IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS - Lynne Gentry and 4 other authors - One Free Book

Welcome back, dear friend. How did your story for the collection come about? During the pandemic shut-down, a group of my author friends started meeting regularly on zoom. Someone said, “Wouldn’t it cheer everyone up if we wrote a Christmas story?” The rest was history.

My story, MIRACLE ON MAIN STREET, is the fifth in one of my favorite southern small-town series (Mt. Hope Southern Adventures). I’ve always loved the classic Christmas movie, Miracle on 34th Street, and used that movie for my inspiration to create the Christmas parades I remembered from growing up in a small town.

Are these stories connected in some way? If so, how? The stories in this collection are connected in that they all were inspired by a favorite classic Christmas movie.

What are you reading right now? I’m listening to Patti Callahan’s new book ONCE UPON A WARDROBE. It’s a delightful story about C.S. Lewis. And the English narrator is the delicious icing on the cake.

How many other books have you had published? I’ve lost count. Somewhere between 15 and 20.

What is the hardest thing about writing a part of a collection? Our author team of Julie Cantrell, Janyre Tromp, Kelli Stuart, and Allison Pittman worked well together. It’s true that many hands make light work. It was great to have different people using their different strengths. I guess picking the cover was probably the hardest, but once we settled on the midnight blue of an old theater screen, it was easy to settle on the design.

How did collaborating with this team impact you? Writing is such a solitary sport. I’m an extrovert, so having this group of friends who were all interested in the same project was invigorating. We’ll be friends for the rest of our careers now.

What did you want the reader to take away from your story? MIRACLE ON MAIN STREET takes a look at two things. First, I explore the dynamics of a small town and how people in tight knit communities learn to live and work with people who are a little prickly. I think the world would be a better place if all of us learned to love people who are hard to love. But loving difficult people often requires forgiveness. And the second thing this light, funny story explores is really rather heavy. And that’s the idea of forgiveness. Forgiving someone who’s hurt you deeply is easier said than done…and that’s the miracle of Christmas, isn’t it?

Yes, it is. Please give us a peek into your story. Mt. Hope is a dusty west Texas town on the verge of shutting its doors. The few businesses that remain on Main Street are in danger of closing, including Ruthie Crouch’s diner. When the town council decides to make one more stab at revitalizing the economy, the annual Christmas parade is resurrected. But when the Santa they choose is the man who deserted Ruthie and her diner years ago, skillets fly and the whole plan nearly falls apart.

What is the best piece of advice you received as an author? Read. Read. Read. Then write. Write. Write.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

Website: https://www.lynnegentry.com/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lynne-gentry

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-Lynne-Gentry-215337565176144/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnegentry.author/?hl=en

Thank you, Lynne, for sharing this new collection with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=It%27s+a+Wonderful+Christmas&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss

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