Interview-Jane Beckenham

CTR: Let us welcome Jane Beckenham to our special winter holiday Book Brew event!
First, please give us a bit of information about the book or books you’re sharing today. At least ISBN, Publisher and buy link please! Also provide the genre and heat level if applicable.
How does the book or books tie in with our theme of winter holidays around the world?

JB: Well I’ve two Christmas themed books.
Desperately Seeking Santa (ISBN: 978-1-60435-249-8) which is a fun and sexy reunion story. Here’s the blurb….. Dreams and fantasies are just that for Mandy Brooks, assistant manager of Wentworth’s, an upmarket department store. Work always gets in the way. But then that is exactly how Mandy likes it. Until Christmas comes round again and she’s forced to play the part of Mrs Santa.
Christmas day five years ago, Tate Sullivan left town. It was also the day Mandy ditched him at the altar. Forced back because of his father’s death, he knows he’s got unfinished business with Mandy Brooks. He wants her back in his bed on his terms, his way. He’s out for revenge.
It’s meant to be sweet, isn’t it?

And… To Kiss An Angel. (ISBN: 978-1-60435-492-8) This story had it’s beginning when I was in hospital about 10 years ago and was cloud watching, wondering what would happen if an angel fell of her cloud…. Could be fun!
Here’s the blurb…Angel has a job to do—leave heaven and fix Clark Lannigan’s life, teaching him to live again, and to love. But how can she succeed when Clark is living in the past, a life surrounded by so much guilt that he’s too afraid to let go.
Besides, she’s already broken Angel rule 750.2, paragraph A, no canoodling with the client. Plus she’s fallen in love with him. So what does an angel do?
She sets him ten tasks, but neither of them want to obey number ten….NO KISSING

CTR: Where can our reader friends find out more about you and your writing? Please share your web site, social network pages, blogs or any other contact areas you maintain.

JB: My web site is www.janebeckenham.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/Romanceauthor
Facebook – just search for me under – Jane Beckenham

CTR: What winter holiday or days does your family or circle of friends celebrate? Did they bring some special customs and traditions from another country, culture or region to your current form of celebration? Does such diversity maybe enhance the joy and meaning of the season for you and for us all?

JB: Well here in New Zealand it is summer for our Christmas so it’s quite different. It’s HOT! There’s beaches and barbecues, and sandflies and surf – you can tell I live by the ocean! We still do the traditional Christmas – probably turkey and ham, but we have our own New Zealand desert – Pavlova, a meringue and marshmallow type of desert topped lots of cream and kiwi fruit of course! We always have a Christmas stocking each – just something small, and then gifts are opened after lunch (our big meal) and it’s only one gift at a time so everyone can oooh and aaaah. Takes hours!

CTR: Tell us about what your favorite holiday gift or memory.

JB: It is a jewelry box Santa gave me depicting Vienna in raised relief. I still have it, though its a little jaded with a couple of cracks in it. Saw one exactly the same in an antique shop! Not certain if that makes me, its owner, an antique too.

CTR: Do you go all out with decorating and making a special festive meal or do you prefer a quieter sort of celebration? Have a favorite holiday recipe to share with us?

JB: I’m really INTO decorating for Christmas. While I don’t decorate with lights outside etc, we have at least 2 trees and they are theme colored, for example last year one was white and pink decorations and the other more traditional red and green.

Here’s the recipe for Pavlova. http://www.kiwianatown.co.nz/kiwiana-recipes.html

CTR: Do you think we’ve become too commercialized and maybe taken some of the traditional or religious meanings away from our holidays such a Hanukah and Christmas or do you think more secular emphasis is appropriate in these modern times? Have some old traditions perhaps outworn their relevance for today? How about the idea of setting aside more to give to charity and the less fortunate, especially in these difficult times, and cutting back on gifts and parties?

JB: Yes we have forgotten a lot of the traditions and meanings, but for me Christmas means being with family, sharing with them, and taking joy in that. We don’t do huge expensive gifts, we don’t need more STUFF, but try and give something really meaningful.

CTR: Thanks for being part of our special holiday event and please come back whenever you have a book to share that fits the theme.

JB: Thanks so much for having me and wishing all your readers a wonderful festive season of joy and peace.