Blog
Archives - December 2012
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.
Hank Phillippi Ryan, most recently the author of THE OTHER WOMAN, was attending a bookstore signing during the holiday season when she was reminded of a certain Christmas. She had just turned 16 and found out from her mom that there would be no Christmas tree in their house that year. Hank refused to accept this sudden break from tradition and decided to do something about it.
Bestselling author Karen Robards, whose latest book SHIVER is now in stores, recalls the many Christmases she shared with her three little brothers and the presents they received that excited them the most. For Karen, all she ever wanted was books --- and she looks back fondly on those Christmas mornings when she was introduced to a number of her now-favorite authors.
Will Schwalbe, author of the incredibly moving memoir THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB, recalls the list of books that his goddaughter (who was 10 at the time) wanted for Christmas and his ensuing trip to the New York City children’s bookstore Books of Wonder, where he hoped to fulfill her very specific requests.
