CHRISTMAS ON OCRACOKE - Christina Sinisi - One Free print book in US or one free Ebook outside US

Welcome, Christina. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. First, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog!

Then, I don’t know that there’s a great deal of myself in my characters, but there is a little bit of this person I know and a little bit of that one and then some mixing and finally a whole lot of imagination.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? Wow—this demanded I consult a dictionary. Not that I didn’t know what the word meant, but I needed to narrow it down. Once you reach a certain, ahem, age, the number of quirky events and actions accumulate. Here’s one—I don’t need an alarm clock. I tell myself to take a thirty-minute nap and I wake up exactly thirty minutes later. I even turn the clock in the other direction to make sure I’m not cheating.

That’s a wonderful thing to have. When did you first discover that you were a writer? I grew up on a farm and attended a rural school system. There was no kindergarten and no testing to determine if you were ready, your parents just put you on the bus. I learned my alphabet and how to read in first grade. By third grade, I started writing poems and wrote a play in fifth grade. So, I discovered I was a writer as early as I possibly could.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. I have read everything from science fiction to fantasy to classical literature to a couple of horror to theology to romance. As I’ve grown older, I’ve narrowed down to mostly romance with some occasional fantasy. I’m also finding that I truly only want to read literature with faith embedded—I recently read a secular book and all I could feel was frustrated. Don’t the characters know that God wants to love them and help them?

I’m with you. I rarely read a secular novel. I so miss the spiritual thread in stories. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? I have two porches and a cat, Chessie Mae. Chessie and I love to take turns rocking on the porches. I am also blessed with a husband of 34 years, two wonderful, grown children, and friends and a church community. Oh, and a loving Savior with whom I talk quite often, sometimes out loud when I’m driving.

I often talk to Him out loud. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Raising two believing children. My degrees, being a tenured professor, and a published author all are temporary, amazing blessings, but temporary.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? Hmmm, when I was a child, I was horse crazy so I might have said that at one point in my life. I’ve always wanted to fly so I feel an affinity with the beautiful red-tailed hawk perched on top of my mailbox. But, in the end, I’ll have to say a cat. Stretching out in the sun and napping are among my favorite past times.

What is your favorite food? I love to cook new dishes and try new recipes—so the next new thing might be the true answer. If you prefer a more specific response, I’d have to say shrimp and grits. Charleston restaurants offer them so many ways and I love them, each and every one.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? Getting published. Before I got that affirmation, I’d write maybe one manuscript a year or every other year. I found it so difficult to persevere and had almost given up. Now, I’m writing two a year and articles and short stories and blog posts.

Tell us about the featured book. Christmas on Ocracoke: Reeling from the upheaval of a failed marriage, Annie Hanahan is desperate for a new start—and when she inherits a cottage on Ocracoke Island, she may finally get it. Without a second thought, she packs up and leaves everything behind: her first name, her job, and her ex-husband. But when she arrives in the Outer Banks, she finds the island—and her promised refuge—ravaged by Hurricane Dorian. As a contractor who has given so much of his time to helping Ocracoke recover, it surprises no one when Trey Kingsley offers to help the beautiful newcomer, but something is holding her back. Life keeps throwing them together though, or perhaps God’s hand is giving them a nudge. Will a little bit of divine intervention be enough for a Merry Christmas on Ocracoke?

Please give us the first page of the book.

What a way to make a fresh start.

Annie Hanahan glanced back via the rearview mirror and said a quick prayer of gratitude that her baby boy was too young to know what was going on right now. She’d die in shame, or eternal pre-teenaged mockery if he was, say, a decade older. Instead, her two and half year old son waved his hands in the air and grabbed a toy Brontosaurus from the diaper bag that was propped open next to his car seat.

The police officer drew even, and she lowered the driver’s side window. Up till now, she’d gone her whole life without a ticket.

 “Good morning, ma’am. I’d ask if you knew how fast you were driving, but I’m guessing you figured that out by now.”

Annie concentrated on her breathing and not crying. “Yes, sir. I was going 80 in a 65.” So was every good ole’ boy along this stretch of the road, but if she’d been the low hanging fruit, so be it. “I’m sorry.”

The state trooper started to smile but must have remembered who he was and squashed any close-to-human expression from his face. “Well, ma’am, sorry is a good thing. Can I see your license and registration?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website/Blog: https://www.christinasinisi.com/ 

Twitter: @ChristinaSinisi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Christina-Sinisi-Author-105861987440664/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Instagram: @csinisi123

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/csinisi/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/101218889-christina-sinisi

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/christina-sinisi

Thank you, Christina, for sharing this novella with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/3rtiquL

https://amzn.to/3bqYkeJ

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