Waking up with Rachel Greenlaw...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Mark Underwood

Today we are pleased to welcome Rachel Greenlaw and celebrate the publication of her debut novel, One Christmas Morning. Melissa always loves a surreal story, so this is right up her alley and she hopes to read it soon. Thanks to William Morrow, we have TWO copies to give away!

Rachel Greenlaw grew up in North Cornwall, surrounded by wild moorland. She studied English with Creative Writing at Falmouth University before moving to an island in the middle of the Atlantic, where she lives with her husband and two children. One Christmas Morning is her first novel.

Visit Rachel online:

Website * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
For fans of The Midnight Library and One Day in December who love a dash of Dickensian magic, One Christmas Morning is a heartwarming debut novel about a woman’s self-discovery, the strength found in friendship, and the promise of second chances.
Eva has spent the past three years burying herself in her work, trying to forget the heartbreaking events of the Christmas that ripped her world apart. This year, the last thing she wants is to attend her friend’s weekend-long Christmas party. But at her husband James’ insistence, here they are.

When Eva—overwhelmed by bittersweet memories—tries to sneak back to London in the middle of the night, she is visited by the ghost of her beloved grandmother. Gran tells Eva that if she doesn’t face her fears head-on and stop shutting out her loved ones, she risks losing them all forever.

When Eva wakes on Christmas morning, she finds herself living not her own life, but that of her hardworking assistant, Diana, whose overflowing inbox isn’t the only secret she’s been keeping. The next day, she wakes on Christmas morning again, this time in the body of her best friend’s little sister. As Eva lives the same day again and again through the perspectives of her friends, she is offered a glimpse into the lives of those she has been pushing away. With each Christmas Day comes a new lesson—and an insight into the secrets and struggles her loved ones have been hiding. To move forward, Eva must let go of the past. But is it too late to fix her future?

"One Christmas Morning is a charming, whimsical story about mistakes and second chances and the power of love and friendship to help us heal after grief and loss. A Dickensian holiday tale with an enchanting modern sensibility." 

— Rachel Linden, author of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie

"A stunning debut novel. This book is like A Christmas Carol of self-discovery. I loved every page. I didn't want to put it down and when I had to, it consumed my thoughts until I could pick it back up again. Rachel Greenlaw brings all the magic of Dickens into the here and now. One Christmas Morning is a modern Christmas classic that should be in everyone's festive books collection." 

— Jenny Bayliss, author of A December to Remember

"Wonderfully original, gorgeously romantic and completely magical. I turned the final page with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face." 

— Emily Stone, author of Always in December

In one sentence, tell us what the road to publishing was like for you.
It was long, challenging, but ultimately so, so worth it!

How is Eva similar to or different from you?
Eva has an attachment to those zip up packing cubes for her luggage, which is totally a self insert! And the super cold Boxing Day dash for a sea swim is based on my own experience, except in the winter I have a tradition of sea swimming on New Year’s Day with family and friends. She’s also a workaholic though, whereas I am a serial procrastinator and will happily spend all day in my pjs reading.

If One Christmas Morning was made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Definitely Rachel McAdams as Eva, I can just picture her bringing all the hope and emotion! And as for James, it would have to be Henry Cavill. Obviously. We’ll just pretend he has the right hair colour. I would make allll the excuses to visit the set! 

Which TV series are you currently binge watching?
The new season of Ted Lasso! I love that dork!

If you could live a day through someone else's perspective, who would you choose and why?
Oh wow, this question! Ok, I’m guessing it’s a real person and not fictional so…I’m going to pick being Neil Armstrong on the day he walked on the moon, because that is the most epic, unreplicable experience I can think of. It still blows my mind that anyone has done that. 
 
Tell us about your quirkiest or most unusual Christmas tradition.
I love this!! So, I live on a tiny remote island in the Atlantic and on Christmas Day for the past few years, we’ve had some pretty incredible visitors…whales! I go for a walk with my family on Christmas morning along the cliffs and spot minke whales, humpbacks and dolphins in the ocean. 

Thanks to Rachel for chatting with us and to William Morrow 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.

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