Agi & Suze's Christmas Countdown: Interview with Helen Pollard & Giveaway!

About Helen Pollard

Helen says about herself that f you love contemporary romance with a dash of humour and good old-fashioned heart, then you should feel at home with her. She firmly believes there will always be a place for romantic fiction, no matter how fast-paced and cynical the world becomes. Readers still want that feel-good factor – to escape from their own world for a while and see how a budding romance can blossom and overcome adversity to develop into love … and we all need a little love, right? 

You can find Helen on her website and on Twitter. She is the author of Holding Back and Warm Hearts in Winter.

Interview

1) What’s your best Christmas memory? 

Singing Christmas songs with the kids as we tramp across the (hopefully snow-covered) fields at Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire on our way to a bowl of homemade soup at a farm café on Christmas Eve. We try to do it every year.

2) What are your 3 favourite Christmas reads?

For a few years, Skipping Christmas by John Grisham was one I enjoyed re-reading. Last year I enjoyed Trisha Ashley’s romances A Winter’s Tale and Twelve Days of Christmas. I’d love to read some of the fab Christmas titles that are out this December, but I’m really strugling for time at the moment. Maybe next year …

3) If you could choose one person, dead or alive, to celebrate a one time special Christmas with, who would you choose and why?

I’d love to spend a Christmas with my late grandad again. He was such a laid-back character. I want to ask him why he couldn’t have passed on more of those easygoing, don’t-believe-in-stress genes to the rest of the family! He would probably just snooze his way through the afternoon film like he did every year after Christmas dinner, bless him. It was a good job we knew those James Bond films off by heart, because we couldn’t hear the words over his snoring!

4) What are your thoughts about Santa?

I love the whole Santa thing. As long as he’s sensible and doesn’t spoil anyone too much, I think he adds a wonderful touch of magic to the season.

5) What are your best and worst Christmas gifts and why?

Best? Having my love of Christmas reignited when my children were small.

Worst? When I was little, a relative gave me a Christmas annual (Bunty or something similar) dated for theprevious year. My mum was so cross about it!

6) Your favourite Christmas song?

Gosh, that’s a hard question, but you can’t beat Bing Crosby crooning White Christmas with that wonderful velvet voice of his.

7) Your favourite Christmas movie?

I think it has to be White Christmas. Toe-tapping songs, great dancing, unashamed schmaltz, and those incredible dresses … I always weep when it snows at the end. I just can’t help myself.

8) Top 3 books that you’re giving as Christmas presents?

The Nine Lives of Christmas by Sheila Roberts, a sweet romance ideal for cat lovers and therefore for a good friend of mine.

Giles Cartoons for my dad – he loves those political cartoons from the newspapers – they take him back to younger days.

Ian Fleming’s James Bond collection for the family – I read them all when I was a teenager and now my kids want to try them to see how they differ from the films. 

9) Most favourite and least favourite part of Christmas?

Favourite? Christmas Eve, when the anticipation is still sweet. I like a brisk walk in the countryside to blow away the cobwebs before the inevitable incarceration indoors for the following few days.

Least favourite? When the tree and decorations start getting jaded. I always end up taking them down earlier than the prescribed date.

10) I must ask, sorry – the best Christmas food is…?

Roast chestnuts to go with the mulled wine!

Giveaway

One very lucky reader of our blogs will receive a wonderful prize:

Three very cute pencils and a turtle gemstone bookmark. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway