At the start of the year, I announced that one of my goals was to self-publish a novel. I’m excited to say that last week I finished the first draft! To celebrate, I asked people on Instagram what they wanted to know about the book, and I’ll be answering those questions today.
Note that some of the questions have been edited for clarity!
What is it about?
It’s a romance set at Christmastime. I like to say it’s Love Actually style (although I don’t really like that movie…) because it’s several storylines all woven together. It takes place at an airport on Christmas Eve—when a blizzard leaves them stranded at the airport, people will reconnect with old flames, find new love, and figure out life together.
What is the title?
I haven’t decided on one yet! I have something in mind, but I want to be sure before I start using it. For now I’m mostly referring to it as Untitled Christmas Novel (catchy, right?)
What’s the main character’s name?
Since there are several storylines, there’s not really one main character. It’s more of an ensemble cast: Landry and Resa dated in high school and find each other again; Grace and JP are childhood friends and work at stores in the airport; the Tamayo family is returning to the Philippines, including their three kids Mariel, Adrian, and Tala; June is dealing with her parents’ recent divorce; Michael is struggling with his first Christmas since his wife died; Keely and Wes are working through the biggest fight since they’ve been married.
What inspired the book?
Lots of things! It’s hard to pinpoint it exactly. I’d been wanting to do some sort of short story collection for a while, and I’ve always loved Christmas movies and stories. It doesn’t feel like Christmas to me until I’ve watched some cheesy Hallmark holiday movies! During the season last year, I decided I wanted to write a cute Christmas romance novel, and slowly the idea came together to combine that with a short story collection. Somehow I thought about having everyone stuck at an airport and loved that idea—I think airports are this weird microcosm of human life, and so many stories happen there. It’s both a public space, and yet people often feel oddly comfortable disregarding social norms there. I thought it would be a fun place to explore, especially if you add in the tension of the holidays and being stranded when your flight is canceled.
Is it a long book?
Nope, not really! The first draft is right about 40,000 words, or roughly 130 pages in a standard novel format. I’m aiming for the final thing to be around 60,000 words, around 200 pages.
Is there a cute dog?
Ha! Sadly, no. Since it’s at an airport, there aren’t many dogs around!
What’s your favorite part?
Of course there are lots of sweet moments at the end when the various couples end up together ❤ But another favorite scene is when Mariel has a conversation with Michael. Mariel is a teenager whose family has been living and working the U.S., but when their visa renewal is denied, they’re forced to return to the Philippines. Michael is in his sixties, recently widowed, and on his way to spend Christmas with his daughter. I hadn’t really planned the scene out, but as I wrote it, they have a really unique connection as they discuss what “home” means and how it feels to have big things happen to you that are out of your control. The scene ended up flowing and feels very real and honest.
Why did you decide to self-publish?
Great question! I do still plan to pursue traditional publishing, and am in the process of sending out query letters to agents. In some ways, that’s part of the reason why I decided to self-publish. I knew this year would involve a lot of “no’s” as I queried agents, so I wanted to have a project that was entirely in my control. I also have loved the idea of a short story collection, but those are really hard to publish traditionally if you don’t already have a following. While this project has transformed from being strictly a short story collection, it still felt like one that was better suited to the self-publishing route. Ideally, I’d like to do a mix of both as my career goes on.
When does the book come out?
Likely sometime in November! Since it is Christmas-themed, it will release during the holidays. Be sure to sign up for my email list to stay up-to-date on details like those!
What are your favorite Christmas stories? What other questions do you have about my book? Let me know below!
Featured image by Cassie Boca