1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE ROAD TO CHRISTMAS
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Three different adventures will make for one memorable family Christmas.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Since I wanted to write about a road trip, I had to come up with a destination. I picked Idaho because it’s a beautiful state and it’s not that far from Washington State, where I live, so I figured I could manage to plan a road trip there. Picking the starting locations for my various characters was a challenge. I wanted them coming from places I’m familiar with and I was working within a tight time frame, so they couldn’t live too far away from their destination. Soooo, my poor characters had no choice over where they would live. I am geographically challenged. Thank heaven for my husband, who helped make sure my timeline and holiday routes matched up.
4--Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Oh, yes. What’s the point of writing about people I wouldn’t want to be with, right? I must say my heroine Michelle had some important lessons to learn though. There was a lot of me in her. In the past, I tended to be a grudge holder. Michelle, like her creator (moi) needed to learn the importance of forgiveness. Audrey is another favorite character because she is all about fun. Me, too!
5--What are three words that describe your hero?
I have three in this story. So let’s start with Max: handsome, stubborn, loving. Then there’s his dad, Warren: stubborn (Hmmm, family trait?), determined, devoted. My final hero, Russ Livingston: hunky, kind, romantic. (Just what my heroine Audrey needs. After having her heart broken, let’s hope she can trust herself to take a chance on him!)
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That I hate rewrites!
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I follow my plan and push on through, then I come back and try to fix the whole mess.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Chocolate is my drug of choice.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I have a laptop, so my writing spaces vary. My favorite one is in the comfy armchair in my living room where I can look out at our lovely water view.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Only one? That is impossible. I have several, starting with my friend Debbie Macomber. She is a kind and generous woman and a smart businesswoman and has been a mentor to me for years. I also admire Brenda Novak. I don’t know how she does everything she does! And RaeAnne Thayne. She has a handicapped child, and I know what a challenge that can be. Despite those extra demands of motherhood, she continues to write her excellent novels. Jill Barnett and Susan Wiggs are two other talented and giving friends who have never let the hard things in life get them down. Their success is well-deserved. Nancy Naigle, one of my favorite Christmas authors, survived widowhood and continues to bring joy to so many readers through her books and her Hallmark movies. Okay, I have to stop now. I could go on and on. The romance-women’s fiction community is filled with women like these, who not only continue to create memorable characters and stories but who are incredibly supportive of each other.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
The Bible. I can’t think of another book more life changing.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
That was back when the Pterodactyls flew, but I still remember how excited I was. The first thrill was getting a call from an agent who wanted to represent the book. I was gushy and goofy and completely unprofessional, and after hanging up, cheered and danced around my kitchen like I’d just won the lottery. For a writer, finding an agent, and then a publisher amounts to the same thing.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Women’s fiction/romance. I do love a good adventure though and am a big fan of Lee Child and Donald E. Westlake.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Best movie ever made IMHO. I love the message behind it. No man is a failure who has friends.
15--What is your favorite season?
Summer. But Christmas is my favorite holiday, so I enjoy the whole Christmas in July thing.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I throw a “surprise” birthday party for myself, something I’ve been doing since I turned thirty (about a million years ago). I get all my friends to come hang out and play games and eat chocolate with me.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
THE CROWN. I find it fascinating.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Thai or Chinese.Yum!
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I am an extrovert, so free time means fun time. Tennis, line dancing, having friends over to watch a movie or play games. And then there’s reading. Everyone deserves a bedtime story.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m excited to see another installment of my Moonlight Harbor series scheduled for spring – MERMAID BEACH will follow the adventures of The Mermaids, a mother-daughter-granddaughter band. I had a great time researching this, returning to my favorite city, Nashville, and I hope readers will enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Michelle and Max are not planning on a happy holiday. Their marriage is in shambles and the D word has entered their vocabulary. But now their youngest daughter, Julia, wants everyone to come to her new house in Idaho for Christmas, and she’s got the guest room all ready for Mom and Dad. Oh, joy.
Their other daughters, Audrey and Shyla, are driving up from California and hoping to meet a sexy rancher for Audrey along the way. What they don’t plan on is getting stranded on a ranch when the car breaks down.
The ones with the shortest drive are Grandma and Grandpa—also known as Hazel and Warren. It’s still a bit of a trek, and Hazel doesn’t like the idea of driving all that way in snow, but Warren knows they’ll have no problem. They have a reliable car—and snow tires and chains if they need them. They’ll be fine.
Surprises lie in store for all three sets of intrepid travelers as they set out on three very different adventures, all leading to one memorable family Christmas.
Holiday | Romance Holiday | Women's Fiction Contemporary [MIRA, On Sale: September 20, 2022, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780778386568 / eISBN: 9780369720849]
A simple road trip turns into something very special
Read Sheila for a Good Time
Sheila Roberts lives in a small waterfront city in the Pacific Northwest. She's happily married and has three children. She’s been writing since 1989, but she did lots of things before settling in to her writing career, including owning a singing telegram company and playing in a band. Her band days are over, but she still enjoys writing songs. Sheila's books are best sellers and often appear as Reader's Digest Condensed Books and book club selections. Her novels ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS and THE NINE LIVES OF CHRISTMAS were featured as Lifetime and Hallmark movies and she has her fingers crossed as she has more film interest in some of her newer books. When she’s not speaking to women’s groups or at conferences or hanging out with her girlfriends she can be found writing about those things near and dear to a woman's heart: family, friends, and chocolate.
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