Today I’m pleased to welcome Kathryn Freeman to the blog. Kathryn is the author of Too Charming, Life After, Do Opposites Attract, Search for the Truth, Before Your and her latest novel, A Second Christmas Wish was published by Choc Lit on 1 November 2016.
Here Kathryn discusses how she went about writing a Christmas book when it wasn’t Christmas.
Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog to talk about something I experienced for the first time this year.
Writing a Christmas book…when it’s not Christmas.
Writers of fiction have to use their imagination a lot. Some invent other planets, aliens, time travel…but I write modern romance so I stick to making up people, situations, places. I’ve set a book in the world of Formula One, written about refugee camps and murder, and my friends haven’t batted an eyelid. Yet when I told them last Easter that I was writing a book set around Christmas, they looked at me as if I was nuts.
‘How you can you write about Christmas when it’s not Christmas?’
I could argue how can I write about being in the sun-kissed, glitz of Monaco when I’m stuck at my desk, but I think I understand their puzzlement. Christmas is more than more than a time of the year, more than a season. It’s a feeling. Why else do we talk about getting into the Christmas spirit? (and I’m not just talking eggnog here).
Imagining a feeling isn’t new for a writer though. I’ve imagined hope, despair, anger, fear, yearning, joy. Most of all, as a writer of romantic fiction, I’ve imagined love.
So to answer their question, I find it no different writing a Christmas book at Easter as I do writing about falling in love. Both are known to give those who believe in them a feeling of dizzy excitement, of wonder. A warmth – a glow – and a deep-seated joy. Both have a magic to them.
Of course Christmas comes with symbols and traditions too, and that was the part I had to consciously make a list about. There’s snowballs and snowmen, mince pies and turkey, fairy lights and pine trees. Elf hats and nativity pays. The Christmas stocking and the letter to Santa.
I wrote a long list of all the parts of Christmas I enjoyed and even though I didn’t really refer to it again (come on, who needs to be reminded what makes Christmas special?) it was the kick-start I needed to dive into the story.
That and the turkey sandwich.
By the way, all of the items on my list appear in A Second Christmas Wish, along with a few things you might not expect in a Christmas story. Like tennis courts and beach houses J
Contact information
Website: http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1
About the Book:
“Do you believe in Father Christmas?
For Melissa, Christmas has always been overrated. From her cold, distant parents to her manipulative ex-husband, Lawrence, she’s never experienced the warmth and contentment of the festive season with a big, happy family sitting around the table.
And Melissa has learned to live with it, but it breaks her heart that her seven-year-old son, William, has had to live with it too. Whilst most little boys wait with excitement for the big day, William finds it difficult to believe that Father Christmas even exists.
But then Daniel McCormick comes into their lives. And with his help, Melissa and William might just be able to find their festive spirit, and finally have a Christmas where all of their wishes come true …”
From First Page to Last 
It was so lovely to appear on your blog and write about writing about Christmas (if you know what I mean!). Thank you so much for hosting me, Janet 🙂
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It was my pleasure. Thanks for the great post 🙂
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