An Interview with the Authors of "Warm Christmas Wishes"

Buy it HERE!

You peeps are so lucky! We have yet another collaborative interview here on Unwritten. This time, it's Warm Christmas Wishes, a Christmas anthology from Melange Books. Seven stories full of magic and marvel from five great authors.


I love getting a little peek into the lives of fellow writers. Since it's that time of year, let's have a repeat of our Christmas random questions, shall we?


Mary Kate Brogan--If we were to take a tour of your home for Christmas, what decorations would we see?


You'd see a seven-foot real Christmas tree with decorations I bought when my children were young. The angel wearing a red velvet dress—a present from my daughter-in-law, Lillian—sits atop the tree surveying our activities.  Seven bright red stockings—one for each grandchild—march from one end of the mantelpiece to the other. Above them, lie sprigs of evergreen their fragrance perfuming the air. The Nativity figures on the library table remind me of the time my grandma took me to look at the baby Jesus in the crib after mass one Christmas in Ireland.


Jenny Twist--My mom made us the same Christmas breakfast every year with pumpkin pancakes, country ham, and fried apples. When you were a child, what Christmas morning traditions did you have?

I don't think we had a special Christmas breakfast. 

My brother and I used to wake up at the crack of dawn and check out our stockings, which were on the end of the bed. There was usually a mandarin orange (a real treat in those days), some walnuts and something chocolate - a bag of chocolate coins or a santa claus or a gnome.  

I suppose that was our breakfast and it certainly kept us quiet for a little while so my parents had an extra blessed half hour of sleep before we started invading their bedroom with demands for them to look at our lovely new toys that Santa Claus had brought.

We always checked to make sure he had drunk his glass of brandy and eaten his mince pie before he got back on his sleigh.

Brenda Whiteside--When you were little, did you ever wake up and try to steal a peek at Santa?

Always! I remember several years, after my parents would shoo me off to bed, I tried so very hard to stay awake and hear him come in the front door. We never had a fireplace inArizona so I'd strain to hear the click of the doorknob. Trouble is, I've never been good at staying awake once my head hits the pillow. I did tiptoe out one year, dragging my little sister along. But my mom was wise to us and we didn't make it halfway down the hall. More than likely they were still putting bicycles or play ovens together. When I did wake up, still dark outside, I would run to the living room first before waking my parents but he'd always come and gone. I still believe in Santa (in all his many guises). Now I try to catch hubby Santa when he slips something in my stocking. 

Nell Duvall--Are there any particular charities you donate gifts, time, or money to for the holidays?

Yes, I donate to the Salvation Army. I admire the work this charity does and the many people they help. During the year I also shop at Thrift Stores run by a variety of charities and donate goods whenever I clean. So many need help these days. The Toys for Tots and the Food Pantries need donations of both money and cash. I especially try to be more generous at Christmas, but know help is needed all year long. Now, it's possible to give both at collection points such as the Red Kettles and also online. 

In "Saving Christmas", my Contribution to Warmest Christmas Wishes, I used the setting of a local community center and their activities to help the needy and young people to highlight some of the work so badly needed in today's difficult economy.

I hope all those who view your blog will spare a little time to give a little more this year, Mysti. Thanks you so much for letting us contribute and Happy Holidays to all in this joyous season.

Joanna Foreman--Since John Steiner mentioned it in the last interview, besides drooling over your eclairs, I've been hearing "The 12 Pains of Christmas" over and over in my head. What pet peeves do you have about the holidays?


Pet Peeves? Me? Oh don't get me started. My first and foremost eternal pet peeve is when people call me JoAnn instead of Joanna, but that has nothing to do with Christmas does it? So . . . thinking . . . thinking . . . I'll have to say my pet peeve at Christmas is the traffic and irrate drivers behind the wheel, the way people act like it's the end of the world if they don't get a prime parking space; they cut in front of me without warning and weave all over the place jockeying for the best position so they may arrive at the store one minute before anyone else. I think it takes away from the Holiday Spirit to see the way stress affects shoppers like this. I try to remember to have compassion for the other drivers out there, and once in a store I keep a warm smile (not too big) on my face, and ever-so-often someone will look at me as though to say, "What are YOU smiling about?" I usually complete my Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving, and I refuse to go to a mall during the next month. (Unless my granddaughter wants me to!) Ha Ha. Don't have kids, have grandkids!


Thank you all for visiting and thank everyone for reading! All this month, I'll be bringing you some wonderful Christmas posts from guest authors. And...as you can see, we've reached our 10,000th hit! That means a HUGE giveaway is right around the corner. Stay tuned for your chance to win some great books and merchandise!


~Mysti