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Historical and contemporary novelist Dan Walsh, whose latest novel is THE REUNION, relates his frantic search for THE ELF ON THE SHELF as a Christmas gift for his wife. Dan was convinced that the storybook would be the perfect present, as his wife’s grandmother used to read it to her as a child. Little did he know how shocked he would be on Christmas morning when she finally unwrapped the book.
Amanda Cabot, the critically acclaimed writer of Christian historical romances and author of the newly released holiday novel CHRISTMAS ROSES, reminisces on the Christmas gift that still resonates with her today. Her holiday favorite, LITTLE WOMEN, was lovingly given to her by her aunt and uncle, who, despite their financial struggles, wanted to make their niece’s dream of having her own copy of the book come true.
Roberta Gately is a nurse, humanitarian aid worker, and the author of two novels: LIPSTICK IN AFGHANISTAN and, most recently, THE BRACELET. Here, she reveals the Christmas gift she would look forward to each year as a child. It wasn’t a new doll, a game, or a nightgown, but the rectangular telltale shape of a book under her Christmas tree.
Carla Buckley didn’t have the typical Christmas most children grow up knowing, as she spent her childhood in Africa and Southeast Asia without a speck of snow around. Soon after unwrapping Laura Ingalls Wilder’s LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS, Carla fell in love with the pioneer world to which it transported her. But it was THE LONGEST WINTER, in the same Little House on the Prairie series, that inspired her debut novel, THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE. Carla's second book, INVISIBLE, is now in stores.
Paula McLain, whose bestselling debut novel THE PARIS WIFE is now available in paperback, remembers GREAT EXPECTATIONS as one of the most memorable Christmas gifts she has ever received. Paula spent most of her childhood in foster care after being abandoned by her parents, so it’s no surprise that she would be drawn to fellow orphan Pip from the Charles Dickens classic.
Elizabeth Wilhide, whose debut novel ASHENDEN releases on January 8th, remembers A WRINKLE IN TIME as a Christmas gift that she loved and cherished as an 11-year-old. The book has traveled countless miles, and to Elizabeth’s utter delight, the original hardcover copy she received was spotted recently on her adult son’s bookshelves.
Rebecca Coleman --- author of THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD and, most recently, HEAVEN SHOULD FALL --- paints a humorous picture of her family’s celebration of Chanukah, particularly her grandparents’ gift boxes of books. Their contents ranged from her personal favorite, the Choose Your Own Adventure books, to her least favorites: cookbooks on shellfish and self-help books on aging.
David Abrams is the author of FOBBIT, a comedy about the Iraq War that Publishers Weekly called “an instant classic” and named a Top 10 Pick for Literary Fiction in Fall 2012. In this piece, David talks about how the movie musical Oliver! and the book OLIVER! AND HIS FRIENDS changed the course of his life and helped shape him into the writer that he is today.
Karen Kingsbury, bestselling inspirational novelist and most recently the author of the heartwarming Christmas story THE BRIDGE, talks about the classic holiday films that she and her family hold dearest to their hearts. Among them are Scrooge, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Preacher’s Wife and While You Were Sleeping.
Susan Henderson is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the founder of the literary blog LitPark.
