Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Special Christmas Interview with Author AnnaLisa Grant



1. What is your favorite Christmas movie? Is there a reason/tradition behind your pick?

I love, love, love ELF! I think because it's such a fun movie for my kids, it makes me love it even more. We quote movie lines all year long, and they'll even pick it for family movie night any time of the year.

We have a family tradition of putting ELF on while we decorate our Christmas tree. It takes us twice as long to decorate the tree because we stop and reenact scenes as they play!


2. If you could kiss anyone under the mistletoe, who would it be??? (Significant others not allowed!)

Hmmm....well, if my super hot husband is not allowed on the list, I'd have to say...Ryan Reynolds. Outside of being super hot, I love him as an actor. He's got a great sense of comedic timing and is also great at intense, dramatic roles. He also seems like the kind of guy you could just hang out with, right?

3. What was the best, and worst, Christmas you ever had?

The best Christmas ever was the first year my kids were big enough to run downstairs on their own to see what Santa had left. My husband and I could hardly sleep the night before and practically cried tears of joy as we heard them barreling down the stairs!

I have to say, I don't really have a "worst" Christmas. This time of year is always super special for my family!


4. What is your favorite thing about Christmas?


My favorite thing about Christmas is how everyone seems to be happier. I don't know if it's the music, or the hustle and bustle of the holidays, or if everyone is just faking it, but everywhere I go people just seem to be in a cheerier mood. I like to think it's because we're all so excited about the giving part of Christmas!

5. Which character that you've written loves Christmas the most? Worst? Why?


I'd have to say that Layla Weston from The Lake Trilogy loves Christmas the most. Having lost both her parents, and having her grandmother treat her so poorly for the last five years, she appreciates the spirit of Christmas and the importance of family at that time of year.

The character who hates Christmas would be Gregory Meyer from The Lake Trilogy. Christmas means family and he is far to emotionally cut off to appreciate the holiday. He participates, but he could take it or leave it.



Thanks, AnnaLisa!



Where to find AnnaLisa:


Bio:
AnnaLisa Grant is the author of the Young Adult Romance/Mystery/Suspense series The Lake Trilogy (The Lake, Troubled Waters, Safe Harbor), the Contemporary Romance/Suspense novel Next to Me, the Coming of Age novel As I Am, and the New Adult Roman/Mystery/Suspense Victoria Asher Series (Embedded, The Cure, Mind Games).

AnnaLisa received her Master's degree in counseling from Gorgon-Conwell Theology Seminary in 2008. While she spent two years post graduate in private practice as a therapist, AnnaLisa spent 13 years in the field of counseling and human services.

When she's not writing, AnnaLisa is a lover of music and movies. She loves being a wife to Donavan and a mom to her son and daughter. Oh, and she's also slightly (completely) obsessed with all things Disney!

AnnaLisa lives in Matthews, North Carolina with her husband and two awesome kids.



Monday, December 22, 2014

Special Christmas Interview with Author Susan Burdorf



1. What is your favorite Christmas movie? Is there a reason/tradition behind your pick?

I love, love, love Holiday Inn (aka White Christmas) with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. I used to watch this with my grandma every year, and when we got too old to visit anymore we would call each other when it was on and watch it that way. I still think of her when I watch it (which I am doing as I write this).

2. If you could kiss anyone under the mistletoe, who would it be??? (Significant others not allowed!)

Hmmmm...that is a tough one. I truly adore Sean Connery (yes, I know I am old), but I have to be careful saying anything about anyone else because most of the very hot actors are young enough to be my children and that is just wrong.

3. What was the best, and worst, Christmas you ever had?

The best Christmas was the one I had with my first child. The magic of the lights, and the ornaments, and the pretty packages that were irresistable playthings made it all new again. We were poor and yet we had so much. The worst one was the year my husband decided to spend Christmas with someone else and lied to his family about it. That was when I learned to be strong, so it was not all bad.

4. What is your favorite thing about Christmas?


I think it is the music. It is always so uplifting and joyous and brings me into a good mood every time I hear the radio playing my favorite songs.

5. Which character that you've written loves Christmas the most? Worst? Why?


I am working on a series of vigniettes in a book called "The Red Shawl Chronicles" which is about a red shawl that makes the rounds into the lives of 8 characters and finally makes its way back to the original owner. Each of the characters find love as a direct result of their contact with the shawl that, while not magical in any way, certainly creates magical events around it. Martha, the main character who loses the shawl in the beginning of the story, is the one to whom Christmas is the most magical time of the year. She believes in the Happy Ever After that we all seek, and is always optimistic. One of the other characters, a crusty young woman to whom life has been nothing but a series of disappointments, finds Christmas to be a season of cranky people, and misses the joys found in the little things - the first snowflake, the child's smile at the sight of Santa, and even the colors of Christmas. Her life is defined by what she is missing, not what she has. Eventually, with the help of the Red Shawl she finds her way back to joy...but it takes a nearly tragic event to force her to look for her faith, something we all fail to do at times. I, personally, love the holiday (but that could be because it is the time of my birthday and I love candles and cake and ice cream!), but totally understand that it is stressful for some. I hope that The Red Shawl Chronicles will help them rediscover the taste of that first snowflake on their tongue.


Thanks, Susan!



Where to find Susan:

Facebook
Amazon


Bio:
Susan Burdorf is an avid reader, photographer and lover of all things sparkly. Writing is a passion that is only quenched when THE END is written on the last page of a manuscript. Nothing says home to her, though, like the presence of her family. Susan encourages you to correspond with her and is available for public appearances at schools and conferences.





Friday, December 19, 2014

Special Christmas Interview with Author Kelly Risser



1. What is your favorite Christmas movie? Is there a reason/tradition behind your pick?

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation for many reasons. I lost count of how many times I've seen it, and yet it still makes me laugh. The crazy family antics. The holiday hopes that become holiday horrors. The uptight neighbors, Margo and Todd. The ball of lights that Rusty is supposed to untangle (ugh...I remember THOSE days!) Aunt Bethany. A wrapped cat. I could go on and on. The first time I saw the sledding scene, I laughed so hard that I cried. It's a must-see every year.

2. If you could kiss anyone under the mistletoe, who would it be??? (Significant others not allowed!)


Four, also known as Tobias...best book boyfriend to screen EVER.

3. What was the best, and worst, Christmas you ever had?

The worst Christmas I ever had was when I was seven months pregnant with my daughter and came down with the stomach flu. I was so sick. I tried going to my in-laws, but my husband had to drive me home. I spent the night by myself hugging the toilet, and opened my presents the next day.

The best Christmas I ever had was the first one after my son was born. He was only a month old, my daughter was almost three, and I was feeling confident in my parenting, so I relaxed and just enjoyed the holidays.


4. What is your favorite thing about Christmas?


Pulling out all of my Christmas ornaments and decorating the tree. So many have personal meaning. It's fun to look at them and remember the event or time either I bought them for or they were given to me for - and the kids love all the Hallmark ones that make noise or light up. I really love seeing the lit tree in the living room. My second favorite thing is the holiday goodies, but that's also my least favorite thing, since I have no willpower! Did someone say sugar cookies?

5. Which character that you've written loves Christmas the most? Worst? Why?


Meara had wonderful Christmas traditions with her mom, but with all the changes in Meara's life, the holidays might be hard for her now. Ula loves Christmas. She has a tremendous joy for life, and I bet she belts carols out as loud as she can (although she might not get the words right.) The boys? Well, Evan likes cozying by the fire place, and Kieran's busy scoping out the mistletoe.


Thanks, Kelly!




Fractured Glass (Young Adult Science Fiction Anthology)
Pre-sale now; release date 12/24/14

What if other worlds existed alongside your own? What if you could travel through them and truly escape reality?

Sloan and Harley Glass were born moments apart; but, despite their differences, the sixteen-year-old twins couldn’t be closer. They’ve held their tongues each and every time their mother has uprooted them—often moving across the country with little notice. They’ve learned to accept change. But what is Mom running from?

They discover they’re travelers—half-descendants of those who can traverse an entire universe of parallel worlds known as fractals. When the past catches up, Harley is kidnapped and taken to one of those distant worlds. Now, Sloan must garner her courage and find a way to rescue her sister. Traversing the worlds isn’t the hard part; it’s surviving the elements and the creatures lying in wait to destroy everything in their path.

Will the Glass sisters be able to save the fractal worlds from the kidnapper, or will everything fracture and crumble around them?


Goodreads Giveaway (through 12/31/14): https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/115826-fractured-glass

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fractured-Glass-Tia-Silverthorne-Bach-ebook/dp/B00Q3D3OJC/

Where to find Kelly:




Bio:

Kelly Risser knew at a young age what she wanted to be when she grew up. Unfortunately, Fairytale Princess was not a lucrative career. Leaving the castle and wand behind, she entered the world of creative business writing where she worked in advertising, marketing, and training at various companies. Currently, she works full time as an eLearning Instructional Designer, fitting her creative writing into the evenings and weekends.

She's often found lamenting, "It's hard to write when there are so many good books to read!" So, when she's not immersed in the middle of someone else's fantasy world, she's busy creating one of her own. This world is introduced in her first novel, Never Forgotten, and visited further in her second novel, Current Impressions.

Kelly lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two children. They share their home with Clyde the Whoodle and a school of fish.