Author Sally Smith O'Rourke is my guest today, ready to share her Christmas favourite things, memories and even recipes! There's a double giveaway of her Christmas novella, too. Enjoy the interview, read the giveaway details and ... good luck, everyone!
1. What do you like best and what the least of Christmas time?
Gatherings of friends and family most but Ilove the decorations. I decorate every room. Someone once said being in myhouse at Christmas is like stepping into Macy’s windows. I love the smell of alive tree and spicy, sweet smells of cookies baking. Thereare two things about Christmas that I find difficult. Retail; in the ‘olden’days stores would spend Thanksgiving decorating for Christmas so everything wasfestive the next day. Now that day is ‘Black Friday’ and people get hurt in therush to buy stuff. Now, too the decorations go up before Halloween taking muchof the fun and festiveness out of it. I prefer to celebrate one holiday at atime. Themost difficult for me is not having Mike, my late husband, to share it with. Heloved all holidays. I love to cook and he loved to entertain so our house wasalways filled with food, friends and family during the holidays (and not theholidays). I hate that he is no longer here with me.
2. What are your favourite …
a. Christmas movie The Bishop’s Wife with CaryGrant, Loretta Young and David Niven
b. Christmas book A Christmas Carol – I have a collection ofvarious editions of the book. Myfavorite film version is the one from 1952 with Alastair Simc. Christmas song I don’t have a favorite song. I like all of thetraditional ones. I am a bit partial to Mel Torme and Bob Well’s The ChristmasSong and Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt.d. Christmas decoration I adore the Christmas tree and take aprodigeous deal of care decorating it. But I always have a crèche (nativityscene) on display. While I love the trappings of the season I like to bereminded why we celebrate it.e. Christmas traditional dish/food We have a traditional family cookie recipewhich ranks as my favoite holiday food. Lebkuchen is a recipe that mygreat-great grandmother brought with her when they came to the United States in1882 from Germany. It’s not like any other Lebkuchen recipe I’ve seen as it hasno candied fruit. My grandmother’s theory as to why it was so different wasbecause the family came from a part of Germany near the Danish board and theremay be a touch of Danish in the recipe. But no one knows for sure; it ishowever, the way Christmas ought to smell, at least in our house. And seven generations later it still does.The recipe is on my blog if anyone wants to take a look.
3. When and how did you decide towrite your novel/novella Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage?
Michael O’Rourke and I spent almost three decadestogether as friends, partners, soul mates, as well as husband and wife. Ourlife together was the ultimate collaboration, and out of that and our love camemany projects, including The Man Who Loved Jane Austen, TheMaidenstone Lighthouse and Christmasat Sea Pines Cottage.Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage is a very special story and holds a singular place in my heart. Meteor’sTale, as it was originally titled, was created not only out of our love for eachother but also for the love of our grandson, Nicholas. Nicky wanted a “big” doglike a Golden Retriever, but his mom, Kelly, felt that since she would be doingthe bulk of the care a smaller, more manageable pet would be better. So Nickyhad to settle for a stuffed Golden Retriever and Jenna, a larger-sizedPomeranian. A very cute Pomeranian.
Afterwe completed the original story, we discussed turning it into a Christmasstory, an evergreen project, he called it. Unfortunately, I lost him before wewere able to carry out the ideas we had to make it a holiday tale. Mike’samazing talent and gifted writing were silenced in 2001. Like The Man Who LovedJane Austen, I didn’t want this story to die with him. My publisher liked thestory but wasn’t sure what to do with it so I told them about our Christmasidea, they liked that too and Meteor’sTale became Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage.
4. How would you present it to our readers?A Golden Retriever puppynamed Meteor was bred to be a hunting dog. Unable to stand to a gun after achildish prank perpetrated by his breeder’s teenageson, Meteor is given, as a pet, to a reclusive war hero. Whilenursing his injuries…physical and mental, Robert has taken up residence at SeaPines Cottage and is the keeper of the local lighthouse. Meteor, the GoldenRetriever, tells the story of Robert’s bravery in saving a young woman floatingon a plank in a storm. After putting her on a helicopter, Robet tries to forgether however, Laura comes back to Sea Pines Cottage in search of him to thankhim for saving her life. A romance blossoms and they marry on Christmas Day. Ayear later a baby, Nicholas, is born on Chrtistmas day. Meteor tells the restof the story.
5. What did you like the best while writing it?Working with Mike on the original storywas the best part, then turning it into the Christmas story we envisioned wasfun as well, it was almost as if Mike was doing it with me.
6. Let’s go back to your Christmas. What’s one of your favourite memories fromthe past ?Christmas 1987, Mike and Ilived at Lake Tahoe with Mike’s daughter, Kelly. My sister, brother-in-law andtheir four children, my parents and grandmother celebrated Christmas on the26th at our home overlooking the pristine lake and the snow covered SierraNevada Mountains. Since everyone had done the traditional dinners the nightbefore, I did Irish stew, oyster stew (my dad and husband’s favorite), potatoleek soup, salad and homemade bread. As a hobbiest baker there were more thanenough cookies to go with coffee and tea. Presents were done the day before aswell so it was what Christmas ought to be, family gathering, good food, goodcompany. It was wonderful. Last year at his home, my nephew said it was hisfondest childhood Christmas memory. A good time was had by all.
7. The best Christmas present you’ve ever received? My parents believed that Christmas wasa time for family and friends, cooking and relatively small gifts. Birthdayswere meant to be special for us so big gifts were not under the tree. We wouldgo shopping for gifts but that included buying something we would really liketo have and give it to the US Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots. Mike and I continuedthat tradition. Don’t get me wrong, we exchanged presents but the big memorablegifts waited for our birthdays.
Forexample, one Christmas I got very nice winter clothes that included awater-proof jumpsuit, sweaters, gloves, hats; the whole nine yards. We lived inthe mountains so it wasn’t unusual to get things like that, all useful winterwear. On my birthday 2 months later I got baby blue figure skates with fur trimto replace the used hockey skates I had for my skating lessons. The clotheswere all for ice skating, I just didn’t know it unil my birthday.
The samething happened a few years later when for Christmas I got a sewing basketfilled with findings, a pair of tailor’s shears and pinking shears. My birthdaygift two months later was a sewing machine, the same machine I still have anduse today. So my most memorable gifts were actually for my birthday.
8. How will you celebrate the upcoming festivities?
I’ve lost most of my immediatefamily. My parents, sister and husband are all gone so I spend holidays withtwo of my sister’s children who live locally and their families. I’ll bake andmake candy to add to the festivities. I’m considering a cheese cake this year.
THEBOOK
A Golden Retriever puppy named Meteor was bredto be a hunting dog. Unable to stand to a gun after a childish prankperpetrated by his breeder’s teenage son, Meteor is given,as a pet, to a reclusive war hero. While nursing his injuries…physical andmental Robert has taken up residence at Sea Pines Cottage and is the keeper ofthe local lighthouse.Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage is available as
Paperback ~ Kindle ~ Nook
THE GIVEAWAY CONTEST
International readers can win 1e-book copy of Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage, while US readers will beentered for 1 paperback copy. Leave your comment below this post, add youre-mail address, the country you are writing from. If you live in the US butprefer the e-book version, just say it in your comment. This contest will be closedon December 30th.
WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER
PROLOGUE
The big yellowschool bus eased to a stop amid the squeal of air brakes. By the time the youngboy jumped down from the bottommost step, the puppies were already at the gatejumping and yipping their collective greeting.The child unlatched the gate and as he stepped throughwas besieged by seven wiggly pups. He fell giggling to the ground as his faceand neck were thoroughly licked and nuzzled.The sound of his name brought him to his feet with thepuppies scurrying around him vying for a free hand to receive his pets.The older boy stood outside the gate. “Mom wants youto go in and rest or you won’t be able to go trick or treating tonight.”The small boy ruffled the ears of each of the sevenpuppies and then left, skipping alongside his brother.The older brother, with some distain said, “Justbecause dad breeds dogs doesn’t mean the puppies are yours.”Without responding, as young children are wont to do,he asked his big brother, “Are you taking me trick or treating or is mom?”Shaking his head at the unheeded warning he conceded,“I am. Mom thinks I’m too old, the only way she’d let me go was by my agreeingto take you. So Jimmy, Bobby and their pesky little brothers are coming overand we’re all going together.”Getting excited, “Are you going to dress up, too?”Grabbing his little brother up and pretending to carryhim off, “Yeah, I’m going to be a pirate. Argh.”The little boy giggled with pleasure and expectation. Night fell and the only sound was the wind rustlingthe trees that surrounded the kennels.Snuggly warm in the embrace of his siblings, the youngpup suddenly raised his head, his acute hearing discerning a sound other thanthe wind. He sniffed the air, his sensitive nose recognizing the older of thetwo boys who had visited them earlier in the day.The puppy got up and trotted to the gate inanticipation of a treat or ear rub. The other puppies roused by his movementfollowed. They waited at the gate sniffing the air and milling around thelocked gate.Suddenly three human forms darted out of the darkness,causing the motion controlled lights to come on. As they ran past the puppies’enclosure, one of them tossed something into the center of the yard.Expecting some tasty treat, the puppies rushed towhere the object lay. One pup nudged the thing with his nose, in spite of thestrange hissing noise it made and yelped when a small spark singed the fur ofhis muzzle. The other puppies stood back away from the thing as it continued tohiss and spark.The light at the end of it grew brighter as it startedto spin in a circle. As the puppies drew farther away from it, theobjectionable thing started exploding, one small explosion quickly followedanother. The animals running helter, skelter to get away from the horrid noiseand find safety; piling into the deepestcorner of the kennel. After what seemed an interminable time the loud poppingfinally stopped.The puppies sensitive ears were still ringing when thethree human boys rushed in through the gate and picked up the offending object.The boy the pup recognized said, “Gotta get this outof here. My dad will kill me if he finds out about this.”Another boy said as they locked the gate and walkedaway, “Yeah, but did you see they way they all scattered and whined?
Visit Sally Smith O'Rourke 's site to discover more about her work
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