Anita Hughes is decking the halls...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to have Anita Hughes back at CLC today. Even though we haven't bought our Halloween candy yet, she's here to get us in the mood for the winter holiday season with her latest novel, Christmas in Vermont. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have one copy to give away!

Anita Hughes is also the author of Christmas at the Chalet, Christmas in London, Christmas in Paris, Emerald Coast, White Sand, Blue Sea, Santorini Sunsets, Island in the Sea, Rome in Love, French Coast, Lake Como, Market Street, and Monarch Beach. She attended UC Berkeley’s Masters in Creative Writing Program, and lives in Dana Point, California, where she is at work on her next novel. She has her first historical fiction novel, The Light After the War, publishing in February 2020 under the name Anita Abriel.

Visit Anita online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
Emma can’t believe her luck when she finds an open pawn shop on Christmas Eve in Manhattan. She’s there to sell the beautiful bracelet her ex-boyfriend gave her when a familiar looking watch catches her eye. It’s the same engraved watch she gave her college boyfriend, Fletcher, years ago. On a whim, she trades for the watch and wonders at the timing.

Practical Emma thinks it’s just a coincidence, but her best friend Bronwyn believes it’s the magic of synchronicity that caused Emma to find the watch. Fletcher was the one that got away, and somehow Emma never quite moved on.

When Bronwyn finds out that Fletcher is in snowy Vermont at a romantic inn for the week, she can’t help but give synchronicity a push. She signs Emma up to help the inn keeper as the children’s activity coordinator. Emma agrees that a week filled with quaint shops and maple syrup would do her good… and maybe Fate really does have a Christmas gift in store for her. That is until she sees Fletcher with his daughter and fiancée.

Suddenly, the fairy tale trip seems doomed to fail… much like the innkeeper’s dwindling cash flow. It will take a miracle to save her heart and the inn. And that just might be what Fate has in mind.

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
One of my favorite compliments is that my books make you feel like you are right there on location with the characters. I often hear that readers want to book a trip to Rome or Paris because they felt transported when they were reading. Which is exactly how I feel when I am writing.

What inspired you to set this novel in Vermont?
I spent a month in Vermont when I was in college and I loved everything about it: the covered bridges and the incredible skiing and the quaint villages. I have always wanted to go back. Plus I think it is the perfect place to spend Christmas.

If Christmas in Vermont were made into a movie, who would play the leading roles?
CHRISTMAS IN VERMONT is a movie! It premieres on the Lifetime Channel on October 27th at 8 pm EST. The movie has a new title: NO TIME FOR CHRISTMAS. I haven't seen it myself so I'm excited for it to air.

What is your favorite Christmas song?
My favorite Christmas song is "G-d Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."

What is your favorite Christmas dessert?
Pumpkin pie with whipped cream!

Tell us about one of your Christmas traditions.
My children love their Christmas stockings. I always stuff them with useful items: scotch tape, socks, a hairbrush. They pretend to be disappointed but those things come in handy and they love them!

Thanks to Anita for chatting with us and to St. Martin's Press for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway ends October 22nd at midnight EST.