If you're looking for some good Christmas fiction and are a fan of novellas, I have a wonderful recommendation for you! Recently released is this holiday anthology collection from Barbour Publishing. Christmas Belles of Georgia. Here's the synopsis:
They were sisters once—identical quadruplets—given up for adoption at birth. Now each receives a letter advising her to claim her inheritance and the family she never knew. . .at Christmas. Holly feels betrayed when she learns she’s adopted, while Carol prays for a loving family. Starr thinks it’s all a hoax, and Noelle needs a break from a hopeless situation. There are more surprises in store as each young woman gets just the gift she wants—and needs. You’ll be warmed by love in these interwoven tales of the ultimate Christmas gift. . .
Sounds awesome, doesn't it?
I had the opportunity to chat with Rose McCauley, whose novella, Nick's Christmas Carol, is included in this book. Rose is a debut author and I'm thrilled to introduce her to you today!
LYNDA: Welcome, Rose! Start by telling us how many years have you been writing.
ROSE MCCAULEY: I started writing with publication in mind about 10 years ago.
LYNDA: What was the first thing you ever had published?
ROSE: I was editor of my HS newspaper, the Portland Broadcaster, does that count?
LYNDA: Of course it counts!
ROSE: Well, my first paid writing piece was 3 selections in 101 Ways to Romance your Marriage compiled by Debra White. (Harvest House)
LYNDA: Describe what the road to publication was like for you.
ROSE: Lots of curves and stop lights and speeding up and slowing down! Now finally reaching my destination only to find it is just a stop along the way and I have much more travelling to do on this publication road!
LYNDA: Do you have an agent? How did you acquire him/her?
ROSE: I had an agent for awhile but not at present. Andrea Boeshaar called me up and said God had placed me on her heart but stopped agenting the next year.
LYNDA: How long was it from the time you first started submitting to editors and/or agents to the time you landed a publishing contract?
ROSE: 8 years!
LYNDA: Describe the moment when you got "The Call."
ROSE: It wasn't the call so much as an announcement at the ACFW conference in Indianapolis in Sept. 2010 in front of 600 people! You can read about it on my blogpost in Sept. 2010.
LYNDA: Is being published different than you thought it would be? How?
ROSE: The main difference is all the time it is taking me to market/publicize my book. Since it is a Christmas story, I feel like I need to do all I can to get the word out before Dec. 24! Then I'll take a breather and start in on the next leg of my journey.
LYNDA: What are two pieces of advice you would give to authors desperately seeking publication?
ROSE: 2 P-words: Pray for God's guidance and Persevere!
LYNDA: Your novella included in Christmas Belles of Georgia is titled, Nick's Christmas Carol. What is the story about?
ROSE: Mine is the second girl mentioned above--Carol.
LYNDA: Was it difficult to write an anthology, where multiple stories by multiple authors are intertwined? What was the process like? How did you correlate your facts?
ROSE: It was a great experience because the three authors I worked with--Jeanie Smith Cash, Jeri Odell and Deb Ullrick--were all so professional and great to work with. We did most of our chats by email with a few phone calls. Then we read each others stories and tried to catch any discrepancies.
LYNDA: Do you have a favorite Christmas Carol?
ROSE: I love them ALL, but Joy to the World is a fave! What a joy it is to know that Christ has come and will come again!
LYNDA: What about a favorite holiday tradition?
ROSE: We just experienced this again for the umpteenth time this past weekend. When our own kids were younger we would decorate the tree, then let the kids sleep underneath the lit tree one night during December. Now we let the grandkids do it. they are 10, 11, and 12, and we have a new grandbaby due in March so hope to add her to the tradition in a couple years!
LYNDA: What are you working on now? Any other projects in the works?
ROSE: I have an 87,000 word novel finished that I would love to see pubbed and have several sequels in mind for that. Plus another WF novel plotted out but not written down yet. and I have 4 more proposals with Barbour similar to Christmas Belles of Georgia, that I hope will be contracted.
LYNDA: Thanks for the opportunity to get to know you better, Rose. Much success to you with your Christmas anthology and all of the other projects you have in the works.
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PURCHASE CHRISTMAS BELLES OF GEORGIA at your local Christian bookstore or at AMAZON.COM
2 comments:
HI Lynda, thanks so much for hosting me. Maybe you can visit me again after Christmas. As debut authors, we both know how much it takes to get our books out there! And yours is one of my favorite reads this past year!
Thanks a bunch, Rose! That makes my day! Would love to visit with you again after the new year. :-)
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