A Merry Little Christmas
An
interview with Anita Higman,
Author
of A Merry Little Christmas
Q: What
inspired you to incorporate Jim Crow laws and segregation into your book?
Even
though A Merry Little Christmas is
really a love story, I felt it needed some additional conflict, and some of the
racial struggles of the 60s seemed to be the right choice for this particular
plot. I grew up in the 60s, and I was always interested in the African-American
Civil Rights Movement. In some ways I feel I’ve waited my whole life to write
this book. It came easily to me in that it’s been percolating in my imagination
for a long time, but it was also hard to write because I had to consider more
deeply the injustices of that era. Even though it sounds like a cliché, A Merry Little Christmas truly was the
book of my heart.
Q: The farm scenes seem pretty
realistic. Did you grow up in the country?
I
did. While the small towns in the book are totally fictitious, I did grow up on
a wheat, cattle, pig and chicken farm in Western Oklahoma, and it was pretty
much identical to the one in the novel. If the farm scenes seem realistic, it’s
because I got to know farm life quite well before I moved off to college at 18.
Q: Franny and Charlie come
from very different backgrounds but are both looking for something very
different from the way they've grown up. Do you think, as humans, we all just
have a "grass is always greener on the other side" mentality?
Yes,
that is a human frailty that is easy to succumb to, and I’ve been guilty of it
as well. But God is good about reminding me that he’s placed me on my own
unique life-road, and it may have little to do with anyone else’s journey. Besides,
in many cases when we get a closer look at someone else’s “lush green grass,”
it usually turns out to be turf.
Q: Do you think
that sometimes we don't pray for what we want because we are afraid of getting
what we pray for?
Perhaps
that’s true, which would explain why Franny is equally nervous and excited about
the sudden answer to her prayers.
Q: Was there a reason you
added the themes of Christmas and music to your latest story?
My
editor asked me to add those elements, and it was a blessing, since Christmas
is my favorite time of year and I love music. Also, female readers in general love
novels that are set during the holidays, and I’m hoping the music adds a cozy
feel to the overall Christmas theme.
Q: What is your favorite
Christmas song?
“The
Holly and the Ivy.” The song has a melancholy feel to it, but it’s also
beautifully sweet. I love the “Currier and Ives” style pictures my imagination
conjures up when I’m listening to it.
Q: Does the song "Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" have a special significance to you?
The
song makes me swoon it’s so romantic and lovely. It makes me think of being
snowed-in with the man I love. Of course, that scene also needs a mountain
cabin with a crackling fire and two mugs of wassail.
Q: What is your favorite
Christmas tradition?
I
love to have my gal friends over for brunch around Christmastime. I have been
collecting tea dishes for many years, so when I do a brunch, I go all out. Women
are usually in a service mode most of their lives, so when they come to my
house I want them to feel wonderfully pampered. And by the time they leave, I
hope their hearts are a little merrier and they feel we’ve celebrated Christmas
well!
Q: Is Franny's character
based on any "real-life" person?
Franny
is like me in some ways, but she has a lot more courage than I have and more
laughter in her heart. So, really, I want to be Franny when I grow up.
Q: You have written
everything from romance to suspense/thrillers to nonfiction. What is your
favorite genre to write?
I
love inspirational romance. There’s just nothing else like it for writing and
reading. It naturally makes you want to curl up on an overstuffed couch and
read the day away.
Readers
can keep up with Anita Higman by visiting www.anitahigman.com, becoming
a fan on Facebook or
following on Twitter.
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