Music used to soothe Sam Shepard’s soul until the death of his biggest cheerleader broke his heart, family, and dreams into pieces. Now he’s focused on thriving in the city, and with the people, he’s grown to love—all to keep the hole in his heart from opening anew with every passing holiday season.
Thrown together by a church play and meddlesome family armed with mistletoe, will Merry and Sam unwrap their guarded hearts to let in the true hope of Christmas—and each other?
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Interview with Meghan M. Gorecki, author of Wrapped in Red:
Alexis: Tell me about your story title, “Wrapped in Red.” What’s the significance of it?
Meghan: Long answer? The best present of all is Jesus—and all we have to do is accept, aka “unwrap” Himself into our lives. And His is the greatest love we will ever experience that is mirrored in the way we love others and the way others love us. Such a love colors all we do, is a thread not unlike a ribbon around a Christmas present!
Short answer? The Kelly Clarkson song by the same name inspired this whole roundabout train of thought surrounding my novel. LOL
Alexis: Is Steel City an actual place in the real world or did you create it just for this novel? Explain. Use words to paint a picture of Steel City.
Meghan: The Steel City—Pittsburgh, PA—is my hometown. While it is now known for healthcare and technology and business, the core of this city is its industry. Charles Dickens when he visited here in the 1800’s actually described it as “Hell with its lid off” due to all the factories and mills and barges that went up and down all three rivers. Today towering skyscrapers of glass and steel pierce the sky above older (pre-Victorian era) architecture, surrounded by so many varied districts with colorful pasts like Polish Hill, the South Side Slopes, Lawrenceville, and so many more even I’ve yet to truly explore despite living here all my life.
Alexis: What is it about Wrapped in Red that you believe will melt the hearts of your readers?
Meghan: My hope is that readers will not only enjoy the Hallmark-movie-like cheesy romantic comedy that fits so very well with this time of year—but also come away reminded of the Greatest Love and all that He is capable of.
Alexis: Why did you name your story’s heroine “Merry”? Is there a special meaning behind her name?
Meghan: Oh I love this question! I named her Merry for a few reasons. Reason #1: It’s Christmas-y. Reason #2: It’s my middle name (except mine is spelled traditionally) Reason #3: Mary was my great-grandmother’s name. Reason #4: It’s always been one of my favorites.
Alexis: Tell us about Merry Grainger. What makes her the heroine of your story? What are her likes and dislikes? Describe her looks and heart.
Meghan: Merry Grainger is a word-loving girl with a huge heart—with a fair share of scars from past hurts and dreams/hopes deferred. She likes coffee, old movies and books. Dislikes include snow, traffic (that Pittsburgh has in utter abundance), and people assuming.
Alexis: Why does Merry, as your book blurb says, keep a “steel-like grip on her hopeless romantic heart”?
Meghan: Merry has been hurt in the past, but despite all her efforts to not let it happen again—she has yet to totally kill the romantic in her as she struggles to keep her heart open. The short answer is is that she’s a lovable control freak in this department.
Alexis: Tell us about Sam Shepard. What makes him the hero of this story? Why is he passionate about music? What breaks his heart and what gives him hope?
Oh Sam. He is the hero of this story because he has an immensely caring soul—and he is a guy that pursues. A rare breed. He used to be passionate about music—piano specifically—and he was proficient in it. A shared love with his mother who was taken from this life when Sam was at a hard age. What gives him hope is a new dream he is uncovering—and the opportunity to do good and be there for the people in his life.
Alexis: Is Sam new to Steel City? Describe his journey. Tell us how he got there and what he loves most about it.
Meghan: Sam is relatively new to Pittsburgh for sure, and loves it for all the many layers of history just the architecture of the city tells. He ended up finishing college there and obtaining a degree in architectural design after a few years of leading a messy life that had him hit rock bottom before he could rise up and find a new dream.
Alexis: What can you tell us about the way Merry and Sam feel about each other without giving away your story’s plot? Do they like each other at first? Or did it take time for their hearts to grow fond of each other? Share a few details.
Meghan: Sam liked Merry right off the bat. And she was decidedly against him. On principle because her family thought he’d be perfect for her. She had to warm up, and his pursuit touched her soul in a place she hadn’t realized she’d needed before.
Alexis: What do you, as the author, think that the “true hope of Christmas” will mean to your readers? What’s the moral of the story?
Meghan: The true hope of Christmas is that we are covered in Love. Wrapped in the arms of God, first and foremost—and called to love others as He loves us. Sacrificially. And sometimes that means letting go, and letting Him—realizing, as much as we may care for someone, we can’t fix them or make them better. And we must sacrifice our own wants and ideas for God’s will above all else. That is a huge part of the heart of this story—and something Merry and Sam come to learn in the course of the story.
Alexis: What did you, as the author, enjoy the most about creating your characters for this story and watching them live and breathe on the pages of your book?
Meghan: With the exception of Sam, I created the characters within these pages based on real life. Me and my family. The five best people I know—who put up with a lot from me. So I took those already living and breathing people, a few things God’s taken me through in my life, a good dose of imagination and creativity and turned it into a fictional story. Writing what I know is a joy and privilege for me—hence why I call this a novella of my heart.
Alexis: How did you feel after writing "The End" to this lovely holiday romance story?
Meghan: When I wrote “The End”, I’ll be honest—it took me an hour of tweaking to be completely happy with it. Then I felt elation, exhaustion, relief and utter peace. That this was the story God wanted me to tell—and He alone enabled me to finish it. In the midst of a brand new day job and the holiday season with a big, busy family.
Alexis: Thanks for the interview! Do you have any closing comments?
Meghan: Thank you so much for having me, Alexis! What a great time—and amazing questions, by the way. Such a joy to visit and share more about Wrapped in Red.
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Author bio:
Meghan M. Gorecki is an author of inspirational fiction, a blogger, book reviewer and voracious reader.
Taking her life a day at a time as God leads, she is pursuing a career in the publishing industry as an editor in training and as a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
A hopeless romantic, history and Marvel nut, she's also a redhead (thanks to a box), who knows way too much trivia about movie musicals and the Civil War.
