Spotlight & Giveaway: Maybe This Christmas by Ieshia Wiedlin

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Ieshia Wiedlin to HJ!

Hi Ieshia and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Maybe This Christmas!

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

This book is about the two best friends we meet in There You Are, Angela Miles and Dr. Shawn Atkins. She is the founder of a Non-profit Acts of Faith, and she is working with the hospital where Shawn works. He has been tasked with helping her out, and along the way they discover some things about each other that pull them closer together. But those things could also pull them apart. With the backdrop of Christmas, they have to decide if they can move past the pain of their past and embark on a new journey together.
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

“You cannot complain. So just say yes.”
“Why do all of your ideas have the stipulation about me
complaining? It’s a little alarming.” He laughed.

“This isn’t going to work if you keep laughing at me.”
Shawn leaned all of his weight onto Angela while he attempted
to take a few steps in the skates.
“I’m doing the best I can, but you’re heavy, Shawn.”
“Are you complaining? I think you are.” He chuckled.
“Very funny.”

What inspired this book?

At the suggestion of my amazing Editor Julie Sturgeon, I began toying with the idea of writing a story centered around Christmas. I loved Shawn and Angela from There You Are, and I wanted to learn more about them. Why did Nathan and Amina love them so much? I was excited to learn more about them, and see where things went once, I opened the door into who they were. Plus, Chicago at Christmas time is simply beautiful, so it was fun to write about some of my favorite places in the city during the holidays.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

Angela Miles is a single mom, who founded a non-profit Acts of Faith. She’s a single mom with a twelve-year-old son, who’s a widow. She wants to help families that cannot afford for their children to have operations at the hospital. In writing about Angela, I was surprised at her vulnerability. She’s gone through so much, and it was fun to discover her willingness to always want to lead her life with helping others. But she’s done that for so long that it’s caused her to put her love life on the back burner.

Dr. Shawn Atkins is a renowned pediatric surgeon, who has fooled everyone into thinking he’s a self-absorbed ladies man. He was fun to write, and to learn and discover so much about him, and his life, what drives him and pushes him was a fun to discover. I’ll keep that nugget to myself for readers to discover on their own. But I enjoyed pulling back the layers on the core of who he is.

What was your favorite scene to write?

It was the ice skating scene! Shawn was completely out of his depth, and had to put all of his trust into Angela. He’s always in control of every situation so it was fun to see him uncomfortable:

Shawn’s heart rammed against his chest. He was terrified about getting on the ice.
“I’m one hundred percent complaining,” he mumbled.
He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of Angela. She stood next to him bouncing back and forth, beaming from ear to ear as they stood in line to rent their skates. He couldn’t understand how she didn’t sense his fear at all.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s quite beautiful.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked him while he rocked back and forth on his heels, his eyes darting around the ice.
“I’ve never done this before.”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The most difficult scene to write was Angela explaining to Shawn how she lost her husband Kevin. She had always kept this information close to her. This was two fold because it her letting down a wall with Shawn, and also letting out something so hard, it was a cathartic as well:

Anyway, December first came around, and we were on year five of the family traditions with D. I was home with him. Kevin went on a run to the store. I can never remember what he went for. I can never remember if I asked him to go or if his sweet tooth was driving him crazy for a snack we didn’t have. It haunts me every day that I can never remember.” Angela paused and flattened her hands against her skirt. Flashes of Kevin’s smile filled her head. The little dance he did before he walked out into the night crossed her mind as she toyed with the pocket of her coat.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

Yes, this book is definitely closer to my writing style.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

That the person that you least suspect could be the love of your life, so always keep your eyes open.
That you may never know what a person is going through, or has gone through in life, so never judge a book by its cover.
And most importantly, never be afraid to let people in to see who you are. It could change your life.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

Currently I am brainstorming some ideas. Taking my time in writing something new, no spark just yet. However, on November 22nd There You Are will be released as an Audiobook, so be on the lookout for that.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: An ebook copy of Maybe This Christmas & 3 Tule ebooks

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: In Maybe This Christmas, Angela is determined to keep her Christmas traditions intact. What are some of your traditions that you work hard to keep in place for yourself or your family?

 
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Excerpt from Maybe This Christmas:

Angela couldn’t believe her best friend Amina’s big day had finally arrived. After all the planning, organizing, and meeting after meeting, here they were. Angela walked up the stairs of Nathan Moore’s parents’ home to deliver a note. Amina had spent half the night writing a letter to her soon-to-be husband, and she was determined to make sure Nathan got it.
“Angie, please?” Amina had pleaded when they pulled in front of the massive home.
“Did you get any sleep?” Angela had asked.
“Very little, but I need him to get this. And can you give me a sneak peek of how he looks?” Her friend giggled.
“Sure, Mina. Stay out of sight.”
Angela was more than happy to fulfill her maid of honor duties and deliver Amina’s note. Plus, she needed to check on her son David. Sure, he was twelve and behaved as if he knew everything there was to know about everything in the world, but Angela wanted to make sure he put on his tux properly.
“Are you guys decent?” Angela yelled about halfway up the stairs.
“Come on up!” Nathan’s friend Chris called out.
“Angela!” All the guys shouted once she made it to the landing of the second floor.
She gasped and held her hand to chest. “Hey, guys.”
“Angela, you look great!” Chris said and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks, Chris. So do you. Everyone looks really great. Amina will be very pleased.” She chuckled. “Where’s David?”
“I’m right here, Mom.”
Angela looked just over Chris’s shoulder and saw him. There stood her twelve-year-old son looking so handsome in his little tuxedo. He bounced with excitement to stand up in his first wedding. Angela saw flashes of her deceased husband standing in front of her.
“David, you did such a great job getting yourself ready.” She stood back and took a few pictures of him. He looked so grown-up; time was just flying by.
“Thanks, Mom. I was a little nervous getting ready, but I think I did it right.”
“You did, sweetheart. You look great. Where’s your uncle Nate?”
“He’s in his bedroom across the hall finishing up,” David said, pointing to Nathan’s bedroom door.
“Great. Thanks! You better head on down. Naomi has the photographer taking pictures of the bridal party before the ceremony. See if you can get the rest of these guys down there, too.”
“Sure, Mom.”
“Thanks, sweetie.” She gave her son a quick hug before he walked away to try to get the guys downstairs.
Angela walked across the hall to Nathan’s bedroom and knocked on the door.
“Hey, Nate. It’s Angela. I need to give you something from Amina.”
Nathan’s best friend and best man, Shawn, opened the door. He was breathtakingly handsome in his black tux with gold accents. He was clean-shaven, and his jawline looked impeccable above the collar of his shirt. His cocoa skin glowed while his dashing smile grinned when he looked at her.
“Hello, Angela,” he said with his deep, husky voice.
“Hey, Shawn. You look great.” Angela hoped her voice sounded somewhat normal.
“Thanks, Angela. You look beautiful.”
She averted her eyes to avoid looking directly into his. Despite all of their sarcastic banter, she couldn’t deny how incredibly handsome he was. Taking on the full weight of his glance might’ve caused her knees to buckle.
“Everyone is downstairs for pictures before the ceremony. You should head down.”
“Cool, thanks for letting me know. See you down there, Nate.” He turned to give a fist bump and hug to his best friend before walking past Angela. She took a deep breath to inhale the sweet cedar scent.
Nathan grinned as he watched his friend leave.
“Not sure what that grin is for, so just stop.” Angela laughed.
Nathan put his hands up in surrender. “He’s right though. You do look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Nate. Amina wanted me to give this to you before everything starts.”
“Ah, a letter. She’s not changing her mind, is she?” he joked.
“I can promise you she’s not.”
“Wonderful! Thanks for bringing it to me.”
“No problem. It’s what maids of honor do.”
“How does she look?”
“Incredible, simply incredible.”
He nodded, excited.
“See you down there, handsome.” Angela hugged Nathan and made her way back downstairs to get Amina settled.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful. There was not a dry eye in the room when Amina and Nathan had their first dance.
Angela was so happy for her best friend. But her mind couldn’t help but drift to the upcoming weeks of work ahead of her.
“Hey, Angie.” Amina sat down next to her friend.
“Hey, how are you feeling, Mrs. Moore?”
“That’s gonna take some getting used to, but I feel amazing.”
“So happy for you guys. Truly.” Angela smiled. Her friend had made the right choice.
“Angie, I want you to know none of what happened today could’ve happened without your help. Thank you for everything.”
“Well, I am your best friend, so…” Angela hugged her friend and wiped a tear from her eye. She was so used to leaning on her friend to help her get through Christmas and New Year’s and now she was going to be gone.
“Angie, are you going to be ok while we’re gone?” Amina asked.
“I’ll manage, Mina. Don’t worry about me. I’ll miss you being here, but I’ll be ok. Did he tell you where he’s taking you yet?”
“He still hasn’t told me, and I’ve exhausted all of my guesses.” She laughed.
“I’m sure it will be amazing.” Angela smiled, fully aware of where Nathan was taking her bestie for their honeymoon.
She and Mina grooved to the music as it played through the spaciously heated and beautifully decorated tent. Shawn waved at their table as he walked by.
Amina arched her eyebrow, and a grin spread across her face.
“Mina…” Angela knew that look all too well.
“Well, Angie, I can’t help but notice how Shawn can’t keep his eyes off you tonight.”
Angela flung her head back in laughter. “Are you serious?”
“He could not stop staring at you when you were giving your toast. It was sort of obvious. Not sure how you missed it.”
“The whole room was looking at me, Mina.”
“Yeah, but not like that.” Amina laughed.
Angela shoved her friend’s arm and laughed. She tried to dismiss what she was saying, but she was well aware of how incredible Shawn looked the entire night.
The reception wound down, and guests started to leave. Angela knew Amina and Nate had a flight to catch, but they wanted to make sure they told everyone goodbye before they left. Angela hugged her friend and new husband and wished them well.
“You got this, Angie,” Mina whispered as she hugged her tightly. “Everything will work out fine. Trust me.”
“Thanks, Mina. I’m gonna miss you.”
“Gonna miss you, too.”
Suddenly Angela felt the weight of everything that lay ahead on her shoulders. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for the long road ahead.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Maybe this Christmas she’ll unwrap what she really wants…

Angela Miles is a hardworking mom, doing everything she can to make sure her family traditions endure with her twelve-year-old son, David. Before her husband passed, choosing the Christmas tree on the first day of December and creating magazine-worthy decorations meant the world to them, and she can’t let these memories disappear. But this year, she’s also in the midst of planning a blowout gala for her nonprofit, Acts of Faith, and David is more into Chicago Bulls games with his friends than hanging out with her.

Dr. Shawn Atkins is a pediatric surgeon devoted to staying the best in his field. But when an opportunity arises to help Angela with the gala, he jumps at the chance to be her knight in shining armor. Angela has always challenged him to up his game, so he’s happy to help her out. What he’s not prepared for is how that decision turns his whole world upside down.

This Christmas, will new experiences open the door to a chance at love that neither of them is expecting?

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Meet the Author:

Ieshia Wiedlin grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and currently resides in Brookfield, IL, which is a suburb of Chicago. She is married and has two great kids, Lucas and Zoey. She has always loved writing and telling stories, mostly sci-fi and fantasy, and is a huge junkie for all things Marvel and Star Wars. But somehow in the midst of loving all things sci-fi, she was a sucker for all things Molly Ringwald. Ieshia became a huge fan of rom-coms and loves stories with strong women characters. Growing up the youngest, and the only girl on her block, she craved strong women who fell in love. She loves romances with strong women leads who have conviction, but are also filled with humor. It’s important to her that women in her stories are smart, strong, loving, and funny, and also represent for sci-fi geeks and music lovers everywhere.
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