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.