Holiday Author Blogs 2013
Brenda Novak is the author of numerous bestsellers, ranging from thrillers to romances, and everything else in between. In her latest, TAKE ME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, former Mean Girl Sophia DeBussi returns to a lukewarm reception at Whiskey Creek after her lavish life falls apart. Desperate for work to support her daughter, Sophia takes a job as a housekeeper for Ted, a man whose love she once scorned. Ted's walls are up, but even his toughest defenses are not impervious to the holiday spirit. In her Holiday Author Blog, Brenda opens up about the first Christmas her family spent in Arizona after a move from Utah. She was struggling to fit in at school, but the holiday --- and the transformative magic of a book given to her by her grandma --- offered her an unexpected kind of salvation.
Josh Hanagarne was officially diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome when he was in high school, but had been exhibiting symptoms since he was six years old. Despite undergoing treatments that failed miserably, Josh persevered and went on to earn a degree in Library Science and get married. His memoir, THE WORLD'S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN, details his journey and inspiring triumph over adversity. In his Holiday Author Blog, Josh talks about the unusual --- but not unappreciated --- gift he received for his 14th birthday.
Talk about beginner's luck: Theresa Schwegel's debut, OFFICER DOWN, won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from Mystery Writers of America. She is now the author of five crime novels set in the Chicago area. Her latest, THE GOOD BOY, is also her most emotional --- and ambitious --- work to date. It's a family epic about a young boy trying to follow his heart in an often heartless city. Theresa knows a thing or two about following her heart --- and a few well-timed words of encouragement. Here, she shares why she made the choice to pursue fiction writing in the first place, and how a mentor's faith in her proved to be the greatest gift of all.
Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including GODS IN ALABAMA and A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY. Her most recent book, SOMEONE ELSE'S LOVE STORY, is about a single mom who stumbles into the middle of a mini-mart robbery, where the actions of a stranger cause her to fall irrevocably in love with him. In this Holiday Author Blog, Joshilyn fondly recalls the eight-hour car rides her family would take on Christmas Eve day, and the books they would read out loud to pass the time. Looking back, she can appreciate just how lovely the journey was --- never mind the destination.
Bestselling author Anne Perry has written two acclaimed series set in Victorian England, as well as a number of holiday novels. Her latest, A CHRISTMAS HOPE, is a holiday murder mystery in which Claudine Burroughs must save a poet wrongfully accused of murder from the gallows in time for Christmas. Here, Anne writes about a real-life poet --- Rupert Brooke --- whose poetry has meant a lot to her through the years, and how the book of his poems she received as a gift from her father helps her slow down and appreciate life.
Melanie Benjamin is the author of the nationally bestselling ALICE I HAVE BEEN and THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB. Her latest novel, THE AVIATOR’S WIFE (now available in paperback), pulls back the curtain on one of America’s most extraordinary and complicated couples: Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Although Melanie grew up in a family of avid readers, she well knows the perils of giving books as gifts to loved ones. Here, she shares stories of book-gifting gone wrong and some tips for getting it just right.
Preston & Child know a thing or two about co-writing a successful thriller. They’ve written 20 books together, 14 of which feature Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast. The latest in the Pendergast series, WHITE FIRE, is hardly what they would call a “nice, heartwarming Christmas book,” but that doesn’t mean they don’t have plenty of spirit. In this Holiday Author Blog, Preston (Doug) & Child (Linc) use their natural chemistry to their advantage in a conversation in which they discuss everything from the inspiration behind WHITE FIRE to writing about the things that frighten them most.
Shannon McKenna Schmidt is the co-author (with Joni Rendon) of WRITERS BETWEEN THE COVERS: The Scandalous Romantic Lives of Legendary Literary Casanovas, Coquettes, and Cads and NOVEL DESTINATIONS: Literary Landmarks from Jane Austen’s Bath to Ernest Hemingway’s Key West. Here, she recalls the childhood gift that helped inspire her to become a perpetual nomad. She can be found on the web at www.EverywhereOnce.com.
Nancy Thayer is the author of THE HOT FLASH CLUB, among many other bestselling novels. She currently lives in Nantucket, which makes her the perfect authority on the magic of the holiday season on the small Massachussetts island. Her latest book, A NANTUCKET CHRISTMAS, is about Nicole Somerset, newly married and new to Nantucket, who must win over her icy step-daughter in time for Christmas. In her Holiday Blog post, Nancy talks about her family's love of books, and recalls the first Christmas they spent with her daughter's fiancé, Neil, a chemical engineer she worried would not share the family's passion for reading. That Christmas, though, she learned that a good thriller could make a bookworm out of even the most serious scientist.
Ann Hood is the bestselling author of THE KNITTING CIRCLE, THE RED THREAD and THE OBITUARY WRITER, among others, as well as the recipient of mutiple awards, including two Pushcart Prizes. Her latest book, KNITTING YARNS: Writers on Knitting, is a collection of essays by 27 popular authors --- curated and edited by Ann --- about the transformative magic of yarn and a pair of needles. Here, Ann writes about the magic of another seemingly ordinary object: a book. She recalls how her mother dismissed books as "the greatest waste of money around," and how splurging on a hardcover was her first small but significant step toward independence.
