12 Days of Christmas Joy: Christmas in Jingle Junction by Tabitha Bouldin

Interview with Tabitha Bouldin about her book, 

Christmas in Jingle Junction

Alexis: Why did you write this Christmas holiday story?

Tabitha: I had this insatiable urge to write a fun, Christmas story that had just enough oomph to make it quirky while still having a Hallmark vibe. The characters came running, clamoring to be put on the pages so they could offer some holiday cheer and goodwill.

Alexis: What was the inspiration behind this story?

Tabitha: Christmas in Jingle Junction is for my grandmother. She passed away right before I wrote the book, and she’s not only the inspiration behind the story but I found her leaving little memories for me throughout the pages. Granny Pat loved a good cup of coffee, so the story revolves around a coffee shop owner who loves coffee, Christmas, and the color red…all of Granny’s favorites. She would have gotten a kick out of the hero, who’s a grinch about Christmas and a former thief to boot.

Alexis: Describe the setting of this story. What makes Jingle Junction special to your characters?

Tabitha: Jingle Junction is Christmas in a snow globe. You know the ones, the perfect peaceful, snowy town where everyone loves to celebrate. It’s basically Whoville. To live there without going crazy, you have to love Christmas. You can have any business you want, as long as you agree to decorate to the extreme once November rolls around and your business name is an alliteration.

Alexis: Tell me about Holly Winters, the leading lady of this story. What does she look like? Sound like? Act like? What are her greatest hopes and deepest fears?

Tabitha: Holly is a hoot. She’s a bit of a klutz who adores Christmas, coffee, and a rousing discussion on why Harley Quinn should be considered a superhero instead of a villain. With her brown hair, brown eyes, and perpetual smile, Holly is one of Jingle Junction’s staunchest supporters. She sounds like she has everything she wants, but Holly’s deepest fear is failure. What if she fails to keep her business going? Her greatest hope is to use the coffee shop as a place where people always feel welcome. Where they come in, pull up a seat, and have a good chat with great friends.

Alexis: Tell me about Patrick Cooper, the leading man of this story. What does he look like? Sound like? Act like? What is his greatest strength and most upsetting weakness?

Tabitha: Oh dear. Grouchy, grumpy, Patrick. He’s Holly’s polar opposite when it comes to attitude. Patrick arrives in Jingle Junction with one goal: deliver Holly’s coffee and get out of town…quick. His green eyes and brown curls give him the look of boyish charm, but there’s a hard veneer in those emerald eyes. He tries to be cold and fierce, not letting anyone get too close, but there’s a mushy center to this Grinch. Once you look close enough. His greatest strength is also his most upsetting weakness. Patrick is noble. So much so that he’s willing to take the fall to keep someone he loves out of trouble.

Alexis: What is the name of Holly’s coffee shop and why does she love working there?

Tabitha: Holly’s coffee shop is called Jolly Java. She wanted something with her own name, but since her town nickname is Jolly Holly, she decided to go with it. Running Jolly Java helps Holly feel closer to her grandmother. The shop has been a dream of hers for as long as she can remember and living every day within the walls of her coffee kingdom brings her happiness.

Alexis: What is Holly’s first impression of Patrick? Why?

Tabitha: Holly is struck speechless by Patrick. She’s expecting to see Henry, her lovable but decidedly older delivery man, and instead she nearly plows into this strong-but-silent newcomer. His unwillingness to be friendly gives her a challenge, and Holly can’t resist a challenge.

Alexis: Who is Henry and what role does he play in this story?

Tabitha: Henry drives the delivery truck for Jingle Junction, bringing in supplies for all the shops. He’s also Patrick’s uncle, which is how Patrick gets roped into the job. Noble guy, that Patrick. Stuck in the hospital with pneumonia, Henry becomes the listening ear and the giver of advice when Patrick discovers Jingle Junction holds more than Christmas crazy shop owners who ply him with hot cocoa and cookies.

Alexis: What is it about Patrick that makes Holly’s heart skip a beat?

Tabitha: He’s not afraid to challenge her beliefs, but he still listens when their viewpoints don’t match up. While the attraction sparked from their first meeting, it’s the hurt she sees hidden deep down that draws Holly to Patrick. She knows there’s more to him that the hard exterior he shows everyone, and if anyone can break into that soft heart, they’ll be the luckiest person in Jingle Junction.

Alexis: Why does Patrick not like coffee and Christmas?

Tabitha: Where Holly had the bright, cheerful upbringing, Patrick’s was the opposite. Christmas wasn’t so much a time of celebration as something else to be endured. Then, as a teenager, he found himself working in a coffee shop with a sweet old lady who believed everyone deserved a second chance (much like Holly). Patrick betrayed that trust, and he’s never forgiven himself for it.

Alexis: What is it about Holly that makes Patrick realize that he may need to get a new girlfriend?

Tabitha: Patrick has always been the person people bring their troubles to. He’s never had someone willing to step up, stand beside him, and refuse to let him fall. When he sees the strength in Holly, her unflagging faithfulness, he starts to realize that relationships are supposed to be equal parts, equal partners. For the first time, he understands that he deserves to have someone who can see the difficult things and love him anyway.

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about this story?

Tabitha: I hope readers remember that God is the giver of second chances. He’s not a “one and done” type of God. While we’re busy worrying over all the mistakes we’ve made and how we’ll never be as good as we want to be, God’s just asking us to turn around and come back to Him. He loves us, even when we don’t know how to love ourselves.

Alexis: Did you play Christmas music while writing this story? If so, which song was your favorite and how did it inspire your storytelling?

Tabitha: So much Christmas music! Which is hilarious because it was June when I wrote this story. Hundred degrees outside and I’m blasting “Jingle Bells” through the house. My husband thought I’d finally lost my mind. My favorite for this story would have to be “O Holy Night.” Hillsong Worship has a beautiful version that puts me in mind of Holly and how she felt during that final scene. It’s beautiful and graceful, which brought light and glory to the setting while Holly tried to explain to Patrick why she would choose him, even after all he’d done.

Alexis: What is your favorite Christmas holiday treat? Did it help you while writing this story? If so, explain.

Tabitha: Just one? I love sweets. Hmmm…Gingerbread. Definitely gingerbread. I only make it around Christmastime. We decorate gingerbread cookies every Christmas Eve and it’s part of the inspiration behind Gina’s Gingerbread shop which plays a part in both of my Christmas books. The third one too if I can ever get the thing written.

Alexis: If you could give one of your characters a Christmas gift, what would it be? Why?

Tabitha: If I could give them anything, I would give Holly one more day with her grandmother. One more chance to say “I love you” and one last memory to hold on to. I missed the chance to tell my granny goodbye, and I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. She knew I loved her, but I should have been there. I missed saying goodbye by a matter of hours.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Tabitha. Merry Christmas!

Tabitha: Loved the questions, Alexis! It was wonderful to revisit this story and remember why I fell in love with these characters. Merry Christmas!

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Author Bio:

Tabitha Bouldin has a bachelor's degree in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. 

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and has been writing since 2015. 

When she's not homeschooling her kids, you'll find her curled up with a book. Tabitha's genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart.

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Blurb for Christmas in Jingle Junction: 

Jump into Jingle Junction for a fast-paced Christmas romance. 

The last thing coffee shop owner Holly Winters expected was to have dream-boy Patrick Cooper walk through the back door of her shop. He would only be delivering this one time. He made sure she knew he was going home as soon as Henry was well enough to start making deliveries again.

Patrick instantly attracts Holly's attention, but he has three strikes against him...he hates coffee, he doesn't like Christmas, and he has a girlfriend. That's all fine with Holly, until she starts to get to know the man hiding behind the bright green eyes. Patrick is in the one place he shouldn't be if he wants to avoid Christmas.

Jingle Junction is famous for it's Christmas lights, parade, and their year-round Christmas spirit. Can this apparent 'bad boy' find the joy of Christmas?

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Buy Tabitha's book on Amazon

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Connect with Tabitha:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tabithabouldinauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabithabouldin

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Christmas on My Heart: Wish Upon a Star by Tabitha Bouldin

Warriors and Worriers

A devotional by Tabitha Bouldin, based on her book Wish Upon a Star

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

~Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV)

Warrior = A brave or experienced fighter

Worrier = A person who is experiencing persistent mental uneasiness

It’s interesting that two little letters can change the entire meaning of a word.

I don’t have all the answers for my life, but I do know one thing: God calls each of us to be warriors. Notice the definition of warrior: A brave or experienced fighter.

How do you gain experience? Do you want the honest truth? You gain experience by going through battles, again…and again…and again.

Some people are born warriors, some people seem to have some innate gene that keeps them moving forward when everything else tells them to give up. But if you ask them, I bet they tell you that they fight against the desire to worry.

Sometimes, the drive to worry overwhelms even the staunchest warrior. The Bible tells us to not be afraid, which is slightly different from worry, but they are close siblings. What we have to remember is: God will never let anything happen to us without His approval. Yes, we will have hard times. Yes, we will suffer. But we have the ultimate promise that it will all be worth it in the end.

It is so easy to worry. Even when we try not to, the desire to languish in our problems is a persistent thought. So how do you overcome worry? Put on the full armor of God and go into battle! It’s easy to say, right? But is it easy to do? Not so much. Going into battle requires trust, and faith, and the desire to do God’s will. That is the armor of God. Clothe yourself in His substance.

A battle is not always what you expect it to be. Sometimes, a battle might be nothing more than not losing your temper. Other times, the battle might be understanding why something unspeakable has happened to ourselves or someone we love.

This is where we find the main character in Wish Upon a Star. Bryce Masters lost his wife, Molly, during childbirth and is raising their daughter, Anna, alone. After six long years, he is finally returning to the place where he grew up. Worry threatens to overwhelm Bryce when Anna reveals her wish for a mother. With the move home, reopening the town bookstore, and caring for Anna, how is Bryce going to fulfill Anna’s wish? Does he even want to? Molly was the love of his life. His heart has no room for another.

Bryce must sacrifice his will and let God have control. Only then does he have a chance to overcome his fears.

God has given each of us free will. We can choose the type of person we want to be. Change is not easy, nor was it ever meant to be. If change were easy, then life would not be what it is today. I am a worrier by nature, but a warrior through endless trials and sheer determination as I pray for strength to overcome my own downfalls.

Worrying never does us any good. All it is capable of is taking us further away from God. We should cast our cares upon Him and leave them there. If you’re like me, that is a struggle. I can toss them away, but it’s like fishing…I keep a line on them so I can drag them back to shore and worry over them some more. The Bible says, “Be strong and of a good courage” and that is exactly what I want to be.

Don’t choose the worrier path. Choose instead to be a warrior.

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Author Bio:

Tabitha Bouldin was born, raised, and still lives in the same small town in middle Tennessee. 

A member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), she has been writing for nearly five years but only recently began publishing her work.

After working for ten years as a nurse, prayers were answered that gave her the chance to be a stay-at-home mom and the time to homeschool her two boys.

Her books are meant to encourage others through the trials of life. While the stories are fiction, they come from situations that many of us face. 

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Blurb for Tabitha's book (Wish Upon a Star):

Bryce Masters had everything he needed...or so he thought. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, would disagree. They were going home, moving back to Jingle Junction where Bryce would take over the local bookstore just in time for Christmas.

Losing his wife, Molly, during the birth of their daughter six years ago was tragic, but Bryce has no idea just how much it weighs on young Anna's heart until she confesses her deepest wish. 

What Anna wants for Christmas is a mother, but Bryce's heart is not ready to love again. Only God can give Bryce the desire to make Anna's wish come true. 

Only He can heal the hurt and open Bryce's heart to the power of love. But Bryce will have to be willing to listen. And when the perfect woman reveals a secret that could devastate them all, will Bryce be able to look beyond what was and accept what might be?

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Buy Tabitha's book Wish Upon a Star on Amazon

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Connect with Tabitha:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/tabithabouldinauthor
Twitter – www.twitter.com/tabithabouldin
Instagram – www.instagram.com/tabithabouldin
Blog – https://tabithabouldinauthor.home.blog

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

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