Interview with Donna Ashcroft - Author of ‘Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands’
DONNA ASHCROFT WITH HER NEW NOVEL!
Interview with Donna Ashcroft
Author of ‘Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands’
Publisher: Bookouture
Release Date: September 27th, 2022
Link to my Review
INTERVIEW
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This is one of your Christmas novels so, of course, many elements of Christmas are here. But what else provided inspiration for Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands?
A couple of things inspired this novel. Firstly, I love including animals in my books, and in particular in my Christmas stories. My editor Natasha Harding, suggested I include a turkey in one of them and the whole idea of having someone (in this case my heroine, Merry McKenzie) look after a menagerie of animals over the seasonal period took off from that conversation. This in turn made me think about what would happen if my heroine had any issues with the animals, which gave me the idea of making the hero a vet. Secondly, a friend told me about someone they knew who used to be Secret Santa at work. No-one in the business knew who Secret Santa was, and she brought thoughtful gifts for everyone each year. But then one year she was unwell, so asked a friend to fill in for her to ensure no one would guess her secret. The combination of those two things triggered the entire storyline.
Is the village in Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands based on a real place or an imaginary one compiled of some of your favourite places in Scotland?
Christmas Village is imaginary and compiled of places I’ve visited in the Scottish Highlands. Also, I Google locations for every story I write and have books filled with pictures of places (from castles and cafes to cottages) which help to inspire the look and feel of the places (and people) in my stories.
There are some wonderful characters in Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands including animals! Would you like share a bit about your favourite animal(s) in the story? What is it about them you love and why did you choose them?
Animals play a bit part in this novel. Firstly, Merry has come to Scotland to look after her Aunt Ava’s menagerie of pets while she’s away. When I set out to write the novel, I knew one of the animals would be responsible for destroying all of the notes that Merry’s aunt left detailing how to take care of the animals and her role as Secret Santa. Henry was going to be the culprit originally until I realised turkeys don’t really eat paper! So, I included Chewy, a house rabbit. Chewy was based on a pet my brother used to have – he liked to chew things and we had him to stay a few times and always had to hide or cover up the wires in the house. Chewy has a big part to play in the novel because he chews all of Merry’s Aunt Ava’s notes which include important information on caring for her animals and Secret Santa – this leaves Merry with a lot of problems she has to solve.
Give us an overview of Merry and how she ended up in the quaint village of Christmas.
Merry is a closet romance writer. She was in a car accident two years ago, ended up in a coma and while she was in hospital her father died. She has three older brothers and the accident made them incredibly overprotective. When Merry reads in the paper that her old English teacher has died, it makes her realise she’s stopped living any kind of life. Despite being terrified of everything, she travels to Scotland alone to take care of her Aunt Ava’s menagerie of pets. She knows nothing about animals but needs to do something to start living and writing again. She lacks confidence in herself, but is brave enough to make changes.
Vet Theo is also an endearing character. What are his best and worst qualities?
Theo is one of my favourite heroes. He’s obviously flawed – he has a tendency to be overprotective but after being taken advantage of by an ex-girlfriend he’s decided that he only wants to date women who don’t need his help. However, as his brother often tells him, he’s a German Shepherd in human form and cannot fight his nature. Theo is a big-hearted man and he can’t help himself from offering assistance to those in need – be it animals or people. Despite telling himself that he has to steer clear of Merry, he helps her take care of her aunt’s animals and with her Secret Santa quest.
What themes in Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands are present?
There are a few – family, overprotectiveness, independence, bravery, whether you can change your inherent nature and taking care of one another other.
Will there be a sequel to this novel or another with Christmas village that might allow us to see Merry, Theo and/or any other characters again?
I’m going to be writing next year’s Christmas novel soon. At the moment I’m not sure if it’ll be set in Christmas village again, or whether it’ll move to a new location. I do enjoy revisiting characters so we’ll see!
Were there any obstacles you faced while writing Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands and if so,how did you overcome them?
I got very stuck with this book part way through. The set up was so easy to write about but after writing a third of it I go so stuck. I went on a writers’ break with some author friends including Jules Wake, Sarah Bennett and Bella Osborne and wrote nothing for almost four days. Then I had a twenty-minute brainstorm with the three of them and suddenly I had all my answers! The novel took off from there.
What are your favourite Christmas foods and do you enjoy baking?
I haven’t got a very sweet tooth so at Christmas I get excited about cheese boards, ham, turkey and vegetables like brussels sprouts. My daughter Erren, is the baker of the family but I enjoy making special birthday cakes and I love making bread!
If you could go back in time to meet an important figure in history, who would it be and what would you like to ask them?
Goodness, that is a tough question. I’ve been a Beatles fan for as long as I can remember so I think I’d like to meet John Lennon. I’d ask him what song he wished he could have recorded and if he was alive today, would he be focusing more on music or peace activism.
What has been your greatest creative accomplishment in the past year?
Well, funnily enough it’s nothing to do with writing. My son was eighteen recently and my OH, daughter and I made him a birthday cake which we had huge fun decorating and it turned out really well. So well, friends and family thought we’d had one professionally made. I’ve included a picture for you.
Please share a couple things about yourself that many people may not know?
My brother challenged my sister and I to complete a 1.4K open water swim earlier this year. I’m quite scared of not being able to see the bottom when I’m swimming (I blame the movie Jaws) but I agreed, trained for months and completed the swim. I’ve done a few open water swims since and love it.
When I was in my twenties the only books I ever read were horror stories (Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Anne Rice etc). I originally wanted to write in this genre but had a change of heart.
What special Christmas novel have you read in the past year that you highly recommend?
One Day in December by Josie Silver and One More Christmas at the Castle by Trisha Ashley.
What are you working on now and can you share a little about it with your readers?
I’m writing my summer book for 2023. It’s set in Indigo Cove in Cornwall and features a new host of characters and some of the favourites from this year’s summer book, The Little Cornish House. It’s about a woman who has to let go of some of the negative messages from her past and a man who has to learn to let people into his heart again – and it’s filled with sunshine and romances across the generations (with the odd cute animal thrown in).
Thanks to Donna Ashcroft and publisher Bookouture for being my guest today! Please pick up or order your copy of ‘Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands ‘ for you will really enjoy it as much as I did. Link to my review.
Drop over to Donna’s website for more information on her books and writing.
Cake Donna and her family made for son’s eighteenth birthday! Another talent of this creative author!