Friday 10 October 2014

Q&A with Jenny Hale *Christmas Style*

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Today I'm very happy to welcome the wonderful Jenny Hale on my blog. She answered some questions for me, thanks to Kim from bookouture for forwarding them. Yesterday jenny's third novel A Christmas To remember came out, click here: Amazon UK
The book will be part of Christmas feature, but now enjoy some questions about the book and more.







1.    A Christmas To Remember is your third novel, can you tell us a little about the story?

     Carrie Blake is a nanny, and she takes a job for the Fletcher family.  Adam Fletcher is very handsome, the house is huge, and the kids are adorable. The only problem could be that, although Adam is very successful, he’s always working. She worries that he doesn’t realize he’s missing out on precious moments with his children. 
     As Adam’s family arrive for Christmas, Carrie discovers that she might just have found the perfect allies in her quest to persuade Adam to loosen up. And she’s determined to make it the best Christmas ever! What she doesn’t realize is that there’s a lot in store for her as well!

2.    What was your inspiration for the book?

Richmond, Virginia was my inspiration. It is gorgeous at Christmas time. The city itself is full of character with its remnants of old iron factories, cobblestone streets, and southern charm. At Christmas, the entire city lights up. Every high rise building is outlined in white lights and trees are covered in them. I wanted to create a character who was seeing it all for the first time, and Carrie Blake was born.


3.    A Christmas To Remember is your second Christmas novel, what is so special about writing a story for this festive time of the year?

Christmas is my favorite holiday. To me, it is the warmest, most romantic time of year. I got married at Christmas time! When I think about writing a story about love and family, Christmas is the perfect backdrop for that.

4.    What’s your favourite line in A Christmas To Remember?

My favorite line is when Walter says, “I know what it’s like not to have any girlfriends to go out with.” Walter is sort of the rock of the family. He’s already lived most of his life, and, while he takes the family issues very seriously, he’s already been through so many of his own, that he knows it will all be okay. Where we really get to see a little of his life is when he says this statement about girlfriends, because he’s referring to his wife, and he’s letting us in on the fact that he misses her terribly, and he just wants to be with her. It opens up a whole new love story that I’d love to write one day.

5.    What’s your favourite scene in A Christmas To Remember?

I loved writing the hand-painting scene. Watching a man with children is so lovely because his voice gets softer, his manerisms get gentler. So painting Adam’s hands, watching his curiosity regarding his children, and then seeing him struggle to work with the remnants of that moment still on his hands was fun to write.

6.    Imagine this book would be turned into a movie, who would you cast for the main characters?

Carrie Blake: Actress Carey Mulligan

Source: http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/transformations/photos/0,,20290120_20437038_21317108,00.html

Adam Fletcher: Actor Liam Hemsworth

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/liam-hemsworth

7.    Your first Christmas novel is called Coming Home For Christmas, what’s it about?

Here’s the blurb! That tells it best. :)

Allie Richfield loves Christmas, so when she lands a job as House Manager for the amazing Ashford Estate—which includes organizing the Marley family festivities—she is in her element. With a budget bigger than her life savings and a team of staff, how hard can it be?
As one-by-one she meets the Marleys, she’s about to find out…
Allie’s new boss, Robert, might be gorgeous, but he’s also colder than the snow outside and refuses to come home for Christmas.  Robert’s playboy brother, Kip, flirts with her relentlessly; and his sister, Sloane, arrives home with baggage—both the divorce-kind and the Louis Vuitton kind. Their ninety-two year old grandmother, Pippa, spends her day grumbling at them all from her mobility scooter.
With Robert intending to sell Ashford, it’s the Marley’s last chance to create some happy memories in their family home—and Allie is determined to make it happen… even if it takes a little Christmas magic! With the festive spirit in full swing, she might even discover a little happiness of her own…

8.    In May 2014, your second novel, Love Me For Me came out. Where is the story set and what’s it about?

The story is set in a small, coastal town in Virginia called White Stone. It’s one of my favorite places to go.

Love Me for Me is about finding perfect where you least expect it.

Libby Potter has just lost the perfect job, the perfect apartment and the perfect boyfriend. Moving back to the home town that she couldn’t wait to escape when she was younger was definitely not on her to-do list. Especially as it means running into the man whose heart she broke when she left.
Pete Bennett can still make Libby’s world stop with just the sound of his voice – even ten years on. Only now, she is the last person in the world that he wants to see.
As everyone else welcomes Libby home with open arms, she realizes she’s missed that special closeness that comes from lifelong friendship. And, as Libby seeks to make amends with Pete, she begins to wonder whether she made the right choice in leaving all those years ago.
When an amazing career opportunity gives her the chance to leave again, Libby will have to decide what her version of perfect is… and where she really belongs.

9.    What’s your favourite Christmas memory?

I have many favorite Christmas memories, but I do remember one in particular. My mother put my father’s military boots into the soot of our wood-burning fire place and made perfect footprints on the hearth. We got up thinking Santa had left them, and she playfully scolded Santa for dirtying her living room.

10.  Do you have a special Christmas tradition?

We always make homemade cookies for Santa and leave them out with milk. Since we don’t have a wood-burning fire place, I have an enormous iron key that we put out on the front porch. It’s Santa’s special key since we don’t have a chimney.

11.  What’s your favourite Christmas song?

All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

12.  What’s your favourite Christmas movie?

Love Actually

13.  Who would you want to meet under mistletoe?

Boring, I know, but my answer is my hubby!

14.  Your favourite Christmas books?

I enjoyed Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.

15.  When do you start your Christmas shopping?

We put up the tree right after Thanksgiving (end of November), and then I start getting gifts just a little at a time and placing them under the tree. I shop little by little until Christmas.

It was great having you on my blog today jenny, thanks again for answering all my questions, xxx.

About the author:

When I graduated college, one of my friends said, “Look out for this one; she’s going to be an author one day.” Despite being an avid reader and a natural storyteller, it wasn’t until that very moment that the idea of writing novels occurred to me.
Sometimes our friends can see the things that we can’t.
While I didn’t start straight away, that comment sowed a seed and several years, two children, and hundreds of thousands of words later, I completed a novel that I felt was worthy of publication. The result is Coming Home for Christmas - a heart-warming story about friends, family, and the magic of love at Christmas.
I am currently at work on my second novel, also under contract.
When I’m not writing, I’m a District Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages, a mother of two boys, and a wife to a very supportive husband.

Jenny on Twitter: @jhaleauthor
Website: http://itsjennyhale.com

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