Jennifer Snow interview and excerpt

The Trouble With Mistletoe

A Brookhollow Story

By Jennifer Snow

Publication date: November 1st 2013

Book Synopsis

You can't say no to a mistletoe kiss, no matter who's under it!
Since leaving Brookhollow and her fiancé, Luke Dawson, twelve years earlier, Victoria Mason hasn't looked back. She's traded the small-town dream of marriage, kids and family Christmas dinners for late nights working at a high-powered acquisitions firm, lunches at trendy New York restaurants and jet-set vacations on the slopes.

So her latest work assignment, to acquire Brookhollow's sporting-goods store, poses a challenge for Victoria, in more ways than one. Because it's almost Christmas, and she's got other holiday plans. And the owner is reluctant to sell. And the owner is Luke. She needs to wrap up the deal before she gets caught up in her old life and her old loveor becomes trapped under the mistletoe. Again
Hello Jennifer and welcome to Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom

1. Do you have a specific writing style? I write with paper and pen first, then as I type it into a word document, I do the first round of revision.
2. How did you come up with the title? It is a line from one of the main scene in the book. Also, I love the tradition of mistletoe during the holidays, so incorporating it into my holiday titles has become a bit of ahabit J
3. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? I read a lot of Debbie Macomber and Jill Shalvis’s books, so I would definitely consider my writing influenced by them.
4. What book are you reading now? Orange Blossom Brides by fellow Heartwarming Author-Tara Randel
5. What are your current projects? I am working on the remaining four books in my Brookhollow series and I’m also polishing a family saga single title.
6. Do you see your writing as a career? Definitely. Currently, I have two careers, but my goal is to be writing full time in five years or less.
7. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? I’ve always loved books and I learned how to read and write before I even went to school. I would take an encyclopedia and ask my mom to give me a writing assignment. Then I would research something from the encyclopedia and write a report on it. J
8. Can you share a little of your current work with us? See excerpt below.
9. Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? Not for research-though I’d love to visit New York and New Jersey more. But, I do travel a lot for conferences. It’s really great to meet other authors and learn from one another.
10. Who designs your cover(s)? The publishers design the covers, but I have an amazing graphic artist friend-Linda Horn who designs my print ads.
11. What was the hardest part of writing your book? Revising the first three chapters to set up the series as well as the story without creating an ‘info dump’ feel to those first few chapters.
12. Do you have any advice for other writers? Just write-whenever you can, wherever you are. And if a thought hits you-write it down-because you will not remember it. J
13. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? Thank you so much for your support. Happy Reading!

Thanks for joining us today Jennifer, now as promised here we get a lovely excerpt from The Trouble With Mistletoe

“Oh, relax. I saw him earlier today, replacing the burnt out bulbs in Ginger’s Christmas lights and he said he was looking forward to seeing you again, so I invited him to dinner.”

“Mom, he is my ex-fiancé, in case you’ve forgotten, and we haven’t spoken in twelve years. Not to mention my company is working for the store trying to buy out Legend’s.” Victoria paced back and forth in the kitchen.

“Business is business, honey.  I’m sure you two will figure that stuff out. But can’t you just put it aside for the evening and have a pleasant dinner with an old friend? I’m sure Luke has long gotten over the fact you left him at the altar…. Even if his mother hasn’t,” she mumbled, rolling out the pie crust.

“I didn’t leave him at the altar.” Victoria stopped pacing, wondering how many times she’d had this conversation with her mom. Too many. “I called off the wedding two weeks before,” she added, “and, besides, he certainly didn’t try to stop me.”

Memories of those last few weeks before her supposed wedding day were painful to recall. The stress of the preparations—her mother and Luke’s mother forcing her to taste wedding cakes and try on dress after dress—even though her heart wasn’t in it. The entire time, hidden in her bedside table drawer had been the acceptance letter for a position with Clarke and Johnson Acquisitions. When she’d applied the summer before she’d never imagined the big firm in New York would accept her application based on her two-year business diploma. But they had and she’d had a month to decide. Keeping the offer to herself and struggling with her conflicted heart had created tension between her and Luke and had made her question her commitment to him. Their ideas about a life together had seemed worlds apart.

She’d chosen an unpaid internship with a dream of a future so different from the one he’d been planning, and left him behind. And whenever she wondered about her decision, she forced herself to remember that he hadn’t tried to stop her.

Her mother waved a hand. “You know what I mean. Anyway, it’s in the past. At least I’ve learned to keep it there…unlike some people.”

Victoria shook her head. Her mother was impossible, and Luke’s mother would be furious if she found out. The two women, once best friends, hadn’t spoken since the day Victoria left town. According to her mother, she’d let the feud between them die, but Luke’s mother still held a grudge.

Ding Dong!

Her heart skipped a beat. How was she supposed to sit at the same table with him, after everything they’d been through? She was here to do battle with him over a store. And this was supposed to be a pleasant evening? She peered through the glass opening of the kitchen door.

Luke shifted from one foot to the other on the front porch. Wearing clean jeans and his leather jacket, his short hair gelled into a spiky, controlled mess, he’d obviously gone home to shower and change.

Victoria made no move to let him in. Why couldn’t he have gotten fat? Or bald? Or both?

“Victoria, go take off your suit jacket and brush your hair, while I get the door.” Sheila removed her apron and straightened her sweater.

Victoria held out an arm to block her mother’s escape. “I have a better idea. You go get pretty for Luke, and I’ll let him in. He may as well get used to seeing me at my worst.”