118I – Writing For a Brand: An Interview with Nancy Naigle

Today's author, Nancy Naigle, is a delight to talk to! She's got such great stories about how she started writing, how she got involved with Hallmark Publishing, the excitement of seeing Hallmark movies adapted from two of her books (Christmas Joy and Hope at Christmas, published by St. Martin's Griffin), and how fun it is to have three completely different Christmas trees in her house!

She starts by telling the story of writing the novelization of Christmas in Evergreen, currently my favorite Christmas book, and a Hallmark original movie. She thought it would be a piece of cake. 😀 After all, Hallmark sent her the script and the movie, she just needed to fill it in, right? Alas, it wasn't nearly as simple as she'd expected, but she learned a lot!

[Note: At the time of this interview, Hallmark Publishing is offering everyone a chance to get the ebook version of Christmas in Evergreen for free – and to give a copy to a friend! Click here for the link. Also, several of her books, at this writing, are on sale for 99c. Check them out!]

It's been Christmas all year for Nancy this year. In addition to writing the novelization of the sequel, Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa, she also released Dear Santa for St. Martin's Griffin in October, and the two Hallmark movies aired in November. She laughs about having her decorations up just after Halloween so she could have her movie launch party with Christmas decorations.

Nancy encourages writers that it's never too late to start writing the stories in your heart! She didn't decide to start until the year she turned 40. 😀 It took her nine years to get her first book published, but now she has 25 books out!

You can pre-order Nancy's next Hallmark original novel, The Secret Ingredient, in time for Valentine's Day. Follow her on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.