Celebrating Christmas Books with Beth Carpenter

How did this multi-author collection of Christmas stories come about ?
Our group, who all write for the Harlequin Heartwarming line, have put out several story collections that take place in fictional Christmas Town, Maine. Over the years, the readers and writers have gotten to know the town quite well, from the matchmaking ladies from Over the River Retirement Home to the famous peppermint pie in Posey’s Diner. 

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

This year’s theme is a ten-year high school reunion at Christmas time. My story is about Marissa. Marissa felt invisible in high school, but now she’s changed, and she’s determined her high school crush will finally notice her. But you know what they say about the best laid plans.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?
Cookie baking, tree decorating, and candlelight service on Christmas Eve are my favorites. I go overboard with cookies, baking for my friends and family and all the families on the block.

What’s next in writing for you? 
Next year I’ll have three books coming out. Two are continuations in my Northern Lights series in the Heartwarming line. The third, which will be out in August, is called Kidnapped in Alaska and is a suspenseful Love Inspired story. This is something new for me, and I’m excited!

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given you’d like to share?
That bad first drafts are okay. Someone says all first drafts are perfect, because their only job is to exist.

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?
That everything takes longer than you think it will, and that writers are an amazing group of people willing to share their knowledge and cheer one another on.

Any last words or tips?
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and that the new year brings joy and peace for you and yours.

Are there any other books that you’d like to tell my readers about?
Please check out the whole Northern Lights series. Each is a stand-alone story, but they all take place in my home state of Alaska with loosely overlapping characters and settings.

If you'd like to learn more about Beth's books, here are the ways to get you started. 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethCarpenterBooks
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/4BethCarpenter
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/bethcarpenterbooks/
To subscribe to her newsletter with book news, giveaways and recipes: https://bethcarpenterbooks.blogspot.com/p/home.html
Heartwarming Christmas Town Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1091942694272780

Giving You That Christmas Feeling: An Interview with Alys Murray

How did you come up with the idea of your Christmas themed book?
The Christmas Company had so many inspirations, but the main one came from the almost-love story between Scrooge and Belle in the original Christmas Carol story. 

I loved the idea of a man who everyone thinks is irredeemable actually being transformed through the power of love, so I thought I would combine all of that and write a modern love story inspired by all of those festive feels that the original Christmas Carol gave me.

Could you give me a short synopsis on the story for my readers?
The small town of Miller's Point is known across the country for their annual Dickensian Christmas festival. When the festival is threatened by Clark Woodward, a miserly, big-city businessman, Kate Buckner steps up to save her hometown, their traditions, and her favorite holiday. Along the way, she realizes the man she's trying to protect her town from might need some rescuing of his own.

What made you decide to do a Christmas themed book?
At the time I wrote The Christmas Company, I was in a bit of a sad place in my life, and I wanted to write something that gave me that “Christmas Feeling,” that I get during the holidays. So, I wrote a Christmas-themed book so that every time I sat down to write, I was injected with the Christmas Spirit and cheered up!

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?
My family has so many Christmas traditions, so this is a hard question! As it relates to The Christmas Company, every year my dad sets out a small, porcelain Dicken’s village in our front hallway, and as soon as I see that, I know it’s Christmas time! I also love taking light tours around town with my family and our family Christmas movie nights!

What’s next? 

In 2019, I’ll be releasing the first book in a new novella series from The Wild Rose Press, and it’s called Tea and a Cowboy. I’ll also be releasing my first book from Entangled Press, which is called Society Girl.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given you’d like to share?
The best writing tip I have ever been offered is to follow the love! If you’re energized by an idea or something in your work, pursue that idea because if it excites you, that joy will resonate through the work and you’ll find readers who love it too!

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?
There’s a lot of waiting! I’m a terribly nervous person, so learning I had to be patient and wait to hear from publishers, my agent, and even readers was definitely something I had to contend with.

Any last words or tips?
If I may quote from my favorite version of The Christmas Carol, The Muppets Christmas Carol, “It’s true. Wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas!” So, have a happy holiday and carry that spirit in your heart all year round!

Thanks all for this interview. If you’d like to learn more about Alys’s books, here are some ways to get you connected.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/writeralys
Instagram: writeralys
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alysmurrayauthor
Website: http://www.alysmurray.com

The Christmas Tree - A Christmas Romance by Allyson Charles

How did you come up with the idea of your Christmas themed book?
Every year I help a friend decorate her office building for Christmas. There are three trees, and even though that doesn’t sound like many, this takes all day. My friend is, needless to say, a perfectionist when it comes to tree decorating, and you’re not leaving until you get it just right. So as I was standing on a ladder hanging ornaments one year, and listening to my friend explain for the tenth time how she wanted the lights strung to some other poor sap (I’ve been well-trained and hardly ever get critiques anymore), the idea for THE CHRISTMAS TREE was born.

Could you give me a short synopsis of the story for my readers?
THE CHRISTMAS TREE follows the story of Sadie and Colt. Both of them have been sentenced to forty hours of community service decorating the town of Pineville’s Christmas tree. Sadie is a bit of a perfectionist. Colt just wants to get the thing done. Add in the fact that Sadie accidentally destroyed Colt’s truck, one he inherited from his brother, and let’s just say that these two do not get along. At first. This is a romance, after all, so the heat from their tempers ends up turning into another kind of heat.

What made you decide to do a Christmas themed book?
I love Christmas. I love the traditions, the food, the cheesy made-for-tv movies... And once I got the idea for Sadie and Colt clashing, and falling in love, under a town Christmas tree, I couldn’t get them out of my head.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?
Every year my family makes fondue to eat as we decorate the tree and listen to carols. That’s always a good night. And I love our Christmas morning brunch of mimosas, coffee cake, bacon, and eggs. It’s simple and doesn’t require a lot of clean up. And we’re all usually too full to have to worry about dinner.

What’s next? (future books, novellas, special appearances you want to mention)
After THE CHRISTMAS TREE, the next book in my Pineville series, WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU?, will be coming out in May 2017.

And I’ll be at a book signing with several other romance authors at Barnes and Noble in San Jose, CA (the one on Stevens Creek Blvd.) on December 10th. If anyone is in the area, I’d love to see you. You can check my website for more details:www.allysoncharles.com

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been give that you’d like to share?
It’s obvious and trite, but still something I have to remind myself of every week – it’s the ABCs of writing – Apply Butt to Chair. Even if you’re not in the mood, even if every word you’re typing is crap, keep writing. Fixing bad writing is what the editing process is for.

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?I’m still learning, every day. But I guess I would say, know your goals before you act. For example, if you want to get a movie deal from one of your books, make sure to hire an agent who does that kind of work. If you write fast and want to publish four or five times a year, then the slower pace of traditional publishing probably isn’t for you.

Any last words or tips?

Be patient. I know so many great authors who have published a couple of books but only have small sales to show for it. I don’t know what the magical number of books is, but I have faith that if you keep plugging away, eventually the readers will find you.

That's it for this holiday interview. Make sure you check back for more Christmas reads. If you'd like to learn more about Allyson's books, here's the way to do that. 

http://www.allysoncharles.com/newsletter-signup
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAllysonCharles
http://www.twitter.com/1AllysonCharles
https://www.amazon.com/Allyson-Charles/e/B01FB8YTGG/

Getting to the Heart of Christmas: Author Interview with Renee Robinson

What inspired you to write this book on Christmas?

Traditions have always been important to me as I see how they bond a family together and strengthen the family unit.  Christmas provides a unique opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime.  

When my 3 boys were very small, I began searching for a book that would help our family to create traditions that would somehow tie into the true meaning of Christmas.  I was looking for a few key things:

1. Something they wouldn’t outgrow within a few years and could grow with us.
2. Something that was manageable for a busy family
3. Something that wouldn’t add to the stress of the already busy season
4. Something that used hands on elements or the power of the senses
5. Something that really gave meaning to what we were doing

I was unable to find anything that fit what our family needed.  Our kids were too young for most devotions I found.  Other devotions they would outgrow within a few years. I began talking to other families and realized we all had the same needs and desires.  We wanted to be intentional, but we didn’t have the tools or the time to make it happen.  

The pull of commercialism and the pace of life were making it nearly impossible for families to connect with the hearts of their children and grandchildren the way they desired.  This is ultimately what led me to write Seeking Christmas.  I wanted to give families a way to slow down, focus, reach the hearts of their children, and bring the meaning to the center of the celebration.  

Could you give me a short synopsis for my readers?

Seeking Christmas is a 7 day Christmas devotion that guides families into creating memories and traditions using hands on activities that tie to the daily readings which center on the birth of Christ.  The activities use the power of the senses to create a more meaningful impact in storing away memories.  

Families will read selected scripture for the day, reflect on the reading using age appropriate questions, remember favorite memories while creating new ones, research legendary roots, and rejoice through fun, hands-on activities that will tie into the daily readings.  

Readers are invited to download the free ornaments that tie to the daily readings at www.renee-robinson.com.  In addition, readers are encouraged to create a journal to record the activities and memories in order to reflect back each year.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

My favorite Christmas tradition was having my dad read Twas the Night Before Christmas each Christmas Eve.  It was something my sisters and I always loved and he carries the tradition on with his grandchildren.  He always calls and reads to them on the phone before they are tucked into bed Christmas Eve.  My boys love it as much as I did.  

You also have a blog. How long have you been doing that? 

I began blogging about 6 years ago about my family and the things that were important to us.  Over time I transitioned as I became more passionate about the family and sharing my journey of faith with others.  I blog in order to encourage and inspire others in their journey of faith and life.  

I know other moms have turned their blog content into books. Is this something you see for you in the future?

I do plan to write additional books in the future.  Blogging helps me to discover what I love to write about and explore what topics others find important or interesting. 

Do you have any other books in process now? If so can you give me some details?

I have a couple of book ideas in the works but haven’t officially decided what I will write on next.  

If you would like to know more about Renee and her writing, here are her links. You can also purchase her book through Amazon and B&N as well as many independent bookstores.  

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