This week’s Jen’s Jewels spotlight is shining on HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE MELTDOWN by USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author Sheila Roberts. If you’re looking for a pre-holiday escape filled with family, love, and a little bit of intrigue, you’ve found it! Read on.
LIGHTNING ROUND
What’s your favorite way to spend an autumn afternoon?
Playing games with girlfriends. But if the weather is bad, a book by the fire.
What’s your go-to fall drink, snack, or sweet treat while writing?
Chocolate, Dove Dark. And now that we are into cozy season, a fav drink is a London Fog (Earl Grey tea, vanilla syrup, and some frothed milk).
If your main character could plan the perfect early autumn getaway, where would they go?
To Leavenworth, WA, which is nestled in the Cascade Mountains. (This charming Bavarian tourist town inspired my Icicle Falls series.) A great way to catch the fall colors! Once she gets there, she can enjoy a good Schnitzel!
What simple ritual helps you settle into a productive writing day?
Morning Bible study and my fabulous home-crafted caramel latte
THE FALL INSPIRATION
What was the very first spark that inspired this story?
The very first spark is always “What If?” For this book, “what if” centered around a woman coming home for the holidays. “What if she’s done something she wishes she hadn’t, and now she has to face her family? Who are not going to be happy with her!” What would that something be? “Well, how about writing a crazy holiday story featuring that over-the-top family?” Uh-oh. She’d better be careful who she accepts Christmas cookies from.
Did any character unexpectedly take the story in a direction you hadn’t planned?
Haha. They wouldn’t dare. I am definitely a planner when it comes to a story, and I usually have a clear idea of where it's going and what each character is going to do. That doesn’t mean I don’t get suddenly inspired as I’m planning and plotting. One of my favorite scenes involves a certain porch pirate trying to get ahold of the tell-all she’s written before her sister can pick that Amazon delivery off her porch. I love the tattling turkey!
Your setting feels like a character in its own right. What inspired you to choose it, and how does it shape the story?
I love small towns and tight communities. And dolling one up for Christmas always makes a holiday tale fun for me. It also sets the stage for my characters to walk on and start their shenanigans. All those small-town trimmings make it easier for me to step into the story — rather like C. S. Lewis’s characters going through the wardrobe and coming out in Narnia.
As the seasons change, many of us reflect on the past. Did any personal memories, traditions, or meaningful places influence this book?
I have a scene where the Frost women gather for a day of baking. That brings back such happy memories of myself as a little girl helping my mom decorate Christmas cookies. Our kitchen was always a place of love and laughter, the domain of the women — my mom, my grandma who lived with us, and me. When I was really little, Mom would tie a too-big apron on me and let me roll out leftover bits of pie dough. Kitchen camaraderie was an important thing. It was important to spend time there with my daughter, too, and now with my granddaughter. And playing games together? Oh, yes. There is such a thing as dark tag, like what you’ll read about in the book, and we would play it for hours. And the Christmas Eve service? Those often appear in my holiday novels, probably because that special time of reflection has always been a central part of my holiday celebration, right along with gathering with family.
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
Fall is the perfect season to curl up with a great book. What’s currently at the top of your TBR pile?
AUSTENLAND. Soon it will be followed by CHRISTMAS IN AUSTENLAND.
Every novel has its challenges. Was there a moment while writing this one that reminded you why you love storytelling?
There is usually more than one moment. When I write something I think is clever or funny, I can often be heard saying, “Darn, I’m good.” I had a few of those moments while writing this book. How conceited does that sound?! But let me confess that those moments are quickly balanced by the ones where I’m sure I’ve messed something up somewhere and didn’t catch it. (That's been known to happen!) It usually requires a deep breath to attach that manuscript to an email to my editor and hit Send.
If readers could step into one scene from your book for a day, which would you choose and why?
I have a big movie moment scene toward the end of the book which I wrote straight from the heart. This time of year is joyful, but it can also hold sadness and squabbles. If I could, I’d bring that scene to life and plop anyone who’s struggling or feeling unloved right into it, hoping they would find healing and encouragement.
LOOKING AHEAD
Can you give readers a sneak peek at what you’re working on next—without giving away any spoilers?
Right now “Next” doesn’t have a home yet. I’m hoping it will find one as this book is my Theo of Golden. Fingers crossed!
Where can readers connect with you and stay up to date on your latest books? Please share your website, newsletter, and social media links.
I do hope readers will visit my website, and sign up for my monthly newsletter, Super You, which always has helpful tips, a recipe of the month, and, of course, news of what I’m up to. I have an author page on Facebook, and I’m on Instagram as Sheila Roberts Writer and on TikTok (Fun with Sheila). Come hang out with me!
BONUS: The Author’s Playlist
Share 3–5 songs that capture the mood of your book or inspired you while writing.
If you want to feel the feels of zany holiday fun and Christmas joy while reading HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE MELTDOWN, listen to: "Joy to the World," "Santa Baby," "The Twelve Pains of Christmas," "Blue Christmas," and "Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree."
Narrator: Tanya Eby
A Home for the Holidays Christmas Romance Novel
USA TODAY and PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY bestselling author Sheila Roberts is back with another crowd‑pleasing and heartwarming holiday romance full of family, love, and a little bit of intrigue, as a debut novelist tries to keep her author identity secret from the family members who inspired her offbeat characters.
Jordan Frost had to do it. Her family was simply too perfectly eccentric not to put in a novel. She was thrilled when she got an agent and then a publishing deal. For two books. Two! Then reality set in. The book about an oddball family's holiday adventures is coming out in November. Just in time for her trip home to Holly Bay, Washington, from the big city. Jordan is desperately hoping she can keep her pseudonym a secret so she can stay in her family's good graces. She wrote the book under a pen name and when it was time for an author picture, she wore a wig and glasses. No one will know it was her, right?
Wrong. Charles Pine, her high school friend who always hoped for more, recognizes the woman he's never gotten over as soon as he unpacks her Christmas novel to shelve at the bookstore he owns. He knows this is the perfect opportunity to get Jordan to see him in a new light and he makes sure to run into her when she arrives home. She never thought of him as anything more than a shoulder to cry on back then, but he's determined to make her see him as boyfriend material. Can he be her hero and help her get through the holiday season with her secret intact? Or at least save her from a holiday meltdown?
When a series of minor family emergencies threatens to add even more chaos to Jordan's already hectic life, Charles is right there to help her find the true meaning of the holiday. Maybe coming home wasn't a bad idea after all...
Romance Holiday [ MIRA, On Sale: October 13, 2026, Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780778305941 / eISBN: 9780369775856 ]
Read Sheila for a Good Time
USA Today and Publisher's Weekly best-selling author Sheila Roberts has written over sixty books under different names, ranging from devotional, self-improvement and memoir to fiction. Her novels have been turned into movies for the Lifetime, Hallmark and Great American Family channels. Her 2024 Christmas novel, The Merry Matchmaker, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Sheila is happily married and lives in the Pacific Northwest.
Jennifer Vido is the award-winning author of the Gull Island series, a collection of sweet Lowcountry romances inspired by her love of coastal living and small-town charm. Her debut novel, Serendipity by the Sea, won Best First Book from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest. Jennifer has been named Baltimore Magazine’s Best Local Author for three consecutive years (2024–2026) and was named The Baltimore Sun’s Best Author in its 2026 Best of Readers’ Choice Awards. When she’s not writing romance, Jennifer shares her love of books through her weekly Jen’s Jewels column, where she spotlights exciting new releases and talented authors.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2026