Inside Out Graphic Design: Author Interview: Kellyn Roth {12 Days of Christmas}

Welcome to day one of the 12 Days of Christmas blog party, hosted by Faith Potts! The next week and a half will be full of author interviews and other fun bookishness as we count down the final days to Christmas. Today, as our first guest, author Kellyn Roth has graciously agreed to be interviewed!

About Kellyn:

Kell is a Christian & Historical author from North-Eastern Oregon who has independently published multiple novels, the most notable being The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy.

She founded the company Reveries Co. to help Indie authors achieve excellence affordably and without delay. Kellyn teaches writing through the Young Writer’s Workshop as well as privately.

She lives in the country outside a small town in North-Eastern Oregon with her parents, two little brothers, conceited beta fish, arbitrary cats, precious border collies, and various cows and chickens.

You can find Kellyn at her blog/website, Reveries.

Kellyn has published one Christmas story (with another soon to be published!), Esther Ashton's New Dress. On to the interview!

What inspired you to write a Christmas story?

To tell you the truth, it was just the desire to write something about the "most wonderful time of the year." I love Christmas, and I'd always wanted to write about it - so that was my experiment. It turned out being fun!

What inspired you to write Esther Ashton's New Dress?

Well, mostly my love of WWII fiction. I love the "Gift of the Magi," but I didn't quite want to retell it; still, I'm told it sort of resembles that classic tale, which was fun!

Recently-orphaned Esther Ashton doesn’t expect much from Christmas with her brother away fighting in the South Pacific, her sister-in-law hospitalized with a new baby, and her job at the department store providing little to no profit. Will Esther have any sort of a Christmas or will it be another dud?

Esther Ashton’s New Dress, a Christmas short story, is sure to delight any fan of Christmas, the 1940s, and brevity.

What aspect of Christmas is your favorite to write about?

Definitely family gathering together to celebrate!

Did you write your Christmas book during the Christmas season, or all year round?

In the case of "Esther Ashton's New Dress," I wrote it in December. My other Christmas story, "Kind" (coming on the 22nd of December), was started during October and finished in November!

What is one aspect in your book that you have a personal connection with?

Does loving tiny babies count? I just loved talking about the wee baby in Esther Ashton's New Dress. So sweet! There aren't enough babies in my family - they've all grown up - so I'm waiting impatiently until my brothers get old enough to marry and have families of their own. :P (I'm told kidnapping is illegal, even if it's just for snuggles and even if the baby is a friend's. ;) )

What is one thing that you want all your readers to get out of your Christmas book?

Even if your Christmas isn't idyllic - for instance, there's a war going on or you're stationed in Germany with no hope of coming home - you can still find joy: in your loved ones, in helping others, or simply in the knowledge that Jesus Christ has come to the world to save us!