Jennifer Vido: What inspired your new holiday release, THE CHRISTMAS LETTERS?
Jenny Hale: I actually came up with the title first and then built the story around it. There’s something about Christmas that makes me nostalgic. I wish my grandparents were still around to share the holidays with us, so I thought it might be interesting to write a story where Nan, who’s passed on, is able to contribute to the holiday through her old letters.
Jen: Why is Elizabeth Holloway leaving her life behind in New York City to return home in the Great Smoky Mountains?
Jenny: After a rocky twelve months romantically, her boyfriend of seven years has decided that they should break up, right at Christmas. (This was the second idea that came to me after the title: what if finding her Prince Charming was the exact opposite of what she thought? Her boyfriend is uber-wealthy, buys her all the things, and they live in a penthouse in New York. A lot of times, in a romantic story, that’s the ending. What happens if it’s the beginning and it totally falls apart?)
Jen: What is Elizabeth’s first impression of Paul Dawson?
Jenny: She’s emotionally and physically exhausted, so all she wants to do is have a minute to herself and Paul shows up and tries to talk to her. While he’s incredibly handsome, she’s not really in a good place to notice. So, her first impression is that this guy is nice, but she’d rather he keep to himself.
Jen: What happens to change Elizabeth’s opinion of Paul?
Jenny: I think that just like any real-life situation, getting to know someone breaks down those walls. Through his persistence, she begins to really see him for who he is, and despite what she’s been through, she begins to like him and want him around. So there isn’t one thing, but rather, their lives unfolding in an honest way.
Jen: A common thread in your heartwarming stories is the bond between the heroine and her grandparents. Why do you think it’s important to highlight multi-generational relationships?
Jenny: When people reach the age of our grandparents, they have the ability to look back on their lives, and many times, that makes them wise. I try very hard to see the bigger picture in our lives—what are we here for? Having grandparents in the book gives us that perspective, and the characters can learn the real meaning of their actions, and what life is all about, from them.
Jen: What’s the best way for readers to stay up-to-date on your latest happenings?
Jenny: I’m always on social media. That’s probably the best way. But all my books and updates with writing are also on my website.
Jen: What’s your favorite Christmas tradition?
Jenny: Mmm, there are so many! Every year, I build a gingerbread house with my boys. I think that might be my favorite. Even though they’re teenagers now, they still humor me. (And I think they still really enjoy it.)
Jen: Sneak peek! What’s your current work in progress?
Jenny: Mum’s the word on that, but it’s a summer book and there’s a little mystery of love and loss within it. It’s set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I’m about halfway done with draft one, as of this interview.
Jen: Let’s switch gears and talk about your new venture, Harpeth Road. What was the driving force behind your decision to start your publishing company?
Jenny: The more I got into my career as an author, the more I wanted to be around the table with my publishing team. While I got my start as a writer, I’m generally creative. I love working on packaging and design. I adore building brands and marketing. So creating my own publishing imprint seemed like the next logical step in my creative journey.
Jen: Thank you for stopping by to chat about The Christmas Letters. Best of luck with your fabulous release!
Jenny: Thank you so much for having me!
THE CHRISTMAS LETTERS by Jenny Hale
From the USA Today bestselling author of Coming Home for Christmas, with over one million copies of her books sold, comes a heartwarming holiday story that’s perfect for fans of Sheila Roberts, Debbie Macomber, and Jill Shalvis.
Elizabeth Holloway’s sparkling world comes crashing down around her when her boyfriend of seven years drops the bomb that he’s leaving her—at Christmas. In an attempt to piece her life back together, she suddenly finds herself seven hundred miles from her New York City home, trudging through the snow, back at her childhood farm in the Great Smoky Mountains.
And she isn’t expecting to meet visitor Paul Dawson with his dazzlingly blue eyes and warm smile, chipping away at her resolve to focus on figuring out who she is and what she really wants in life.
Just when she starts to think things are moving in the right direction, a stack of letters from Elizabeth’s grandmother will change everything she thought she knew about her family and cause a divide between her and Paul that she never saw coming.
Under the glitter of Christmas trees and bundles of mistletoe, Elizabeth uncovers more than she’d ever imagined. Will the Christmas letters strip her of everything she holds dear? Or will they be the biggest gift of the season?
A heartwarming holiday escape that will have you rushing to your loved ones this Christmas. If you enjoyed the Christmas movies based on Jenny’s books and are looking for more feel-good, small-town romance, look no further!
Romance Contemporary | Romance Holiday [Harpeth Road Press, On Sale: October 11, 2022, e-Book, ISBN: 9781538753682 / eISBN: 9781538753682]
Buy THE CHRISTMAS LETTERS: Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Jenny Hale
When I graduated college, one of my friends said, “Look out for this one; she’s going to be an author one day.” Despite being an avid reader and a natural storyteller, it wasn’t until that very moment that the idea of writing novels occurred to me. Sometimes our friends can see the things that we can’t. While I didn’t start straight away, that comment sowed a seed and several years, two children, and hundreds of thousands of words later, I completed a novel that I felt was worthy of publication. The result is Coming Home for Christmas, a heart-warming story about friends, family, and the magic of love at Christmas. The rest is history. When I’m not writing, I’m a mother of two boys and a wife to a very supportive husband.
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