by: Ginny Baird
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Amazon | Paperback | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Books | Goodreads
He doesn't remember his past, but could she have a future with him?
Angie Lopez, a widowed mom, works hard at Singleton's Jewelers. Sam Singleton, her often-irritating boss, hardly does anything besides work. He doesn't spend time with friends and family, even around the holidays. That's why Angie's the one who winds up taking care of him when a head injury leaves him with amnesia.
As Sam attempts to remember who he is, he learns about the luxurious but empty life he leads...and he's not impressed. Meanwhile, Angie sees a new side of him as he shares Christmas traditions with her, her son Pepe, and her extended family. Angie shares touching, emotional moments with Sam. But if he gets his memories back, what will happen to her heart?
This heartwarming holiday romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Arroz Con Pollo (Chicken With Rice.)
I’m doing great, Kim! Thanks so much for having me back on your blog. I feel like this is getting to be a holiday tradition between us.
I’m completely on board with that!! Congratulations on the release of An Unforgettable Christmas, published through Hallmark Publishing. What can you tell me about the book?
Thank you. I’m very excited about this story because it’s special on many levels. First, it’s a love story between Angie and Sam, who work together in a jewelry store. Sam, who owns the shop, is a solid, hardworking guy but also kind of a loner. After he has an accident and develops short-term amnesia, his accountant Angie winds up taking care of him.
She’s from a Hispanic background, like I am, and lives in a multigenerational household. When Sam goes to stay with them to recover, he’s accepted by Angie’s warm and loving family, and learns about their Puerto Rican traditions. He also starts to discover more about himself, and the kind of man he used to be. The real “Sam” has been buried beneath the surface for a long time, so it’s fun to see him tap into that, with Angie’s help, along with the help of her family.
All in all, it’s a very sweet story about finding yourself in the midst of challenging circumstances, and truly a book of my heart.
Tell me about Angie Lopez and Sam Singleton, and what it is you love about them.
I love Angie’s can-do attitude and her optimism, even in difficult times. She’s a caring and dependable single mom, and a great role model in her family.
Regarding, Sam, I love all the things we learn about him, that he initially doesn’t understand about himself—on a conscious level. Like that he’s a closet romantic in developing his unique engagement ring line, and all those heartfelt commercials. As he’s recovering, Angie seems to bring more of this out of him, and we can see it especially in the very romantic evening he plans when he cooks dinner for her back at his place.
I thought Pepe, Angie’s son stole every scene he was in. Can you please tell readers more about him?
Aww, Pepe is so cute! I love this adorable little guy, and I think readers will connect with him too, for his sunny outlook on life. Pepe possesses that childlike faith about good things happening in the world, when you wish really, really hard for them. I think all of us want to feel that way once in a while. It’s like the hopefulness you experienced as a kid, once all the stockings were hung by the fire, and you were waiting for Santa.
Can you tell me about one of your favorite scenes from the book and why it ranks as a favorite?
One of my favorite scenes is actually a comedic one. It’s where Angie’s secretly trying on her favorite engagement ring at work, and—embarrassingly—Sam nearly catches her at it. This makes her want to die of humiliation, because she’s starting to crush on him, but he doesn’t know it. The scene is a favorite of mine, because it makes Angie so relatable. I mean, who really wants to tip their hand when they’re starting to fall hard for someone, but they’re not sure if the other person feels the same?
You’ve said before that the HEA is your favorite part of a romance to write, and that it always makes you cry. There were several scenes in An Unforgettable Christmas which made me cry or at least brought tears to my eyes. How do you handle writing those scenes?
With a very big box of tissues.
Okay, just kidding. Maybe two boxes of tissues.
Honestly, though, these sweet ending scenes often do make me cry because I’m feeling what the characters are feeling in my heart, and it makes everything so tender and raw—yet amazing and wonderful too, when things all work out.
Often, when I get to a scene like this I have to leave my computer and walk around the house, just to shake it off. My husband still always asks me what’s wrong, and when I whine, “It’s just so beautiful…” he gives me this look, and says, “Oh yeah. You’re writing.” Lol.
I’m sure all of your books are special to you. But I have a feeling that An Unforgettable Christmas is more special than the others. Can you tell me why?
This book is extra special, that’s true! Mostly, because I put so much of myself, my heritage and my family into the book. My late mother was Puerto Rican, and she was a very big influence over the story and on the character of “Lita” (the grandmother) in particular.
What’s your favorite way to spend Christmas?
Just hanging around at home and the fire with all the kids and their significant others, playing family games, swapping stories and laughing together. There’s always a big Christmas dinner, and my husband and I usually like to attend church on Christmas Eve for a moment of quiet reflection and thanks before the family arrives and the fun craziness begins.
Ginny, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for me.
Kim, thank you for so kindly asking such great questions. I really loved chatting with you today, and hope we can do it again next Christmas!
Are you kidding?!?! I would LOVE that!!!
Angie plucked the ring from its satiny resting spot and slid it easily past her first knuckle. The ring caught a bit at the center of her finger, but she was able to shove it on. There.
She extended her fingers, admiring the gorgeous ring as its gems glimmered in the shop’s light. Cheery Christmas music played in the background, and Angie felt herself getting swept away—into Sam’s arms and under the spell of his kiss. She sighed heavily, and the front door chime tinkled. Her head jerked up, and Angie’s heart thundered. Sam.
“Well, hey…there?”
Angie lowered her hand behind the counter and fiddled with the ring, trying to get it off. “Oh…er…hey!”
Sam’s eyebrows knitted together. “What are you doing?”
“Just…um…” She twisted the ring and tugged harder. Gosh, no. It’s stuck!
Sam strode her way, and perspiration swept Angie’s hairline.
“No! Stop!”
Sam halted abruptly. “What? Why?”
“It’s, er…the carpet!”
“The carpet?”
“I…I mean, she dropped a contact!”
“Who?” Sam whipped his head around in surprise, seeing no one else in the store. “Angie.” His forehead rose. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“The…the woman who was in here earlier.”
“Claire?”
“Yes! That’s the one.” Angie’s pulse pounded in her ears and her cheeks burned with the fire of deceit. “She…she called to say…” Angie drew in a deep breath, mildly queasy. Her middle knuckle was starting to swell and the ring pinched tighter. The more she wrestled with it, the worse things got. “To say that she’d lost a contact, and she thought it happened in the store.”
“That’s weird.” Sam scratched his head and studied the jewelry tray in front of her. She quickly reached up and splayed out her right hand over the vacant spot where the ring on her finger belonged. “What’s that tray doing out?”
“I…er…thought maybe the contact had fallen out in here.”
“In there?”
Angie’s voice came out a squeak. “Just checking.”
Sam took another step in her direction.
“Watch your step!” Angie warned frantically.
“Oh, right. Right. Of course.” Sam removed his hat wearing a concerned expression and set it down by the register. Next he unbuttoned his coat and got down on his knees.
“Uh, Sam?” Angie asked as he ran his hands over the carpet. “What are you doing?”
He looked up. “Helping you search. Of course.”
“Of course.” Angie’s heart hammered as she sidestepped her way toward the back of the store.
Sam shot her a stare from where he perched on all fours. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“Just...to the bathroom,” Angie spouted lamely, concealing her left hand behind her back.
Then, she dashed through the break room and into the small restroom where she scrubbed her hands with soapy water until she was able to slide the stubborn ring off her aching finger…
She extended her fingers, admiring the gorgeous ring as its gems glimmered in the shop’s light. Cheery Christmas music played in the background, and Angie felt herself getting swept away—into Sam’s arms and under the spell of his kiss. She sighed heavily, and the front door chime tinkled. Her head jerked up, and Angie’s heart thundered. Sam.
“Well, hey…there?”
Angie lowered her hand behind the counter and fiddled with the ring, trying to get it off. “Oh…er…hey!”
Sam’s eyebrows knitted together. “What are you doing?”
“Just…um…” She twisted the ring and tugged harder. Gosh, no. It’s stuck!
Sam strode her way, and perspiration swept Angie’s hairline.
“No! Stop!”
Sam halted abruptly. “What? Why?”
“It’s, er…the carpet!”
“The carpet?”
“I…I mean, she dropped a contact!”
“Who?” Sam whipped his head around in surprise, seeing no one else in the store. “Angie.” His forehead rose. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“The…the woman who was in here earlier.”
“Claire?”
“Yes! That’s the one.” Angie’s pulse pounded in her ears and her cheeks burned with the fire of deceit. “She…she called to say…” Angie drew in a deep breath, mildly queasy. Her middle knuckle was starting to swell and the ring pinched tighter. The more she wrestled with it, the worse things got. “To say that she’d lost a contact, and she thought it happened in the store.”
“That’s weird.” Sam scratched his head and studied the jewelry tray in front of her. She quickly reached up and splayed out her right hand over the vacant spot where the ring on her finger belonged. “What’s that tray doing out?”
“I…er…thought maybe the contact had fallen out in here.”
“In there?”
Angie’s voice came out a squeak. “Just checking.”
Sam took another step in her direction.
“Watch your step!” Angie warned frantically.
“Oh, right. Right. Of course.” Sam removed his hat wearing a concerned expression and set it down by the register. Next he unbuttoned his coat and got down on his knees.
“Uh, Sam?” Angie asked as he ran his hands over the carpet. “What are you doing?”
He looked up. “Helping you search. Of course.”
“Of course.” Angie’s heart hammered as she sidestepped her way toward the back of the store.
Sam shot her a stare from where he perched on all fours. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“Just...to the bathroom,” Angie spouted lamely, concealing her left hand behind her back.
Then, she dashed through the break room and into the small restroom where she scrubbed her hands with soapy water until she was able to slide the stubborn ring off her aching finger…
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She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a Top 10 Best Seller on Kindle, NOOK and iBooks, and a #1 Best Seller in several Romance and Women's Fiction categories. When she's not writing, Ginny enjoys cooking, biking and spending time with her family in Virginia. Ginny loves hearing from her readers! She invites you to visit her website and connect with her on social media.
Places to find Ginny Baird:
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Great interview and the book sounds like a good holiday read. Here's another question: How much time do you spend reading during the winter break?
ReplyDeleteNew author for me sounds good!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! My aunt told me she always made prime rib on Christmas Eve, so I started to as well. I never really thought about the investment that would be over the years, but it is a loving thing I like to do for my family and everyone looks forward to it and enjoys it!
ReplyDeleteI am making lasagna to take to my parent's house for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteHoney glazed ham! It's not christmas without a big ball of pork that looks like pinhead.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy making brown sugar/honey ham. I made it in the instant pot this year and it turned out really good!
ReplyDeleteMy crew loves cheese tater soup for the holidays! Thank you
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love turkey and dressing. Thankyou
ReplyDeleteI love making my favorite Jambalaya.
ReplyDeleteI love all of these answers! The winner has been selected and an email has been sent to them. Thank you all for entering.
ReplyDelete