Hello Susan, thank you so much for joining me and for inviting Novel Kicks onto the blog tour for your book, A Little Christmas Spirit. Could you tell us a little about your latest novel, A Little Christmas Spirit and what inspired it? 

Hi, thanks for having me. Well, it’s the third in the series, and the main character, Lara, who pulls everyone together in this story, is now 9 years old. It has been a long time since the last Christmas Spirit book (2015) so I specifically ensured Lara was the right age for everything to happen organically. We’re back at the Sugar and Spice café, now owned by her mum Tabitha and her uncle Jacob. Because of Lara’s age, and her key role in the novel, a great part of the book is set in her school, with all the Christmas events that throws up.

Which songs would make up a playlist for your novel?

This is a tough one, as I’ve never really thought about it. How about ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey. ‘Merry Christmas, Everyone’ by Shakin’ Stevens. ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ by Paul McCartney. You’ve got me on a roll here, now! ‘Step Into Christmas’ by Elton John, and ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham.

What’s your typical writing day like and do you have any writing rituals, for example, writing in silence, needing coffee? 

I don’t have a typical writing day as every one is different and I don’t write every day. When I do write, sometimes I write a lot, like 12,000 words, to finish a book. As I also edit other authors’ books, sometimes it depends on my workload, and in the run-up to launch of a new book, I have a lot of business things that need doing: admin, processes. However, with regards to the actual writing, yes, I need silence and lots of coffee. Apart from that, I just lose myself in my world!

From idea to finished book, what’s your process like? How do you approach editing and when do you know when you’ve done enough preparation/research prior to starting? 

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