WritersOnReading: Writer Valerie Comer On Christmas Reading

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Welcome to Writers on Reading! You can expect a great author interview every Friday. Plus some fun drawing giveaways you won't want to miss during the month of June! So make sure you enter! Click here for scheduled interviews. Our goal is to present the books writers love, so through their interviews, you can get to know writers as readers too. (And hopefully find new favorites!) I remember a special thrill whenever I heard my favorite writers loved the writers I loved. Here, I hope you'll share my delight of discovery. I am arranging interviews and will soon be listing upcoming guests. If you have a question you'd like asked, or if you'd like to be guest, please use the contact form below. Thanks for visiting!

Wednesday, 23 December 2015

Writer Valerie Comer On Christmas Reading

Valerie, 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 with your recent Christmas story Merry Kisses released in November. What is your favorite part about a Christmas-themed story?

I love the various ways authors can draw the reader to feel anew the awe and wonder of Jesus' birth. Whether it's the hush of a candlelit Christmas Eve service, a parent telling the age-old story to a child with a nativity set, or a solitary character coming to grips with the immensity of God's gift to mankind under a moonlit sky.

How nicely put, Valerie! What do you look for when selecting a Christmassy novel or novella to cozy up with this month?

Snow. While I enjoy stories set in tropical parts of the world at other times of year, a Christmas story needs cheeks brightened from crisp winds. It needs snowflakes drifting, just visible in the dark night against the glow of streetlamps. Maybe it's the Canadian in me, but a Christmas story needs snow angels and tobogganing and sleigh rides.

Hah! I love that. You are soooooo right! 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?

I agree. A Christmas story isn't complete without at least one round of Christmas baking and hot chocolate! I associate the scents of gingerbread cookies with Christmas, and try to bring the reader right into the baking experience with the delectable aromas of warm molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. Yum!

Well…I know what I’ll be doing tonight. That sounds too delicious. What is on your Christmas fiction to-read list this year? And what is your ideal Christmas reading experience?

I've been enjoying the novellas in several Christmas box sets, including Love's Gift, which includes my newest story, “Merry Kisses”. Novellas are such a great length for Christmas reading, and they're especially fun when they tie into series that I'm already

enjoying from favorite authors.

The ideal experience? I'm curled up in an easy chair between the Christmas tree and the flickering fireplace. A purring kitty is cuddled into the quilt on my lap, and a mug of steaming cocoa rests on the side table with a cookie or two on a poinsettia-wreathed plate. Carols waft from the mp3 player, setting the mood for the next novella on my Kindle.

My surroundings drift away… Come with me?

Yes, tonight I think we shall! Thanks for the invite, Valerie, and for sharing your Christmas reading experiences. Folks, you can continue to connect with Valerie at the links below her bio.