Christmas Fun Time with Heidi Swain

This year, for my Christmas feature, I've invited several authors and book bloggers for a fun Christmas Interview. My first guest is fantastic author Heidi Swain:
Hi Heidi and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello Alba! Thank you so much for inviting me along to chat about all things festive and bookish! My name is Heidi Swain and I am an author of ‘feel good fiction’ signed to Simon and Schuster. I live in the lovely county of Norfolk and I’m a huge fan of the festive season.

Your latest book, Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair, is about a girl who is not a big fan of Christmas herself. Tell us a bit more about her and what sparked this idea.
Being such a massive fan of Christmas and having been a part of some beautiful country house celebrations myself, my author brain began to wonder what it would feel like to be excluded from the planning and partying, the present buying and the tree trimming and then, in walked Anna.

Readers of the book will know that Anna has a tragedy in her past which has blighted her ability to want to join in with anything to do with the festive season and I decided I was going to help her. Sending her to Wynthorpe Hall and the welcoming embrace of the eccentric family who live there was my way of, hopefully, giving her the sort of Christmas I love and want everyone to be a part of.


Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair is a Top Ten Sunday Times Bestseller, how did you feel when you found out about this?
Ecstatic, amazed and overwhelmed pretty much sums it up. The week before it made the Top Ten it had reached number 13 but I didn’t allow myself to hope that it would get any higher. The Sunday Times Bestseller list was one of my Top Goals so the thought of reaching it so soon felt impossible really.

I was in Norwich, having coffee with a friend when my phone started going bonkers – emails, messages, texts and missed calls all flooded in and I told myself I wouldn’t look at any of them until I got home. The temptation was too much however, and I was sitting in the gathering darkness in my little Fiat in the park and ride car park when I plucked up the courage to call my lovely editor, Emma. 

She was absolutely over the moon – Sleigh Rides hadn’t only managed to reach the Top Ten, it was number 5! It was the best moment of my career so far!


Now that Christmas is fast approaching, let's talk Christmas presents. Which book is on top of your wish list this year? 
That’s an impossible question to answer, however with so many fabulous festive titles being published this year I wouldn’t mind retreating to a cosy, little cottage in the middle of a wintery landscape to read them all.

But, if you really are going to push me on this, I would definitely be happy to see some new Trisha Ashley books in my stocking and there’s a stunning hardback edition of A Christmas Carol which is part of the Penguin Clothbound Classic series that I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on. I read it every year without fail and this edition is simply divine!

Do you ever make your own gifts for your loved ones? 
Not anymore, I’m afraid. I used to when the kids were younger, but with so many extra things going on now I’ve got out of the habit. I always try to include some locally made crafts and gifts in with my buying but it has been a while since I made anything myself. I sew little projects and bake, make chutney and so on throughout the year, perhaps I should start planning to make a few things well in advance of the big day so I have something truly unique to wrap up? Ask me again next year and I’ll endeavour to have a different answer.

What's your favorite Christmas comfort food?
Another tough question! The list could be long and varied, butI do love it when the stilton and crackers come out. Throw in a nice juicy apple and a glass of port to go with it and I’m one very happy author.

And finally, if you could spend Christmas anywhere in the world, where would you like to go?
I’m a real home bird so my own home suits me fine for Christmas day, but a festive trip to New York in the run up, followed by a grand country house hotel to see in the New Year, would be right up my street. No dishes, no laundry, no stress… wonderful.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a relaxing New Year!

Thank you so much Heidi so much for stopping by and sharing some Christmas cheer with us! 

Heidi Swain Author Bio

Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.

A lover of Galaxy bars, vintage paraphernalia and the oddbottle of fizz, she now writes feel good fiction with heart for Simon and Schuster.

Her debut novel, The Chery Tree Café was published in July2015 (paperback June 2017) and Summer at Skylark Farm hit the shelves the following June. Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market was a hugely successful Christmas 2016 release and her fourth book, Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage was published in July 2017. She is currently celebrating her October 2017 Christmas release, Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair.

Heidi lives in Norfolk with her wonderful family and a mischievous cat called Storm.

Connect with Heidi Swain
Website: Heidi Swain
Twitter: @Heidi_Swain
Facebook: Writer Heidi Swain 
Amazon: Heidi Swain

About the book: 

Title: Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair
Author: Heidi Swain
Published: October 5th 2017 by Simon & Schuster

Blurb: When Anna takes on the role of companion to the owner of Wynthorpe Hall, on the outskirts of Wynbridge, she has no idea that her life is set to change beyond all recognition.

A confirmed ‘bah humbug’ when it comes to Christmas, Anna is amazed to find herself quickly immersed in the eccentric household, and when youngest son Jamie unexpectedly arrives home it soon becomes obvious that her personal feelings are going all out to compromise her professional persona.

Jamie, struggling to come to terms with life back in the Fens, makes a pact with Anna – she has to teach him to fall back in love with Wynthorpe Hall, while he helps her fall back in love with Christmas. But will it all prove too much for Anna, or can the family of Wynthorpe Hall warm her heart once and for all...?

Join Anna for a festive journey that is festooned with sleigh rides and silver bells and help her discover her happy ever after.

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