🎄Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Cathy Lake

 

It's time to light the fire, twinkle the fairy lights and mull the wine

🎄Come and join us for a Fabulously Festive Boxing Day Sunday Brunch🎄

I am delighted to welcome author, Cathy Lake

to our Fabulously Festive Brunch today

🎄Welcome, Cathy. What festive food are you bringing to this Christmas Sunday brunch?

Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

🎄What would you like to drink; we have buck’s fizz, mulled wine, egg nog, gingerbread latte or a cup of spiced tea?

Mulled wine, please.

🎄Where shall we eat our festive brunch, around the kitchen table, by the fire in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio?

Can we wrap up warm and eat outside while gazing at the glorious view?

🎄Shall we have festive music playing in the background? If so will you share with us a favourite piece of music or Christmas carol.

Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You!’ is my festive favourite.

🎄Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for our festive Sunday Brunch today?

Let’s invite Charles Dickens because it is Christmas, after all…

🎄Which favourite Christmas book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?

‘A Christmas Carol’

🎄Do you have any special Christmas Traditions?

I watch Christmas movies like ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ and make festive goodies like a Christmas cake and mince pies.

🎄Are you tinsel or glitter?

Glitter!

🎄Are you real tree or artificial?

Real trees smell wonderful!

🎄Are you mince pie or yule log?

Can I have both? ;-)

🎄Are you Christmas crackers or party poppers?

Christmas crackers

🎄After brunch shall we play party games, or collapse in front of the television with a huge box of chocolates?

The latter sounds good to me!

🎄What can you tell us about your fabulously festive read that won’t give too much away?

It’s a story about the importance of friendship in healing a broken heart, about forgiveness and moving on, about learning to trust again after a devastating betrayal. Throw in a festive setting, rescue dogs and familiar characters from Little Bramble and readers have everything they need for a heartwarming Christmas read!

Zaffre 
2021

Clare Greene and Sam Wilson are getting married and everyone in Little Bramble is excited for the event of the year. But Clare and Sam are busy people and have left organising their wedding to the last minute.

Luckily, wedding planner Hazel Campbell has recently moved to the village. She had what she thought was a wonderful life in Edinburgh with a successful business, a loving fiance and her own wedding coming up. But when she caught her groom-to-be in bed with her best friend she fled, leaving everyone and everything behind.

Little Bramble seems like the ideal place for Hazel to start over. As she throws herself into planning the perfect country village winter wedding, she starts to find herself again. And soon she realises that a second chance at happiness might just be on the cards

 

More about Cathy 

Cathy Lake is a women's fiction writer who lives with her family and three dogs in beautiful South Wales. She writes uplifting stories about strong women, family, friendship, love, community and overcoming obstacles

Twitter @LakeAuthor

Facebook 

Instagram - @darcieboleynauthor

Website 

Cathy, thank you for sharing your fabulously festive brunch today.

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🎅Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch ~ Jo at Jaffareadstoo

 It's time to light the fire, twinkle the fairy lights and mull the wine

🎄Come and join us for a Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch🎄

A huge welcome to our Fabulously Festive Brunch today

🎅What festive food are you bringing to this Christmas Sunday brunch?

Traditional turkey, with all the trimmings, including Yorkshire puddings which are a must have!

🎅What would you like to drink; we have buck’s fizz, mulled wine, egg nog, gingerbread latte or a cup of spiced tea?

The only time I ever drink Buck’s Fizz is on Christmas morning. It’s become something of a tradition now to pop the fizz at breakfast time. 

🎅Where shall we eat our festive brunch, around the kitchen table, by the fire in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio?

I think it will be pretty chilly outside so we’ll eat in the formal dining room, the table set with a pristine white tablecloth, the best China and sparkling glassware. Maybe a candle or two to give off a warm glow.

🎅Shall we have festive music playing in the background? If so will you share with us a favourite piece of music or Christmas carol.

Definitely have soft music in the background. I’m a huge fan of Christmas playlists on Spotify and love the simple beauty of Arúna’s version of Gaudete and The Coventry Carol.

🎅Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for our festive Sunday Brunch today?

Charles Dickens to read a chapter of two of A Christmas Carol, Dr Seuss to read a chapter of The Grinch Stole Christmas and then maybe Agatha Christie to set us a good murder mystery quiz.

🎅Which favourite Christmas book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?

A Christmas Carol, it’s my favourite go to Christmas read.

🎅Do you have any special Christmas Traditions?

A nativity is very important and I have a couple of sets of figures which are at least a hundred years old. My most precious is a handmade pottery nativity set my mother made when, in her late seventies, she took up pottery. The set is simple, beautiful and poignant. I hope it will stay in the family for ever.

🎅Are you tinsel or glitter?

Tinsel. I have an irrational fear of glitter.

🎅Are you real tree or artificial?

Artificial. I love the smell of real trees but hate the mess and because I have always had cats, the real trees never lasted long before one of them would try to climb it. Timmy has never attempted to climb the artificial tree….yet!

🎅Are you mince pie or yule log?

Definitely mince pie. I usually eat my body weight in mincemeat before Christmas is over. My favourites are from a small local bakery.

🎅Are you Christmas crackers or party poppers?

Christmas Crackers, I love the naff jokes and gifts – the cheaper and cornier the better. I’m always excited when I get the book marker, or mini pack of playing cards.

🎅After brunch shall we play party games, or collapse in front of the television with a huge box of chocolates?

Telly and chocs after a fierce game of Monopoly.

Thank you for joining us for our Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch

Twitter @jaffareadstoo #SundayBrunchwithJaffareadstoo

🎄Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Jessica Redland

 

It's time to light the fire, twinkle the fairy lights and mull the wine

🎄Come and join us for a Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch🎄

I am delighted to welcome author, Jessica Redland

 to our Fabulously Festive Brunch today

Merry Christmas, Jessica 🎅

Hi Jo, thank you so much for the invite. Delighted to be here.

🎄What festive food are you bringing to this Christmas Sunday brunch?

It would have to be my two favourite parts of a traditional Christmas dinner – crispy roast potatoes and pigs in blankets. Nom nom. I know they’re not very brunch-ish (is that a word?) but they make me think of Christmas

🎄What would you like to drink; we have buck’s fizz, mulled wine, egg nog, gingerbread latte or a cup of spiced tea?

I’d probably go for buck’s fizz. When I was still living at home (but old enough to drink), my parents would give us a buck’s fizz while opening the gifts so it reminds me of lovely family Christmases

🎄Where shall we eat our festive brunch, around the kitchen table, by the fire in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio?

I wish we could go outside but I live in the UK and it would be a tad chilly. Christmas dinner is one of the few meals always eaten at the table in our house so I’d go for that and I’m loving the idea of a real fire. I can smell the woodsmoke. Dreamy

🎄Shall we have festive music playing in the background? If so will you share with us a favourite piece of music or Christmas Carol.

Love a bit of Christmas music. You can’t go wrong with the Now That’s What I Call Christmas album. I love ‘The Fairytale of New York’ by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. Absolute classic. But you can’t go wrong with Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ for a burst of happy Christmassy fabulousness

🎄Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for our festive Sunday Brunch today?

I’d have to go for the three women who I thank for my love of reading, all of whom are no longer with us – Enid Blyton, Catherine Cookson and Virginia Andrews. I am so grateful to them all and would love to let them know that and find out all about where such amazing ideas came from

🎄Which favourite Christmas book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?

I don’t have a favourite Christmas book that I read every year like some people. There are so many amazing Christmas releases each year so I’d bring my TBR pile with me and see if you have any specific recommendations from that

🎄Do you have any special Christmas Traditions?

We always watch a Christmas family film together on Christmas Eve and my daughter puts out her Christmas sack and the snacks/drinks for Santa and Rudolph. Last year was the first year she didn’t believe but that didn’t stop us doing that part. On Christmas morning, I always go downstairs first to make sure Santa has visited and to put on the fairy lights to create that lovely Christmas ambiance. We then have gift opening and hubby makes the Christmas dinner but I always prepare the pigs in blankets. So nothing massively special or different but we like it that way

🎄Are you tinsel or glitter?

Probably tinsel. I love glitter on things but can’t be doing with the mess of using it myself. I have stacks of tinsel and put it round picture frames rather than on the tree. I prefer beads on the tree. This is nothing to do with not liking tinsel on a tree and more to do with the huge amount of decorations I have. I am a bit obsessed with buying new decorations and tinsel takes up too much space where these could hang

🎄Are you real tree or artificial?

You can’t beat a real tree but we have always had an artificial one, mainly because we had cats (who’ve sadly crossed the rainbow bridge) and weren’t convinced a real one would survive! You can get such realistic-looking ones. We have a big one in the conservatory and a smaller one in the bay window in our dining room as that’s at the front of the house and I like to see a lit tree from outside

🎄Are you mince pie or yule log?

Definitely yule log. I don’t like mince pies, although I love pastry so I have been known to scoop the mince out and just eat the pastry. Drink may have been involved!

🎄Are you Christmas crackers or party poppers?

I love a Christmas cracker and always wear my party hat. When we were little, my parents sometimes bought a more expensive box of crackers which contained a mini pack of playing cards as one of the prizes. My older brother and I used to try to peer into the crackers to see which one contained the playing cards and try to nab that cracker for ourselves!

🎄After brunch shall we play party games, or collapse in front of the television with a huge box of chocolates?

Ooh, definitely the TV with a huge box of chocolates. It’s the law on Christmas day! Although I quite like a quiz board game so wouldn’t mind a round of that before we collapse with the chocolates, if you’re up for it

🎄What can you tell us about Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop that won’t give too much away?

It’s the story of Charlee Chambers, a master chocolatier, who was raised by her grandparents after her mother abandoned her at birth. When her grandparents pass away, her boyfriend Ricky convinces her to move to his seaside hometown of Whitsborough Bay and follow in her grandfather’s footsteps by opening her own chocolate shop. Ricky’s a builder so should be a great help in getting the shop up and running for Christmas but he’s worse than useless and she has to call in Matt to sort out a plumbing disaster. It’s a tale of two Christmases, showing how much can change in a year as Charlee establishes her business and discovers what family really means.

Boldwood Books
2021

More about Jessica

I’m Jessica Redland and I live in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, with my husband, our almost 15-year-old daughter and a 5.5-year-old sprocker spaniel called Ella who still thinks she’s a puppy. I’ve nearly always worked in HR, specialising in recruitment and training, but fulfilled my dream of becoming a full-time author in summer 2020 thanks to my amazing publishers, Boldwood Books, who have completely changed my life.

I’m a stationery addict with a notepad obsession who loves chocolate (although it doesn’t love me), hedgehogs, 80s music, collectible teddy bears and lighthouses. Many of these feature in my stories!

Twitter @JessicaRedland

Facebook

Instagram 

Website 

Jessica, thanks for taking part in Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch.

Thanks so much for hosting me. I’ve had a lovely time x

Follow us on Twitter @jaffareadstoo Fabulously Festive #SundayBrunchwithJaffareadstoo

🎄

🎄Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Kitty Wilson

It's time to light the fire, twinkle the fairy lights and mull the wine

🎄Come and join us for a Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch🎄

I am delighted to welcome author, Kitty Wilson 

to our Fabulously Festive Brunch today

Merry Christmas, Kitty 🎅

🎄What festive food are you bringing to this Christmas Sunday brunch?

Ooh, I'm going to bring lots of cheeses and maybe a bit of smoked salmon. I love what we call 'picky' food in our house, food you can just pick at and graze on all day so I think this will be my contribution. I may well sneak a few home-made mince pies in, and a boozy berry roulade. Not very brunchy, but it's Christmas so I think we should just eat it all and not let the usual rules apply!

🎄What would you like to drink; we have buck’s fizz, mulled wine, egg nog, gingerbread latte or a cup of spiced tea?

I don't drink a lot of alcohol but have a weakness for Buck's Fizz and absolutely ADORE mulled wine so am going to be happy with either of those. However, my tolerance is pretty low so whilst I may badger you for those two, you might be wiser to give me a cup of spiced tea and hide the rest!

🎄Where shall we eat our festive brunch, around the kitchen table, by the fire in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio?

I love outdoor dining; it always makes me feel as if I'm on holiday but for our special Christmas Brunch I'm thinking it could be a bit brrr so let's keep it informal and eat in the kitchen...that way I can keep my eye on that Mulled Wine.

🎄Shall we have festive music playing in the background? If so will you share with us a favourite piece of music or Christmas carol.

Yes, yes, yes! I love Carols so I would really like to have them playing in the background. O Little Town of Bethlehem is a favourite.

🎄Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for our festive Sunday Brunch today?

I have so many but my latest book, Every Day In December, features a strong Shakespearean thread so I should really say Shakespeare but the truth is I would much rather speak to his wife so can we invite Anne Hathaway instead? Very little is known about her so it would be fascinating to have her insights. Plus, Hamnet was one of my favourite books from the last couple of years and she is a primary character in that so it would be wonderful to quiz her on Maggie O'Farrell's version of her history.

Tinder Press 
2020

🎄Which favourite Christmas book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?

I'm going to bring The Nutcracker because I just love the Christmassyness and the adventure of it all. But we might have to act out the Sugar-Plum Fairy dance and the Mouse King battle. Like I said, probably best to feed me the spiced tea.

🎄Do you have any special Christmas Traditions?

I certainly did have when my children were small and I'm looking to bring them back when I become a grandmother - although maybe not for a few years yet.

One of my favourites was standing outside and sprinkling reindeer food on our lawn which would miraculously coincide with Santa racing past in the night sky, with the sleigh bells ringing so loudly that it was almost as if he was in the garden.

Once everyone was asleep, Santa would leave the children's gifts in their stocking at the end of their beds but every single year without fail he would leave glittery footprints all the way from the fireplace right up the stairs to their rooms. I used to have so much fun with that.

🎄Are you tinsel or glitter?

I am an ex-infant teacher so glitter for me. We would be using it almost every day in the classroom and at home with all the crafts we used to do in the run-up to the day itself. I swear it always used to feel like I had a full month of glitter getting absolutely everywhere.

I'm quite muted and traditional in my decorations, I love all the glitter and sparkle of Christmas but at home it is a much more old-fashioned vibe, I use threaded popcorn instead of tinsel on my tree and have lots of greenery all around the walls and ceiling rather than tinsel.

🎄Are you real tree or artificial?

Real, and I use the same one each year which I then replant and let it grow in the garden throughout the rest of the year. I moved to Bristol a couple of years ago so the one we have currently is quite small but the one I used to have in Cornwall is really very big now.

🎄Are you mince pie or yule log?

I love a mince pie, especially home-made ones so mince pies for me.

🎄Are you Christmas crackers or party poppers?

Christmas Crackers. I just love them. I still get a thrill over the snap of a cracker, although I'm a bad-tempered old shrew when it comes to wearing the crowns. I also love the red fish you get and insist everyone lets me tell their fortunes with it. One year I thought I'd be all grown-up and get super posh ones, but it just wasn't the same. Christmas Day needs the red fish!

🎄After brunch shall we have party games or collapse in front of the television with a huge box of chocolates?

I really like board games and party games like Charades but my family are a little reluctant. They humour me at Christmas and will play one game – they're very strict about this – in the afternoon to keep me happy but that's my lot. So, I'm going to choose party games and grin from ear to ear the whole way through.

🎄What can you tell us about your fabulously festive read that won’t give too much away?

One More Chapter
2021

Ah, I can tell you lots without giving it all away. The book is called Every Day In December and features a heroine, Belle who adores Christmas and a hero, Rory, who does not share the love. Each chapter is a day of the month of December so I have managed to cram it full of so much Christmas. There's Christmas trees and carols, mulled cider and mince pies, Sinterklaas, gifts, Christmas crafts, snow and sledding and a Victorian Christmas at Tyntesfield House – a National Trust property near to me. The book is based in Bristol but with Belle having a job in a Christmas decoration shop in Bath, I've been able to include the Abbey and the Christmas Market as well. I have tried to write a book that fills the reader full of cosy Christmas warmth and have been bowled over by its reception so far. Reviews have been amazing, and some readers have said it will be one they revisit every year.

Kitty where can we find you on Social Media?

Twitter @KittyWilson23

Facebook 

Instagram 

Website 

More about Kitty

Kitty Wilson lives in Bristol and loves the city. She happily spends most of the time welded to her keyboard dreaming up deeply romantic stories that make her giggle as she types. She has a penchant for very loud music, owns more books than one human could possibly read and has an unhealthy obsession with paint charts.

Kitty thanks so much for taking part in Fabulously Festive Sunday Brunch.

Follow us on Twitter @jaffareadstoo #SundayBrunchwithJaffareadstoo

🎅 Christmas Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Maisie Thomas

On this quiet December Sunday morning why don't you put the kettle on, make your favourite breakfast and settle down for a Festive Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo

🎅 I'm delighted to welcome author, Maisie Thomas to our Christmas Sunday Brunch today 🎅

 

🎅Welcome, Maisie what favourite food are you bringing to this Christmas Sunday brunch? 

I’ll bring mince pies filled with home-made mincemeat. I make my own every year. You have to cook it very slowly on a low heat and while it’s in the oven, the delicious mixture of fruity and spicy aromas are released. It makes whole house smell of orange and lemons. 

🎅Would you like a pot of English breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a celebratory glass of Bucks Fizz?

Bucks Fizz, please. I always have a glass or two of that on Christmas Day and another glass with you will spread the festivities out for a little longer. And don’t worry about me raiding the coffee pot – I hate coffee in any form. If we have a box of chocs, it’s my husband’s job to eat the coffee-centre straight away so that I don’t choose it by mistake. 

🎅Where shall we eat brunch – around the kitchen table, in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio? 

Around the kitchen table, please. That always feels such a cosy thing to do. 

🎅Shall we have festive music playing in the background? And if so will you share with us a favourite Christmas song or piece of Christmas music that makes you happy? 

I’ll bring with me my favourite CD of Christmas music, which a compilation of orchestral versions of jolly festive music, such as Deck the Halls, Troika and Sleigh Ride. I love this CD because I used to play it as background music in my classroom while we were making Christmas cards and doing other Christmassy crafts. There’s nowhere more exciting than an infants’ classroom in the run-up to Christmas! This music brings back lots of happy memories. 

🎅Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for Sunday Brunch today? 

Georgette Heyer, Catherine Cookson, Anya Seton and Eleanor Hibbert (the real name of Jean Plaidy/Victoria Holt/Philippa Carr) will be joining us – four wonderful writers. Victoria Holt’s gothic novels were among the first books “grown-up” books I read when I was in my early teens and I adored them. 

🎅Which favourite Christmas book will you bring to Sunday Brunch? 

We Wish You a Merry Murder by Valerie Wolzien. I love Christmas stories and this is the most Christmassy I’ve ever come across. It’s full of present-buying, cooking, parties and family stresses – oh yes, and solving a murder mystery at the same time. 

🎅When you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet! 

I love reading. I come from a family of lifelong readers and library-users. I always have two books on the go – one print book and one audio. As for what I haven’t read yet… I read all of Thomas Hardy’s books years ago, except for Far From the Madding Crowd, which somehow or other got left out, so I’ve always meant to read that. 

🎅What’s the oldest book on your book shelf? 

I have a number of collections of short stories that were published in the 1930s, with titles like The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and Mysteries and A Century of Humour, which is one of a series of A Century of… books. But I think my oldest book is a first edition of The Dolly Dialogues by Anthony Hope from 1894. Not nearly so old is my copy of The Pickwick Papers – it’s a 1953 edition. It belonged to my dad, so it’s very special. 

🎅Where do you find the inspiration for your novels? 

A lot of the plots simply grow out of the characters themselves – the type of people they are and they way they react to things. The Railway Girls series is set during the Second World War, so I also use history books, especially books of oral history, and get ideas that way. Two or three lines in a book of oral history led to a whole chapter in the third Railway Girls books, which will be published next May. 

🎅Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer? 

In pre-pandemic days, I used to do much of my writing in the public library, where I’d just sit down and get on with work right away. Having to work at home took some getting used to and I still don’t manage the same output as before. If it’s a lovely sunny day, I have a particular place where I settle down near the sea and get on with my scribbling. Winter or summer? I don’t have a preference. Deadlines don’t care what month it is or what the weather’s like! 

🎅Give us four essential items that a writer absolutely needs? 

I’m sure one of my cats would tell you that a tortie on the lap is an absolute must, though I’m not so sure about that. My four things are: routine, thorough planning, having reference books to hand, and not being interrupted. 

🎅What can you tell us about your latest novel or your current work in progress? 

I have finished writing the third book in the Railway Girls series. It’s called The Railway Girls in Love. And I’m working on the fourth book. The first three books all had the same viewpoint characters – Joan, Dot and Mabel. In book 4, there are different viewpoint characters. My readers already know these characters from the earlier books, but now they’ll have a chance to see the world through their eyes. 

Maisie's latest novel

Arrow
September 2020

This second instalment of this exciting new saga series shows just how important friendship and love is in a time of uncertainty and change. We pick back up with Dot, Joan and Mabel as the war continues and secrets threaten their budding friendships. Brought together by their work on Manchester’s railways and a duty to help the war effort and those they love fighting overseas, these three amazing women find that with the support and encouragement of each other, they can get through even the most challenging of times.

More about Maisie

Maisie Thomas was born and brought up in Manchester, which provides the location for her Railway Girls novels. She loves writing stories with strong female characters, set in times when women needed determination and vision to make their mark. The Railway Girls series is inspired by her great aunt Jessie, who worked as a railway clerk during the First World War. 

Maisie now lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her railway enthusiast husband and their two rescue cats. They often enjoy holidays chugging up and down the UK’s heritage steam railways.

Maisie, where can we follow you on social media? 

Twitter @MaisieThomas99

@ArrowPublishing

Thank you for inviting me to Sunday Brunch, Jo. I’ve loved being here. 

Follow us on Twitter @jaffareadstoo #SundayBrunchwithJaffareadstoo

🎅 Christmas Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Louise Marley

On this quiet December Sunday morning why don't you put the kettle on, make your favourite breakfast and settle down for a Festive Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo

🎅 I'm delighted to welcome author, Louise Marley to our Christmas Sunday Brunch today 🎅

🎅Welcome Louise, what favourite food are you bringing to this Christmas Sunday brunch?

Mince pies! I hope that doesn’t sound boring but I do make them myself—including the mincemeat! They are high in fruit and low in sugar—practically no calories at all! 

🎅Would you like a pot of English breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a celebratory glass of Bucks Fizz?

I would love an Americano, thank you! 

🎅Where shall we eat brunch—around the kitchen table, in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio? 

The patio might be a little cold and possibly wet! How about around the kitchen table? 

🎅Shall we have festive music playing in the background? And if so will you share with us a favourite Christmas song or piece of Christmas music that makes you happy? 

I love Christmas music, which is fortunate because I’ve just spent two years listening to it while I wrote and edited You Make It Feel Like Christmas! I always have music playing while I work and create playlists for each book. 

For a long time my favourite song was All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey but listening to Christmas music for two years forced me to find new tracks! It’s hard to pick just one, so I’ll say When the Snow Falls Down by Amy Stroup, The Christmas Song by The Raveonettes, and You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton. 

🎅Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for Sunday Brunch today? 

I have lots of literary heroes but I don’t want to crowd your kitchen! Could I bring Terry Pratchett and Jilly Cooper, for their sense of humour? And perhaps squeeze in Shirley Jackson? She would have been a fascinating person to meet. I’d have lots of questions! 

🎅Which favourite Christmas book will you bring to Sunday Brunch? 

I love reading Christmas books, particularly romantic comedy and cosy crime. However, my favourite was written by Enid Blyton in 1944 and belonged to my mother. It’s called The Christmas Book and explains all the familiar Christmas traditions. When I was a child I would re-read it every year. 

🎅When you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet! 

I read two books a week and still have a huge ‘to be read’ list because I can’t stop buying more! I loved Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and bought the first one in his Book of Dust series, La Belle Sauvage, some time ago. I still haven’t had the chance to read it. Maybe this Christmas! 

Penguin Children's and
David Fickling Books
2017

🎅What’s the oldest book on your book shelf? 

Coincidentally, it’s A Visit from St Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas) by Clement Clarke Moore, published in 1919. 

🎅Where do you find the inspiration for your novels? 

I tend to have several different ideas that all come together like a jigsaw puzzle. In You Make It Feel Like Christmas I wanted to write about Christmas because I love it so much. I wanted a heroine who loved Christmas too—so much so that she has very definite ideas about how Christmas should be celebrated—and that’s where her trouble begins! I also wanted to write about a house—and a family!—that weren’t perfect. And I wanted to explore what—when it comes right down to it—Christmas is really about. 

🎅Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer?

I am very lucky in that I have my own study! It is a tiny room, with just about room for my desk and a couple of bookcases. I love it. It doesn’t matter what the season is, it has no effect on my writing. Although if I’m too hot or too cold it can interfere with my thought process. 

🎅When writing to a deadline are you easily distracted and if so how do you bring back focus on your writing? 

My problem is not lack of focus, it’s lack of time! I’m not sure whether I need a Harry Potter style Time Turner or the ability to freeze time completely. If I didn’t have to go to sleep, I’d get so much more done! 

🎅Give us four essential items that a writer absolutely needs? 

Basically just a pen and paper, but four less tangible things would be: A good imagination (obviously!), patience, a determination to work hard, and an ability to be able to switch off from any distractions—including the Internet! 

🎅What can you tell us about your latest novel or your current work in progress? 

Television presenter Agatha Holly has built her career on telling viewers how to have the perfect Christmas. 'A Holly Jolly Christmas' has been screened every December for twenty years and her entire family are involved, including her daughter Beth—the unwilling star of a thousand memes and gifs. But Beth has finally had enough of public ridicule. All she’s ever wanted is a traditional family Christmas away from the television cameras. If she can’t persuade her family to change, should she consider celebrating Christmas without them? 

🎅Louise, where can we follow you on social media? 🎅

Twitter @LouiseMarley 

Facebook

Instagram

Website

Blog

Amazon UK

Louise,t hank you for taking part in Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo. 

Thank you very much for inviting me! Can I tempt you with another mince pie? I think I’ve made too many… 

🎅Louise's Latest Novel🎅

The only thing preventing Beth’s perfect family Christmas? Her family!

Television presenter Agatha Holly has built her career on telling viewers how to have the perfect Christmas. 'A Holly Jolly Christmas' has been screened every December for twenty years and her entire family are involved, including her daughter Beth—the unwilling star of a thousand memes and gifs. But Beth has finally had enough of public ridicule. All she’s ever wanted is a traditional family Christmas away from the television cameras. If she can’t persuade her family to change, should she consider celebrating Christmas without them? 

🎅More about Louise🎅 

Louise Marley writes murder mysteries and romantic comedies. She is lucky enough to live in a village where there is a famous library and two ruined castles. (Her husband still thinks they moved there by accident). 

Her first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg's 'Write a Bestseller' competition. She has also written articles for the Irish press and short stories for women's magazines such as Take a Break and My Weekly. Previously, Louise worked as a civilian administrative officer for the police.

 🎅Thank you for taking part in Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo 🎅

🎅Thank you for inviting me!🎅

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