by: Jennifer Faye
Series: Turner Family of Bluestar Island
Genre: Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: November 3, 2023
Publisher: Lazy Dazy Press
Twelve days before Christmas, the forecast is calling for snow with a hundred percent chance of love as the owner of the Seaside Bookshop risks everything, including her heart.
Christmas returns to Bluestar Island in this heartwarming page-turner. While the small town’s holiday calendar is filled with festive events, the friendships of Bluestar’s residents are put to the test. Melinda Coleman, owner of the Seaside Bookshop, finds herself making a deal with the town curmudgeon that could cost her everything. While furniture maker Liam Turner is suddenly a full-time single father, he’s in over his head with an active three-year-old. It will take these two friends helping each other to keep their lives from imploding, and in the process, they find the most precious gift of all—love.
Includes a holiday recipe for Santa’s Mitten cookies!
Hi. *smiles and waves* Thanks so much for having me back. I hope things have been well with you. My life has changed in so many ways since I last visited, but one thing that has stayed consistent is my writing. And that’s why I’m so excited to be here and share my latest release. 😊
I love the blurb for your latest book, A Seaside Bookshop Christmas. Before we start talking about the book, can you please tell me about the series? I noticed that while this book is part of The Turner Family of Bluestar Island series, there’s another series called The Bell Family of Bluestar Island.
Technically the Bluestar Island series is one long series, but as a reader I can find long series a bit overwhelming, especially if I’m new to the world. And so I wanted a way to break down the series into bite-size chunks. I did this by splitting up the books by family. Each book is written as a standalone with its own couple and a HEA. The books are written in chronological order and as a reader progresses into the series, they will see recurring characters and get updates on their lives.
Bluestar Island series:
Book 1 – Love Blooms (Hannah & Ethan)
Book 2 – Harvest Dance (Aster & Sam)
Book 3 РA Lighthouse Caf̩ Christmas (Darla & Will)
Book 4 – Rising Star (Emma & Noah)
Book 5 – Summer by the Beach (Summer & Greg)
Book 6 – Brass Anchor Inn (Josie & Lane)
Book 7 – Summer Refresh (Sara & Kent)
Book 8 – A Seaside Bookshop Christmas (Melinda & Liam)
Book 9 – A Lighthouse Snapshot (Lainey & Jack)…coming soon!
Tell me about A Seaside Bookshop Christmas, and the characters of Melinda Coleman and Liam Turner.
Both Melinda and Liam have grown up on the small island. Melinda owns the Seaside Bookshop while Liam is a woodworker, who makes furniture for his family’s store. And though they’ve been acquaintances forever, it isn’t until recently that their lives directly intersected. They’ve formed a close friendship but the time was never right to see if they could have something more. Liam is the single father of an active three-year-old while Melinda is busy with the bookshop and fussing over her ailing father. These two are always on the go. But this magical Christmas all of that is about to change…
Let’s talk about tropes. What tropes are in A Seaside Bookshop Christmas, and do you have a favorite one?
Oh my, let’s see. You’re going to like this book if you enjoy:
- Holiday romance
- Single dad
- Friends to lovers
- A small-town kerfuffle
- Scrooge-like troublemaker
- Christmas festivities
- Family drama
- Friendship
This is easy. It’s definitely the ending…when they figure out just how important the other person is to them and what they’re willing to do/sacrifice in order to have that person in their life. This part practically wrote itself. And though I’d love to tell you more about it, I won’t ruin the book for you. 😉
Did you incorporate any of your family’s Christmas traditions into the story?
Not really. I mean in broad terms, yes. So much for not being unambiguous. Lol. I think a lot of the holiday activities in the book are rather universal but it’s how the characters react to those situations that make them unique. Bluestar’s Twelve Days of Christmas calendar is filled with the island’s traditions, including a sprig of mistletoe. I’m just saying…
Hmm. Sounds interesting. Jennifer, congratulations on your latest release. Thank you for answering some questions for me.
Thank you so much! 😊 I had a blast writing the book. Christmas romances are my absolute favorites to write. And with this book, I had an outline. It was a great roadmap, but midway through it, my characters revolted. They wanted to tell their own story, their own way. I must say at this point I was on a deadline and grew concerned that if they went off on a tangent that I wouldn’t have time to fix it. I’ll be honest, I had absolutely no idea where they were going with the storyline. It was a bit nerve wrecking and exciting all at the same time. Each evening when I stepped away from my computer, I’d want to rush back to write some more just to find out what was going to happen next. I love when this happens! And in the end, I think the characters pulled it off. The story ended up far better than my outline. I hope the readers will agree.
I love that!
Thanks again for having me back. I’ve really enjoyed our talk. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season filled with heartwarming reads!!!
Purchase A Seaside Bookshop Christmas from:
(Affiliate Links Used)
The Bluestar Island (Bell Family of Bluestar Island) Series:
The Bluestar Island (Turner Family of Bluestar Island) Series:
A Lighthouse Snapshot releases April 15, 2024
Places to find Jennifer Faye:
You can follow the A Seaside Bookshop Christmas Blog Tour here.
I think the blurb sounds really good. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the interview.
ReplyDeleteThe cover is so cozy & festive! It sounds like a great book for the holiday season.
ReplyDeletethis sounds very good!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting me and my book. I had a lot of fun doing the interview!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thank you so much for doing the interview with me. I am definitely adding this book to my reading list. I love your Christmas romances.
DeleteSounds like a great book! Cool cover!
ReplyDelete