Today I’m delighted to welcome Eva Stachniak to One More Page as part of her blog tour to celebrate the release of The Winter Palace. Eva was born in Wrocław, Poland and now lives in Canada. Her career has included time as a radio broadcaster and English and Humanities lecturer. An award-winning author, The Winter Palace is Eva’s third novel and tells of the rise to power of Catherine the Great. Welcome Eva!

You’ve written both historical and contemporary novels previously, what drew you to the historical fiction genre?

My passion for history, and the belief that history illuminates the present. And also the need to tell the forgotten stories from beyond the former Iron Curtain—bring them back to our collective memory.

The Winter Palace tells the story of the rise of Catherine the Great; why did you choose to tell Catherine’s story?

Catherine fascinated and tempted me since my second novel Dancing with Kings, where she appears for a brief moment. Her story is astounding. A petty Prussian princess who became a powerful Russian empress. An immigrant to Russia who made her adopted country one of the most powerful empires of the world.

Also it is important to remember that the 18^th century Russia was a vast and multicultural country. Under Catherine’s rule one-third of Poland became part of the Russian Empire, and remained so until the end of World War I. When I was growing up in Poland, Catherine was considered to be a rather sinister figure, the empress who dashed Polish hopes for independence. My own family, both on my mother’s and my father’s side were subjects of the Russian Tsars. My grandfather was even drafted into the Russian army.

And once I started researching Catherine’s life I found her irresistible.

I love historical fiction that focuses on strong female characters and there are several in this novel; who was your favourite character to write and why?

I have to confess that I was captivated by all three powerful women who make the core of the plot, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Catherine who through most of the novel is Grand Duchess of Russia, and of course, my narrator, Varvara/Barbara. Elizabeth absorbed me because she was so unpredictable, so sensuous, so spontaneous and so full of contradictions: A sinner and a devout Christian repenting her sins as soon as she stopped enjoying them. A woman delighting in sex, food, music and dancing. Catherine, on the other hand, impressed me with her sense of purpose, her serious dedication to her goals, and her ability to attract loyalty from all quarters. And Varvara? She was my key to the two empresses. She was my eyes, my ears, and my guide.

There is a wealth of fascinating detail about the 18th century Russian court in the novel; how did you go about your research and what was the most interesting area for you?

I read diaries, letters, memoirs. I visited archives. I travelled to St. Petersburg and looked at every painting I could find that portrayed scenes from the 18^th century life in Russia. One of my all time favourite sources are The Russian Journals of Martha and Catherine Wilmot, compiled from many letters that the Wilmot sisters wrote from Russia to their family in Ireland. For several years, they were cherished house guests of Princess Dashkova herself, the youthful friend of Catherine, and as foreign visitors to Russia they kept their eyes wide open and reported on everything that amused or intrigued them: funeral customs, the abundance of servants in Russian palaces and manor houses, the sights in the streets. They also heard many personal stories about Catherine from their hostess, and I used many of them in the novel.

It was the researching of the everyday details of life in a Russian palace that I found most fascinating.

The story is told through the eyes of Vavara, a young Polish girl serving at the court; why did you decide to tell the story from her point of view?

The Russian imperial court was home to many foreigners, including Catherine herself, who came to Russia from a small German princedom of Zerbst. Foreigners, immigrants are good observers, and I wanted my narrator to have this outsider’s point of view.

Another reason for wanting to tell Catherine’s story from outside was the need to understand the essence of Catherine’s power over people. I wanted the reader to experience Catherine’s power over those around her, show how this Prussian Princess managed to command the hearts of so many.

And then, of course, Varvara is a spy, able to see beyond closed doors, the best narrator an author can imagine.

If you could live during any historical period which would you choose?

Right now, it would be the 18^th century Russia, because I’m still working on the second Catherine book. If I could find myself at the Winter Palace, I’d want to know what people talked about in their most mundane, every day conversations. I would want to know, for instance, what Catherine’s servants made of the kangaroos their empress kept in the Taurida Palace gardens. The animals came as a gift from King George III. Someone had to feed them. Take care of them. Did they seem merely odd? Or frightening, perhaps?

When you’re not writing and researching, what do you like to read?

I’m a voracious reader.  Many writers sustain and inspire me. Lately I’ve been reading Kate Grenville’s marvelous historical novels set in Australia, and the unsurpassable Hilary Mantel. But I don’t particularly look for historical fiction. Any well written book will seduce me.

You are currently working on a second novel about Catherine the Great, can you tell us a little more about what we can expect next?

The Empire of the Night, the second Catherine novel, will be told from Catherine’s point of view. It will cover the pivotal points of her thirty-four years rule. If The Winter Palace is the story of Catherine’s fight for power and her own survival, The Empire of the Night examines the consequences of wielding absolute power for so long. Together, I hope, the two novels will complement each other, and give the reader a fuller picture of this remarkable empress and a captivating woman.

Thank you Eva – I’m already looking forward to The Empire of the Night.

You can find out more about Eva and her novels on her website at: http://www.evastachniak.com/

Eva continues her blog tour tomorrow with a guest post at: www.curiousbookfans.co.uk and please look out for my review of The Winter Palace next week.

Today I’m excited to welcome Mink Elliott to the blog on the latest stop of her Just Another Manic Mum-Day blog tour. Welcome Mink!

Your second novel, Just Another Manic Mum-Day is released tomorrow, please could you tell us a little about it?

I’d love to! It’s about Jack, Roxy and Joey, their three-year-old daughter, and what happens to them when they flee Britain for the sunnier shores of Sydney. Roxy feels very fish-out-of-water-y as a newcomer to such a hot climate and when she discovers she’s pregnant again, she’s thrown into further disarray. Amid the chaos and clutter of family life (Joey can talk under wet cement and is a champion tantrummer while hubby Jack is getting surlier by the minute) and with nowhere to run and hide, Roxy and new best friend Shoshanna find a gaping chasm in the market and manage to open up a cafe for parents  – a sanctuary for stressed-out  mums and dads.

How did you come up with the idea for the book?

It wasn’t a bolt out of the blue idea, it was one that came to me in dribs and drabs, building on itself quietly, until it was almost a fully-fledged story.  I knew I wanted to write about paradise and our perceptions of what we’d be like if it didn’t rain all the time, it was warm and we could go to the beach every day if we wanted to…I wanted to explore the idea that day to day life with kids can become a grind no matter who or where you are…And I wanted to find out what motivates most of us – what makes us happiest and whether home is, as they say in the classics, where the heart is. The weird bit is the title came first, then the story. Which isn’t how it worked with The Pissed-Off Parents Club, my first novel, or my third, the one I’m working on at the moment. With those, the story came first and the title was obvious as a result, if that makes sense?

How have your own experiences as a mum fed into the story?

They haven’t. I mean, I’m the very definition of cool, calm and collected; my kids never throw tantrums; they eat all their vegetables and fruit; do as they’re politely asked to (I find I never need to shout and have completely forgotten what exasperation feels like); my husband is like a best girlfriend to me – he loves nothing more than to chat all day with me, sitting in cafes necking Earl Grey and scoffing brownies…HA! In my dreams! In all honesty, some of my own experiences as a mum were fed into the story: I fell pregnant shortly after we got to Sydney and my daughter is a keen talker, capable of throwing some real jaw-droppingly embarrassing tantrums – but that’s where the similarities end, I’m afraid. The rest is made up. All the characters in the book are fictitious – but the thoughts and feelings they have are, I hope, universal.

As a mum to two young children I know it can get pretty stressful sometimes; what are your top tips for stressed out parents?

I was going to ask you the same thing! I’m always seeking advice on how to deal, asking barristas, other mums, taxi drivers – all help and advice gratefully received!!! Because I haven’t got a clue, to be honest. People say ‘pick your battles’, but I always pick the wrong ones and end up in a right state, so that’s no good – too woolly. Take a deep breath and walk away into another room/another life/another time and space continuum? Oh, I know! Go to a cafe with free childcare and let someone else take the lion’s share of the load for a few hours. Meet some friends and have a decent, uninterrupted conversation. Do something for you, something that makes you feel good and happy, capable and strong – like you probably felt a long time ago in a (childless) galaxy far, far away… Being a mum is the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do and I find it pretty overwhelming most of the time. It’s exhausting and frustrating and relentless and hard, but just this morning I was welling up, thinking about how much I love those crazy kids. I was hugging my five-and-a-half year old daughter too tightly, telling her how proud I am to be her mummy and how lovely she is to her baby brother and how she’s got to stop growing up so fast and could she please try to stay sweet and innocent for a few more years etc etc. She was trying to wriggle free of my embrace and I finally realised she was craning her whole body to get a look at some stripper or lap dancer on the TV … Suddenly I was plunged down into the dark depths of stressed out mum mode, resorting to the tried and true talking loudly in capital letters technique:  I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO TURN THAT RIHANNA MUSIC VIDEO OFF! NOW STOP PFAFFING AROUND OR WE’LL BE LATE FOR SCHOOL AGAIN! GET DRESSED AND EAT YOUR WEET-A-BIX! BLIMEY! FOR ONCE WILL YOU DO AS YOU’RE TOLD?! Oh well – take your magic moments where you can get them, I say – even if they look nothing like you imagined they would.

I love the title for your book how did it come about and are you a Bangles fan?!

Ha ha – no, not really. Having said that, I did used to spend an inordinate amount of time wishing I looked a bit more like Susannah Hoffs – all short and sexy with huge come-to-bed eyes (instead of short and dumpy with puffy, red, still half-asleep eyes). But Manic Monday has always been on a loop in my brain – it’s one of those songs that swims around in your sub-conscious as you drag yourself out of bed to get to paid work on time or to the unpaid work of looking after a screaming baby. So maybe that was it – in a terminally sleep-deprived state, with that song playing incessantly on my own internal CD system, it forced itself upon me!

Describe lead character Roxy in a sentence.

She’s exciteable, full of ideas  and a bit of a dreamer, really, but she’s also a champion of the downtrodden, exhausted mum – and proof that sometimes dreams can come true.

What do you like to read when you get a chance to relax?

How To Find The Time To Relax books, mainly! Also, I’ve just finished A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French and I really enjoyed that; one of my best friends sent me Stewart Lee – My Life And Deaths As A Comedian and I’m loving that; and I’ll devour anything by John Pilger and Fiona Gibson. I’m reading a lot of authors’ websites at the moment, too, to get some tips on how to do mine (I’m a total novice when it comes to the internet and social networking, you see) and keep coming back to Ciara Gerachty, Milly Johnson, Jane Costello…Oh! And I always look at www.onemorepage.co.uk when I get a minute!

And finally … what can we look forward to next from Mink Elliott?

I’m going to be at Waterstone’s in Bath for a lunchtime signing on Saturday the 21^st of January, 2012 and I’m really looking forward to that! Do drop by and say hi if you’ve got some spare time up your sleeve and you happen to be wandering  around beautiful Bath. Book-wise, it’s still in its early stages, but I’m really excited about my third novel. It’s about a nostalgia-freak, stay-at-home-mum of three who…um…ooh! I don’t know how much I can tell you, actually. But basically, without giving anything away and in a series of pithy phrases, it’s a story about rose-coloured glasses, being careful what you wish for and forever wondering ‘what if…?’. Clear as mud, right?!

Thank you Mink!

You can find out all about Mink and her books and read the first chapter of Just Another Manic Mum Day on her new website at: http://www.minkelliott.com/

My final Countdown to Christmas guest is Mel Sherratt. I met Mel a couple of times this year at bookish events and not only is she a lovely lady with great taste in shoes and the blogger behind the brilliantly titled High Heels and Book Deals; she has also just released her debut novel, sexy crime thriller, Taunting the Dead. Mel has kindly agreed to let me turn the tables on her today and subject her to my festive questions! Welcome Mel.

You’ve just released your first novel (congratulations!); do you think you’d ever be tempted to write a Christmassy book or a novel set at Christmas?

Thank you, and thank you for having me as part of your Countdown to Christmas. Yes. I love Christmas and the romance of it all. I started writing written women’s fiction before I wrote crime thrillers and I’ve recently published another ebook under a pen name and it’s doing really well, selling over 4000 copies so far. The great thing about ebooks is that you can choose what and when you want to write. I’ll probably write one next year.

You are known for your love of high heels; what are your top tips for surviving the Christmas parties wearing killer heels?!

Gel cushions, definitely. And a pair of flat shoes to slip into for the journey home, if your handbag is big enough!

And following on from that do you have a special pair of Christmas heels you’d like to share with us?

For the party season, it has to be these. Comfort wise they are great, even though they are high. And they go with any little black dress.

What is or would be the best book-related Christmas gift that Santa could deliver to you?

Best book – This year it would be Belinda Bauer’s new book, out in January, FINDERS KEEPERS. I’ve really enjoyed her previous two.

Best book related – That would be a book deal with a mainstream publisher. Despite self publishing TAUNTING THE DEAD, it will always be my ultimate dream.

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

I love the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day when the weather is cold and dark and I can snuggle up on my settee. For some reason, it seems okay any time that week to crack open the Baileys, grab a handful of chocolates and settle back with a good book. Bliss.

If you could spend Christmas anywhere, where would it be and what would you be reading?

I’ve never wanted to go away at Christmas. I prefer to stay at home. I love the hustle and bustle and, yes, the chance of snow. This year I shall be reading THE MURDER WALL by Mari Hannah, out next April. I’ve kept it especially for my Christmas tradition.

What is your favourite Christmassy film?

Home Alone – ‘keep the change you filthy animal!’

And finally … what can readers look forward to next from Mel Sherratt?

Hmm, that’s a tricky one. I’ve written six novels so far. Three of them are in a series called The Mitchell Estate. Predominantly, it’s for women lovers of crime – the tagline I use is real women, real problems, real crime.  I might bring those out as ebooks in the New Year. I also have two follow ups for my character, DS Allie Shenton, from TAUNTING THE DEAD. And a great idea for a psychological thriller. And maybe I might reveal my pen name too…

Merry Christmas!

Thanks Mel and Merry Christmas!

You can find out more about Mel and her books at: www.highheelsandbookdeals.blogspot.com

Today my festive questions are being answered by author Hazel Osmond. Hazel’s debt novel Who’s Afraid of Mr Wolfe? was released in April and she is currently working on her second novel. Hazel also writes short stories and blogs about her writing and life on her gorgeous website: http://www.hazelosmond.co.uk Welcome Hazel!

Imagine you are settling down with a lovely Christmas read … what is your perfect Christmas reading setting/scenario?

I’d go for the cosy room, large glass of red wine, only a reading light on, scenario. Definitely not Slade’s ‘So here it is Merry Christmas’ belting out in the background for the 100th time!!

What is your top tip for a happy Christmas/ for surviving the festive season?

Try to create the Christmas you really want, not the ones the lifestyle magazines tell you we’re all having, or even the one your parents had. Tradition is great, but sometimes it can be a straitjacket. You want twiglets and bacardi for breakfast? Fill your boots!!

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

Bizarrely, having just said don’t get tied into tradition, my favourite one is on Christmas Eve, lighting the candles in the kitchen, putting the carols and lessons from King’s College, Cambridge on the radio and ‘doing’ the sprouts. It takes me right back to being a little girl and if that excited, magic feeling hasn’t hit me before that point, it certainly will then. There may be something hallucinogenic in sprouts…

Which two books would you like to find under the Christmas tree this year?

I’d like to find the next book from Susanna Clarke… she hasn’t written it yet I don’t think, but I so love Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, I can’t wait. And anything by Maggie O’Farrell.

Who is your favourite Christmas book/novel character and why?

I’m going to cheat a bit on my famous Christmas book/novel character and say George Bailey in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’… which I know is a film, but it was originally based on a book called ‘The Greatest Gift’ by Philip Van Doren Stern (or so Wikipedia tells me)

There are so many reasons to love George, but that scene where he and Mary are listening in to the same phone call, heads touching and George is trying so hard not to love her and then gives in to it… ahhhhh… so moving – he goes from angry to lost to loving in about ten seconds and if I could ever write a scene like that I’d be ecstatic.

As well as your full length novels you also write short stories; do you have any plans for a Christmassy novel/story in the future?

I have already written a short story which was kind of about Christmas, called ‘Santa in May’ – it appeared in My Weekly this year.  As you might guess it wasn’t exactly a straightforward Christmas tale, but the hero did wear a Santa outfit.

And finally … what can readers look forward to next from Hazel Osmond?

My next book is out in May – working title ‘The Genuine Article’ and it’s another romantic comedy with serious bits, this time, set in Northumberland. There will be more short stories too, and I’ve just signed a contract for another two books.

Thank you Hazel and congratulations on the new book deal!

Hazel is kindly providing a signed copy of Who’s Afraid of Mr Wolfe as a giveaway. The book synopsis can be found below. To enter just leave a comment and I’ll choose a winner using random.org following the closing date. UK entries only please. Entries will close at midnight on Wednesday 21st December. Good luck!

Ellie thinks she’s in love. But then, she doesn’t know Jack…

Ellie Somerset loves her career-obsessed boyfriend Sam and she loves her job as an advertising copywriter. But Sam is always at work and her fresh ideas keep being overlooked. Her life gets more complicated when new boss Jack Wolfe – Heathcliff in a Suit – arrives at the agency. With his brooding good looks, trademark scowl and plans for a change, he challenges Ellie to smarten up and prove herself. To Ellie’s horror, she finds herself both repelled and attracted to the sexy and dangerous Jack. But this particular wolf has an awful lot to hide…

Who’s afraid of Mr Wolfe? Not Ellie. Not until it’s far too late.

Trisha Ashley is the best selling author of  fourteen novels. Last Christmas I read and thoroughly enjoyed her Twelve Days of Christmas and this winter Trisha is back with The Magic of Christmas. Trisha kindly agreed to answer my festive questions today. Welcome Trisha!

Tell us about your latest Christmas novel The Magic of Christmas

My latest novel, The Magic of Christmas, is a major reworking of an earlier novel, Sweet Nothings.  I always felt there was a lot more I’d wanted to put in that book, so I had great fun revisiting the village of Middlemoss and all its characters again!

Friendship is often an important theme in my books, and it is the support of her friends in the Christmas Pudding Circle that keeps Lizzie going as she struggles on towards the end of difficult marriage.  There is another village tradition, too, the annual Boxing Day Mystery Play, and both the preparations for that and the meetings of the Christmas Pudding Circle start months ahead, leading to an ever-faster toboggan ride towards Christmas.

Of course, there’s lots more going on, too – Lizzie is a keen cook and has quite a bit of rivalry going on with her husbands’ cousin Nick, who is a chef and cookery writer.  Then there’s the mystery of what Caz the gamekeeper up at the hall does with all the grey squirrels…

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

I always love the moment when I place the papier mache Father Christmas at the top of the tree.  One of my mother’s sisters bought him with her pocket money when she was four, so that makes him over eighty years old.

You’ve published a number of Christmas/winter novels but to have a book released in time for Christmas you must be writing and editing during the summer months; how do you get yourself in the festive spirit when writing out of season?

My Christmas novels are indeed written and edited during summer, so that I have become quite used to looking out at a sunny beach while writing about snow, cold and Christmas puddings!  But of course, while writing them I vanish into my own little trishaworld snowglobe, so getting in the mood isn’t a problem.

This year, however, I have been writing a spring/summer book at the right time of year – Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues, which comes out next May.

What is your top tip for surviving the festive season?

Have things the way you like them, not the way the magazines tell you they should be done – forge your own traditions. You can prepare and freeze all kinds of things in advance, including mince pies, which will only take about three-quarters of an hour to defrost at room temperature.

Twelve Days of Christmas featured lots of delicious food; what’s your favourite Christmas treat or recipe?

The Mincemeat flapjack recipe at the back of The Magic of Christmas is a great alternative use for mincemeat and so easy to do, you will wonder why you ever bought shop-made ones!

What are your favourite Christmas books and films?

I have to watch the film Love Actually, every Christmas, it’s perfect.  There are a lot of good Christmas-themed novels out there this year, too, and I hope to catch up with some of them when I have finished the editing of the new book and perhaps unpacked a few boxes (I have just moved house).  Carole Matthews Christmas book looks interestingly different, I’m looking forward to reading that.

And finally … what can readers look forward to next from Trisha Ashley?

Next May we are revisiting the village of Sticklepond, scene of A Winter’s Tale and Chocolate Wishes, in my new book Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues, so I have been having a lovely time finding out what has been happening with the characters from the earlier novels.

After that…well, you will just have to wait and see!

Thank you Trisha!

You can find out more about Trisha and her books, join her newsletter and post in her guestbook at: http://www.trishaashley.com/

Watch an interview with Trisha on YouTube

Read my review of Twelve Days of Christmas

Scarlett Bailey, author of The Night Before Christmas is my guest today. The Night Before Christmas is Scarlett’s debut novel; I’m reading it at the moment and very much enjoying it. Scarlett is also doing her own Countdown to Christmas in the form of  a brilliant online advent calendar which contains a short story called Santa, Maybe. Scarlett is posting part of the story every day until 24th December – you can read it at: http://adventcalendr.com/scarlettbailey/ Welcome Scarlett!

Your debut novel, the festively-titled The Night Before Christmas is out now, could you tell us a little about the story and your inspiration for it please?

The Night Before Christmas is the story of Lydia, who is hoping to experience her first perfect Christmas ever, in a beautiful house in the Lake District surrounded by her friends and her boyfriend, who she happens to know has packed an engagement ring. But when an old flame turns up out of the blue, as her best friend’s latest beau, Lydia isn’t sure of how she feels about anything any more…. I hope there are a lot of laughs, the odd tear, a large amount of Christmas and a good deal of kissing. Oh and snow.

Your book is all about the perfect Christmas; what is your favourite Christmas tradition?

Interesting, like Lydia I didn’t really have many perfect Christmasses as a child, my family split when I was quite young and no matter where I was at Christmas there was always someone important missing. As an adult I think my favourite tradition is to just be with the people I love and who make me laugh, and to have a very large glass of Bailey’s (What else) at least once or twice a day.

Imagine you are settling down with a lovely Christmas read … what is your perfect Christmas reading setting/scenario?

A few years ago I stayed with some friends in a cottage in Suffolk for Christmas (this is where the turkey story in the book comes from) it was a sweet cottage, but freezing as the central heating was broken, (oh another story from the book!) We huddled together for warmth in front of a huge fire, there was no TV, so it was all talking, drinking and reading. That was pretty perfect.

What is your top tip for surviving the Christmas party season?

Remain slightly tipsy at all times, and make sure you’ve broken in your new high heels around the house for a few weeks before the big party. Oh and also keeps some mistletoe handy, you never know when you might bump into a likely candidate for kissing.

What is or would be the best book-related Christmas gift that Santa could deliver?

I have a yen to do some writing with a fountain pen. Its pure whimsy, I’m sure I’d get fed up with it quite quickly, but I’d rather like a fancy fountain pen to flourish.

Who is your favourite Christmas book/novel character?

I love a ghost story at Christmas, so although it is not strictly a Christmas book I love reading The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Hard to think of a more atmospheric and unsettling ghost story to keep you up all night on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa.

You’re a fan of old movies; which is your must see Christmas film?

An Affair to Remember staring Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant. Oh my god, if you have never seen this film you must see it now. Its pure melodrama and romance and I adore it.

And finally … what can we expect next from Scarlett Bailey?

My second novel, which has just been retitled ‘Married by Christmas (there’s a scoop for you) will be out this time next year.

Thank you Scarlett.

Today I’m welcoming debut novelist Ali Harris to One More Page. Ali’s novel ‘Miracle on Regent Street’ is out now and is a wonderful festive read focussing on a vintage and timeless Christmas glamour. Ali is a self-confessed lover of all things Christmassy and kindly agreed to answer my festive questions. Welcome Ali!

Your debut novel, Miracle on Regent Street is set at Christmas and has a lovely festive feel to it; how did you get yourself in the festive spirit when writing out of season?

It was easy! I just plugged in my ipod and played my ‘Christmas playlist’ on a loop. It features solely Rat Pack Christmas classics and ‘Vintage Christmas’ tunes  – not a single Slade, Wizard, Cliff Richard or David Essex song in sight! I also switched on my many strings of fairylights that I have draped around the house (in my opinion fairylights are for life, not just for Christmas!) and I transported myself away into the most wonderful time of year! I actually came up with the idea for Miracle on Regent Street in November so I was able to wander around gorgeous department stores, snapping pictures of their windows and going to vintage Christmas fairs and call it ‘research’ for a couple of months before I started writing it in January 2010.

Miracle on Regent Street is largely set in a wonderful Department store; what  are your top tips for surviving Christmas shopping?

I’m the festive freak who saves all my Christmas shopping till the week before Christmas and does it all at once because I want to get that gorgeous feeling of walking round the sparkly streets of London, clutching handfuls of bags! It’s the only way to properly get me in the festive mood! For that reason I will never EVER be an internet Christmas shopper. It just isn’t the same! I also do all my wrapping on Christmas Eve whilst sitting in front of a roaring fire watching It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s a little tradition I have and my husband just accepts it now. So my only advice is to make a list and really think and plan what I’m getting each person before I go shopping so I’m not wandering around aimlessly. I do end up being a bit spontaneous as well, as I love that little moment of magic when you go into a store and happen upon the perfect gift for the perfect person.

What is your favourite children’s Christmas book/story?

There are so many at the moment as I’m reading them to my almost 3 year-old son. This is the first year he really gets Christmas so it’s really exciting. Our current firm favourite is The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. It’s such a classic, and my son loves it even without having ever seeing the beautiful film! I do have to stop myself singing Walking in the air as we’re reading it as I know this will seriously spoil his enjoyment! We also love Stick Man by Julian Donaldson which features a supporting role by Father Christmas as the end of the book. It’s a gorgeous story about a Stick Man trying to find his way back to ‘the stick family tree with his Stick Lady love and stick children three!’ It’s really poignant and I love the message about the importance of being with your family at Christmas.

What is or would be the best book-related Christmas gift that Santa could deliver to you?

Ooh, if he could magically retrieve all my old, original 1970s Enid Blyton hardbacks and deliver them to me I would be the happiest girl alive as I stupidly got rid of them all when I was a teenager! Luckily I kept some of my other favourite childhood books, like Anne of Green Gables, the Little House on the Prairie books and The Chalet School series, as well as all my Judy Blume’s – but I’ve spent the last few years scouring charity shops and vintage markets to try and find those lovely ‘70s Enid Blyton editions again so I can pass them on to my little boy and baby girl when they’re old enough to enjoy. I’ve got about 10 so far, but more would be lovely! And if they were my ones from childhood, even better!

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

Um, all of them? As you can probably tell, I love Christmas. But if I had to pick one it’d have to be carol singing on Christmas eve. I love a good sing song! Ooh but also, now I’ve got children I am totally getting back into the leaving a mince pie and a glass of something (red wine in our house) for Santa on the hearth!

You use vintage themes a lot in your novel; if you could spend Christmas in any era which would it be and where?

1950s New York. Can. You. Imagine…?!

Imagine you are settling down with a lovely Christmas read … what is your perfect Christmas reading setting/scenario?

Ok, picture the scene… It’s 7pm. My two little ones are in bed asleep and I’m in the lounge in front of a roaring fire. I’m already wearing my pajamas and I’m clutching a book in one hand (let’s see, maybe The Gift by Cecilia Ahern…) I have a large glass of cinnamon and spice infused mulled wine in the other, with a tin of newly opened Quality Street sat on my lap (with all my favourite purple and toffee ones all present and correct and ready for me to eat). Michael Buble is crooning Christmas songs softly in the background, my husband is preparing a roast dinner in the kitchen (I’m imagining it, ok?!) and my little dwarf lop eared bunny rabbit, Lulu is sitting on my feet. PERFECTION!

And finally … what can readers look forward to next from Ali Harris?

My second novel is going to be out in January 2013, I know it sounds a long way off but I promise it’ll be worth it! It’s called The First Last Kiss and it’s a sweeping love story about Molly and Ryan, a young couple who seem destined to be together until something unexpected tears them apart. The story follows the ups and downs of their relationship and switches between the past and the present day. Each chapter of the novel is a memory triggered by a kiss and the book examines if you can ever hold on to a love when you know it is slipping away from you. It’s a departure from Miracle on Regent Street in the sense that isn’t necessarily the follow-up novel that people may expect, but I hope they will love it all the same!

Thank you Ali!

You can find out more about Ali and Miracle on Regent Street at: http://www.aliharris.co.uk/ and at http://booksandthecity.co.uk/

Read my review of Miracle on Regent Street

Today I’m very excited to be interviewing the fabulous Lindsey Kelk, author of the ‘I Heart…’ series and The Single Girl’s To-Do List. Lindsey is originally from England but now lives in New York. Not only does she write excellent books but she also has a column for Marie Claire UK, a beauty blog (http://beautymecca.blogspot.com/) and edits children’s books! Today sees the publication of her fifth novel, I Heart Vegas so please join me in wishing Lindsey a very happy Publication Day!

Your latest novel, I Heart Vegas is set at Christmas but to have a book released at this time of year you must be writing/editing during the summer months; how do you get yourself in the festive spirit when writing out of season?

I love Christmas. Seriously. From January 6th when the tree comes comes down, I count down the days until I can put up my tree, so it wasn’t a hardship. I am constantly in the festive spirit. It’s harder to put yourself in a Vegas spirit when you’re not there, so obviously, I had to go.

What is your top tip for surviving the festive season?

Pace yourself. It’s always been a hectic time for me as my parents divorced when I was little so I’m used to spending a lot of the holiday period in a car. Now I’m in the US, it’s even more crazy, and if that wasn’t enough, I’m usually working on a book at this time. Try not to spread yourself too thin, make some time for yourself and prepare early. Online shopping helps, drink lots of water in between parties and remember, it’s a fun time of year!

What is or would be the best book-related Christmas gift that Santa could deliver to you?

I love the elves to have finished I Heart London for me. Last year I was so busy working on The Single Girl’s To-Do List, I literally took Christmas Day and Boxing Day off. I even stayed in and worked New Years Eve. I’d like that not to happen this year…

You live in New York; what’s your favourite thing about the city at Christmas?

Everything. Everyone is in such a good mood and we really take advantage of the city at this time of year – ice skating at Rockefeller, Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, all the store windows on Fifth Avenue… it makes me SO happy.

Which Christmas tune would be your choice for Karaoke?

Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses. I like to challenge myself.

Imagine you are settling down with a lovely Christmas read … what is your perfect Christmas reading setting/scenario?

This year it’ll be snuggled up on a plane, heading back to the UK, my head buried in all the books I’ve missed over the year – I’ve had The Tiger’s Wife to read, forever. I actually don’t get a lot of reading done at this time of year because I’m out and about so much.

Who is your favourite Christmas book character and why?

I used to work on Dr Seuss when I was in publishing so it’s got to be The Grinch. Love.

And finally … what can readers look forward to next from Lindsey Kelk?

If I ever get it finished, I Heart London! I’m also working away on my Marie Claire column which should tide you over between books and then… lots of exciting new projects on the horizon…

Thanks Lindsey – have a great Christmas!

You can find out more about Lindsey and her books on her website: http://lindseykelk.com/and at: http://www.iheartnewyork.co.uk/

Today I’d like you all to welcome Talli Roland to One More Page and help her to celebrate the official e-book launch of her latest novel Build a Man. Talli has three loves in her life: chick lit, coffee and wine! Talli’s debut novel, The Hating Game was an Amazon Top 100 bestseller and shortlisted for Best Romantic Read at the UK’s Festival of Romance, and her second, Watching Willow Watts was selected as a 2011 Amazon Customer Favourite. Welcome Talli!

In addition to your three novels, you also have a short story published in the Christmas anthology Madness Under the Mistletoe; please could you tell us a little about it?

I was inspired to write my short story ‘Miracle at the Museum of Broken Hearts’ after reading about Zagreb’s Museum of Broken Relationships in the Guardian. I thought it would make a fascinating setting! My story follows chief romantic Rose Delaney, who scores her dream job at the museum. She finds it a little depressing dealing with relics of failed relationships each day, but she’s determined not to let it break her ‘love conquers all’ spirit. After discovering the museum’s handsome curator is nursing a broken heart of his own, Rose steps in to fix it. Can Rose heal the rift in time for the holidays, or will this Christmas crush her fantasies forever?

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

If I’m in London, my husband and I always take a Christmas stroll along the South Bank, across the Millennium Bridge, and over to St Paul’s, stopping for mulled wine and roasted nuts along the way. If I’m visiting my relatives in Canada, Christmas afternoon is usually spent curled up with a new book in front of the fire. Bliss!

What is or would be the best book-related Christmas gift that Santa could deliver to you?

Oh, I would die for a Kindle Fire. But seeing as how they’re not in the UK yet, that’s probably not going to happen. Failing that, an Amazon gift certificate would be fantastic! My bank account and I would be very grateful.

What is your top tip for a happy Christmas/ for surviving the festive season?

Wine. When you’re feeling stressed, sit down and slurp a glass or three. In fact, that would be my top tip for any season! I’ll make that mulled wine for Christmastime.

Imagine you are settling down with a lovely Christmas read … what is your perfect Christmas reading setting/scenario?

I love reading in my parents’ house in Nova Scotia, in an old armchair right in front of the fire. Looking out onto the quiet street, with snowflakes drifting through the soft glow of the streetlight . . . it really couldn’t get better than that. Now I’m missing home!

Who is your favourite Christmas book/novel character and why?

Hmm, now this is a tough question. Can I cheat and pick a film character? I love Jamie, Colin Firth’s character in Love Actually. He gets kicked in the teeth when it comes to love, but he regroups on Christmas Eve and makes a spontaneous dash to propose to the real love of his life. I’m a giant sap, and that scene gets me in flood of tears every time.

What is your favourite Christmas song?

I love The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’. It captures Christmas perfectly and you can’t help jigging along to it.

And finally … what can readers look forward to next from Talli Roland?

Up next is Construct A Couple, the sequel to Build A Man. It will be released in Spring 2012, and I can’t wait!

Thank you Talli!

You can find out more about Talli and her novels on her blog at: http://talliroland.blogspot.com/

Talli is very generously providing TWO e-book copies of Build a Man for me to give away!

Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she’s a high-flying tabloid reporter. Unfortunately, every pitch she sends out disappears like her clients’ liposuctioned fat, never to be seen again. Then she meets Jeremy Ritchie — the hang-dog man determined to be Britain’s Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between — giving Serenity a story no editor could resist.

With London’s biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy’s progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success, even going undercover to gain intimate access to Jeremy’s life. But when Jeremy’s surgery goes drastically wrong and Serenity is ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, she must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.

To enter leave a comment in the box below telling me which celebrity would be your ‘perfect’ man (you can pick different bits of different celebrities if you really want to have fun with this and ‘Build  a Man’ )

I’ll draw two winners using random.org after the closing date.

This giveaway is open internationally. Entries will close at midnight on Friday 9th December. Good luck!

Day two of my Countdown to Christmas finds the lovely Carole Matthews visiting One More Page again. Carole’s Christmas novel this year is the excellent Wrapped up in You and she kindly volunteered to answer some Christmassy questions for me. Welcome Carole!

You have a fab Christmas novel Wrapped up in You out now but to have a book released in time for Christmas you must be writing/editing during the summer months; how do you get yourself in the festive spirit when writing out of season?

I work quite a long way ahead with my publisher Little, Brown and so I’m actually writing my Christmas novel from January to June for the following year. So, when I start, I’ve got a lot to draw on from the Christmas that’s just passed. Does that make sense? It confuses me sometimes!  But in January, I’ll be starting my book for  Christmas 2013. I don’t even like to think about that. I always keep a stash of Christmas recipe books and festive magazines to hand just in case I start to run out of festive cheer. The only downside is that I spend most of the year craving mince pies.

What is your top tip for surviving the festive season?

I buy everything pre-prepared from Marks & Spencer – even the carrots. No one should be peeling carrots on Christmas morning! It works out more expensive, but is totally stress-free. I love to cook and bake, but at Christmas there’s too much else to do. I always try to keep a glass of something chilled and fizzy to hand too, then I can float through it all on a mellow cloud.

What is or would be the best book-related Christmas gift that Santa could deliver to you?

I should like the entire collection of Philippa Gregory historical novels please, all signed by the author.

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

If there’s a nice frosty or snowy day over the holiday, we drive out to a local beauty spot,  Ivinghoe Beacon, and take mince pies, hot chocolate and a little tot of something to have up there. I love it most when the trees are white and sparkling.

Imagine you are settling down with a lovely Christmas read … what is your perfect Christmas reading setting/scenario?

This year we created a little snug/library at home. It’s my favourite place in the house now. It has a big, squashy sofa, all my to-be-read pile and a furry throw. Bliss.

What is your favourite Christmas party tune?

‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ sung by Judy Garland. I love it, but it does make me sob outloud.  On the hand, Christmas isn’t Christmas without a bit of Slade’s ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’.

Who is your favourite Christmas book/novel character and why?

I don’t think that you can beat Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol. It’s a timeless classic and I’m sure that Ebenezer Scrooge must undergo the biggest character transformation ever written! It’s said that Dickens completed the book in just six weeks. Wow.

And finally … what can readers look forward to next from Carole Matthews?

I’m now going to be writing one Christmas book and one summer book each year.  So my next novel is out in May 2012 and is called Summer Daydreams. It’s the story of a young mum who’s trying to make her way in the world of big business while trying to juggle a family and her relationship. I think it’s a book that a lot of women who go out to work will empathise with!

Thanks Carole – have a great Christmas!

You can find out more about Carole and her books on her website at: http://www.carolematthews.com/

Read my review of Wrapped up in You and find out more about how Carole researched the book.

Wrapped up in You is available in paperback and for Kindle (Links go to amazon.uk)