Interview with the authors of
A Christmas Romance Collection:
Six heart-warming holiday romances
Alexis: Why did each of you write your story to be part of this Christmas Weddings collection? Share the title of your holiday story or stories (for those of you who wrote two stories for this book) and share the plot of each story in two or three sentences.
Kimberly Rose Johnson: Island Christmas is part of a series set on an island in the Puget Sound. I brought back one of the original characters and to allow readers to get to know her better. Though I didn’t set out to write a salvation story, in the end there is a beautiful one included in this book.
A Christmas Homecoming is also a part of a series. This one takes place in one of my favorite places: Sunriver, Oregon. The story has some mystery woven in but ultimately it’s a sweet Christian love story. Here’s the tagline: Can the mystery of Christmas unite two hurting hearts? It really sums up the premise.
Angela Ruth Strong: Finding Love in Big Sky is written as a sequel to my debut novel Finding Love in Sun Valley, which had been optioned for film. I wanted to get more work in front of the movie producer, and I knew that she was looking for Christmas stories on a ranch, so I wrote one. I didn’t know much about horses going in, so I had to go visit a friend’s farm as research. The book is currently in development for film.
A Caffeine Conundrum was also written because this producer wanted a mystery set in a tea house or coffee shop, so I gave her both. My heroines both want to buy the same shop, but one wants to serve coffee while the other wants to serve tea. The owner dies before deciding who to sell it to, and they both become suspects. Of course, it’s set during the holidays and they both have love interests, which makes the mystery both festive and romantic.
Vickie McDonough: The Fruitcake Scandal started as a “what-if” story. What if a young pastor sent home for his bride-to-be, and when she arrived, she had trouble fitting in with the ladies of his church? I thought it would be an interesting premise and allow for some uncomfortable situations for both the hero and heroine—situations that would be fun for a reader.
Miralee Ferrell: The Nativity Bride was originally written for a novella collection of 12 different Christmas books bound into one printed volume, released by Barbour. I had such fun with this book, as I was able to go on and write a short sequel (different characters, same location/time period) for another novella collection with the same authors, a year later. I now have the rights to both books back, and this was a perfect fit for this collection. It’s also the only Christmas book I’ve ever written!
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Alexis: What was your inspiration for your main characters? Describe the hero and heroine’s looks, personality and heart. Angela and Kimberly: Please answer this question for both of your stories featured in this book.
Kimberly: In Island Christmas, Rachel is a twenty-six-year-old windowed mother of a little boy. She has returned to the island after going to culinary school and is excited to follow in the footsteps of someone she greatly admires. Being a good mom and providing for her son is her top priority.Chris, mid-thirties, has brown hair that tickles his collar, blue eyes, and black-rimmed glasses. He is a workaholic who needs to take a break before he has a heart attack. He is on the island for some much needed R&R. He is a driven and successful man with a strong faith in Christ.
In A Christmas Homecoming, Bailey wears glasses that are a bit too big for her face. She has long, kinky hair and stands at five foot seven. She has a caring and sweet disposition and is a people pleaser. She has a wound that runs deep and greatly affects her self-image. Stephen is tall with blue eyes and broad shoulders. He is caring, loyal, and an awesome uncle to his niece and nephew.
Angela: In Finding Love in Big Sky, Paisley is a cowgirl through and through. She’s got long, dark hair and doesn’t wear much makeup except for the lip gloss that keeps her lips from drying out. Josh is the handsome city guy who makes a fool of himself on her farm and eventually ends up in overalls.
In A Caffeine Conundrum, Tandy and Marissa are total opposites. I patterned them after Jo and Blair in The Facts of Life. Their love interests also help balance them out. Beauty queen Tandy falls for the contractor who drives a truck, and biker chick Tandy reconnects with her childhood friend when he arrives at the jail to represent her as her lawyer.
Vickie: The Fruitcake Scandal is what’s called a “fish out of water” story. Karen, the heroine, has landed in a place unfamiliar to her. She has honey-brown hair and brown eyes. She’s a kind-hearted woman who has left her hometown to come to a new place where her fiancé is the new town minister. She’s a bit apprehensive about meeting so many people at once, but she’s excited to be reunited with the man she loves. Clay Parsons is a bit concerned the big move will cause Karen to change her mind, but he puts his faith in God and trusts him to work everything out.
When the church ladies get upset with Karen, his faith is sorely tested.
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Alexis: Paint a picture with words of your story’s setting. What makes it special to your hero and heroine? Angela and Kimberly: Please answer this question for both of your stories featured in this book.
Kimberly: Island Christmas is set on a picturesque island on the Puget Sound. Imagine a small island without much commerce and the only way on or off is via a small ferry. Most of the island is undeveloped and wooded. It feels even smaller than a small town.
A Christmas Homecoming is set near and in Sunriver Oregon, a resort community in the high dessert. The trees are pine and very tall. In the summer it smells like baked pine needles. The resort isn’t basically a small town, with all the amenities a town needs. They have a village for shopping and recreation that is quite popular and my characters spend time there too.
Angela: In Big Sky, the setting is everything. The ranch in the ski resort town is what brings Josh and Paisley together. She inherited it from her grandfather, so her Norwegian heritage plays a part from the kind of horses she rides to the kind of ornaments she hangs on her tree.
In A Caffeine Conundrum, the small town of Grace Springs was even named after the message of grace in my story. It’s also on the river in Ohio, which is important because they go on a Riverboat cruise. When I was facing writer’s block with this one, I tried to get my husband to take a day trip (10 hours round trip) to the Columbia Gorge in Oregon to go for a cruise on the Sternwheeler, but, lucky for him, they were shut down that time of year.
Vickie: Bakerstown, Missouri, is the fictional setting for The Fruitcake Bride. It’s a typical small town with about a dozen streets—a place where everyone knows each other and knows everyone else’s business. Clay, my hero, has only been pastor at the church for a few months and is still getting to know people. Bakerstown is special to him because this is his first church to pastor. He wants to make a good impression and also meet the needs of the townsfolk, and he is eager to finally wed his fiancée.
Miralee: My story takes place in the late 1800s in a little valley in WA state. It’s actually only about an hour drive from my home, and a place I’ve visited many times over the years, when we purchased hay from farmers there. It’s contains a lovely small town (still small even now) and a wide valley of farms and ranches with a breathtaking view of Mt. Adams in the near distance. The perfect setting for a historical romance!
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Alexis: What is the main conflict in your story? Angela and Kimberly: Please answer this question for both of your stories featured in this book.
Kimberly: In Island Christmas the major conflict between the characters is that Rachel doesn’t believe in God. This poses a big issue for Chris who is determined to be with a woman who believes the same way as him. There are other issues to, but this one stands out the strongest to me.
In A Christmas Homecoming there is quite a bit of tension between the main characters. Bailey does her best to please her boss but it’s never good enough. Stephen is caught in the middle of his mother who wants to fire Bailey and his desire to keep her around because of his growing attraction toward her and he doesn’t think Bailey deserves to be fired.
Angela: In Big Sky, Paisley wrestles with worth, and Josh unknowingly added to her feeling worthless when they were teens. I’m really trying not to give away too much backstory here, but there was a Cinderella type kiss that affected them both greatly, and they think they want different things.
In A Caffeine Conundrum, they both want to buy the shop and not go to jail, so they join forces to prove themselves innocent of murder while still being enemies in every other way.
Vickie: Clay is the new pastor in Bakerstown and is still finding his way and trying to make a good impression. Then his fiancée arrives, stirring up the young women who were aiming their bonnets for Clay. Also, some of the busy-body ladies take a disliking to Karen. She tries so hard to fit in that she makes mistakes along the way and begins to wonder if she’s the right woman for Clay.
Miralee: The conflict is more between the hero and his father. Curt left home years ago over a disagreement with his father that couldn’t be resolved. He left his sweetheart behind with the promise he’d return, but it was years before he finally came home. She waited for him, but much has changed, and his father’s disapproval is still a very big issue. He must somehow find a way to reconcile with both to save the relationships he needs in his life.
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Alexis: Did you play Christmas music while writing this story or stories? If so, which song was your favorite and how did it inspire your storytelling?
Kimberly: I generally don’t play any music when I write. I find it distracting. I’m a musician and either end up counting the beats in my head if there are no words, or singing along in my mind if there are, which not conducive to writing at all since I can no longer hear myself think.
Angela: Always. I listen to the songs I imagine my characters listening to during a scene. The lyrics inspire jokes. I love to joke, but it has to be relevant to the setting and the character. Like Josh’s pickup line of, “Aren’t you supposed to be on top of a Christmas tree this time of year?” and Paisley’s retort of, “Aren’t you supposed to be giving Mary a ride to Bethlehem?”
Vickie: I can’t listen to music while writing. I need total quiet to be creative, so I hide out in my office with the door shut when I’m working on a book. When I’m not writing I enjoy listening Christmas music. One of my favorite songs is "Mary, Did You Know?"
Miralee: I’m afraid I don’t listen to music at all when I write. I actually need a very quiet space for writing, as I can get distracted too easily, otherwise.
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Alexis: What is your favorite Christmas holiday treat? Did it help you while writing your story or stories? If so, explain.
Kimberly: My favorite Christmas treat is peppermint ice cream. I didn’t write either of my books during Christmastime. Since peppermint ice cream is seasonal, eating it wasn’t an option.
Angela: Both my stories have coffee shops, so spent a lot of time researching holiday treats. Even as I’m currently writing A Mug of Mayhem set in October, Marissa is looking forward to specific Christmas goodies she plans to bake in her shop. My personal favorite to bake is chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and my secret ingredient is cinnamon.
Vickie: Since I wrote this story in the spring, I wasn’t snacking on Christmas goodies. I’ve never been one to make lots of munchies for holidays, but we do like Magic Cookie Bars and Chex Mix. I’d have to say my favorite dessert is pie. I make pumpkin pie each Christmas and then splurge by buying a French Silk pie—my favorite.
Miralee: I have two favorites—I love what we simply call our Christmas cookies, but are a kind of sugar cookie, rolled out, cut with different shaped cutters, then frosted and have sprinkles applied. They shouldn’t be overcooked, so they stay slightly soft rather than crunchy. Yum! The second is Angel Sweets—chocolate balls mixed with chopped nuts (walnuts, peanuts or cashews) and mini marshmallows, then rolled in shredded coconut. These are sinfully delicious, and you don’t want to make them if you’re on a diet.
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Alexis: If you could give one of your characters a Christmas gift, what would it be? Why? Angela and Kimberly: Please answer this question for both of your stories featured in this book.
Kimberly: I’d give Rachel the gift of a babysitter who is always reliable because that was an issue for her. I’d give Bailey a beautiful outfit that she would feel confident in because she needs to feel good about herself.
Angela: Josh and Paisley gave each other the perfect Christmas gifts, but I’d go with Paisley to get her own Min Skatt tattoo. As for Tandy and Marissa, I think I’d bring them a busload of tourists to their shop from Cincinnati for the town’s lighting ceremony.
Vickie: This is hard because it’s been so long since I wrote this story. I think Clay and Karen got a better gift than any I could bestow on them—they got married on Christmas Eve.
Miralee: A handmade nativity figures prominently in my story. That’s something most families would treasure (I know I would) and I’d love to see my young couple have one for their home.
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Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about your story? Angela and Kimberly: Please answer this question for both of your stories featured in this book.
Kimberly: When readers are done reading any of my books I hope they will remember being entertained and that the characters will stick with them like familiar friends.
Angela: I want my readers to feel loved. In Big Sky, they can realize how treasured they are by God. In A Caffeine Conundrum, I want them to realize that they both need and have God’s grace because Christ loved them enough to offer it to them in the ultimate Christmas gift.
Vickie: I hope I’ve given my readers a story that makes them chuckle at times. I also hope to encourage them that even though hard times come our way, God will help us through them and that things will get better.
Miralee: I hope my story will help my readers remember how important family connections are, and that it’s critical we not only forgive, but accept forgiveness when given.
Alexis: Thanks for the interview, ladies. Merry Christmas!
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Author Bio for Angela:
Angela Ruth Strong sold her first Christian romance novel in 2009 then quit writing romance when her husband left her. Ten years later, God has shown her the true meaning of love, and there's nothing else she'd rather write about.
Her books have since earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, been optioned for film, won the Cascade Award, and been Amazon bestsellers. She also writes nonfiction for SpiritLed Woman.
To help aspiring authors, she started IDAhope Writers where she lives in Idaho, and she teaches as an expert online at WRITE THAT BOOK.
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Author Bio for Kimberly:
Award-winning author, Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes romantic mystery and suspense.
Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
Kimberly’s hobbies include reading, watching chick flicks, playing the piano, long walks with her hubby and their yellow lab, drinking coffee and eating dark chocolate.
Learn more about Kimberly and her books at https://kimberlyrjohnson.com/
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Author Bio for Miralee:
I love life, love my family, love writing Christian fiction, reading, riding my horse and puttering in my garden are all ways I relax. I often have my little 7 lb Chihuahua, Lacey, on my lap when I'm working — there's nothing like a warm ball of love on your lap to act as a stress reliever!
First and foremost I'm a child of God and daughter of the King. I've been involved in women's ministries for years, I'm married to a wonderful man, have two grown children, two cats, two dogs, 10 chickens and ride my son-in-law's Arabian mare since my old mare passed in 2013. We live about 9 miles from the nearest town on 11 acres, in a peaceful setting surrounded by trees.
I started writing shortly after I turned 50, and discovered I loved it so much I don't want to stop. I have 15 novels out & a five book set of horse novels for middle-grade girls. I write both women's contemporary fiction, historical & contemporary romance, and horse/mystery novels for girls.
One of my Western romances (Love Finds You in Sundance, WY) was awarded the Will Rogers Medallion for Western Fiction, three books have been optioned as movies, and several books have been on the ECPA best seller list.
You can find out more about me and my books at http://miraleeferrell.com/
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Author Bio for Vickie:
Vickie McDonough is the CBA, EPCA and Amazon best-selling author of 50 books and novellas. Vickie grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West.
Vickie’s books have won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best and the Inspirational Readers’ Choice awards. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, doing stained-glass projects, gardening, watching movies, and traveling.
To learn more about Vickie’s books or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com
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Blurbs for the novellas within
A Christmas Romance Collection: Six heart-warming holiday romances
Get in the mood for Christmas with six heart-warming holiday romances from
best-selling, award-winning authors!
Island Christmas by Kimberly Rose Johnson
Sous Chef Rachel Narrelli returns to Wildflower Island looking for a fresh start for herself and her young son. She is grateful when new friend Chris Campbell offers support as she faces her new job and new life. She cares for the Chris, but is she is willing to risk her heart to a man with an uncertain future? A self-proclaimed workaholic, Chris Campbell comes to Wildflower Island hoping to take life at a slower pace. He’s drawn to Rachel, but how will a woman and her young son fit into his future—a future that’s uncertain at best?
A Christmas Homecoming by Kimberly Rose Johnson
Bailey Calderwood gives all she has to her job as an interior design assistant, but her best isn’t good enough for her demanding, bed-ridden boss. Stephen Belafonte rushes home from France to be with his mother after her stroke, and is surprised by the rift between his mom and her assistant. When his mom demands he fire Bailey, he’s torn between respecting his mother’s wishes and doing what’s best for the business. Can Stephen find a way to heal the rift in his family as well his own heart, or will he be forced to let Bailey go?
A Caffeine Conundrum by Angela Ruth Strong
Sassy city girl Tandy Brandt moves to a small town to start a coffee shop, never imagining she'll be competing with local beauty queen Marissa Alexander and her dream of running a tea house. Unfortunately, the current store owner dies before selling the location to either of them, and they both become murder suspects. The unlikely pair teams up to find the real killer, and hopefully, with help from Marissa's ex and a charming lawyer, they'll be able to keep from going to jail...or worse.
Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana by Angela Ruth Strong
The last thing Paisley wants for Christmas is to spend time with Josh Lake—the guy who broke her heart in high school—but until her bank loan goes through, she has to take all the free help she can get on the ranch she inherited. Unfortunately, Josh seems to want back in her life again, and the town’s quirky coffee shop owners don’t help by hanging mistletoe at every opportunity. Will Paisley succeed in driving him away, or will she find the healing needed to have hope for a future together?
The Fruitcake Scandal by Vickie McDonough
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