing, and doing the study I find it helps me focus on the true meaning of Christmas and really look forward to celebrating the birth of Christ.

What else would you like to tell my readers about your writing?
In The Christmas Bride Wore Boots I introduce a secondary couple – Riley and Summer. Summer and I both fell hard for Riley! I recently released their story, The Cowboy’s Bride Wore Lace. I hope readers will enjoy both stories. I’m already hard at work on book three of the Berryhill Brides.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given you’d like to share?
“You can fix anything but a blank page.” – Nora Roberts
For me, that tip is gold. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been typing away on my computer and thought this is awful. What I discovered is most the time it’s better than I thought and I can fix whatever is wrong with the words on the page.

But if I wait until the muse strikes, I skip days on end of writing and have nothing to show for it but blank pages. Blank pages can’t be fixed.

So true! Writers need to keep writing. What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?
Never stop learning about your craft – both the writing side and the business side. There are conferences, books, and online classes that can help facilitate your growth in these areas.

Any last words or tips?
One last tip is never give up.

I agree. Take on the challenge and keep writing. That's all for today's interview. If you'd like to learn more about Terri's books, here are ways to do that.
Website: www.terriweldon.com and sign up for her quarterly newsletter 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terri.weldon.5
Twitter: https://twitter.com/weldon_terri
Amazon Books: Mistletoe Magic - https://amzn.to/2ZPxFVM
The Christmas Bride Wore Boots -  https://amzn.to/2YiUxfT
 

Celebrating Christmas Books with Jodi Thomas

I'm happy to announce the start of my Christmas Books Celebration with one of my favorite authors from my previous home state of Texas. Jodi Thomas is a prolific author with millions of books in print. She's been on both the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. She's published over 50 novels and and is still going strong. Now let's find out about her new Christmas book.

How did you come up with the idea for your Christmas book?
When I started Father Goose (which is my Christmas story in THE COWBOY WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS) I wanted to write a story about a broken soldier coming home from the war with no home, no one waiting, and no future. He’d gone to war a boy and returned broken.

He takes a hauling job and finds out that his cargo is five little girls. With the help of a women on the run, he sets out across outlaw country.

The little girls move into his heart with laughter and tears as he tried to keep them safe and get them home by Christmas.

Sounds like a heart-warming story. What is one of your favorite Christmas memories?

I love baking cookies with my four grandkids and remembering forty years back when my son was in his roll-around walker. He somehow reached the corner of the tea towel where my decorated cookies were cooling. He grabbed the corner and the cookies rained down on his head. He grabbed a bite of every one that fell.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

I love putting up the tree. All my kids, including grands line up down the hall, around the corner and down the basement steps. They pass twelve red boxes up, around the corner and down to the living room. Then everyone opens the red boxes and Christmas explodes in my living room. A few hours later I put the last ornament on the tree. The only one left of dozens I made the first Christmas we were married. I was teaching my first year of school in Amarillo and Tom was in the army.

What’s next? 
I’m starting a new series. Four brothers. The story is dancing in my head and as always I can’t wait to start.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given you’d like to share?
The advice is simple. ‘A WRITER WRITES.’ I run into many talented people who talk writing but they don’t write.

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?
I wish I’d kept up with all my character names. After over fifty books and eighteen short stories I’m running out of names.

Any last words or tips?
Over my thirty years of writing I’ve met some wonderful people---and some of them are real.

Are there any other books that you’d like to tell my readers about?
My new series, THE HONEY CREEK SERIES, is rolling out fast. Don’t miss it.

That's all for today's interview. I've promised you free ebooks with each day of Celebrating Christmas Books, and here are today's offerings. The first  for 100 Literary Classics which you can find on Amazon: 

https://amzn.to/3pHEkMy For those of you who like reading biographies, here's one about Florence Nightingale: https://amzn.to/3CbO7hn

If you like to know more about Jodi's writing, here are some links to get you started. If you're part of Kindle Unlimited, you can get a few of her ebooks for free right now. 

Website: jodithomas.com
Facebook: Jodi Thomas Author
Instagram: @jodithomasauthor
Email: jodithomasfanclub@gmail.com
Newsletter: http://www.jodithomas.com

One Day Until The Celebrate Christmas Books Blog Tour

Since last week, I've been adding links daily to book giveaways and contests. Hope you've been able to take advantage of at least some of the offerings. 

Tomorrow I'll start my blog tour of Christmas books with some of my favorite authors and some that are new to me. I hope that some will become your favorites as well.

I'll be celebrating Christmas books with authors every other day. Hope you'll join me and share your favorite Christmas reads and holiday traditions. 

Here's a Christmas book that is currently being offered as a freebie through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Meet-Me-Under-Mistletoe-Robinson-ebook/dp/B09JNPRKFW/ref=sr_1_3?