Spotlight & Giveaway: The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Holly Cassidy to HJ!

Hi Holly (aka Hannah Mary McKinnon) and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Christmas Countdown!

 
Hello, and thank you for having me back!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

After a bad breakup, Callie Meyer has all but given up on love, even when her good-natured but meddling sister presents her with a special Advent calendar. Filled with enticing gifts that tie into unique tasks, each surprise hidden behind the twenty-four doors gradually brings Callie out of her shell. Very soon, grumpy Callie realizes that sexy, sunshine pastry chef Marco may be the spoonful of sugar she needs to reignite her belief in herself, love, and Christmas again.
 

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

“Trying too hard might be the story of my life right now.”
“Well, that could be an easy fix. It’s your story. How about
writing yourself a new chapter?”
I wanted to retort things weren’t that simple. Except,
when I replayed my sister’s words in my mind and slowed
them down, a curious sensation traveled through my body,
something I was unable to grasp and that faded so quickly,
I wondered if I’d imagined it.
I blinked three times. “Maybe I need an entirely new
book.”
“Reinvention? Now you’re talking.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

Things mentioned in the book that exist in real life:

• When I was in high-school, I had a few work experience days at the Jungfrau-Victoria hotel in Interlaken. It’s a very fancy establishment.
• I’ve made all the cookies! My favorites are Basler Brunsli, and Mailänderli are a close second.
• The fictional town of Fallbrook is filled with street names from Oakville, Ontario, where I live – and we have a Lions Valley Park here, too.
• The bookstore A Different Drummer is real! It’s in Burlington, Ontario, and owned by Ian Elliott, a wonderful champion of authors. Do stop by if you get a chance. It’s a beautiful store!
• The windows carved into the north face of the Eiger mountain really do exist. See https://www.amusingplanet.com/2022/06/eigerwand-railway-station-carved-into.html Incredible!

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Definitely their sense of humour. Both Callie and Marco love puns, the sillier the better. When they meet at a Christmas tree market, Marco’s wearing a punny beanie with “Donut Panic” (the O from donut is embroidered as one of the sweet treats.) They discover a mutual love of eggnog, which Callie says she’s “always egg-static for,” and then she gives Marco the nickname Eggnog Man while he calls her Swiss Miss.
 

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

Callie’s sister, Anita, owns a feisty cat named Dazey Rocket, with whom Callie at first has a bit of a love-hate relationship. When Dazey escapes the apartment and makes a beeline for the roof, Callie tries to rescue her. Of course, Dazey – clever cat that she is – doesn’t need rescuing, but Callie does because she gets stuck. And of course she’s wearing an obscure T-shirt…

“I noticed a small crowd gathering, people staring and pointing, their phones raised toward me, so I ducked behind the chimney. Groaning,I put my head in one hand, only to realize that the
T-shirt I’d pulled on earlier this afternoon sported the Microsoft Excel logo and a reference only those who knew the software would understand.
Very soon, all of Fallbrook and maybe beyond would see me stranded on a roof wearing one soggy pink cat slipper and a T-shirt that—in big black letters, no less—proudly
announced Freak in the Sheets.”

Readers should read this book….

…to be whisked away to the quaint town of Fallbrook, where Callie and Marco’s chance encounter at a Christmas tree market blooms into something more. Packed with an inventive Advent calendar, a good-natured but meddlesome sister, a feisty feline, mouth-watering Swiss cookies, and plenty of Christmas cheer, you’ll be wishing for the holiday season to already be upon us.
 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m currently working on my next Hannah Mary McKinnon thriller, tentatively called A KILLER MOTIVE. It’s a twisted story about a true crime podcaster whose younger brother goes missing from a beach party she took him to. After she says during a radio interview that she’ll do whatever she can to find him, the alleged abductor challenges her to do exactly that—but with deadly consequences for multiple people if she fails. I think I’ve created my most evil antagonist yet. The book will release in fall of 2025.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A print copy of THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN by Holly Cassidy

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What’s your favourite holiday tradition, and your favourite holiday cookie?

 
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Book Info:

From the author of The Christmas Wager comes a charming holiday rom-com about a young, recently heartbroken woman who is tasked by her sister to complete Advent calendar challenges in the lead up to Christmas to reignite her belief in herself, the holidays, and love again.

She’s given up on love and Christmas…but fate has other plans.

All Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. She’s still reeling from being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, and under no circumstances will she go home for the holidays considering her ex will be right next door with his new, perfect partner. Callie is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily.

Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge—cheerful tasks to push Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit, inspired by a childhood tradition. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested.

As they strike a deal to do the activities together, could the twenty four little doors on Callie’s Advent calendar not only open up one, but two closed-off hearts?

Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Internationally bestselling author Holly Cassidy, aka Hannah Mary McKinnon, was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. While her debut, TIME AFTER TIME, was a rom com, she transitioned to the dark side thereafter. Her seven suspense novels include NEVER COMING HOME, THE REVENGE LIST, and ONLY ONE SURVIVES, and her work has been optioned for the screen. It’s rumored Hannah Mary still has a softer side because she also writes holiday romantic comedies as Holly Cassidy, the second of which is THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN. Hannah Mary lives in Oakville, Ontario, Canada with her husband and three sons.
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