Thursday, December 27, 2012

Anita Higman's "A Merry Little Christmas"



What inspired you to incorporate Jim Crow laws and segregation into your book?
Even though A Merry Little Christmas is really a love story, I felt it needed some additional conflict, and some of the racial struggles of the 60s seemed to be the right choice for this particular plot. I grew up in the 60s, and I was always interested in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. In some ways I feel I’ve waited my whole life to write this book. It came easily to me in that it’s been percolating in my imagination for a long time, but it was also hard to write because I had to consider more deeply the injustices of that era. Even though it sounds like a cliché, A Merry Little Christmas truly was the book of my heart.

The farm scenes seem pretty realistic. Did you grow up in the country?
I did. While the small towns in the book are totally fictitious I did grow up on a wheat, cattle, pig, and chicken farm in Western Oklahoma, and it was pretty much identical to the one in the novel. If the farm scenes seem realistic it’s because I got to know farm life quite well before I moved off to college at eighteen.

Franny and Charlie come from very different backgrounds, but are both looking for something very different from the way they've grown up. Do you think as humans, we all just have a "grass is always greener on the other side" mentality?
Yes, that is a human frailty that is easy to succumb to, and I’ve been guilty of it as well. But God is good about reminding me that he’s placed me on my own unique life-road, and it may have little to do with anyone else’s journey. Besides, in many cases when we get a closer look at someone else’s “lush green grass” it usually turns out to be turf.

Do you think that sometimes we don't pray for what we want because we are afraid of getting what we pray for?
Perhaps that’s true, which would explain why Franny is equally nervous and excited about the sudden answer to her prayers.

Was there a reason you added the themes of Christmas and music to the story?
My editor asked me to add those elements, and it was a blessing, since Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I love music. Also, female readers in general love novels that are set during the holidays, and I’m hoping the music adds a cozy feel to the overall Christmas theme.

What is your favorite Christmas song?
“The Holly and the Ivy.” The song has a melancholy feel to it, but it’s also beautifully sweet. I love the “Currier and Ives” style pictures my imagination conjures up when I’m listening to it.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
I love to have my gal friends over for brunch around Christmastime. I have been collecting tea dishes for many years, and so when I do a brunch, I go all out. Women are usually in a service mode most of their lives so when they come to my house I want them to feel wonderfully pampered. And by the time they leave, I hope their hearts are a little merrier and they feel we’ve celebrated Christmas well!

Is Franny's character based on any "real life" person?
Franny is like me in some ways, but she has a lot more courage than I have and more laughter in her heart. So, really, I want to be Franny when I grow up.

Does the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" have a special significance to you?
The song makes me swoon it’s so romantic and lovely. It makes me think of being snowed-in with the man I love. Of course, that scene also needs a mountain cabin with a crackling fire and two mugs of wassail.

You have written everything from romance to suspense/thrillers to nonfiction. What is your favorite genre to write?
I love inspirational romance. There’s just nothing else like it for writing and reading. It naturally makes you want to curl up on an overstuffed couch and read the day away.

9 comments:

  1. Thank you for featuring my novel on your blog. I so appreciate it. A Merry Little Christmas is truly the book of my heart, and I hope it is enjoyed.

    Happy New Year!!
    Anita Higman

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  2. thanks for the chance to win this book

    ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

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  3. This book sounds wonderful. I have read Anita's books and she is a great writer. Please enter me in the drawing.
    Linda Cacaci
    LinCaca3[at]aol[dot]com

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  4. Thanks for the chance to win this book.I have been wanting to read it.Sounds great.I love the cover and also love Christmas stories.Thanks so much.jackie_tessnair@yahoo.com

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  5. That is a great song & it does conjure up images.

    I'm looking forward to reading A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS. It sounds wonderful.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  6. Sounds like a wonderful book and I would love to read it. rdunson(at)knology(dot)net

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  7. Inspirational romance is a new genre for me. I've read a few books in this genre and have grown to love them. I don't think I could stand just a straight romance, but when God comes in the picture it makes me happy. I love Christmas carols as well, even keep them in my iPod, playing them year round, not just at Christmas. Praying you have a wonderful and blessed New Year.

    HM at HVC dot RR dot COM

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  8. Love inspirational romance! Thanks for the opportunity to win the book.

    bonnieroof60@yahoo.com

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  9. Funny about the "turf grass" being greener!

    I would love to read this book and see how the Civil Rights issue is covered. I went to a high school that suffered through integration with a bit of violence involved. Wish it did not have to be that way, but it was.

    Thank you for entering me into the contest for your book if it is not too late!

    Blessings, Janice jsmithg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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