Tomorrow is Halloween. Also known as Nanowrimo Eve.
Is it not also known as that in your house? Hm.
​Well, in my house, it means I'm gearing up to finally write a new story. With four books releasing this year (a blessing, yes, but a lot too), I haven't had time to finish writing anything. Not even a novella. So, I'm claiming November for myself. I will participate in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) for the first time in several years, and I will write a new book.
​At least, that's the plan.

By now, you've probably heard quite a bit of my story about how I came up with Mama Dated Santa. How my mother-in-law dated a guy in college who grew up to be Santa now. She probably never even knew about it because we didn't find out until after she'd passed away.
Funny enough, though, she LOVED all things Santa. These pictures are just part of her collection that she'd get out every Christmas. Ornaments, knick-knacks, a wreath, even a big shelf-sitter. They ranged from cute to classic and every style in between. And every time I see a Santa, I think of her. Just no helping it.

The very first Christmas after my mother-in-law passed away, I was setting the table and put out one too many plates. I was so used to setting one for her, as well, that I naturally just counted to that number. And when I realized what I had done, I had to stop for a minute. Because the pain was raw.
It's been six years. I no longer set the wrong amount of plates at the table, but I still have those moments when I stop and blink a few times and have to catch my breath. Because I still miss her.
​Grief is real. And it doesn't really go away. It just isn't as sharp after a while. It dulls just enough to be able to catch you off guard, in my opinion.
Last year was the first time my father-in-law had put out most of my mother-in-law's Santa collection. And it just made it feel like a part of her was still with us.

My first book will officially be 6 years old in two weeks. November 1, 2017 was when An Unexpected Legacy was "birthed." If you had told me back then that I would be able to have 12 more books release over the next six years, I would've thought you were crazy. That's an average of two books a year. And when I got started, they were coming out about every year and a half.
But whether I'd believe it or not, number 13 releases tomorrow. Not only that, but it's my first full-length Christmas novel. A trope I didn't think I'd ever want to write.
Come to think of it, I've done several things I didn't think I would write a series. But I enjoyed my roadtrip trilogy and have another series in my head. Just need to find time to write three more novels to go with the first.
​And now, a Christmas novel.

A toy store at Christmas. Sounds frenetic, doesn't it? Definitely busy and chaotic.
But not Russo's Toy Emporium. Not at the beginning of Mama Dated Santa, anyway. Instead, it's suffering the fate of many brick-and-mortar stores today, losing business and unable to keep up.
That's why, when Trudy walks in on Black Friday, she's blown away by the lack of customers ... and the poor dilapidated Christmas tree in the Santa section. But it's not her responsibility to help such a mess.
Not until her Mom gets her involved, that is.

When you think Christmas story, you probably think somewhere up north, where there's at least a chance of snow. Why would anyone set a Christmas story smackdab in the middle of Texas? If they get any cold precipitation, it's more likely than not going to be ice.
And yet, that's where my story, Mama Dated Santa, is set. Why?
Well, I have several reasons. The first is, I didn't set it in Temple to begin with.
Are you confused?
Hang with me. I'll explain. When I first wrote it, I set it in Waco. Thanks to some famous HGTV stars, that town has become quite known over the last few years. And I love how they're revamping their downtown area. It was perfect. Except it was just a bit bigger than I needed.

Can you imagine wearing a corset? Which side of history do you think you'd land on? Author Heather Wood is here with us today, chatting about these things and more. Her books sound so good, so be sure to read all the way to the bottom to find out more!

Heather, you weave your love of history into your beautiful Christian stories. What is it about history that draws you to it?

I love history because I love sociology and learning about where the ideas and customs of our culture came from. Everything had an origin, from the ways we think about ourselves to the ways our cities are laid out to the words we use. Who started it? Did they know that the choices they made would be an influential part of culture a hundred or four hundred years later?
Another reason is because the complexity of human history helps me to appreciate the complexity of our own times better. People 180 years ago were as concerned about the direction of their culture as we are, and oftentimes two now-revered leaders "back then" had opposing ideas and good people followed each of them. Those kinds of things bring me perspective and comfort in navigating the era where God has placed me.

Your stories are all woven into one family saga, right? How hard was it for you to keep track of all the characters and plotlines after writing several books?
​
Yes, I have one published series, and it's all about one family and their friends. There were times when I was plotting the later books when I realized something I'd said in a previous book had written me into a hole, or the situations I wanted to write for my characters were going to be impossible. It actually made my writing more creative and my plots less expected. Since I now had a puzzle to figure out to get the timelines to line up just so or have a character at a place I hadn't planned, I was able to take the stories directions that even I hadn't seen coming.