Darlene,
welcome to my Christmas series of Writers on Reading. I’ve been looking forward
to these interviews like—well, excuse the cliché—but a kid at Christmas! So you've got so many Christmas novels to your name, and your most recent, Jacob's Christmas Dream, released just over a week ago. What
do you look for when selecting a Christmassy novel or novella to cozy up with
this month?
Let’s start with Christian and historical. I looked at
several pages of Christian Christmas books, the covers that jumped out at me
are ones from series I’m also in, or similar themes. Western, but not cowboys.
Mail order brides. American. From there I look at the blurbs, and who knows
what will tickle my interest? In the process of looking at the books, I bought
a time-travel Christmas novella to try.
Sounds very
fun! You’ve got some great reading ahead of you this season. I don’t know about
you, but many of us associate this season with traditional baking. I don’t
think a Christmas novel would be complete without those special scents floating
around in your head. What are your favorite Christmas goodies to read or write
about?
One of my novellas is An Apple for Christmas, so I had a lot of fun writing about apples.
My favorite family tradition is decorating sugar cookies.
You’re making
my mouth water, lol. Is there an element of these books that you’d feel cheated
if it wasn’t there? Or something special you like to add to your Christmas
stories?
I was going to say snow—but not really. Or Christmas
day itself—but not really. There are two kinds of Christmas stories that I
write: one is inspired by a Bible story. This year’s Jacob’s Christmas Dream is drawn from the story of Isaac and
Rebekah. The other starts well before Christmas, but culminates on the holiday.
I adore both
kinds—almost as much as I adored your fun answer. As far back as you remember,
what was the first Christmas-related fiction story you read or had read to you?
Is there a Christmas book you like to share with your children or
grandchildren? Do you have any other special Christmas reading memories?
Oh, it has to be, isn’t everyone’s A Christmas Carol? I haven’t read
Christmas stories to my children (aside from the Biblical accounts), but I also
like to read The Gift of the Magi and
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
My mother had a recording of Mr. Pickwick’s Christmas by Dickens. It’s part of a larger book,
one I’m not sure of. Over the years, I came to love listening to it just as she
did.
Oh, Darlene,
that’s so special! Thank you for sharing. (See, why I love these interviews?) What
is on your Christmas fiction to-read list this year? And what is your ideal
Christmas reading experience?
I am reading (or rereading, in some cases), Christmas Traditions for a book club. I
also have that time-travel Christmas book to read, and a book of
Christmas-timed mysteries. A story that has that “aw” moment at the end.
Scrooge’s transformation, the ham in Best
Christmas Pageant Ever, the exchange of gifts in Magi.
Over the
years, has any Christmas novel or novella really stuck with you that you’d like
to share with our readers? And is there one you’re looking forward to
rereading?
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I mentioned a couple above here. Of the Barbour
collections I’ve been involved with, I’m most fond of A Woodlands Christmas, which has four wonderful stories which are
tied together by an itinerant carpenter named Gabriel.
We’re going to
have to look into that book. Darlene, thanks so much for visiting with us and
letting us get to know you better. Folks, you can continue to connect with
Darlene—and find out more about her books—at the links below her bio.
Best-selling
author Darlene Franklin’s greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time
from a nursing home. She lives in Oklahoma, near her son and his
family, and continues her interests in playing the piano and singing, books,
good fellowship, and reality TV in addition to writing. She is an active member
of Oklahoma City Christian Fiction Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers,
and the Christian Authors Network. She has written over fifty books and more
than 250 devotionals. Her historical fiction ranges from the Revolutionary War
to World War II, from Texas to Vermont.
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