1--What is the title of your latest release?
O Little Town of Bethlehem
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Everyone deserves a second chance at Christmas, even the infamous and unredeemable Madeline Drake.
But when a snowy accident topples her through a slip in time, Madeline wakes to find herself in tiny, turn of the century, Bethlehem, Wyoming. Her arrival sends a ripple of change through the tenaciously rooted lives of the town’s odd collection of lost souls, and now it is Madeline who must find a way to earn their trust if she has any hope of making her way home.
A cozy magical story of the power of finding kindred spirits in the most unlikely of places, this story is as if The Midnight Library and It’s a Wonderful Life twined together like a candy cane and landed in your stocking.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I didn’t decide, the story idea did. About 14 years ago—while stuck on a long car trip across Wyoming-- with the kids whining endlessly from the backseat (we’ve all been there)—a spark of an idea hit me and I spent the rest of the day daydreaming and spinning threads as the miles passed. Thus, Bethlehem, Wy was born.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonists in real life?
Definitely!! Madeline mixes a mean cocktail and loves to gossip. Ninny loves to bake, so there would be cake and tea involved. And Savannah, while she has a sharp tongue, knits. So we could just sit and let our needles click clack away the time.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonists?
Madeline: Reckless, Cynical, Untapped.
Ninny: Timid, Rule-bound, Secretly romantic (Come on, her cat is named Bingley)
Savannah: Lost, Grief-stricken, Stuck
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That sometimes a story takes time. O Little Town of Bethlehem had to wait until I had finished my romance novel obligations, and then it just took a lot of time to learn how to juggle three story lines and find all the layers to ensure this story wraps around the reader like a warm hug.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
A combination of the two. I tinker as I write, then will often go back and do a bunch of revisions and then repeat. Then I go through a couple of full revisions. I like to make sure every word is working.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Dungeness Crab. It is local here in the Pacific Northwest and so yum.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My office is wherever I can write. I have a home office, but I have an adult son with disabilities, so I write on the fly a lot. Right now I am writing from a public library while he is at his day program. I also adore curling up at the corner table in my kitchen and daydreaming with a notebook.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Lorraine Heath. She writes the most beautiful stories. Every. Single. Time. And she’s a lovely human being to boot.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery. A beautiful love story written by the author of Anne of Green Gables. I read it when I was about 15 and all I ever wanted to do after that was write stories that made people smile and filled their hearts with love.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My first book, Brazen Angel, sold through a contest. So there was no call, but rather the winner was announced at the RWA conference in Dallas in front of two thousand writers. There is a wonderful story as to how I got there—My Favorite Hero.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
All the genres. What I love is a well written story about characters you can care about. So it might be romance, fantasy, mystery, historical fiction or women’s fiction. Just tell me a story I can’t put down.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
I simply cannot adore more those first precious ten minutes of UP. So amazing. But if I am going to sit down and watch something for comfort—I watch The Eternals. I know it got panned, but I love seeing the history and the made family and all the disfunction and all the love.
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall. Always Fall.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
See the answer to No. 8 above. All I can eat surrounded by family.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I love sharing the books and shows I watch in my newsletter—Five Things for Friday. Recently I’ve shared—TV: The Gilded Age and Foundation. Books: The Book of Doors—twisty and unpredictable, and Movies: Mr. Malcolm’s List, which is older, but I watched it recently and was in tears at the end.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Give me a good steak, a perfect hamburger, some mac and cheese, and I am perfectly happy. So American, I guess. Of course, not all at once. LOL.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
My first response is: When I get some, I’ll let you know. But I do love knitting and reading. And I recently dove down the crochet rabbit hole. Granny Squares, anyone?
20--What can readers expect from you next?
The next Bethlehem book, WE THREE KINGS, and once you’ve read O Little Town of Bethlehem, you’ll know exactly who the story is about. I hope to have it out next fall.
With her beloved charm and wit, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Boyle brings to life a heartwarming story of empowerment, redemption, and the joy of finding friendship. Even during the holidays.
Madeline Drake is on the verge of stardom when an accident on a snowy Wyoming road sends her careening a century into the past.
Landing in the quaint town of Bethlehem, she discovers a place that operates by its own set of rules and the oddest gathering of lost souls ever collected. This quirky, small town, with its currency of wishes and second chances, has only one rule—you have until Christmas Eve to prove your worth before you can leave.
Having never been much for rules, Madeline begins an out-of-control campaign to get home immediately and regain her modern life. But to her dismay—and then utter amazement—her plans become entwined with that of the town's proper postmistress, Ninny Minch, and the even more scalding, Savannah Clarke, a widow hiding behind a wall of guilt and grief.
Now Madeline must assist these two unlikely women unravel the lies that have left them in knots for decades. Helping anyone other than herself doesn't come easily to Madeline, but as these fragile new bonds of friendship grow, she finds those threads of trust and acceptance, once woven, may be strong enough to unpack even the most closely guarded secrets.
Even a few of her own.
For fans of Debbie Macomber, Evie Woods and Barbara Davis, O Little Town of Bethlehem makes for an enchanting winter read on a cold, snowy night, as well as the perfect December book club pick.
Women's Fiction Time Slip | Holiday | Women's Fiction Friendship [Author Self-Published, On Sale: October 1, 2024, e-Book, ISBN: 9781733676533 / eISBN: 9781733676588]
A cozy Christmas read that celebrates female friendships
Elizabeth Boyle is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 25 novels, novellas and short stories, including Brazen Angel, Along Came a Duke, and The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane. Her writing has garnered the coveted RITA award, RT Historical Love and Laughter award, as well as the Reviewer’s Choice Award, and has been a finalist for the PNWA Nancy Pearl Book Award, as well the WWW Laura award.
O Little Town of Bethlehem is her debut women’s fiction novel, incorporating all the things she loves about this wide-open genre—a touch of history, a bit of magical realism, and digging into deep and resonating friendships and relationships.
When she isn’t writing, she’s baking, knitting, or gardening in her beloved rainy corner of the Pacific Northwest. Though she’s a homebody at heart, she never stops scouring maps looking for her next adventure.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy