Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I am welcoming another #newtomeauthor to Jorie Loves A Story, this festive holiday season! As you might have already concluded, #ChristmasReads are part of my traditions during the Winter holiday season! This year, in particular, I’ve been blessed by some wicked sweet opportunities to interview &/or spotlight authors who have new stories set round Christmas which have tickled a fancy for me to be #amreading!
I have been having a delightful time showcasing these stories and authors – hoping through my own pursuit of seeking out more holiday romances to collect and gather – perhaps, I too, have encouraged your own search if your seeking the same? What I love most about reading these kinds of stories during this time of the year is how wonderfully uplifting and hopeful they are to consume! You generally know going in – most of the stories are going to have an upturn in their conclusions – even if some of the road to get to the ending chapters is quite difficult or dramatic, most Christmas stories I find have a lovely resolution at the end of them! This is why I truly love reading them!
One story I highlighted this year stepped out of the traditional stories I earmark to read set at Christmas as it’s a Christmas Romantic Suspense (see also Cover Reveal w/ Notes) however, the rest of the stories I’ve been highlighting have mostly been UK novelists with a few Harlequin authors thrown in for good measure to round out the American side of the ledger! I truly appreciate having the chance to have these conversations as it brings the season full circle.
IF you like this interview, kindly know this is part of my series of focus on Christmas Romances + Holiday Romances this year on #JLASblog! You’ll happily find reviews, guest author features (ie. interviews & guest posts) as well as a Spotlight w/ Extract and Notes & a Cover Reveal w/ Notes part of my celebrations of the holiday season. I’ll be reading more Christmas Romances as we move towards Christmas week – whilst continuing my readings in Non-Fiction and Science Fiction respectively. There is a lot to make you smile right now on Jorie Loves A Story! Especially as it’s the first year where I could coordinate to focus on why I love reading these kinds of stories during one of my most favourite Seasons of the year!
Running out on her wedding was the best decision ever!
A cheating fiancé sends Camden Harris fleeing to her grandparents’ home in Missouri. When her ex follows, determined to win her back, Camden makes a deal with neighbor Levi Walters: they’ll pretend to be in love and she’ll support his plan to buy her grandparents’ land.
The boy from her childhood has grown up into an impressive man. His charm, good looks and sweet gestures make it difficult for Camden to remember this is fake. And Levi’s kisses only confuse her more.
Converse via: #ChristmasRomance + #HolidayRomance & #Contemporary
Published by: Harlequin Super Romance | imprint of Harlequin
There are three previous novels linked within the Slippery Rock series which are as follows:
‘Christmas in a Small Town’ appears to be the fourth novel in a series – how did you first conceive of the idea for the Slippery Rock series? What inspired you to create a series set around a small towne atmosphere?
Knight responds: I grew up in a small lake town in Missouri, and I’ve wanted to set a series in a similar place for a while. I had this idea about five football players, who were high school standouts, but for reasons of their own decided to come home. And the series took off from there. Christmas in a Small Town is the fourth full-length book, but it can stand alone.
Now, that’s an interesting thread of interest to start-off a series! Having the footballers return to towne after college & careers – I can appreciate why you wanted to highlight your life in Missouri. Small Towne Fiction is one of my favourites to read because I love small townes. The close-knit communities & the laid-back pace of living is what attracts me the most.
I’m sure for some this works just fine, however, I’ve never found a series I’ve not wanted to read start to finish – as you get to pick up on so many different things as you move through a series. On the oft-chance I cannot read a series in full, I strive to seek out the first novel which sets the whole stage and/or the very last story prior to the current release. Sometimes I mix it up a bit and read the first novel, the last published & the currently released. In essence, I’m a serial fiction lover! All the Harlequin series I am highlighting this Winter Season I’ll be seeking out in the New Year – especially through my local library & ILL (inter-library loan) services due to how popular Harlequin titles & authors are to my region’s patrons. I’ve spoken about my own love of Harlequin on previous showcases, too.
What can readers appreciate about the continuity of Slippery Rock? Aside from the setting staying the same throughout the quartet of stories, are there certain characters (minor or major) who make reappearances of whom readers will look forward to seeing again? If not, what do you feel interconnects the stories together!?
Knight responds: There are a few townspeople who appear throughout the story – Bud at the sandwich shop, Thom Hall, the town mayor, Sheriff Calhoun (James’ father), Juanita and Merle at the Slippery Slope. Also, all of the couples from the series appear in all of the books, which was really fun to write because I didn’t have to say goodbye to anyone!
Ooh! There is harmony & continuity throughout Slippery Rock! Sometimes series are loosely connected together – either through theme, setting or focus – it is lovely to find this one has a connection through the characters both major and minor taking their cues & re-appearing! This reminds of me of why I loved reading Sherryl Wood’s series Sweet Magnolias!
As the fourth story is set during Christmas, how did you feel this ‘last story’ was the best way to give the series a proper send-off? Was there something about the holiday season which you felt played into the overall themes of the narratives to where readers would feel the series satisfied their curiosities?
Knight responds: I love Christmas, so that’s first. In addition, I kind of envisioned this series as taking place over six or seven months. In the first book, the town is devastated by a tornado, and by Christmas, most of the rebuilding is over…and that felt like a good way to send off the story – Christmas marks the end of the year and the beginning of a new year, and I liked that imagery.
Ooh goodness – I can see why your towne needed a re-birth of it’s own – of coming back from tragedy and renew the spirits of the townespeople at the same time! I hadn’t known there was a tornado but given how frequent they occur it’s a realistic way to open the series! I shudder just thinking about tornadoes! Although, this year, (and a few of the recent past) wildfires are an equally fearsome disaster! I think making this a quartet was the best way round – to give everyone a proper sense of distance from what was lost to what is renewed. Marking their journey to end at the holidays is quite fitting! I look forward to taking the journey with them!
You’ve created quite an interesting life for Camden – being scorned in love and then, having another charm her as she’s returnt home – what surprised you the most about Camden’s character for finding strength to face her adversities in romance?
Knight responds: Her strength, in general, surprised me. She allowed herself to be dictated to for most of her life, and so when I started writing her, I thought she would need more reassurances that she was doing the right things. But once she was out of that situation – her domineering mother, specifically – she really stood on her own. She was really fun to write!
I can see how much joy she gave you to write about – domineering Mum’s I think are the worst to overcome because of the guilt and/or the sense of how best to seek your own independence outside their shadow.
What do you think makes Slippery Rock the kind of towne where you can settle into a supportive community and find the courage to start a new chapter of your life? How did you make this towne a cosy comfort spot for your characters to thrive?
Knight responds: I just looked back on my childhood. Small towns aren’t idyllic places, no place is. But throughout my life, I saw people in my small town pulling together, especially in the hard times. Putting that on the page was a lot of fun.
Perhaps not but the smaller the towne the more chance you have at meeting people who take care of each other and are supportive of the community in general. The larger the city, too often your lost in the crowd. I look forward to seeing how your memories and your fiction towne merged together to create Slippery Rock.
Are you planning to write more stories set around Christmas? And, if so, what is a theme or story arc you’d like to approach next if you do?
Knight responds: I would love to write more Christmas stories! I love the Christmas season, as my family can attest even as they’re rolling their eyes. We decorate the week before Thanksgiving, I listen to Christmas music year-round, and I binge on holiday movies every chance I get…so I’ll definitely be writing more Christmas books!
OOh this is wonderful news! We would put up the tree Thanksgiving weekend, itch to start hearing the Christmas marathon of music on the radio & of course, over the past decade or two, as Hallmark Channel & Lifetime became the stations to watch for recycling old favourites and giving us new ones to love – the holiday movies & Christmas Romances were part of our traditon too! Blessedly, some new traditions emerge too – such as finding some of these newer classics on dvd or finding music to stream via Pandora. A new favourite this year is the Pandora Country Christmas station – so I definitely understand your Christmassy passion!! I share it!
As the holidays are on fast approach – what are your favourite memories of the Christmas season?
Knight responds: Decorating our tree when I was little, walking in awe down the toy aisle, wondering what was in all those brightly wrapped packages, and smelling cinnamon and peppermint everywhere.
The baking smells were the best, weren’t they? My grandfather baked up a storm every Christmas – from bookies to bread to cake. He brought a lot of his Swedish traditions into the family and it was a delight to see him get excited about the things he was baking. I love to bake myself and hope one day to apprentice at a bakery to hone my skills – however, like you, trimming the tree was a personal favourite as well – as the ornaments have ‘stories’ attached to them and although I loved receiving the gifts I was given, I loved watching my family open theirs even more! It brought the festive magic of the season of love and goodwill into centre focus. I hope your holiday is filled with more traditions & happy memories this year!
About Kristina Knight
Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with local police--no, she wasn't a troublemaker, she was a journalist. Her career took her all over the United States, writing about everything from a serial killer's capture to the National Finals Rodeo. Along the way, she found her very own Knight in Shining Cowboy Boots and an abiding love for romance novels. And just like the characters from her favorite books, she's living her own happily ever after.
Kristina writes sassy contemporary romance novels; her books have appeared on Kindle Best Seller Lists. She loves hearing from readers, so drop her a line!
This blog tour is courtesy of: Prism Book Tours
Click through via the badge to find out what else awaits you!
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Christmas in a Small Town”, “Famous in a Small Town”, “Rebel in a Small Town” & “Breakup in a Small Town”, book synopsises, author biography, author photograph of Kristina Knight and the Prism Book Tours badge were all provided by Prism Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2017.
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.@AuthorKristina | #Interview on #JLASblog
Read my latest convo in my #ChristmasRomance series of spotlights this holiday season 🎅 feat. @HarlequinBooks via their #HarlequinSuperRomance 😄
Happily feat. #ChristmasReads + #HolidayRomance this year!
🎄https://t.co/0AJSvX6L8N🎄 pic.twitter.com/KOEjjsWoyP— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) December 12, 2017
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