Spotlight + Interview: A Nanny for Christmas by Christina George
A Nanny for Christmas
Harper’s Corner Book Two
by Christina George
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Holiday
Summary
In less than 8 hours Willa went from being a behind-the-scenes nanny for one of the hottest A-list celebrity couples, to having her picture splashed all over every magazine in the country.
Caught in the arms of her sexy employer, Johnny Blaze.
No one cares that Johnny hit on her, and she repeatedly told him no.
The world thinks Willa O’Rourke is more interesting as the slutty, home-wrecking, opportunistic nanny. She even has a hashtag trending on Twitter. #dirtynanny
Humiliated and desperate to get away from the harsh eyes of Hollywood, she decides to take a short break from her suddenly not so glamorous life and head home for the holidays.
But a quiet Christmas to recoup before heading back to LA wasn’t in the cards. She immediately runs into Jack, her seriously hot, fireman ex-boyfriend. Despite Willa’s attempts to keep a low profile, she and Jack are thrown together for a Christmas charity project — making her wonder if she’s meant for a simpler life in Harper’s Corner after all.
Author Interview
I adore Jill Shalvis and Kristan Higgins – their writing styles are similar in that they infuse some humor, a smattering of fun but flawed characters – and they’re great storytellers! But honestly, I think they key is to read in your genre, regardless of who you love and follow. Yes, those two are my fav and often go-to, but it’s important to read other authors and see how they tackle issues, storylines, etc.
What is your creative process when bringing your worlds or characters to life?
You know it’s funny, I like to sort of “sit” with characters for a while and get a feel for them, before I write about them. Because I feel like you kind of have to get inside their head – and being inside someone’s head when you’re trying to put them on paper is hard for me. That’s not to say that the character doesn’t change and grow as I’m writing the story, but I like to really spend some time with them before I put them on paper.
Oddly (or maybe not, since I’m a writer ☺) sometimes I’ll try to figure out what type of music they like. This played a heavy role in my forthcoming book, where the main character liked country music, and it became a tiny bit of the backdrop and tapestry to getting to know him. But often music isn’t mentioned at all, it’s just a way of defining who they are. When I was creating the girl-tribe I call “the coven” I looked at music choices for each of them, to see what they might most resonate with. That’s also a fun way to help further develop a character!
What was your inspirations behind A Nanny for Christmas?
Funny you should ask. So I’m a big fan of Jennifer Garner and a few years ago, when she had that nanny debacle with her than husband Ben Affleck, I thought “I wonder what that must be like, being a celeb nanny” as it happens, I happened to meet someone who knew this nanny, not well – but had gone to school with her. Though no part of the character is based in fact, you’ll a bit see Jen Garner in the wife of the male star, I think.
Is there a character from your work(s) that you feel a special connection with?
I would say that would be Kate, from my first series: The Publicist. In my day job, I’m a publicist, so I really resonated with her and many of the challenges she faced!
What lead you to writing and later publishing your first book?
Funny story: The Publicist was actually a diary of mine – many (most) of the stories in that book are true. The names have been changed to protect the odd, or sometimes nutty people I’ve worked with and for in this ever-changing industry.
Is there any advice you would like to give to writers who are just starting out?
YES!! Write what you love to read! That’s a big, big deal. Be a fan of your genre first and foremost. I speak to a lot of authors in my day job who aren’t fans of what they write. I don’t at all get that. You’ll do a much better job with your books if you’re a fan and read in your genre. Spoiler alert: you need to read a lot in your genre. The more you read the better you’ll be an author.
About Christina George
I’ve worked in publishing for twenty years and I sincerely love books and authors. I started this journey with my own books planning to write just one, and then well – all I can say is the stories kept coming. My original series The Publicist, follows Kate, Mac, Nick, Vivienne and a host of other awesome characters as they make their lives in New York, amidst the chaos that publishing often brings with it.
I am now exploring a fictional small town called Harper’s Corner. This series is so fun, because there are so many characters in this town, from sexy firemen and hot Army guys, to an awesome group of women that I affectionally call “the coven.” These books will explore each of these characters, and their journey to finding the loves of their lives.
I love writing, and I love reading and if I’m not actively writing a book, I’m probably dreaming of what I’ll write next.
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