Wednesday 12 December 2012

Christmas Shorts with... Christina Courtenay

The latest author to take part in my Christmas Shorts feature posts is the lovely Christina Courtenay who I've previously featured on the blog.  

Christina has written four historical fiction novels to date including Highland Storms, The Silent Touch of Shadows, which was published earlier this year.  Her fifth book The Gilded Fan is due to be published in February.  

What is your earliest Christmas memory?  
Not sure if it’s the earliest, but the one that stands out the most is me, aged about seven, telling my little brother that I’d just heard my mother on the phone, booking someone she knew to come and pretend to be our Santa Claus.  As my brother was four years younger than me and still believed in Santa, he started howling and I got into trouble for disillusioning him.  

It was a bit mean, but I didn’t realize he would take it so badly and wasn’t intending to upset him!

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?
Lighting the Advent candles – as I’m half Swedish I follow their tradition of lighting one candle for each of the four Sundays before Christmas and it’s a lovely way to count down the days I think.  I also love decorating the tree (it has to be a real one as the scent is so wonderful!)

What is or was the best book-related Christmas gift that you’ve received?
When I was little and was given several Enid Blyton books at the same time, I could never get enough of those! 
 
What is your favourite Christmas film?
National Lampoon’s ‘Christmas Vacation’ with Chevy Chase, it makes me laugh every year!
 
What is your favourite Christmas song?
Silent Night

 
If you could spend Christmas anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? 
In Sweden because that’s where I grew up and I think you always want to try and recapture childhood Christmases since they seem more magical somehow (plus I want snow outside!)
  
What are you looking forward to most this Christmas?
Relaxing and reading loads of books!
 
Will you be making a new years resolution?   
No, I never do because I have no willpower so I know I won’t keep them anyway :)

What one thing would you like to receive in your stocking?
A winning lottery ticket?
 
Finally a few quick fire questions to finish

 
Christmas at Home or Away? At Home
Mulled Wine or Winter Pimms?
Hate both!
Sprouts... Delicious or evil?
Absolutely delicious, I love them!
Yule Log or Mince Pie?
Don't like either, prefer ginger bread cookies
A Christmas Carol or Hogfather?
Christmas Carol (Disney version)
Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life?
Neither - sorry!

If you'd like to find out more about Christina and her books, head over to her website, or why not connect with her on Twitter where I'm sure she'd love to hear from you.  

5 comments:

  1. How lovely! Really should NOT laugh at your poor brother, but I can just picture it; and your poor mother's face! I imagine Christmas in Sweden to be wonderful! Xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I had a chuckle at that too Donna. My brother was only a year younger than me but I remember being threatened under pain of death not to tell him that Santa wasn't real!

    ReplyDelete
  3. We do laugh about it now, Donna and Sharon, and I think he's just about forgiven me, but it took a long time LOL! I guess my parents forgot to tell me not to disillusion him, but then again they didn't know I was listening in :)

    Thank you for having me as your guest, Sharon!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, too! My favourite scene was when the family pitches up at the elderly German couple's place, thinking they were their relatives, totally overwhelms them (they don't speak the same language) but after spending the night and leaving in the morning, the viewer is treated to the sight of the ivy revealing the previously hidden prefix '1' to the street number '34' they were looking for. *It could happen!*

    It was hilarious so I don't wonder you love, it Christina.

    Great interview!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, Beverley, glad it's not just me! :)

    ReplyDelete