Tuesday 10 October 2017

Merry (Christmas) Publication Day to Me!


At last it's here! Publication day for my Christmas short story collection, Silent Night.

Yes, I know it's only October but unless I launch my collection into the wide world now, Christmas will have been and gone in the blink of an eye and no one will have read it.

Thinking about Christmas when it's not (if you see what I mean) is nothing new to me. All thirteen stories in this collection have been published in national women's magazines (The People's Friend and Take a Break Fiction Feast) so were written in the middle of summer - some as early as June!

So, how do I go about writing something Christmassy when the thermometer is showing 27 degrees, I'm skulking in the shade and the thought of a crackling log fire might just send me over the edge? Well, imagination is the key. I don't play Christmas songs, read A Christmas Carol or stare at Christmas cards hoping for inspiration. Instead, I close my eyes and take myself back to my childhood, remembering the excitement of waking up to a stocking on the end of a bed or the smell of a turkey in the oven. Don't get me wrong, not all my stories are written from a child's point of view - in fact, the stories are seen through the eyes of many different characters: male, female, young and old. It's just that this is my way of capturing that special Christmas feeling. A feeling that can be woven through every Christmas story I write, even if I know that very soon I'll be jetting off on my summer holidays.

Putting this collection together hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be. I wanted Silent Night to be around the same size as my other two story collections, Room in Your Heart and The Last Rose, which meant thirteen stories. It was trying to choose the thirteen from the thirty published that was the problem. In the end, my husband said, 'Why don't you just pick your favourites?'

So that's what I did. 

The next few weeks will be exciting - as you read this I shall be busy writing guest posts and answering interview questions. I'm very grateful to all the people who have invited me onto their blogs and I can't wait to start visiting. I've got so used to being the blog host that it makes a lovely change to be the guest.

Let's crack open the bubbly and I'll leave you with a short extract from the story, 'On My Own'.


I wake to a weak light filtering through the curtains. Looking at my watch, I’m surprised to find that it’s nearly ten. My morning is usually dictated by Ryan’s morning routine so to lie in bed and know that the day ahead is my own, gives me a delicious thrill. As I lean across and pull open the curtains, I gasp. The sky, yesterday a battle-ship grey, is now a clear winter blue and seems to go on for ever and, in the distance, is the sea view I had been promised.

Christmas Eve. The thought fills me with excitement as it did when I was a little girl. I run down the stairs two at a time to make a cup of tea to take up to bed. As I enter the living room, I see the half empty bottle of Chablis and the tree jauntily displaying its home-made decorations: silver fir cones, golden flower heads and white cut out snowflakes shimmering with glitter. It’s a far cry from the white and pink baubles we bought in Selfridges. It wouldn’t look out of place in a primary school but I love it.



If you'd like to purchase a copy of Silent Night, it is available on Amazon HERE as an ebook or
paperback (perfect for popping into a Christmas stocking)




30 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Wendy! It looks so magical and pretty and definitely evokes the Christmas spirit in me. What a lovely present it will make. I love the way you set about writing it by recapturing the essence of the season from your own memories. Wishing you great success, which I'm sure will be the case xxx

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  2. Thank you for your lovely comments, Joanna x

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  3. Happy publication day, Wendy!!!!
    Christmas is on its way :) x

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  4. Good luck with it, Wendy. I am sure it will sell like hot mince pies! Viv x

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  5. Congratulations Wendy I'm sure your book will do very well in the run up to Christmas xx

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    1. Thanks Sue. It seems odd advertising it in October!

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  6. I couldn't wait - have downloaded a copy so I can get all Christmassy nice and early! Happy Publication day - have fun xx

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  7. Well done, Wendy! Have ordered on Kindle, and will enjoy reading your Christmas book for sure.

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    1. That's very kind of you, Penny. I hope you enjoy it.

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  8. Happy Christmas, Wendy!

    Of course I mean congratulations for your latest publication, but I do hope it feels just like Christmas.

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  9. Congratulations, Wendy. One of my jobs for this week is to write an article for the Christmas issue of a gardening magazine, so I'm going be using my imagination, too!

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    1. Quite easy once you get the hang of it 😀

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  10. Congratulations, Wendy!! I will be having a summer Christmas this year so I expect your book will provide me with welcome familiarity with slightly colder Christmases!

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    1. Australia! To see my daughter. Her first Summer Christmas too.

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  11. Just bought it for my kindle. Would have loved the paperback but I am too mean to pay Amazon postage costs! I do love a nice womag Christmas story, or thirteen!

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  12. Congratulations, Wendy. I know some writers who get in the festive mood by playing Christmassy music and even putting decorations on their desks, so it's lovely to know that you got yourself in the mood by revisiting your memories. Sending you good wishes of luck for the book's success. Gorgeous cover illustration!

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    1. It's lovely isn't it. My husband designed it 😀

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  13. Congratulations, Wendy. I'm always a sucker for a Christmas cover and your's is wonderful. Lovely post. x

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  14. Thank you for sharing this. Merry Christmas Wishes for all. May this Christmas bring you joy and laughter. To be happy is the greatest wish in life.

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