Shownotes
Storytelling Tips From A Published Author
- When it comes to writing and storytelling, make it personal.
- Let people know about the inspiration behind a product that makes it authentic. That will resonate with your audience.
- Don't ignore the senses. If you've got something that smells good or feels good, that's something you really want to highlight.
- Add those little details that make things all the more appealing and inviting.
- Inspiration can come from anywhere.
- Scribble ideas that come to mind that are going to work in different settings.
Resources Mentioned
- Underneath the Christmas Tree by Heidi Swain
- ep 297 Experience a Holiday Story and Peek into the Life of Bestselling Author Heidi Swain
- ep 349 Integrating Our Love of Stories into Your Brand with Chloë Thomas
Heidi's Contact Links
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TwitterJoin Our FREE Gift Biz Breeze Facebook Community
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Gift biz unwrapped episode 350.
Speaker:I'm going to be a bit naughty.
Speaker:Don't tell anybody At Tinton gifters bakers,
Speaker:crafters, and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.
Speaker:Whether you have an established business or looking to start one.
Speaker:Now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is gift to biz unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode,
Speaker:packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources, and the support you need to grow.
Speaker:Your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host gift biz gal,
Speaker:Sue Mon Heights.
Speaker:Hi, thanks so much for spending some of your holiday with
Speaker:me. If you're listening the day,
Speaker:this show releases that is it's Christmas morning for all who
Speaker:celebrate. I wish you a marvelous day honoring all your family
Speaker:traditions that make this time so special.
Speaker:And for all of us,
Speaker:whether you recognize this holiday or not,
Speaker:I think the spirit that comes with Christmas,
Speaker:the one of love and giving is something to celebrate today
Speaker:and all year through,
Speaker:I'm doing something a little bit special with this episode.
Speaker:There are no promotions and just a little bit of learning
Speaker:because how can I not,
Speaker:when we have such an expert with us,
Speaker:you may remember Heidi from last year.
Speaker:Once again,
Speaker:she'll be sharing an excerpt from her new book this year,
Speaker:it's underneath the Christmas tree.
Speaker:We're also getting a behind the scenes,
Speaker:look at our holiday traditions,
Speaker:her life as an author and her advice on storytelling.
Speaker:This episode is full of marvelous surprises.
Speaker:So you're in for a real treat,
Speaker:grab a mug of steaming coffee or whatever fits your fancy.
Speaker:And let's hear from my dear friend,
Speaker:Heidi, In the spirit of the season,
Speaker:it is my honor to welcome back Heidi Swain to the
Speaker:show. She was our special guest the week of Christmas last
Speaker:year, and has agreed to be with us again on Christmas
Speaker:day, no less to share some holiday cheer.
Speaker:Although passionate about writing from an early age,
Speaker:Heidi acquired a degree in literature and flirted briefly with a
Speaker:newspaper career before plucking up the courage to join a creative
Speaker:writing class and take her literary ambitions.
Speaker:Seriously, a lover of vintage paraphernalia and the odd bottle of
Speaker:fizz. She now writes,
Speaker:feel good fiction with heart for Simon and Schuster.
Speaker:Her debut novel,
Speaker:the cherry tree cafe was published in July,
Speaker:2015. And since then she's had another 12 books published becoming
Speaker:a Sunday times bestseller in 2017,
Speaker:Heidi is currently celebrating the release of her 2021 festive title
Speaker:underneath the Christmas tree and writing the summer fair,
Speaker:which will be published next spring,
Speaker:Heidi, Merry Christmas.
Speaker:And welcome back to the show.
Speaker:Thank you so much for inviting me back.
Speaker:It's lovely to be here.
Speaker:And especially today,
Speaker:this really,
Speaker:really special day,
Speaker:I kind of had a bit of a gasp moment when
Speaker:you gave my intro there.
Speaker:Have I really written that many books in that I'm,
Speaker:You Know,
Speaker:takes me by surprise.
Speaker:I know 12 books and that's surprising even to you Always,
Speaker:it really is.
Speaker:I have my books stacked up on a bookcase next to
Speaker:my bed.
Speaker:So it's the first thing that I see when I wake
Speaker:up in the morning,
Speaker:kind of an incentive to get out of bed and get
Speaker:back the keyboard because there's always a deadline.
Speaker:I kind of look at them and wonder and think,
Speaker:wow, have I done that?
Speaker:How have I managed to,
Speaker:to all of that in this short amount of time?
Speaker:I don't know,
Speaker:but somehow it keeps happening.
Speaker:It does.
Speaker:And I have to tell you,
Speaker:I have your book stacked in my bedroom too.
Speaker:Remember the Instagram post you did that showed the order that
Speaker:you wrote the books?
Speaker:Yes. That's how I'm reading That,
Speaker:Except that I have to integrate in the holiday ones.
Speaker:Cause I want to read those during the holiday.
Speaker:So I have to then jump a little bit,
Speaker:but I guess that's okay.
Speaker:That's okay.
Speaker:Because they've all got a different main character,
Speaker:so you can read them on their own and get all
Speaker:those lovely holiday feels.
Speaker:And that if you know,
Speaker:if it's got Christmas on the cover on one of my
Speaker:books, then it's going to have Christmas on the pages.
Speaker:Absolutely. Well,
Speaker:let's start as I always traditionally have with a motivational candle.
Speaker:And I know you did one last time,
Speaker:but I think you have another one prepared for us.
Speaker:Don't you?
Speaker:And did you know when I thought about this,
Speaker:this one really took me by surprise because the color of
Speaker:the candle that kept coming back to me is not a
Speaker:color that I am particularly drawn to,
Speaker:but it's a yellow handle,
Speaker:a really bright,
Speaker:bright yellow candle.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:it's really bright even before it's lit and it's got a
Speaker:very strong lemony scent,
Speaker:energizing kind of scent.
Speaker:Yeah. That really took me by surprise,
Speaker:that that came into my head.
Speaker:Wow. Why do you think that is?
Speaker:I think really,
Speaker:I need a bit of energy at the moment where at
Speaker:the end of the year,
Speaker:now it's been a busy year.
Speaker:And so I kind of,
Speaker:I need that energy to keep pushing me on.
Speaker:I think in my head,
Speaker:I was just getting the words,
Speaker:keep going.
Speaker:That's interesting that this isn't a color you would gravitate to,
Speaker:by the way,
Speaker:Heidi yellow is my favorite color.
Speaker:All shades every way,
Speaker:except for neon.
Speaker:So maybe I was like coming into your mind or something
Speaker:and you just didn't know it.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:Yeah. I think maybe I was channeling Sue.
Speaker:That's what it was.
Speaker:You were influencing me that yeah.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:it's always interesting to embrace something a bit different.
Speaker:So I kind of feel as if,
Speaker:I don't know if you're inspired by something that it doesn't
Speaker:usually appeal to you.
Speaker:I think you just kind of need to go with it
Speaker:because it's there for a reason.
Speaker:Yeah. And yellow is known for joy and happiness and everything
Speaker:uplifting, which that's,
Speaker:I think what we are all needing right now.
Speaker:Definitely. And we've got it for the holiday season.
Speaker:Of course.
Speaker:Do you have a saying or a quote or anything that
Speaker:would go with your yellow candle?
Speaker:Essentially? It was just those two words.
Speaker:It was just encouraging me to,
Speaker:it was keep going,
Speaker:just keep doing what you're doing and you'll get,
Speaker:you'll make it,
Speaker:does it.
Speaker:It's been hard writing you this year.
Speaker:Lots of other things going on as well.
Speaker:So yeah,
Speaker:I just needed that kind of lovely yellow boost just to
Speaker:tell me to pick that,
Speaker:Keep going.
Speaker:And then when you wake up in the morning and see
Speaker:your stack of books,
Speaker:you see why it's worth it.
Speaker:Keep going,
Speaker:create big things.
Speaker:All these books.
Speaker:Yeah. That's it.
Speaker:Exactly. All right.
Speaker:So I want to talk Christmas with you,
Speaker:Heidi. What about candles in relation to Christmas now you're over
Speaker:in the UK.
Speaker:Lots of our listeners are there,
Speaker:but also in America,
Speaker:probably the majority in America.
Speaker:What are candles mean for Christmas over there?
Speaker:We have lots of candles here.
Speaker:What do we certainly do in my house?
Speaker:Anyway, I like a scented candle.
Speaker:I like a cinnamon or a ginger centered candle,
Speaker:because as much as we'd like to,
Speaker:we can't keep them all wine on the whole all the
Speaker:time. Can we,
Speaker:Maybe we could,
Speaker:You're going to just hate that.
Speaker:We have a lot of scented candles that create the mood
Speaker:and we just love that candle light in the evenings.
Speaker:They have a lot of twinkling lights.
Speaker:Yeah. Candles are just lovely.
Speaker:Put one in the window.
Speaker:Perhaps you remember any family who were no longer here lighten
Speaker:up the half day.
Speaker:Wonderful. And for Christmas decor,
Speaker:do you use like the traditional colored candles or what's happening
Speaker:over for you specifically this year?
Speaker:Like right where you're sitting right now.
Speaker:Okay. Well,
Speaker:we have a lot of red and green candles because I
Speaker:like to bring a lot of greenery into the house,
Speaker:Holly and mistletoe and Ivy.
Speaker:So yeah,
Speaker:that looks really lovely,
Speaker:beautiful tool,
Speaker:red and green candle and white ones too,
Speaker:but predominantly red and green.
Speaker:Okay. So very traditional.
Speaker:Give us another little peak into your house.
Speaker:So you're sitting there right now.
Speaker:It's Christmas morning.
Speaker:Do you have anything to drink while we're sitting and chatting
Speaker:Just tea in the morning?
Speaker:I just have tea,
Speaker:but we always for breakfast,
Speaker:we love to have smoked salmon with scrambled egg or poached
Speaker:egg and some nice whole grain granary toast.
Speaker:That's a real tradition for us that we established years ago.
Speaker:So we love to have that.
Speaker:And then later on in the morning or maybe have a
Speaker:little something fizzy before we sit down for dinner and we
Speaker:always eat out the present opening,
Speaker:we have Saks first thing sacks around early,
Speaker:even though the kids are grown up and then the main
Speaker:presence are opened after lunchtime.
Speaker:We like to kind of eat out.
Speaker:So it lasts the whole day that way.
Speaker:So when you Say Sachs,
Speaker:is that like what we would think of as stockings?
Speaker:Yes, But my kids are grown up,
Speaker:but they both still have theirs and they are pillowcases.
Speaker:So they fill the cases with ribbons,
Speaker:through Reddit,
Speaker:through the little channel that I sewed into the top.
Speaker:And yeah,
Speaker:that's what they have full of presents.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:So my kids are also grown up,
Speaker:but I think I'm the biggest kid at Christmas.
Speaker:My son says,
Speaker:mom, you act like you're 10 years old,
Speaker:Christmas And Santa Claus still comes and they get their stockings.
Speaker:And then we open the presents and it's just,
Speaker:I love that tradition,
Speaker:even though it doesn't resonate on a religious end to the
Speaker:holiday, but it just feels like the innocence and happiness and
Speaker:joy and warmth of being around family.
Speaker:Even when there's no little ones,
Speaker:just continuing doing those things that we've done for so many
Speaker:years. Yeah.
Speaker:I couldn't agree with you more.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:as I say,
Speaker:the kids are grown up,
Speaker:but we still have those same traditions.
Speaker:I love yesterday.
Speaker:I love Christmas Eve almost as much as Chris from stay
Speaker:with gingerbread man always made on Christmas Eve and there's always
Speaker:a mince pie and a glass of wine and a carer
Speaker:and everything that goes out on the half,
Speaker:always read the night before Christmas.
Speaker:It's just lovely to keep embracing all those traditions,
Speaker:no matter how old everybody is and,
Speaker:or being altogether.
Speaker:I agree with you there.
Speaker:Totally. And that's fun getting a little peek into the types
Speaker:of things you do on Christmas Eve too.
Speaker:We started a new tradition.
Speaker:I'm going to say it's about four or five years ago.
Speaker:So it's kind of a more adult created tradition,
Speaker:but I know when little ones start emerging in the family,
Speaker:we'll be doing it too.
Speaker:We do now on Christmas Eve,
Speaker:a gingerbread making contest.
Speaker:So depending on how many people there are right now,
Speaker:we just do two different gingerbread houses and it ends up
Speaker:being this whole thing.
Speaker:Like everyone has the same base elements and there are rules
Speaker:and we create our gingerbread houses and then we put them
Speaker:up on Facebook and have everybody vote on which ones are
Speaker:the nicest,
Speaker:which is their favorite.
Speaker:So that's always fun.
Speaker:A little competition,
Speaker:a little fun.
Speaker:The girls lose every year.
Speaker:I don't know why we're the most creative.
Speaker:I have never made a gingerbread house.
Speaker:Well, that's something maybe to think about in a way,
Speaker:I'm not going to say we're cheating because we don't want
Speaker:it to have to last and take forever.
Speaker:So we buy the pre-created ginger bread,
Speaker:like the walls and the roof and all of that.
Speaker:It's more in the decoration and the theming and what other
Speaker:things you add to it.
Speaker:And that's really what we're competing on.
Speaker:And if anyone wants to see what we did last night,
Speaker:it's on Facebook for everybody to vote on,
Speaker:to see what we did.
Speaker:Well, we've broken the teams up differently each year.
Speaker:But I think with the girls,
Speaker:we try to be more out of the box and creative
Speaker:and the guys stay traditional.
Speaker:And that's why they're winning.
Speaker:Yeah. I think you're probably right because yeah,
Speaker:at Christmas time,
Speaker:that's what people tend to go for.
Speaker:Isn't it?
Speaker:It's the tried and tested on the traditional.
Speaker:Yeah. Maybe next year you can stop for them and you
Speaker:can go mega.
Speaker:Oh, and then you're with yeah,
Speaker:Yeah. You never know.
Speaker:Well, jury is still out.
Speaker:We're still voting on this year's so we'll see what happens.
Speaker:We usually go till about the afternoon of Christmas day and
Speaker:then we take a peek at what it is and it's
Speaker:all in fun.
Speaker:It's all just a great thing for us to do,
Speaker:to be together,
Speaker:which is the important part of the holiday.
Speaker:Of course.
Speaker:Anyway, it's snowing here in Chicago.
Speaker:So we're getting a white Christmas what's happening over there,
Speaker:Which is disappointing.
Speaker:I would love a white Christmas,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:and I always managed to get a bit of snow in
Speaker:my books,
Speaker:even though we might not get it,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:this has fit in isn't it.
Speaker:So I'm allowed to indulge my passion for snow because I
Speaker:love snow.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Well, I'm going to send you some snow.
Speaker:You watch in about an hour,
Speaker:look out your window and I'm going to have a,
Speaker:at least a snowflake or two coming your way.
Speaker:Don't miss it.
Speaker:I would love that.
Speaker:Okay. Let's talk a little bit about storytelling before you get
Speaker:into the gift that you're giving all of us today.
Speaker:I was mentioning to you a little bit before I pressed
Speaker:record that the prior episode of the podcast,
Speaker:we were talking about storytelling for business.
Speaker:In other words,
Speaker:business owners,
Speaker:not just presenting the products that they make and that they're
Speaker:available to sell,
Speaker:but the story behind different facets of the business,
Speaker:like why they started their business,
Speaker:maybe one of the products that they like making the most,
Speaker:or maybe they have a special product that reminds them of
Speaker:a family member or that they love going out and selling
Speaker:at craft shows.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:there are so many topics that you can build a story
Speaker:around, but I think that we still struggle with making our
Speaker:stories resonate,
Speaker:maybe would be the right word with our readers where it's
Speaker:bright and colorful and all of that.
Speaker:So I thought maybe you could provide some guidance and help
Speaker:for us on storytelling and how you in your books make
Speaker:it just come alive.
Speaker:Because I love all the characters I told you before that
Speaker:I've been pacing myself with the books,
Speaker:cause I don't want them to run out.
Speaker:So it's my special time when I get to read one
Speaker:of your books.
Speaker:But what ideas do you have for us for writing and
Speaker:storytelling? I think one of the most important things that you
Speaker:can do is to make it really personal.
Speaker:If you can make it personal.
Speaker:And if you can explain something about the inspiration behind a
Speaker:product, then that makes it really authentic for people that will
Speaker:definitely resonate.
Speaker:I put a lot of myself into my books.
Speaker:There were a lot of my memories and the,
Speaker:the, some of my personality traits and things.
Speaker:And I really think that if you've experienced something and you
Speaker:can put that into product and you can explain that to
Speaker:people, I think that's really,
Speaker:really useful.
Speaker:And I would also say too,
Speaker:don't ignore the census.
Speaker:If you've got something that smells good or feels good,
Speaker:that's something that you really want to highlight.
Speaker:If something's particularly tactile,
Speaker:you want to be able to describe that.
Speaker:I think you don't want to be too flowery with your
Speaker:words. There needs to be a limit,
Speaker:but I think the more you can describe something and the
Speaker:more you can make it personal,
Speaker:more appealing,
Speaker:it would be.
Speaker:Yeah. So by way of example,
Speaker:maybe if someone was talking about being at a craft show,
Speaker:maybe they don't just say I got there at 7:00 AM,
Speaker:set up my booth,
Speaker:everything looks perfectly in place and now we're ready to go,
Speaker:come visit.
Speaker:Maybe instead you say,
Speaker:Ooh, it's a chilly morning,
Speaker:but we're here.
Speaker:I'm excited about the show.
Speaker:This is one of my favorite ones for the year.
Speaker:I've got my Starbucks coffee,
Speaker:gingerbread latte,
Speaker:whatever it is,
Speaker:like add some of that in.
Speaker:Yeah, it definitely,
Speaker:that sounded so much more exciting than just giving out the
Speaker:facts. There might have been something funny that happened to you
Speaker:on your journey and might be a project that you've got
Speaker:at the profile that you're particularly excited about.
Speaker:And you could highlight that,
Speaker:but yeah,
Speaker:it's adding all those little details that make things all the
Speaker:more appealing and all the more inviting perfect that's before me
Speaker:there. So that was fantastic.
Speaker:I'm trying.
Speaker:Okay. And I think for us a little bit different and
Speaker:maybe easier,
Speaker:well, I don't know Heidi,
Speaker:you're going to tell me maybe easier than when you're writing.
Speaker:We have a concrete story that we have lived so we
Speaker:can talk to it and then just add in some of
Speaker:those details.
Speaker:So it feels like more,
Speaker:it feels more interesting.
Speaker:You have to create everything from scratch.
Speaker:It's all fiction.
Speaker:Although you do pull from the past.
Speaker:So I'm thinking ours is a little bit easier if we
Speaker:just get used to adding in some more color and flare
Speaker:to our writing.
Speaker:I don't know,
Speaker:to be honest,
Speaker:because if I'm starting from scratch and I've got a completely
Speaker:blank canvas,
Speaker:I can paint on there,
Speaker:whatever I like.
Speaker:So, you know,
Speaker:there are no limitations,
Speaker:so yeah,
Speaker:I can kind of let my imagination go wild at least
Speaker:to begin with until my editor goes,
Speaker:ah, hang on.
Speaker:That's reign that in a bit.
Speaker:That's a bit too much imagination.
Speaker:Does that ever happen?
Speaker:No, I don't think so.
Speaker:Not really.
Speaker:Probably rewrites and stuff.
Speaker:I'm thinking as given that your work goes through a publisher,
Speaker:there's probably some additions or well share with us.
Speaker:That would be interesting.
Speaker:Let's start with the blank page because to a lot of
Speaker:us that would be very intimidating.
Speaker:I'd rather have something started there than a blank page.
Speaker:How do you come up with your ideas and your next
Speaker:stories? Yeah.
Speaker:Inspiration can kind of come from anywhere really.
Speaker:And I think because I put the books out here,
Speaker:the assumption is that you spend six months a year on
Speaker:the summer book and six months of the year on the
Speaker:winter book and everything within those six months.
Speaker:But actually it isn't like that at all.
Speaker:The inspiration for underneath the Christmas tree,
Speaker:which is the book that's just come out.
Speaker:The inspiration for that actually came from,
Speaker:I don't know if you know,
Speaker:country living magazine,
Speaker:that's a magazine we have over here.
Speaker:Yeah. It's so beautiful.
Speaker:I've had a subscription to country living for oh gosh,
Speaker:probably 20 years now,
Speaker:more than 20 years.
Speaker:And I had an article in there back in 2019 about
Speaker:a company who rented out Christmas trees every year.
Speaker:So you had a potted tree every year and they delivered
Speaker:it and they took it back.
Speaker:And you got the same tree for so many years until
Speaker:it became too big.
Speaker:No idea kind of stuck in my head.
Speaker:And I loved that.
Speaker:And that was what became the setting for winter's trees,
Speaker:which is the main setting in this book.
Speaker:But that was back in 2019.
Speaker:So obviously that wasn't going to fit six months timeframe,
Speaker:but I kind of get the essence of the idea.
Speaker:And then at the moment I'm writing in three different places,
Speaker:I've got the wind bridge series when miss series and the
Speaker:Nightingale square series.
Speaker:Then I kind of got the idea and then I'll have
Speaker:a think about which setting I think it would work best
Speaker:in. And then I kind of wait and see which characters
Speaker:are going to walk in.
Speaker:Sometimes it might be a character from a book that I've
Speaker:already written.
Speaker:Other times it might be somebody completely new as in the
Speaker:case of this book lies that winter she'd never featured in
Speaker:any of the books before she kind of sprawled in.
Speaker:And then it takes a few months,
Speaker:I guess,
Speaker:to kind of come up with the whole story.
Speaker:So I'm very much a plotter rather than a pantser my
Speaker:editor and my agent.
Speaker:They need to see that kind of a synopsis of what
Speaker:I'm going to write because they need to know when we're
Speaker:going to put it out there,
Speaker:how are we going to market it and all those things.
Speaker:And then when I've got the approval from them,
Speaker:then I can go on and start writing.
Speaker:And then it's a very intense,
Speaker:maybe 10,
Speaker:12 weeks getting that first draft down.
Speaker:And it's the first raw draft that goes to my editor
Speaker:and to my agents.
Speaker:So they can get a first look at it.
Speaker:And then we start working on it together from then.
Speaker:That is so interesting,
Speaker:just the behind the scenes of how this all works.
Speaker:And I'm thinking,
Speaker:as we relate it to our listeners here,
Speaker:you've given us a really good clue.
Speaker:And that is,
Speaker:you're getting inspiration from the world around you,
Speaker:from things that you see.
Speaker:And then you take that and you say,
Speaker:that's an interesting point,
Speaker:like the potted trees and then you place it somewhere.
Speaker:Do you have like notes for the three different stages?
Speaker:If you will,
Speaker:where your stories reside then do you like have notes that
Speaker:you put down in those different areas where it will go?
Speaker:So that then when it's time to look at that again,
Speaker:you've got all these ideas that you've brought together over the
Speaker:course of time.
Speaker:Yeah. I'll have a big,
Speaker:a four notebook and I'm always scribbling things in there for
Speaker:different ideas that are going to work in different settings.
Speaker:That said though,
Speaker:to be honest,
Speaker:these places are so real to me,
Speaker:I carry an awful lot of it around in my head.
Speaker:And when I had this idea for underneath the Christmas tree,
Speaker:I only previously written one book set in women was the
Speaker:secret seaside escape,
Speaker:which came out last April.
Speaker:It was 2020.
Speaker:And I just thought,
Speaker:I would love that Christmas tree plantation near the coast,
Speaker:near the Norfolk,
Speaker:beautiful north Norfolk coast.
Speaker:But is that feasible?
Speaker:Is it going to work?
Speaker:And so that's when you research comes in and yeah,
Speaker:I discovered actually we've got quite a few Christmas tree plantations
Speaker:in Norfolk and a few of them are near the coast
Speaker:because I don't want to put these trees near the coast.
Speaker:And then somebody suddenly says,
Speaker:oh, you know,
Speaker:the growing conditions wouldn't be right.
Speaker:Or the landscape wouldn't be right.
Speaker:But yeah,
Speaker:it all fitted really beautifully.
Speaker:And once I'd got that,
Speaker:then I could develop the story and think about where I
Speaker:was going to set winter's trees and what it was going
Speaker:to look like and who was going to be there.
Speaker:I've got to tell you right now,
Speaker:I'm really jealous that you feel like you are always living
Speaker:in your stories because anyone who hasn't read any of those
Speaker:yet. So any of our listeners who haven't,
Speaker:when you start reading some of Heidi's books,
Speaker:they make you feel so good and you get so connected
Speaker:with all of the characters and for you to say that
Speaker:you kind of live there all the time.
Speaker:I'm jealous,
Speaker:I guess,
Speaker:is what I have to say.
Speaker:Oh, I love that.
Speaker:I really,
Speaker:really appreciate that.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:I think to be honest in each and every one of
Speaker:these books,
Speaker:I have created a life for my main characters that I
Speaker:would absolutely love to live.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:who wouldn't want to live on an idyllic Christmas tree plantation
Speaker:and who wouldn't want to run a beautiful cafe and do
Speaker:all of these things.
Speaker:It's kind of really,
Speaker:self-indulgent on my part.
Speaker:I imagine myself as my main character and I guess I'm
Speaker:kind of living a different life through them really.
Speaker:And because I immersed myself in that,
Speaker:that's what hopefully makes it feel real to anybody who's reading
Speaker:the book when it comes out,
Speaker:It totally feels real.
Speaker:I'm so sad.
Speaker:Every time a book is done,
Speaker:which is why I have to have my stack that I
Speaker:know I'm going to.
Speaker:So I'm really happy that you're doing at least two a
Speaker:year, no less than that.
Speaker:I'm telling you now,
Speaker:Heidi, no less.
Speaker:Some people have been asking me wishing that I would put
Speaker:out an autumn book and we had a conversation about how
Speaker:lovely it would be to set an autumn book a lot
Speaker:on a pumpkin patch on a pumpkin farm somewhere.
Speaker:But I would love that,
Speaker:but there are the kinds of like the timing restrictions in
Speaker:the publishing year of when it's suitable for me to put
Speaker:a book out.
Speaker:And of course,
Speaker:if I put a book out in the autumn that year,
Speaker:I wouldn't then put one out in Christmas.
Speaker:So I,
Speaker:the to,
Speaker:I need to kind of go back to my agent and
Speaker:my editor and kind of have that discussion and say,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:maybe we,
Speaker:instead of mixing things up a bit,
Speaker:cause I really want to write this pumpkin patch story now.
Speaker:And that's funny.
Speaker:Well, we're going to be watching to see if that happens,
Speaker:but you tell them no less than two,
Speaker:for sure.
Speaker:Sue says no less than two.
Speaker:And I want everyone to know too.
Speaker:Like we're talking about how feel good and how you just
Speaker:get to bond with the characters.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I feel like they're my friends too,
Speaker:but it's not without story and drama and emotion.
Speaker:That's for sure.
Speaker:So when I'm reading and I need to close the book
Speaker:because I've got to go cook dinner or whatever,
Speaker:and we're in the middle of some issue,
Speaker:I have to get right back to it afterwards.
Speaker:Cause I need to know that everybody's okay before I go
Speaker:to sleep at night.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:I really appreciate that because that shows me that I'm doing
Speaker:my job.
Speaker:Well, if you're constantly wanting to get back,
Speaker:as far as I'm concerned,
Speaker:that's only a good thing.
Speaker:It is a wonderful thing.
Speaker:And that is my whole point that there is storyline to
Speaker:it that just brings you in and you are invested in
Speaker:what's going on in the story.
Speaker:So I'm not going to say any more because I want
Speaker:people to go in and start reading your books,
Speaker:but you have a treat for us today too.
Speaker:And that is,
Speaker:you're going to read a little bit from the new book
Speaker:right underneath the Christmas tree I am.
Speaker:And I'm going to be a bit naughty.
Speaker:Don't tell anybody,
Speaker:Okay. We won't tell anybody.
Speaker:And normally I would read the opening of the book,
Speaker:but quite often the opening of the book,
Speaker:doesn't give you a flavor of what's going to happen further
Speaker:in. So in the opening of the book,
Speaker:Louisa, she's at home,
Speaker:she's in her flat,
Speaker:she's just finished a maternity cover contract in a high school
Speaker:as an art teacher.
Speaker:And she didn't particularly enjoy it.
Speaker:And it's kind of given her the motivation.
Speaker:If you like to decide that she wants to go off,
Speaker:go traveling.
Speaker:And then when she comes back to the UK,
Speaker:she's going to set up her art therapy business.
Speaker:But in the meantime,
Speaker:her dad who has suddenly died,
Speaker:her dad's silent business partner,
Speaker:David has given her a call and said,
Speaker:I need to retire.
Speaker:You have to come back to the Christmas tree plantation because
Speaker:I want to hand it over to my son.
Speaker:She's got this dilemma.
Speaker:Is she going to go?
Speaker:Or isn't she,
Speaker:well, obviously we know she's going to go.
Speaker:I am giving you a little treat.
Speaker:So this is what happens during Eloise's journey to winters.
Speaker:After my call to David,
Speaker:I spent the next few days there,
Speaker:the ring over my decision,
Speaker:but on Thursday's band,
Speaker:I loaded up my ancient car,
Speaker:which had been an 18th birthday present for dad and which
Speaker:I couldn't bring myself to trade in,
Speaker:even though it was becoming increasingly unreliable and set off for
Speaker:women on the north Norfolk coast during the journey.
Speaker:And when I was tempted to turn back,
Speaker:I reminded myself that if I wanted to see my plans
Speaker:through properly,
Speaker:then this visit was the only option.
Speaker:However, rather than head straight to the lodge.
Speaker:When I crossed the county border,
Speaker:I delayed the moment by taking a detour into the little
Speaker:coastal village,
Speaker:ostensibly, it was to see if anything had changed.
Speaker:But in reality,
Speaker:it was to buy a few more minutes in which mentally
Speaker:there were no new additions to win meth as far as
Speaker:I could tell.
Speaker:But what had always been there,
Speaker:look to my eyes,
Speaker:at least a little more cared for the village sign set
Speaker:in the green had recently a fresh lick of paint and
Speaker:the shops around the edge it's small to,
Speaker:to the pub smugglers in was sporting a different exterior color
Speaker:and the row of brick and Flint form of fishermen's cottages,
Speaker:which led down to the beach were in good repair.
Speaker:The certain intrusion of another plethora of memories ensured I didn't
Speaker:linger, but instead wove my way back around the narrow lanes
Speaker:and out of the village failing to spot the sea because
Speaker:the tide was too far out as the road twisted and
Speaker:turned. I fell to wondering if winter sprees was going to
Speaker:look as bad for as the village.
Speaker:And I didn't have to wait many minutes to find out
Speaker:well, that's new.
Speaker:I observed as I turned off the road and onto the
Speaker:drive, welcome to winters.
Speaker:I read aloud as I opened the passenger side window and
Speaker:lent across the seats to take in the personalized board,
Speaker:which old visitors they derived,
Speaker:the sign was well over eight foot high and featured a
Speaker:very jolly Santa's sleigh and reindeer soaring over what looked like
Speaker:the acreage owned by winter's trees.
Speaker:The artist had done a good job and I wondered how
Speaker:much it had cost to have a bespoke sign and designed
Speaker:and painted.
Speaker:I couldn't remember any email about it,
Speaker:but I knew I could have done it for a fraction
Speaker:of the cost.
Speaker:I put the car in gear released the stubborn handbrake and
Speaker:carried on along the drive,
Speaker:which was now enchantingly flanked on either side by rows of
Speaker:tall, red and white striped candy canes.
Speaker:They lit the way in the gathering darkness and light.
Speaker:The sign were the only new additions.
Speaker:There was also a five bar gate blocking entry to the
Speaker:ARD. But even if there hadn't been,
Speaker:I would have rolled to a stop at that point.
Speaker:Wow. I whispered,
Speaker:pulled up short by the sight of the lodge,
Speaker:which was on my left and set back amongst the trees,
Speaker:tears pricked my eyes.
Speaker:As I took it in and acknowledged that my memory had
Speaker:failed me in my head,
Speaker:it was much smaller.
Speaker:And I'd forgotten how intricately carved and painted the barge boards,
Speaker:which gave the place it's authentic.
Speaker:Gingerbread feel even in the height of summer where it was
Speaker:a home fit for Santa himself.
Speaker:And for a few years,
Speaker:it had been mine.
Speaker:They might have been unhappier than I would have wished for,
Speaker:but there was no denying.
Speaker:The aesthetic was elect.
Speaker:The lights in the lodge were all switched on giving the
Speaker:rooms a warm glow and there was smoke curling out of
Speaker:the chimney.
Speaker:David had gone above and beyond to welcome me back and
Speaker:my intensely emotional response to the site of the lodge,
Speaker:which I had never formally felt any affection for was a
Speaker:surprise. However,
Speaker:it wasn't quite as much as the piercing noise of an
Speaker:alarm, which began screaming,
Speaker:but I'd probably over the gate.
Speaker:I covered my ears and took a hasty step back,
Speaker:but burgeoning tears banished.
Speaker:As I looked about me,
Speaker:half expecting to see a police car racing up drive,
Speaker:it was supposed to call Yoda man's voice from the veranda.
Speaker:A few seconds later,
Speaker:he was supposed to let me know when you were here.
Speaker:And I was going to let you in the guy draped
Speaker:in a bath towel,
Speaker:which was far too small for his towering frame,
Speaker:pulled on a pair of work boots and ran over to
Speaker:where I was standing open mailed and why died.
Speaker:He was at least a foot taller than me and fix
Speaker:that. And there were a smattering of freckles covering his broad
Speaker:chest and shoulders.
Speaker:His hair was dark,
Speaker:or at least I assumed it was,
Speaker:it was hard to tell really,
Speaker:because it clearly just jumped out of the shower and was
Speaker:sopping wet.
Speaker:When he turned around,
Speaker:I noticed that he'd got what looked like a pine tree
Speaker:tattoo down the length of his broad back.
Speaker:And it was difficult to make out the details in the
Speaker:harsh glare of my headlights and already a Gog.
Speaker:I felt it would be rude to stay there.
Speaker:He said punching buttons on the key pad and thankfully silencing
Speaker:the noise.
Speaker:That's better much.
Speaker:I nodded in agreement,
Speaker:my ears ringing.
Speaker:You must be lies of winter.
Speaker:He said running one hand through his hair while the other
Speaker:held onto the precariously positioned town.
Speaker:Yes, I nodded I felt winded by the unexpected drama of
Speaker:my arrival and the proximity of his near nakedness.
Speaker:Yes I am.
Speaker:I'm sorry about the noise.
Speaker:I hadn't realized the gate would be alarmed.
Speaker:I'm not going to tell you what next,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:you're leaving us.
Speaker:It was quite a steamy interest in those two.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:I love it too.
Speaker:Well, first off the place sounds amazing.
Speaker:It's clearly different than she had anticipated.
Speaker:So I'm sure she's going to learn a lot of new
Speaker:things. Maybe some good,
Speaker:some bad.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:I'm kind of telling you where you've left me and what
Speaker:my thoughts are.
Speaker:And clearly there's going to be a relationship between those two.
Speaker:I don't know if it's a romantic relationship,
Speaker:a relationship with conflict about what's going to happen with the
Speaker:farm or what,
Speaker:but those are my thoughts.
Speaker:That's good.
Speaker:I like that.
Speaker:They're they're good thoughts.
Speaker:I will just say sparks will fly Christmas sparks.
Speaker:Yeah. This book,
Speaker:it is jam packed full of Christmas and it was an
Speaker:absolute joy to write it.
Speaker:Oh, okay.
Speaker:Well just FYI.
Speaker:It's already on the way to me.
Speaker:So I may have to really quickly finish the book I'm
Speaker:already in so that I can get to the other one.
Speaker:You want to know what I'm reading right now?
Speaker:What are you reading at The moment?
Speaker:I'm reading sunshine and screen in Nightingale square.
Speaker:So that's the first Nightingale square book.
Speaker:Yeah, it was nerve wracking writing that book because I had
Speaker:written, oh gosh,
Speaker:four, maybe five books set in bridge,
Speaker:which is a different place.
Speaker:And I felt it was time to go somewhere new,
Speaker:but I was so scared to do it in case my
Speaker:readers didn't like it,
Speaker:it was a scary right at one.
Speaker:Wow. That's interesting.
Speaker:And I'm very anxious too,
Speaker:because I don't know what's going to happen to the square.
Speaker:So Kate just jumped the fence FYI.
Speaker:That's where I am.
Speaker:Okay. So you'll quite early on that.
Speaker:Yeah. Maybe about a third of the way,
Speaker:something like that.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:But yeah.
Speaker:Very fun.
Speaker:Very fun.
Speaker:You guys,
Speaker:you've got to go and get this book now because you've
Speaker:got to find out happens and we got a demonstration beautifully,
Speaker:Heidi of you adding in a lot of the details.
Speaker:So we really understand what it looks like already,
Speaker:even with just that short section that you read.
Speaker:So that was a perfect example of what you taught us
Speaker:a little bit earlier here in terms of how to brighten
Speaker:up and add some pizazz to our writing.
Speaker:Yeah. Thank you.
Speaker:Cause you know,
Speaker:if you're going to go and buy the Christmas tree and
Speaker:this place winters to these,
Speaker:it's a,
Speaker:it's a real tradition for the locals.
Speaker:So I didn't want people to just turn off the road
Speaker:and go up the drive.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:that wouldn't have been particularly interesting,
Speaker:but I kind of,
Speaker:I guess I just indulged my own fantasy of buying my
Speaker:own tree and kind of how exactly I would like it
Speaker:to look.
Speaker:If I went there,
Speaker:it's a beautiful place.
Speaker:And there are lots of things that happen there,
Speaker:there are going to be lots of additions to that and
Speaker:it's just,
Speaker:it's wonderful.
Speaker:Perfect place.
Speaker:I'm excited.
Speaker:So do you already have notes like for a future book?
Speaker:Are you already writing notes?
Speaker:Well, actually,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:that was the second book set in women and there is
Speaker:a character from this book that has really stuck in my
Speaker:head. Yeah.
Speaker:I have already started making notes about what her potential story
Speaker:that's exciting.
Speaker:Oh, I love that.
Speaker:Well, thank you so much for sharing that with us being
Speaker:here on Christmas and I am going to speak for all
Speaker:of your readers right now,
Speaker:you just bring us so much joy and happiness and an
Speaker:escape to our everyday life.
Speaker:What you're providing to us is just beautiful.
Speaker:I thank you so much for it,
Speaker:Heidi. Oh,
Speaker:So kind thank you.
Speaker:That really touches my heart.
Speaker:It makes my heart happy as I have taken to saying,
Speaker:cause you know,
Speaker:lots of people tell me lovely things.
Speaker:Yeah. It really makes my heart thump that little bit harder
Speaker:to know how much books have been enjoyed because they're an
Speaker:escape for me to you read them and escape and I
Speaker:write them on a site.
Speaker:So it's kind of,
Speaker:it's a two way relationship.
Speaker:Really. You read them,
Speaker:which keeps me writing them and I write them,
Speaker:which keeps you reading them.
Speaker:So thank you.
Speaker:Yes. Perfect.
Speaker:And we're going to keep on with that for sure.
Speaker:Okay. So where can people go to get the books?
Speaker:Okay. Well in the UK you can get them in all
Speaker:good bookshops or you can order them through all the bookshops
Speaker:if they're not on the shelves and you can certainly get
Speaker:them through Amazon and other online retailers and over there in
Speaker:the U S I am guessing that you should be able
Speaker:to get them on Amazon.
Speaker:That's something that people have been asking me about.
Speaker:And I know that people have been buying them over over
Speaker:where you are.
Speaker:So yeah,
Speaker:I would tell them to come line.
Speaker:Yeah. And you can get them through Amazon.
Speaker:Now I will tell you that the underneath the Christmas tree,
Speaker:if you just look under your author name,
Speaker:at least when I did it,
Speaker:it didn't show up.
Speaker:But when I put underneath the Christmas tree,
Speaker:then it showed up.
Speaker:So maybe it's just cause it's new.
Speaker:Yeah. It could just be kind of like an Amazon glitch.
Speaker:Maybe if it was Amazon that you were looking at,
Speaker:sometimes things take a little while kind of be uploaded.
Speaker:When we released the title for the new book that's coming
Speaker:out next spring,
Speaker:we thought it was going to appear about four or five
Speaker:days before it actually went live.
Speaker:So I know there can be a delay on things like
Speaker:that. If you put this button land issue,
Speaker:definitely bring it up.
Speaker:Yeah. It's definitely there because I just got three more books
Speaker:actually. So I've got my stack already going.
Speaker:The ones I've read the ones that are waiting in line
Speaker:in order,
Speaker:like I said to you before,
Speaker:and then I just ordered three more.
Speaker:Cause I had to get this one.
Speaker:So yes,
Speaker:you can absolutely go on Amazon and get it.
Speaker:And all your books are available in hard copy,
Speaker:Kindle and audible,
Speaker:I believe.
Speaker:Yes. Yeah.
Speaker:All available in all formats now,
Speaker:which is fantastic.
Speaker:So nice and accessible for everybody.
Speaker:Yes. Okay.
Speaker:So I do have one last question about underneath the Christmas
Speaker:tree, the cover is pink.
Speaker:How did that happen?
Speaker:Wow. Gosh,
Speaker:it's normally the second draft has gone in.
Speaker:So when I've written that first draft that we talked about
Speaker:earlier that goes into my agent and editor,
Speaker:they come back with their notes and I do any work
Speaker:that needs doing.
Speaker:And it will be at that point when they have got
Speaker:the full measure of the story,
Speaker:that's when they go to the publicity team and the art
Speaker:department and they start making like they do the cover try.
Speaker:And the first cover that came back,
Speaker:it was different to the one we've got now,
Speaker:it was still pink.
Speaker:And I loved that,
Speaker:but there were a couple of people who weren't quite so
Speaker:sure. So we also try to end kind of like a
Speaker:mint color with red writing for the font.
Speaker:But the book that came out this spring also a kind
Speaker:of shade of green and putting them side by side,
Speaker:I felt they looked similar and I was already in love
Speaker:with the pink cover.
Speaker:I was team pink right from the word go.
Speaker:So I was quite pleased that the other ones didn't sort
Speaker:of meet up to what they were looking for really.
Speaker:So we kind of,
Speaker:we tweaked it and we just thought,
Speaker:yeah, we're going to go with this.
Speaker:There is a thread in the story that will kind of
Speaker:make sense for that pink cover.
Speaker:Obviously I'm not going to tell you what it is cause
Speaker:I know you've not read it yet.
Speaker:You're such A tease.
Speaker:It's really popped this year.
Speaker:There were so many more blue covers,
Speaker:blue purple,
Speaker:dark green covers at the moment.
Speaker:So one is really kind of been quite unusual.
Speaker:I think It's beautiful.
Speaker:And it's also festive,
Speaker:but it's definitely Christmas.
Speaker:Yeah. It still works really well.
Speaker:And they've the gold foils that they've got on there.
Speaker:I just love that.
Speaker:And the color of my name and everything.
Speaker:Yeah. I think I always say this one,
Speaker:a new book comes out by,
Speaker:I think it's my favorite cover,
Speaker:but I know that next year it will be saying exactly
Speaker:the same thing.
Speaker:It's gotta be fun to see what they come up with
Speaker:on the creative end for the covers,
Speaker:that match your stories.
Speaker:It's a really interesting part of the process.
Speaker:And I think I'm really lucky with my publishing team,
Speaker:some authors with other publishing houses,
Speaker:they don't get a say in their cover.
Speaker:They'll get told what the cover is going to look like.
Speaker:And there is no room to change anything.
Speaker:But when we work together as a really big team,
Speaker:so you've got myself and my agent and then you've got
Speaker:the whole publishing team.
Speaker:We tweak it together.
Speaker:We come up with this together and I'm very fortunate in
Speaker:that. I've never had to cover that.
Speaker:I thought,
Speaker:oh, I'm not so sure about that one.
Speaker:I've loved them all.
Speaker:Yeah. Well this one's beautiful.
Speaker:I'm definitely team pink with you for sure.
Speaker:So one final question and then I'm going to let you
Speaker:go carry on with your holiday.
Speaker:I love what you're putting up on Instagram.
Speaker:Is that coming from you or do you have a team
Speaker:that's putting up your social posts for you?
Speaker:That's something I've never been asked before,
Speaker:but it is something that has come up because I have
Speaker:Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Speaker:And honestly it takes me as much time working in those
Speaker:social channels as,
Speaker:as I said in the vote.
Speaker:But it's a part of the job that I really enjoy.
Speaker:And a couple of years ago,
Speaker:the publishing team said to me,
Speaker:would you like some help with your socials?
Speaker:Would you like us to do a bit on your behalf?
Speaker:And I was like,
Speaker:no, absolutely not.
Speaker:Because I have a really good relationship with my readers and
Speaker:I try so hard to respond to everything,
Speaker:whether it's something I've posted and they've commented on,
Speaker:or it's something that they've posted and tagged me in,
Speaker:I love that relationship.
Speaker:And I love that opportunity to be able to connect.
Speaker:So yeah,
Speaker:absolutely everything comes from me And you show up regularly.
Speaker:I see you in my Instagram feed a lot.
Speaker:Do you have a certain amount of days that you're posting
Speaker:like a true posting schedule or do you just do it
Speaker:when the inspiration hits?
Speaker:I kind of dip in and out throughout the day.
Speaker:My day starts quite early.
Speaker:I could wake up about five o'clock.
Speaker:So the first thing that I will do will be to
Speaker:turn my phone on,
Speaker:check my emails and see if there's anything I need to
Speaker:respond to on social media.
Speaker:And if there's something that I need to celebrate,
Speaker:say like there might be a publication anniversary or it might
Speaker:be Christmas and I'd taken a nice picture of the tree
Speaker:that I want to upload.
Speaker:I will do that really early.
Speaker:And then if it's a writing day,
Speaker:I will put my phone to one side and I don't
Speaker:allow myself to look at it anymore until I've done a
Speaker:really good chunk of work.
Speaker:And I have had my walk really important.
Speaker:I think when you work on your own and you're in
Speaker:the house on your own all the time,
Speaker:you need out,
Speaker:you need to get a fresh air.
Speaker:So that's really,
Speaker:really important part of my routine.
Speaker:So then I'll dip in again,
Speaker:maybe around lunchtime and have a catch-up and then again,
Speaker:late afternoon and again in the evening.
Speaker:So I'm always dipping in and out,
Speaker:but I find if I don't do that,
Speaker:I can't keep on top of everything.
Speaker:So I need to be present as often as I can
Speaker:be, but not to the detriment of my job.
Speaker:No, that makes sense.
Speaker:You compartmentalize things.
Speaker:So you'll look at your social media and then you'll put
Speaker:it aside.
Speaker:As you said,
Speaker:especially when you're doing your writing,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:cause you have to be so focused then,
Speaker:and then self-care walking always great,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:getting out,
Speaker:doing something.
Speaker:So that sounds amazing.
Speaker:Well, whatever you're doing,
Speaker:it is working.
Speaker:Like I said,
Speaker:I adore you.
Speaker:I adore what you're writing.
Speaker:Thank you so much for putting out in the world,
Speaker:what you do and Heidi Merry Christmas,
Speaker:Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas.
Speaker:Everybody. I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful day.
Speaker:Merry Christmas,
Speaker:everyone. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas.
Speaker:I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas.
Speaker:I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of
Speaker:my volleys naggy dad.
Speaker:dad. I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas.
Speaker:I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas.
