Join Author Express for a heartwarming chat with Geeta Schrayter, author of uplifting New England stories and queen of Christmas spirit! This episode is packed with fun tidbits for holiday romance readers: from Connecticut’s Christmas movie fame to Geeta’s deep affection for list-making and festive traditions. Wonder how a busy homeschooling mom finds time to write? Geeta shares her routines, support systems, and the creative ways she manages family and fiction. Get a sneak peek at her Four Seasons book project and her clever character quirks, as well as how she lets go of perfection to embrace the unexpected. There’s even a nod to Instagram aesthetics and the power of loving what you love—pumpkin spice, pink, and all! Tune in for inspiration, cozy vibes, and holiday book recommendations that will keep you smiling all winter long.

Geeta Schrayter is a former reporter and assistant newspaper editor, she considers her time writing for an area publication that covers six small Connecticut towns as integral to cementing her desire to write stories centered in the area. Geeta loves writing feel-good stories with relatable characters that leave readers feeling like they just received a warm hug.

Her latest book, Planning on Christmas, takes place in the fictitious town of Auburn Falls, and is the first of four stories to be set in the same place—one for each season.

You can connect with Geeta on Instagram and Threads @geetawrites and subscribe to her newsletter, Paper Scrap Stories, at paperscrapstories.substack.com

Order the ebook for Planning on Christmas here: https://a.co/d/gJ11Ik6

A little about today's host-

Kristi Leonard is a writer, community builder, and former president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Since co-hosting on the Author Express Podcast, she has started her own podcast, Pop Culture Plot Lab, where guest authors to turn viral pop culture moments into story sparks and give listeners a peek inside the creative process. Through her writing retreats and volunteer leadership, she’s dedicated to helping other writers find their voice and stay connected to the craft.

A former audiobook narrator, Kristi now spends most of her creative energy on her own fiction and on shaping programs that support women’s voices in publishing. When she isn’t writing or leading, she’s likely hiking Florida trails with her writer-hiker pals or reading with her Golden Retriever, Charlie, at her side. She’s currently at work on her next novel and building the kind of author career she’s long championed for others.

Link to follow me https://linktr.ee/kristileonardwrites

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Welcome to Author Express. Thanks for checking us out. This is the podcast where you give us 15 minutes of your time and we give you a chance to hear the voice behind the pages and get to know some of your favorite writers in a new light. I'm one of your hosts, Kristi Leonard, owner and host of Writers in the Wild Retreats, nonfiction voiceover artist and president of WFWA.

I'm excited to share with you a little about today's guest.

My guest today is Geeta Schrayter, who writes feel good stories in quintessential New England settings. A lifelong Connecticut resident, she's a self proclaimed super fan of the Northeast who loves infusing her stories with the vibes of the region. When she isn't putting happily ever after on the pages, she she's living out her own with her husband and children. Welcome to the show, Geeta.

Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here. This is such a great podcast.

You are a repeat offender. You've been here before. I know. So this is exciting. We get to talk about your second book. Well, I am excited to get to our first question because I spent 10 years living in Connecticut and you're someone else in New England so much you make it the setting of all your books. So tell me the most interesting thing about where you're from.

Absolutely. I actually have a lot of different fun facts about Connecticut and New England. So I always have to like go through my roster and think which one I want to focus on. And today I think because my next book is a Christmas novel, it's going to have to be that. More than 20 Christmas films have been filmed here in Connecticut between Hallmark Channel and Lifetime, et cetera. And I live near a couple of the towns where they have been filmed. And it's such a big part of the state that if you go on our tourist website, there's even a Christmas movie tour you can go on that takes you to the different towns, talks about the movies, and then suggests some fun things to do in the various areas.

Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. The next time I am there, I'm going to absolutely have to do that tour. That sounds amazing.

Yeah. I don't think I included the link in the show notes, but I'm gonna have to give it to you for sure to add.

Yeah, yeah, definitely. People would absolutely love to do that. Well, you have professed to love Christmas and your next book is set at Christmas. What is it about the season that gets you talking about it in August? I I follow you on Instagram, and you were talking about Christmas in August. I was like, she really does love Christmas. Christmas.

You know what's funny about that is I, It actually used to be before that. So when I worked at a newspaper, I would start my Christmas countdown the day after Christmas, and they would laugh. And all throughout the year, the people I worked with would be like, hey, how many days until Christmas? And I would tell them. But what's shifted since then is I realized that it's not just that Christmas is actually the end of what I love. So I stopped counting down to Christmas because what I actually love is the entire Christmas season. So now I don't have the countdown to December 25th. But, yeah, I'm definitely counting down, looking up things like, you know, when the Starbucks holiday menu releases or like, you know, when my husband's gonna let me get away with decorating this year, Thanksgiving is not until the 27th, so I'm definitely not waiting until then.

It's far too late. But, you know, just the. The joy, the feel good vibes, just how people tend to be a little kinder towards one another. That just like Christmas magic, it just like, makes my heart feel. I mean, I'm like, at the end of the Grinch when, like, the heart grows extra large, like, that's how. That's how Christmas makes me feel all the time.

So that is awesome. And you have kid. You have little kids, so you got to make it magical for them, right?

Absolutely. It's an excuse to go extra, extra big. For sure.

Yes. Oh, 100%. So you had something in your. About me about. I'm going to say it wrong. Macarons.

Oh, macarons.

Yep, macarons. Okay. Because I saw that you said never macaroons. So what is it about macaroons? Tell me about that.

I guess, you know, a macaroon is good. No, no offense to the macaroons, but it's just one of those little pet peeve things because I love macarons so much that. That there are a crazy number amount of people who confuse the two. So I've even been to. We did a road trip in the fall down south and I went to a bakery and like, they had macarons, but the sign said macaroons. And I was like, excuse me, my friend. Macaroons, coconut clusters, macarons, puffy egg white cookies with a delicious cream center. So I'm like, I'm.

It may be annoying, but I'm the one who's going to be like, excuse me, that's incorrect. It's a macaron.

So have you put that in a book yet?

I have not, but perhaps I should. Writing that down in my notebooks.

That is a total quirky thing. That should be a thing about a character, for sure. Well, now we get to the part I really love is talking about the book, which I haven't. I usually read the books, and I haven't read this one yet, but it comes out, like, next week or something.

It does, yeah. November 4th, so.

Okay, so this will be after. So it came out last week.

I love it. Perfect.

Yeah.

Super excited.

11Th or something.

So you must have been thinking about writing a Christmas book forever. If you love Christmas. We like to challenge our people. We gotta get you to tell us in one sentence how you would summarize this book. Can you do it?

Yes. Yes, I can. All right. An ambitious event planner gets stuck in a small town en route to her company's biggest event of the year and trades her usual to dos for a festive list compiled by the town's charming councilman.

Ooh, I love it. I can't wait to read it. It's gonna be so perfect for the holidays. Like, to jump into the holiday seasons. So Charity is the main character. Her whole world is lists and schedules and control. What was more fun for you? Was it, like, creating the perfect list for her or, like, gleefully ripping it out of her hands?

It was really satisfying making that, like, just topsy turvy. It's impossible for you to follow your lists. You're not gonna get done any of the things that you wanted to get done, and you have to completely pivot and instead embrace all of these festive things that Kyle has set up for you. That was definitely a lot of fun for me.

Are you a person who makes lists?

I have a mug that says lists on my love language. I don't think I am quite as much about them as I may, Charity, but, yeah, there's. I definitely do feel the same sort of satisfaction that I have her feel in terms of, like, when you get those lists checked off and it's. And you look at that paper and they're just, like, done, done, done. It's a nice feeling. And then you have to make a next one because they never actually end. So it's true.

It is true. Especially with three young children.

Yep. For sure.

This story nudges Charity to open up to the possibility of life without perfection. What does the book say to you about what we lose when we try to plan every moment of our lives.

I'm a big fan of spontaneity about opening yourself up to possibilities that maybe you didn't even, like, think they weren't in the realm of your, like, just, you know, vision of, like, what could be possible for your life. And I think one of the big lessons in the story that is probably one everybody needs to remind themselves is just like that with gain comes risk. So, like, you know, that's what Charity has to learn is, like, to let go of control and to let in these. These new experiences and these new possibilities for, like, happiness. Yes, there's the risk of loss and there's the risk of heartbreak, but what you gain from letting all those things in and all those opportunities is worth ultimately the risk that comes with them.

Oh, definitely. And how does Kyle help her without spoilers get there?

Well, she doesn't even celebrate Christmas when she gets to this town. She's so, like, wrapped up in work and business. And it does have to do with loss in her past. So Kyle and his mom, my sister's favorite line in the book is actually at the end of the first chapter where he just says, that's my mom. So when you get to there, you'll. You'll understand. But the both of them together have this sort of more laid back, even though they've also experienced loss, as we all have, sort of still hopeful and just easygoing and joyful way about them. And it's kind of like the opposite route from what Charity chose to take in terms of how she re reacted to the loss, which was for her, it was, okay, I couldn't control this, but so I'm going to control everything else in my life as a result.

And they're there to sort of say, yeah, but if you do that, look what you're missing. And maybe you need to just slow down and sit back a little bit and then see what can happen.

That's awesome. So I think I saw on your Instagram you were working on a spring book. Are you working on another book? Busy, Busy.

So I kind of have three. Three that are. I'm querying one, and then that's not the same sort of genre. And then I'm working on three more. And so what was really exciting for me was when I really, I had done a sort of course, I was in this group about authors and, like, author Personas and like, creating your author brand, if you will. And through that and through some of these, like, questions that she had posed and figuring out, like, your niche, it's really what allowed me to embrace the fact that I love New England and I love writing feel good stories. And so that's what I'm going to do. And so the what's going to happen is I have four books that are going to be set in Auburn Falls, one for each season, which is going to let me toss in all of my favorite things because we talked about how much I love New England from this area into each book.

So I'm very excited.

Oh my gosh, I love that we talked about your kids. You've got like a full writing career going. Clearly with all these books that you're writing, how do you carve out time and mindset to write when your family life's gotta be like full of interruptions?

It is quite full. I homeschool the older two, so I don't even have the like Monday through Friday, you know, eight to three window. My alarm goes off at four On a good day, I actually wake up at that time. So I have a couple hours in the morning before the first one usually wakes at 7. My husband will make it. You know, during the summer it was easier because we didn't have all the activities, but we had some set times where I would go to cafes for a couple hours a couple of times a week when I'm feeling really optimistic. I also do nighttimes a little bit and go to bed, you know, maybe around 11. But it is harder, especially because my kids still love a good snuggle to go to sleep.

So when I'm hopping from like, you know, two different beds, by the time I get to the third bed, am I awake at the end? It's debatable, but so that's really it. Just carving those moments whenever I can and having a family who supports me in this endeavor who doesn't look at it like, oh, you know, it's just a hobby. Or they're who are willing to say, okay, Mom's going to write. Or like I mentioned to you before we started, my sister's been visiting and she's just been such a help. She's just been like, do you want me to hang out with the kids today so you can write or work on, you know, social media posts or whatnot. So that's made a big difference for sure.

Yeah, having support is super, super helpful. So when you start writing a novel, so you've, you've already sort of outlined what the ideas for those books are like the, the Four Seasons. But are you like an outline person? Do you plot by field? You write in sprints how do you manage that process when you start out?

Great question. I think I've grown to become a blend. I used to say proudly, like, I'm a panther and I just sit down and write. That does not always work. Right. And especially knowing in advance that I'm having four stories in the same town, it me, it meant that I need to have a master list of places and people and think in the back of my mind, are we going to introduce briefly the character that's going to be the main character in the next one? Are they already here? Do we already know them? What's the arc that's going to sort of carry through all four of these stories? Or is there going to be one? So that's needed, that's required some more planning? For sure.

I would think that would be really fun.

Yeah, it has been. I was just talking to my sister yesterday about how, I guess here's like, the first announcement. How so this one, there's sort of like, you know, she doesn't make it to her destination at first, so she has to get in touch with her assistant. And I have just so clearly known from the beginning that, like, what's going on on the other end with the assistant who's already at this venue is a story that's going to happen, too. So it's been really fun to sort of, like, think about when she's on the phone or messaging this girl Natalie, that, like. And this is what's actually happening with Natalie that we don't know yet as the reader. But that will be like, another Christmas story of, like, what happens to this assistant at this secluded manor when her boss doesn't arrive and there's this big event and et cetera, et cetera. So that's been really fun to think about.

Oh, my gosh. See, my writer brain is like, oh, that sounds amazing. What a fun way to write.

Yeah, for sure.

All right, well, I have been on your website, so I know that is a great place. Do you have. You have a newsletter? Like, is that the best place people can find you is on your website?

I feel like Instagram is where I try to be most active. It's certainly where I've been most consistently active. And my handle there is geetawrites. I have the same handle everywhere. So if someone's getting into threads and. Yeah, I'm trying to be pretty regular with my newsletter, which is through subscribers Substack, and that's called Paper Scrap Stories. So either of those would be the place to go.

Oh, that's awesome. Well, I do have to say about your Instagram, one of the things that you wrote in your about was all the things that you love, and one of them was pink. And your Instagram is so satisfying because it's all so, like, monochromatic and beautiful.

Thank you. I appreciate that. That also goes back to that, like, the course of when I had been taking that. And what's funny is that, like, the things that I'm now leaning into are things that I feel like at first that for a while at least, I somewhat dialed back or hit because people. And I say people because, like, I don't know who exactly, but I did have people in my past, like, say, you know, oh my gosh, like, pink is like such like a black color, right? Like, or. Or she's so bubbly. Or like, you know, I love pumpkin spice latte. And for a while people would be like, well, that's basic.

Or like, so extra to like, these sorts of things. So. So for a while I feel like I'd be like, oh, you know, Instagram is all that the dark, like, academia, sort of like, moody. And I'm like, do I need to. Do I need to, like, be moody? Do I need to, like, not drink pumpkin spice lattes and go, yeah, and go get matcha? No offense to Matcha. It's just not my cup of tea or cup of. Yeah, it is tea. But then finally by doing that, I was like, no, who I am.

I like pink. I love all these quote unquote stereotypical things about New England. For the most part, I'm Pollyanna Ish. And I like pumpkin spice lattes. So, you know, take me as I am. Or I guess this, you know, carry on. So that's why it's pink. That's why we are where we are with the stories.

Here I am.

All right, so we always end with the same question. What book or story inspires you the most?

So last time I was asked this, I did mention a few books, but I. I said that I was like, this is the hardest question for a reader. And, you know, do you know the Cinderella retelling ever after?

Yes, I love it.

Oh, my gosh. So good. One of my favorites. But there's the scene where Danielle is asked to pick a book from the expansive library she shown, and her response is, I could no sooner choose a favorite star among the heavens. That's the stance I maintain for picking favorite books. But I'm not going to skip out. It is an answer. But that being said, I, like, was staring at my bookshelves today, and I was like, okay, so today I will mention Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic and Glennon Doyle's Untamed, because those are both two books I can keep going back to for inspiration, pull quotes or just, you know, just for some, like, insight into especially the creative process.

So I do love those books. I'm not gonna say they're my favorite or they inspire me the most because I could change tomorrow, you know, I don't know what book I'm gonna find and read so.

Well, I have to thank you for being the last guest on Author Express.

This is so sad. So glad I was here, but bittersweet for sure is.

It is. So signing off for the last time. Thank you for being here.

All right. Thank you so much. Thank you, Author Express. And thank you. Thank you, Shawna.

Thanks for joining us. We hope you take a second to give us stars or a review on your favorite podcasting platform, and we'll be here again next Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram at Author Express Podcast to see who's coming up next. Don't forget, keep it Express, but keep it interesting.