Today it's my pleasure to welcome author Jackie Baldwin back to the blog for another festive feature.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hi there, I’m a Scottish crime writer who lives in a rural town in East Lothian.
What are you most looking forward to this Christmas?
Seeing my family on Christmas morning followed by a long walk through the woods and along the beach.
Do you have any favourite family Christmas traditions?
These have changed over the years as my kids are now grown but when they were younger they had a stocking each which they used to open together on the couch before we got up. Then we’d all have breakfast and hand round the presents including those for the pets who would be hyper by then. We’d walk the dogs, have lunch and then play a Board game, usually Cluedo or Monopoly before settling down to watch a film. I now have a two year old grandson living locally so looking forward to seeing the shape of Christmas Days to come.
What is your best Christmas memory?
The Four of us being on Bondi Beach in Australia. It was surreal to see people sporting both Santa Hats and bikinis. The kids were really young and my daughter had been worried Santa might not find her but was happy to find her stocking on the edge of the bed.
If you could choose one person, dead or alive, to celebrate a one time special Christmas with, who would you choose and why?
That would definitely be my mother. She died shortly after Christmas when I was eighteen and was a lovely mum. I have never stopped missing her.
What is your favourite festive book of all-time?
Buster by Linda Jennings. It’s one I used to read to my kids about an abandoned dog that finds its forever home at Christmas.
What Christmas book would you like to see turned into a film?
The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux. The tagline is ‘This year you’ll get what you deserve…’
If you could spend Christmas with any fictional character, who would you choose and why?
I would have to say DI Frank Farrell, my fictional detective. To see him make the leap from the page into my living room would be mind-blowing. I’d need to have some Gregorian chants playing in the background and a tumbler of whiskey to take the edge off his social anxiety. If we got into the realms of ‘Who am I? Where did I come from?’ it could get tricky…
Do you have any Christmas book traditions?
I used to get six annuals every Christmas including the Jackie annual. My dad gave me a Jackie Annual well into my twenties. My husband also used to get me the latest Maeve Binchy, Dick Francis, Clive Cussler and whatever else I was reading at the time. I would be itching to get into them but never had time until Boxing Day.
What 3 books would you love Santa to have in his sack for you?
The Sturmtaucher Trilogy by Alan Jones. For lovers of historical fiction, I can’t recommend these highly enough. I’ve already read them on Kindle but definitely want the paperbacks to keep as well.
What is your favourite Christmas song?
‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.’
What is your favourite Christmas film?
It has to be Last Christmas with Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding. I wept buckets, (in a good way!)
And finally, what are your hopes for 2022?
I’m hoping for an end to the pandemic globally. It’s hard to see further than that at the moment.
Quick-fire questions
Roses or Quality Street? Quality Street
Mince pies/Christmas cake or Yule log? Christmas cake.
Turkey or ham? Turkey
Brussel sprouts or roast parsnips? I’m going to have to go with roast parsnips.
Gravy or cranberry sauce? Cranberry sauce
Fake or real Christmas tree? Fake (worried about pine needles in paws.)
White or coloured lights? Coloured.
Giving or receiving presents? Giving, of course!
Thanks for having me, Sharon! Have a wonderful Christmas everyone! xx
Website: https://jackiebaldwin.co.uk
Facebook: Jackie Baldwin Author
Twitter: @JackieMBaldwin1
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