Welcome, Anita. What inspired you to
incorporate Jim Crow laws and segregation into your book?
Even
though A Merry Little Christmas is really a love story, I felt it
needed some additional conflict, and some of the racial struggles of the 60s
seemed to be the right choice for this particular plot. I grew up in the 60s,
and I was always interested in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. In
some ways I feel I’ve waited my whole life to write this book. It came easily
to me in that it’s been percolating in my imagination for a long time, but it
was also hard to write because I had to consider more deeply the injustices of
that era. Even though it sounds like a cliché, A Merry Little Christmas
truly was the book of my heart.
The farm scenes seem pretty
realistic. Did you grow up in the country?
I
did. While the small towns in the book are totally fictitious I did grow up on
a wheat, cattle, pig, and chicken farm in western Oklahoma
Franny and Charlie come
from very different backgrounds, but are both looking for something very
different from the way they've grown up. Do you think as humans, we all just
have a "grass is always greener on the other side" mentality?
Yes,
that is a human frailty that is easy to succumb to, and I’ve been guilty of it
as well. But God is good about reminding me that he’s placed me on my own
unique life-road, and it may have little to do with anyone else’s journey. Besides,
in many cases when we get a closer look at someone else’s “lush green grass” it
usually turns out to be turf.
Do you think that
sometimes we don't pray for what we want because we are afraid of getting what
we pray for?
Perhaps
that’s true, which would explain why Franny is equally nervous and excited about
the sudden answer to her prayers.
Was there a reason you
added the themes of Christmas and music to the story?
My
editor asked me to add those elements, and it was a blessing, since Christmas
is my favorite time of year, and I love music. Also, female readers in general love
novels that are set during the holidays, and I’m hoping the music adds a cozy
feel to the overall Christmas theme.
What is your favorite
Christmas song?
“The
Holly and the Ivy.” The song has a melancholy feel to it, but it’s also
beautifully sweet. I love the Currier and Ives style pictures my imagination
conjures up when I’m listening to it.
What is your favorite
Christmas tradition?
I
love to have my gal friends over for brunch around Christmastime. I have been
collecting tea dishes for many years, and so when I do a brunch, I go all out. Women
are usually in a service mode most of their lives so when they come to my house
I want them to feel wonderfully pampered. And by the time they leave, I hope their
hearts are a little merrier and they feel we’ve celebrated Christmas well!
Is Franny's character
based on any real life person?
Franny
is like me in some ways, but she has a lot more courage than I have and more
laughter in her heart. So, really, I want to be Franny when I grow up.
Does the song "Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" have a special significance to you?
The
song makes me swoon it’s so romantic and lovely. It makes me think of being
snowed-in with the man I love. Of course, that scene also needs a mountain
cabin with a crackling fire and two mugs of wassail.
You have written
everything from romance to suspense/thrillers to nonfiction. What is your
favorite genre to write?
I love inspirational romance. There’s just nothing else like it for
writing and reading. It naturally makes you want to curl up on an overstuffed
couch and read the day away.Thank you, Anita, for sharing this Christmas book with us, and thank you for offering so many free books to give away.
Readers, if you don't win and want to buy a copy, you can click on the cover on my left sidebar to take you straight to a place to buy the book both in ebook format and in print. Of course, it would make a good Christmas gift.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
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