Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Nancy Naigle & Christmas Angels

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Christmas Angels by Nancy Naigle, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m so honored to host Nancy today as she shares some behind-the-scenes facts about the book!

Title: Christmas Angels
Author: Nancy Naigle
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Christmas
Release Date: October 15, 2019

A heartwarming Christmas story filled with the magic and miracles of the holiday season by USA Today Bestselling author, Nancy Naigle.

Growing up, Liz Westmoreland dreamed of taking over her grandparents’ inn located in the small mountain town of Antler Creek only for it to be sold before she ever got the chance. While browsing the internet, she stumbles upon a listing for what looks to be the picturesque inn and it’s set to go to auction. Liz places a bid, and by a miracle, wins the auction. But when she gets there, she finds the property in significant disrepair.

When Matt Hardy narrowly lost the inn and property that butted his land, he just hoped it wasn’t another city slicker coming to make matters worse after the previous owners gutted the place for an art gallery. But the minute he recognized the sweet, freckle-faced girl from his childhood and heard her plans to reopen the inn, he jumps at the chance to help his childhood crush restore a place where he made so many fond memories.

While working on repairs, Liz and Matt discover her grandmother’s collection of angels in one of the cabins. When the angels start mysteriously showing up all over the inn, she begins to look at them as reassurance—that restoring the inn is what she’s meant to do. But when an accident leaves Liz feeling like she made a mistake, will Matt—and the residents of Antler Creek—be able to show Liz that she’s found a home? And possibly true love as well?

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Christmas angels – behind the scenes

by Nancy Naigle, author of Christmas Angels

Elvis, the scene-stealing dog who belongs to Matt, is really based on my Pyrenean Mastiff named Sarge. He was the cutest little puppy, but he’s 180-pounds of giant love now. Giant breeds are so interesting. You forget how young they are because they are so big, and I swear they have a very special intuition. This picture is Sarge at 6 weeks. He was already over twenty pounds then.

The barn quilt idea came from a barn quilt tour that I drove a couple years back. The countryside was gorgeous and it was fun to look for the quilts along the way. Every barn quilt was so unique. Colors, design, even the angles they were hung. I knew someday that experience would go into a book. I recommend looking for a Barn Quilt Tour in your state. Angels Rest in the fictional town of Antler Creek, NC seemed like the perfect place for one to me. If you’ve never seen a barn quilt, there are several pictures of them on my Pinterest page for Christmas Angels. You can see lots of other pictures that I collected as I wrote the book too. Here’s the link: https://www.pinterest.com/nancynaigle/christmas-angels-2019/

I love the texture of nature. Pheasant feathers, pine cones, acorns, leaves, antlers…all of that stuff. I had fun creating the Christmas tree scene using all of those things. I definitely got lost in research on this one tree that is only a snippet in the book, but as I researched how to use nature to decorate, and even make tree toppers and such I wasted several days.

The scene where our heroine gets hurt (don’t worry–no spoiler) was based on my accident two years ago when I ruptured my Achilles. While you’re reading the book, you’ll know exactly what I went through. I didn’t have the heart to give her an injury as severe as mine though 😉 Oh, and while on the subject of snow, there is a question I always get asked after someone reads this book. The question? Have I ever been snow bowling? No, I haven’t, but it is a real thing and boy does it look fun. There’s a picture of that on the Pinterest page too.

I wish more towns, big or small, would gather like the residents of Antler Creek and get the kids together to bake cookies and treat all the elderly, the merchants and friends with holiday treats, or just go caroling. It seems like a lot of that has gone out of style, but I’m completely moved when these things happen to me. Let’s start a trend!

Hugs and happy holiday reading. I hope you fall in love with the fictional town of Antler Creek in Christmas Angels. Enjoy!

USA Today bestselling author NANCY NAIGLE whips up small-town love stories with a dash of suspense and a whole lot of heart. Now happily retired, she devotes her time to writing, antiquing, and the occasional spa day with friends. A native of Virginia Beach, she currently calls North Carolina home. DOWNLOAD free book list with series order: HERE

CONNECT WITH NANCY: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | BookBub

(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight December 17, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on December 24, 2019. US only. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

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What about you? What interests you most about Christmas Angels & which behind-the-scenes fact that Nancy Naigle shared did you most enjoy?