Holiday Book Tour Stop: Holiday Jinx by Abbey McInnes

I would like to thank Lit Connect for letting me host this stop today!  Below, you will find my interview with the author, the giveaway, and my review.  I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.

Abbey is gifting one randomly drawn commenter from each tour stop a $5 electronic gift certificate to either 

Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com; Winners’ choice.  Tour Schedule 

The more stops readers comment on, the greater their chance of winning. 

Genre: Contemporary romance with a little paranormal twist

Tone: Light with some comedy

Heat Level: Sensual

 Publisher: Indie

Publishing Date: November 15, 2012

Format: ebook

Words: 70,000

Jinx—one of Santa’s elves—is in trouble with the Big Guy. She’s been charged with bringing holiday happiness to Christopher Ragan, CEO of Wonderous Toys. It’s a big job especially when he’s more 

attached to the bottom of a bottle than helping his fellow man.

She’s got enough trouble without spilling the secrets of the North Pole, but then along comes Natalie Burnes, a newbie CEO of Enchanted Toys and in trouble of a hostile takeover from Christopher’s company. The woman literally crashes Christopher’s vacation 

plans in a tucked away Michigan cabin—and the sparks start flying.

                    As if Jinx’s job of matchmaking the toy makers isn’t hard enough, she’s got to stay one step ahead of the North Pole patrol and keep out of sight of the humans. No way is she gonna screw up and lose her magic again. If the humans can’t find happiness and love by Christmas, Jinx forfeits her chance of seeing her true love too. What’s an elf to do?

Holiday Jinx was a wonderful heartwarming holiday read with a terrific twist. I loved the setting; who wouldn’t love romance blossoming in the snow?  All that heated magic melting the iciest of hearts? 

Hi Abbey.  Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for my readers about your latest holiday release, Holiday Jinx.

           Hi there! Thank you so much for having me here! I’m so excited to chat about Holiday Jinx.

First of all, tell us a little about Abbey MacInnis?  Any family? Pets? Husband? Kids?  How long have you been writing romance?

           Well, I’m unmarried, but I love kids and hope to be a mother some day. I have a thirteen-year-old black Lab, Tess who’s an amazing companion. I live in Michigan and I’m very close with my family. I have a sister who works in Chicago, so I love going there to spend a weekend with her.

I have many relatives on my Mom’s side who are Canadian. Abbey MacInnis is a pen name that I took from the maiden names of my grandmothers, kind of my way of honoring my family. It works. *g*

I started writing during summer breaks from college. It’s probably been about ten years now, but I didn’t start writing for publication until 2006.

Tell me, what made you think of the premise for this story? An elve matchmaking for two lonely people during Xmas?

                  Why not? Who doesn’t love a matchmaking elf? Jinx’s character was the first character who showed herself to me. The book really started as a question: What if an elf was charged with bringing together two people with different personalities and life’s experiences? Ultimately, I could’ve simply written this book without the elf component, but some of the magic of the holidays would be lost. The story certainly wouldn’t have the feel it does now. Though it’s not about Jinx, she’s so integral to the story. While writing HJ, I found myself rooting for Jinx to succeed just as I did for Chris and Natalie.

I had the first scene so clearly in my mind, the one where Jinx is sent to the cabin. I laughed as I wrote it because Jinx’s dialogue wasn’t coming from me. It was like I was channeling my inner elf. LOL

Have you ever been trapped together with a sexy man? *sigh*

                    *sigh* No, but I can dream, can’t I?

Being snowbound in a cabin somewhere is an overly used plot for romance.  How do you think your twist of a matchmaking elf improved the storyline?

                     I know forced proximity romances are perhaps overused plotlines. I wanted to challenge myself by making my story different. Adding Jinx to the mix I think helped, but more so was the tension and chemistry between Chris and Natalie. Their goals, motivations, and conflicts added to this tension and created the push-pull between them. I had to be very very careful not to have Jinx be too involved in the shaping of their romance, but she is a catalyst. I can’t say much more here, but if you read the book, you’ll see what I mean.

Ultimately, writing this plotline didn’t scare me. You can be given any plotline and make it your own. It’s the characters who make a story, not the setting.

What time of day works best for you as a writer?  Do you have certain rituals/organization tactics that you do before/during writing?

                 I don’t’ really have a set time of day to write. I like to edit the previous day’s work in the morning. I’m freshest for writing new pages during the evening and night. I’m definitely more a night owl than a morning bird.

Is writing your full time job?  If not, what else do you do ?

                   Writing is becoming my full time job. I’m also an instructor for an online site for authors called Author E.M.S. I co-write and co-teach the workshops there along with writing my fiction.

Is Holiday Jinx your first holiday romance? Are there more to come?

              Yes, Holiday Jinx is my first holiday romance. It certainly won’t be my last. I have more ideas for holiday stories than there are holidays. LOL

And finally, what else besides writing do you enjoy?

                      I love to sing. I’m a member of a local singing group. During this time of year, we hold our annual Christmas concert. All proceeds are donated to a local soup kitchen. I also love to read and cook and spend time with my family and friends.

Thank you so much for having me here! I have a question for your readers: What kind of holiday stories would you love to see more of come next year? Historicals? Contemporaries? Paranormals? Pirates? *g*

Leave me a comment and you could win a $5 eGift card to either Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Smashwords. And don’t forget to follow my tour to see how you can qualify for the tour wide prize.

Good luck and happy holidays!

A Little about the author

Abbey MacInnis is a published author of Contemporary Western romance. Along with Contemporary, she writes Historical, Paranormal and erotic romance. Whether she’s being swept off her feet by a Medieval knight, regency rake, or cowboy or cop, her heroes are always strong men who’ll love their women unconditionally.

             On most days, Abbey can be found at her computer, penning her latest tale. A tale where love, respect, and
passion combine to create a satisfying and happy ending. She invites you to step in to the pages of her romances,
to leave your worries behind and get swept up in her world.

Connect with Abbey at:

Website:

Blog:
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Goodreads:

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