Author Interview: Marta Perry & The Second Christmas

Please join me in welcoming author Marta Perry to the blog to chat about her new Christmas romance, The Second Christmas!

Marta Perry is the author of more than seventy inspirational romance novels, including the Promise Glen series, the Pleasant Valley series, and the Keepers of the Promise trilogy. Marta lives with her husband in a century-old farmhouse in the Pennsylvania countryside, but spends winters at their vacation home in South Carolina. When she’s not writing, she’s active in the life of her church and enjoys traveling and spending time with her three children and six beautiful grandchildren.

You can connect with Marta on her website and Facebook.

THE SECOND CHRISTMAS by Marta Perry
SERIES: An Amish Holiday #1
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Amish/Christmas Romance
PUBLISHER: Berkley
RELEASE DATE: September 27, 2022
PAGES: 268

The warmth of the Christmas season and a woman’s return home to the charming Amish community of Promise Glen opens the door to a second chance at love.

When Leah Beiler pictured returning to Promise Glen, she imagined taking everything she learned from her aunt’s business in Upstate New York and starting up a quaint herbal tea shop of her own. What she didn’t expect was for Josiah Burkhalter to insist on helping her. Josiah might have been her childhood sweetheart but they’ve both changed a lot since then and Leah’s not sure she can trust the man who once broke her heart.

Josiah is determined to make the most of this unexpected second chance. When he hears of Leah’s plans to open her own shop, he resolves to help in any way he can—beginning his gentle campaign to win her back by renovating the small cottage on her family’s farm.

During her time away, Leah looked forward to once again spending the holiday season with her family, especially Second Christmas, December 26th, a time of celebrating with extended family and close neighbors like the Burkhalters. But as Christmas nears, her feelings for Josiah grow more confused, strengthened by their time of working together. Now it will take all the magic of the season for Leah to confront her fears and reach for the love she deserves.

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Other Books In this Same Setting

Hi Marta! Welcome back to the blog!

Marta: Apples, for sure, because you can do so much with them: MacIntosh for applesauce, apple cobbler, apple crumb pie, apple dumplings, apple walnut cake, apple muffins, and so on. Delicious or Pink Lady for eating fresh or dipping in caramel.

Carrie: exactly! (and now my mouth is watering for a cold & crisp apple!)

Marta: Tea, definitely! I’ve always been a tea lover. If you want to make me happy, give me a comfy chair, a good book, and a big cup of hot tea, preferably Earl Grey.

Carrie: that sounds so cozy 🙂

Marta: Soup, please. I have several soup recipes that my husband and I love, and I always make a big batch so I can freeze some for later. Current favorite is my dad’s recipe for Beef Vegetable Soup.

Carrie: yum!

Marta: Although I love the feel of a book in my hand, I find aging eyes make the e-reader a much better choice than a book, especially one with tiny print.

Carrie: i completely agree with you on both aspects

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Marta: It sounds like bragging, but I’m an awfully good pie maker. Whatever I suggest having for dessert, the answer is always pie! My granddaughter wanted to learn to make a pie like mine last Thanksgiving, so we had a great time in the kitchen turning out a cherry cheese pie, an apple crumb pie, and of course a pumpkin pie. She has the gift, too!

Carrie: oh man, this interview is making me hungry LOL

Q: Who is your favorite book character from childhood?

Marta: Nancy Drew, because The Secret in the Old Clock was the first chapter book I got my hands on. The mystery, solved by a feisty, determined girl, captured my imagination. For some reason, that was the first time I read a book and realized that it had been written by someone. Writing books was something that a person could actually do, and then I was hooked!

Carrie: i love that! (and Nancy was always my fave too)

Q: Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?

Marta: Anywhere! When the need to write seizes me and the characters start talking to each other in my head, I have to write. If the anything at hand is a napkin, I’ll use that, though I prefer a notebook. I have written on planes, on buses, in cars, and while walking, although then I have to hold it in my head until I can find a piece of paper. My usual preference is a comfortable chair with my laptop on a lap desk, but if I don’t have that, I still write. I like to sketch out each scene by hand in my notebook, and then the scene will be set so that I can write it on the computer without the need to keep checking my notes.

Carrie: I have this vision of all these little napkins and notes sitting in your notebook too – keep those story ideas coming!!

Q: Speaking of napkin-notes & story ideas… did you have the whole plot outlined before you started writing The Second Christmas, or did you let the characters dictate what came next? 

Marta: For the most part, I had the plot worked out, knowing pretty well what I wanted to happen so that my characters could reach the new lives God had for them. However, sometimes an insight comes to me while I’m writing. When that happens, I have to stop and think whether it really fits in. If it’s a genuine movement that works for the character, the next question is will I have to go back and do some preparation for this thing to happen. Usually the answer is yes! So then I got back through the story and add what will foreshadow this development. Those little surprises are a delightful part of writing, but they usually make more work for the writer!

Carrie: that does sound like fun!

Q: What do you most want readers to take away from The Second Christmas?

Marta: I’d like readers to understand that when God seems to deny your dream, it’s because God has an even better one waiting for you if you’re open to it.

Carrie: amen ♥

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Marta: The next book coming out in the Amish Holiday series is an Easter book, coming in the Spring. That book is written and turned in, so the next story I’ll be working on is a new book in the Lost Creek series for Love Inspired. The idea that set the story off came to me quite suddenly while I was working on something else, and the entire first chapter came to life in my mind! That’s wonderful, but I’m not ready for it—I’m finishing the Thanksgiving book for the Amish Holiday series. So I’m trying to juggle the sets of ideas and not lose anything!

What about you? What makes you want to read The Second Christmas by Marta Perry?