Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Christmas in September !?!


by Sara Rosett

I entered a store the other day and came face-to-face with a life-size, inflatable Santa in a grass skirt and Ray-Ban sunglasses doing the hula.

I wasn’t exactly happy to see Santa in September. Any Christmas display up before Thanksgiving usually gets a “Bah, humbug” response from me, but it seems that fighting the premature appearance of holiday items in stores is about as likely as avoiding that annoying coworker at the office Christmas party.  

So, it’s with a little chagrin that I have to admit that I’ve become part of the rush to Christmas trend.  The publishing industry is no different from the retail stores and has begun rolling out holiday-themed books. My Christmas mystery, MISTLETOE, MERRIMENT, AND MURDER, came out Oct 2.

It’s about a white elephant Christmas gift exchange gone bad. In a moment of weakness, Ellie (mom, professional organizer, and military spouse) agrees to host the squadron spouse Christmas party and becomes embroiled in a murder investigation when her white elephant gift is used as a murder weapon. 

The idea for the book came when I attended a Christmas party with a white elephant gift exchange. Our rules were that the gifts couldn’t be purchased; they had to be something we wanted to get rid of and, more importantly, they had to be as awful as possible. It was such a fun party! It got me thinking about what one person considers "trash" maybe a "treasure" to another person. I also happened to be watching a lot of Antiques Roadshow at the time and that led to one of those “what if” moments. What if one of the white elephant gifts wasn’t trash, but an overlooked treasure….?

I was off and running.

Despite it’s early appearance on bookstores shelves, MISTLETOE is my favorite book in the series. I hope you’ll pick up a copy or add it to your GoodReads list.

So, what about you? Do you like holiday-themed books? What's the best/worst/weirdest white elephant gift you've "won?" And, do early holiday displays bring out your inner Scrooge?  

~Sara

P.S. MISTLETOE was #10 on the Ingram list last week--very happy! Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy. I so appreciate it! 

P.P.S. I have two copies to give away to readers. Comment to be entered in drawing! Contest open until midnight (EST) 10/12/12. 



Sara writes mystery (Ellie Avery series) and intrigue (On the Run series). As a military spouse Sara has moved around the country (frequently!) and traveled internationally, which inspired her latest travel thrillers. Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, "satisfying," "well-executed," and "sparkling."



Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.com or sign up for her newsletter list here. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.



26 comments:

  1. Congrats on the #10 placement, Sara!! That's wonderful news ;). I love holiday-themed books, but I wish Christmas weren't right around the corner -- I'm not anywhere close to being ready for it yet!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Marilyn! I know what you mean on Christmas getting here fast. Time seems to speed up between Thanksgiving and Christmas--the opposite of when I was a kid and they days seems to slow down! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love that premise, Sara. Sounds like so much fun and now I want to have a white elephant party. Congratulations on the Ingram list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Karin! White elephant parties are the best!

      Delete
  4. Thanks for sharing how the idea came to you. You must be busy with projects on every burner. Such fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a tad crazy in my life right now, but busy is good. :)

      Delete
  5. Bravo on the #10! At one white elephant exchange, we opened a jar filled with dryer lint. Ick!

    Great title.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dryer lint? That's kind of cruel! I have heard crafty people use dryer lint to make masks. Don't ask me how...

      Delete
  6. So *you're* the reason the Christmas stuff is out already!

    Congratulations on #10!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Only once was at a party with a white elephant gift. Can't remember what I ended up with but there was fun with the bathset going back and forth!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I belong to a writer's group that has a party like that every year. It's a hoot. Congrats on the Ingram placement. I can't wait to get my hands on this book!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love this series and can't wait to catch up with Ellie!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm enjoying these books and I need a holiday book for December!!! But I'm no where ready to think about Christmas....eeeeek!!! Thanks for the chance to win!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I need a book to go with my Xmas sweater!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm jealous that you get to wear a Christmas sweater, Karlene. I'm in FL and usually the most I need in December is a long sleeved shirt...

      Delete
  12. I love holiday themed cozies. It drives me crazy that the holidays get more and more rushed each year. My daughter's birthday is the 15th of December so that adds to the craziness as well. Wish things would just slow down a bit. Awesome giveaway! I love your series.

    Scouts579(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Stacie! So glad you're enjoying the Ellie books! I can't imagine how crazy it would be to have birthdays near the holidays. I can just barely keep up with the decorating, the gifts, the food, the cards....no wonder it's crazy!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for playing, everyone! Random winners have been notified. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Pretty section of content. I simply stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to claim that I
    acquire in fact enjoyed account your weblog posts. Any way I will be subscribing on your feeds and even
    I fulfillment you access constantly quickly.

    Feel free to surf to my web-site ... cheap ralph lauren polo

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about gorw taller.
    Regards

    Here is my website - grow taller 4 idiots ()

    ReplyDelete