It's the penultimate day and it's my pleasure to welcome Lauren Emily Whalen back to the blog for today's Festive Fun with... feature.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Lauren Emily Whalen, and I write a little bit of everything! Right now I’m concentration on queer YA reimaginings of Shakespeare plays. My third book TWO WINTERS (inspired by The Winter’s Tale) was released on September 14 by Bold Strokes Books and is now available in print and digital wherever you buy books! I also have a female-driven Julius Caesar reimagining, TAKE HER DOWN, out on March 15, 2022 (the Ides of March!) and it’s available for preorder now.
What are you most looking forward to this Christmas?
I really love hanging out with my family, but this particular Christmas I’m looking forward to seeing live Christmas shows again! I live in Chicago, and there are amazing professional productions of A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker each year. I’m so happy they are back this year!
Do you have any favourite family Christmas traditions?
We watch a lot of Christmas movies. Everything from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation to the black-and-white film version of A Christmas Carol (which is my mom’s favorite) to White Christmas, to lesser-known but still great movies like Nothing Like the Holidays, which is set in my home city of Chicago!
I also adore cheesy holiday TV movies and I usually rope my family into watching one or two.
What is your best Christmas memory?
I’ve been a performer most of my life, and in 2002, I got to play a mother in The Nutcracker’s party scene. The shows were a few weeks before Christmas, but I’d never gotten to be in a full-length ballet or The Nutcracker, even though I’ve taken dance classes and danced in shows since I was four years old - so I got to cross that off my bucket list! The man who played my husband was also a good friend, and he has since passed away, so since then seeing The Nutcracker, particularly the party scene, brings back a lot of really special memories.
Describe your ideal Christmas
I’m very lucky in that I’ve never had a bad Christmas! They’ve all been pretty ideal, from Christmas Eve with my grandma and extended family when I was little - one of those Christmases, I received an American Girl doll, which was pretty much the highlight of my life up until then - to the holiday seasons now that I live in a major city. I love the lights and the movies and shows and shopping for presents and spending time with loved ones. And the food! I love the food.
If you could choose one person, dead or alive, to celebrate a one time special Christmas with, who would you choose and why?
Maybe Charles Dickens? Though it might get pretty dark.
What is your favourite festive book of all-time?
It’s hard to find anything better than A Christmas Carol. I know I’ve talked about it a lot, but it really is a classic for a reason, and it’s spooky! Plus, I don’t know if there’s a better first line than “Marley was dead.”
I wrote a short story for a holiday anthology called LINK BY LINK that came out last year, in which I put my own spin on A Christmas Carol. “Scrooge” is a young actress, who finds herself locked in an auditorium after a performance and is confronted by the spirits of her exes!
What Christmas book would you like to see turned into a film?
I have to say my first novel, SATELLITE! The whole novel takes place in the three months before Christmas, and the two main characters meet as young kids in a production of...The Nutcracker! In the present world of the book, one of those characters is taking on a bigger role in The Nutcracker. Maybe I’m biased, but I think it would be a great movie!
If you could spend Christmas with any fictional character, who would you choose and why? Definitely Clara/Marie in The Nutcracker. I want to fight evil mice with my magic doll and go to the Land of the Sweets!
Do you have a favourite Christmassy cover?
I really love LINK BY LINK’s cover. I think it’s a gorgeous color and also the little chains are reminiscent of Jacob Marley’s and it’s just...chef’s kiss.
Do you have any Christmas book traditions?
Not really!
What 3 books would you love Santa to have in his sack for you?
The one that comes to mind is Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s The Ballerinas, which I have already preordered! I am a sucker for any and all dance stories.
What is your favourite Christmas song?
“Silver Bells,” no question.
What is your favourite Christmas film?
I know it’s problematic, but Love Actually is so much fun. When it comes to TV Christmas movies, Hallmark Channel’s The Christmas Waltz is just lovely. I’m also a sucker for any and all Nutcrackers!
And finally, what are your hopes for 2022?
More family, more friends, more books, more love.
Quick-fire questions
Roses or Quality Street? Um...I’m not sure? I’m American. :)
Mince pies/Christmas cake or Yule log? Yule log!
Turkey or ham? Turkey.
Brussel sprouts or roast parsnips? Neither. I’ll take some corn casserole, though!
Gravy or cranberry sauce? Definitely gravy.
Fake or real Christmas tree? Real, you can’t beat the scent!
White or coloured lights? All the lights!
Giving or receiving presents? Both!
Website: http://laurenemilywrites.com
Facebook: Lauren Emily Writes
Twitter: @laurenemilywri
Instagram: @laurenemilywrites
Goodreads: Lauren Emily Whalen
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/laurenemilywrites
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