Welcome, Laura!

Tell us how your characters celebrate the holidays– Nick and Claudia celebrate Christmas together with his spunky grandmother and her younger half-sisters. After he preaches the Christmas Eve service, they all gather for a late supper of Mexican dishes and cookies baked by the mission’s housekeeper and guardian angel Maria. On Christmas morning, they carol for shut-in members of Nick’s congregation and deliver cookies, too.

Does you hero have a favorite Christmas carol or movie? Does your heroine? After all they’ve been through, Nick loves hearing anything that Claudia sings at the mission’s Christmas Eve service. They share a fondness for the movie It’s a Wonderful Life because of its theme of community members supporting each other, just as people do in their neighborhood of Philadelphia. 

What is the theme of this book? Thematically, I was interested in writing not only a love story between Nick and Claudia, but also  how community supports the couple toward love. Community is both a secular and a Christian concern, and I wanted to write about love in the context of community.  

If it’s part of a series, how does this book fit into the series? I don’t anticipate it becoming a series, but Claudia does have two younger sisters, and I’m dying to know what they get up to in a few years, so….

Why do you write this genre?  I wrote holiday-romance-with-mystery because it is a genre which brings innocent pleasure to readers, a Christmas cookie of a genre. In the case of Season of Hope, I think of the novella as a little respite in the mad rush of holiday preparations that center so many woman’s lives.  

What inspired this story? I volunteered cooking dinners at a Salvation Army family shelter in an urban neighborhood. I also taught high school students from that area. As I got to know the neighborhood, I knew I wanted to give it the same special Christmas romance that a pristine New England village gets. I imagined Nick trying to hang the wreath on the window grate by the mission’s door, and Claudia watching skeptically from her store window Once I saw the two of them and their world, the rest was just details. 

Do you write any other genres? I am a medieval lit nerd, so there’s no surprise in my writing high fantasy, which is the gateway to writing all sorts of speculative fiction. Right now I am working on a huge historical piece with fantasy elements.

Any tips to share with fellow authors/aspiring authors? Join a critique group. Keep attending and critiquing others’ work, even when you don’t have the heart to keep writing yourself. When I falter, my group brings me back to writing, and their honest criticism makes me a better author.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition and/or memory? Another aspect of that medieval lit nerd is that I love really old carols and old Christian poetry, even the weird stuff like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. My newest tradition has been fasting from social media throughout Advent and Lent. I started three years ago and find that social media fasts keep my focus on Jesus a little clearer.

Finally! Real Christmas tree? Or fake? Like most financially-strapped missions, Nick and Claudia have a terrible fake tree that lives in the mission attic most of the year. It keeps company with a zillion old hymnals and some brass altarware that definitely should be polished. They hope that maybe next year, someone will donate a real tree.

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Welcome back, Christina!

Tell us how your characters celebrate the holidays

Annie grew up in Charleston, South Carolina so she’s used to seeing the Nutcracker at the Gaillard and driving through James Island County Park to see the outdoor Christmas lights. But now she lives on Hatteras and trying to move into her broken-down cottage on Ocracoke, she is trying to come up with new traditions.

Trey has a surprise for Annie—not only is he and his construction crew repairing the damage Hurricane Dorian did to her inheritance, but they decorated the little place as if they could cram all of Christmas in one cottage. They are going to celebrate in her new home and she doesn’t have a clue.

Does you hero have a favorite Christmas carol or movie? Does your heroine?

Trey loves “Home Alone” because well, there are a lot of hammers and nails and the whole premise is so unrealistic. Right now, he could use some dreams coming true.

Annie loves “Miracle on 34^th Street” because the theme reminds her of her new life—Santa, or rather her ex-teacher, has gifted her with a new house and her son is the miracle. Then, there is the idea of a little holiday magic—even though she knows there is no such things, only Jesus, but still.

What is the theme of this book? If it’s part of a series, how does this book fit into the series?

The theme of this book is trust—that God will be there for you in the hard and worst of times. This is the first book in a series, but I’m waiting to find out if, when, and how the others will be published. Trusting in God and not letting anxiety take over is a theme in all of these Outer Banks books.

Why do you write this genre? What inspired this story? Do you write any other genres?

I write contemporary romance because I like to explore issues people are dealing with in the here and now. When I wrote this book, I had just come from a visit to my sister’s rental house on Hatteras Island and we’d taken the ferry to Ocracoke. I was so stunned at the mountains of debris and the boarded-up businesses months after the storm. I was also moved by the people who live there and stay, despite the hardships. Ocracoke is also a beautiful place, in a wild and rugged way, very different from Charleston despite the geographical proximity as the crow flies (not as we have to drive).

I do write devotions and would love to write historical romance, but I haven’t published any other genres in book form yet.

Any tips to share with fellow authors/aspiring authors? What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?

 I would advise aspiring authors to never stop learning about your craft and the business. I have been attending writing workshops, seminars, and conferences for decades and I continue to learn new things. The best advice I’ve ever heard is know that we all have our own journey.  Don’t compare. Enjoy the writing process and the rest will either come or it won’t, but you will still have the joy.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition and/or memory?

 Since I am doing two posts and I have so many Christmas traditions and memories, I’m going to share a different one from the first post. My favorite Christmas memories are from when my children were young—we were blessed to be able to give them a number of gifts and then we played with them. We enjoyed every minute of being with them (at least during Christmas).

 Finally! Answer for either yourself or your characters: Real Christmas tree? Or fake?

Real. Annie’s favorite tree is the one Trey put up in her cottage on Ocracoke—now that she’s seen it, nothing could be more beautiful than the time he took to go buy a tree on one of the other islands and haul it over on the ferry. You know a man is a keeper when he goes to that much effort to give you and your son Christmas.

Today, it’s my turn in the holiday hot seat, discussing my latest release, Her Homegrown Christmas Wish.

Tell us how your characters celebrate the holidays

Hannah Beacon lives and works with her family so tradition is a huge part of her life. As the owners of the town’s bakery, the Beacons enjoy their busiest season from November 1st through January 2nd. Hannah’s family closes the bakery on Christmas Day (although her brother Mike is known to sneak in for a few hours mid-morning to fulfill any last minute orders) so they squeeze all the celebrating into twenty-four hours.

Daniel Ford celebrates with his momager at a fancy hotel dinner on Christmas Eve in LA.

Does you hero have a favorite Christmas carol or movie? Does your heroine?

Daniel’s favorite Christmas movie is White Christmas. Raised by a single mom, they watched it together every year and have continued to do so as he has become an adult.

Hannah doesn’t have a lot of time for TV or movies. But her favorite Christmas carol is Silent Night.

What is the theme of this book? If it’s part of a series, how does this book fit into the series?

This is book 4 in the Home to Harmony series. Every story so far has been about forgiveness and second chances. But in this book, the themes are dialed all the way up. The hero and heroine both need a lot of the former to make the latter happen.

Why do you write this genre? Do you write any other genres?

I write this genre because I love instilling my books with hope. I also write sweet, contemporary romance and readers of mine won’t notice a huge difference between the two. In my Christian books, faith takes a more prominent role.

Any tips to share with fellow authors/aspiring authors? What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?

Everyone’s journey is unique. You can’t compare yourself and where you are at with someone else. Just because you and a friend started writing at the same time doesn’t mean you’ll hit the same milestones. This can be really hard! I think having a community of fellow authors is fundamental to improving your skills and continuing to write, but when all of your friends are successful and you aren’t, you can get discouraged. Once you stop comparing yourself, you free yourself to really be joyful for others.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition and/or memory?

I love how Christmas evolves as my children grow. In recent years, we have started visiting professional, walk through light displays (in our cold Chicagoland Decembers, this isn’t something I’d recommend with a baby).

Finally! Answer for either yourself or your characters: Real Christmas tree? Or fake?

This is a hot debate at my house right now! I love a real Christmas tree but this year was thinking I’d appreciate the convenience of a fake one (our weekends are so busy).

For my characters, it has to be a real tree to be allowed in the Beacon house. No substitutions.

Click here for the Home to Harmony series