It may be sweltering where you’re at this July, but that doesn’t mean you have to sweat it out until Winter to read a charming Christmas romance! We’re sitting down with five romance authors with Christmas romances until their Santa belts to talk all things cozy and swoonworthy. Keep reading to unwrap all they have to say and maybe find a new book to gift yourself this Christmas in July.
About the Authors
Cindy Steel
Cindy Steel was raised on a dairy farm in Idaho. She grew up singing Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire songs at the top of her lungs and learning to solve all of life’s problems while milking cows and driving a tractor — rewriting happy endings every time.
She married a cute Idaho boy and is the proud mother of two wild and sweet twin boys and a new baby girl. Which means she is also now a collector of bugs, sticks, rocks, and slobbery kisses. She loves making breakfast, baking, photography, reading a good book, and staying up way past her bedtime to craft stories that will hopefully make you smile.
You can follow Cindy on her socials: Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and keep up with what’s new on her website.
Heather Garvin
Heather Garvin is a Florida writer who crafts romantic comedies with plenty of witty banter, a little angst, and a healthy dose of heartache.
Outside of writing, she is also a wife, mom, ASL interpreter, and amateur baker.
You can follow Heather on her socials: Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and keep up with what’s new on her website.
Katie Bailey
Katie Bailey is an Amazon top 25 bestselling author of rom coms with relatable characters and tons of chemistry. Her aim with every new love story she writes is to give readers a good laugh, maybe even a bit of a cry, but definitely leave them with a new book boyfriend.
When she’s not busy writing, Katie spends her time chasing twin tornado littles, cursing the cold Canadian winters she endures each year, chugging coffee by the bucketload, and crushing on her husband, who’s the real-life inspiration behind all of the fictional men she’s written.
You can follow Katie on her socials: Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and keep up with what’s new on her website.
Kortney Keisel
Kortney loves all things romance. Her devotion to romance was first apparent at three years old when her family caught her kissing the walls (she attributes this embarrassing part of her life to her mother’s affinity for watching soap operas like Days of Our Lives). Luckily, Kortney has outgrown that phase and now only kisses her husband. Most days, Kortney is your typical stay-at-home mom. She has five kids who keep her busy cleaning, carpooling, and cooking. Kortney loves warm chocolate chip cookies, clever song lyrics, the perfect romance movie, analyzing and talking about the perfect romance movie, playing card games, traveling with her family, and laughing with her husband.
You can follow Kortney on her socials: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok, and keep up with what’s new on her website.
Larissa Hommes
Larissa Hommes has always loved reading, especially anything to do with romance. She never gets tired of meet-cutes, friends-to-lovers, second chances, pretend relationships, and more. Since she couldn’t get enough through reading about romance, she decided to write stories of her own. She loves traveling, eating treats, and being outdoors. When she’s not caught up in make-believe love lives, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, who are her greatest joys and biggest fans.
You can follow Larissa on her Instagram and keep up with what’s new on her website.
Thanks for talking with us! Let’s get started!
The Questions
1. What draws you to the romance genre, and why set it during the holidays?
Cindy Steel: I love creating the feeling of falling in love. The glances, the little touches, the words both said and unsaid…I love it all. I fell in love sixteen years ago, so it’s fun to relive all the little moments in my writing. Hopefully, the love stories I create are inspiring for young people to want to hold out for the best kind of guy. And for those readers who have already found their person, I want them to feel warm nostalgia watching my characters go through it as well.
I love setting a romance book during the holidays because there is already a romantic glow in the air during the Christmas season. There are many ways to elicit emotion and relatability in a reader when they’re reading about traditions or activities many of us have done before. Sledding, hot cocoa, building a snowman, snuggling by the fire, and hunting for Christmas trees are just some of the ways to provide your reader with lots of warm fuzzies. Throw in a good kiss scene and you’re golden.
Heather Garvin: I’ll always be a sucker for romance. Give me all the flirty one-liners and subtle glances to carry me through a slow burn any day. There’s something about authentic and lovable characters falling for one another that will never get old.
Romance is already such a feel-good genre that leaves you giggling and kicking your feet. The best way to take it to the next level is to (quite literally) slap a big red bow on it with some Christmas cheer. There’s something so light-hearted and fun about the holiday season, and I had a great time transferring that energy onto the page.
Katie Bailey: I’m a romance writer because I love writing feel-good love stories. And writing a book set during the holiday season definitely added a fun, extra warm and fuzzy factor to the writing process.
Kortney Keisel: I’ve loved romance ever since I was little. There’s just something so happy and fulfilling about two people falling in love. When you throw in the holidays, it makes falling in love even more magical. It evokes a sense of hope, togetherness, and family, all set against a snowy, romantic backdrop.
Larissa Hommes: I’ve always loved love. There’s something truly inspiring about watching two people fall for each other, whether in books or on screen. As a voracious romance reader, I could never get enough, which is what eventually inspired me to start writing love stories of my own. And honestly, what’s better than romance during the holidays? Love is magical. Christmas is magical. Putting them together? That’s pure perfection.
2. What are the biggest challenges when writing a seasonal romance?
Cindy Steel: For me, it’s most often the timeline. Oftentimes, a Christmas romance means that falling in love happens pretty fast. Usually, my characters already know each other, so that can help with the believability aspect of a quick courtship.
Heather Garvin: For me, one of the biggest challenges of writing a seasonal romance was having to write it during the off-season. I’ve never been the type of person to listen to Christmas music year-round, so getting into the holiday headspace in the peak of summer threw me off at times. After the love story had its banter and steamy moments, I definitely had to go back in and sprinkle more Christmas crumbs!
Katie Bailey: Getting into the Christmas spirit when it’s nowhere near Christmas — when I was writing Season’s Schemings, I was cranking Christmas playlists in September to try and get myself in the holiday mood while writing.
Kortney Keisel: It’s hard to set yourself and your story apart from what has already been done in Christmas romance. You want your story to feel familiar, like a Hallmark movie, but you also want it to be original enough that it stands out from the thousands of others.
Larissa Hommes: One of the biggest challenges when writing a seasonal romance is making sure it truly feels seasonal. When I pick up a Christmas book, I want it to be full of Christmas spirit. When I read a Fall book, I want all the cozy, autumn vibes. So, for me, it’s important to strike the right balance between capturing the season, developing the love story, and giving the characters meaningful growth. Another challenge is finding ways to bring something fresh to those beloved seasonal traditions. If there’s a pie-baking scene or a snowman-building contest, I always ask myself — How can I make this feel new, romantic, and uniquely mine? I love taking the classics and adding a little extra heart and charm.
3. How do you balance festive cheer with emotional depth and realism in your book?
Cindy Steel: When I was writing my book, Faking Christmas, I knew that grief was going to play a pretty big role. And I didn’t want to shy away from what my main character was going through, but I also knew that I was writing a romantic comedy, so there had to be a delicate balance. We did lots of fun activities in the book; my main character was a major flirt, which kept the book light and fun, but I also made sure to capitalize on the softer, quieter moments in the book to highlight how both characters had been hurt before.
I ultimately decided that the end of my book wasn’t going to resolve the grief of my character. That isn’t real life. Grief is something that stays with us through the years. So I decided that I wanted the book to provide a beautiful message of hope. We as humans are made to grow and change and evolve. Grief and love are part of that process. Things might look different during the holidays if you’re grieving a loved one, but different doesn’t have to mean bad.
Heather Garvin: I always try to stay grounded in who the characters are. As long as I’m not making them do things solely for the sake of forcing a festive plot, the story develops authentically and has a pretty good balance. At one point while writing When the Fake Snow Falls, I wanted Candace and Chase to do a certain Christmas activity, but it just didn’t feel like something these characters would actually do. It felt out of place for them, so I tweaked a few things that gave me a little less Christmas but a little more them, and I think it was a good call.
Katie Bailey: I tried to make the romantic connection between my main characters and their journey together the main focus of the book, and keep the festive setting as an additional layer to their story rather than centering the story around the holiday season. In my opinion, the romance always comes first in a romance book, no matter what time of year it’s set.
Kortney Keisel: It depends on the story. I enjoy weaving in all the typical things that people love about Christmas time, but I also think it’s important for the characters to go through something hard, learn from it, and then change. That kind of character arc is what makes readers relate and feel something. So I think every holiday book should have both.
Larissa Hommes: Whenever I write a story, I want it to be fun and lighthearted, but I also strive to give my characters emotional depth. When I’m developing their backstories, I always look for a believable reason why love feels out of reach for them, whether it’s a sore subject or something they’ve stopped believing in.
In a holiday romance, once I’ve nailed down their emotional journey, I weave in the festive cheer in a way that not only brings the magic of the season to life but also helps the characters grow, heal, and ultimately fall in love.
4. Do you have a favorite Christmas memory that influences your writing?
Cindy Steel: I grew up on a small dairy farm. When I was a child, my siblings and I would wake up in the morning and race downstairs to see what Santa brought us. My dad would always come inside after milking the cows and take in the carnage, before having Christmas breakfast with us. (We opened up most of our presents on Christmas Eve; this was just Santa’s presents.) He was so sweet and never wanted to make us wait for him to get in from chores to have our Christmas morning.
Once my siblings and I got old enough to realize that my dad missed out on so much of Christmas morning, we began showing up to the barn on Christmas morning (without peeking at any presents) and helping him milk and do all the chores so he could be part of the festivities as well. Milking cows on Christmas morning became one of my favorite memories of the holiday. In Faking Christmas, I had a scene where Miles and his dad taught Olive how to milk a cow. It fit perfectly for a bingo square in the book, but mostly, I added that scene for me.
Heather Garvin: When the Fake Snow Falls is a fake-dating-holiday rom-com based in Florida. Being from the Sunshine State, I was able to pull a lot of little details from my personal experiences celebrating Christmas in warmer weather. When it comes to things like fake snow and lights on palm trees, Candace and Chase definitely have some strong opinions!
Katie Bailey: My favorite holiday memories all involve family and spending time with loved ones, and I wanted my Christmas book to have that feeling of togetherness.
Kortney Keisel: I grew up in a large family full of traditions. All of my Christmas books highlight strong family relationships and are heavily rooted in traditions. In my book, The Holiday Stand-In, I even include some of my real-life family traditions in the story. My favorite is a tradition where my family gets together the night before Thanksgiving, and we all “stuff” the turkey together. It’s weird but so much fun, and I loved adding that tradition to my book.
Larissa Hommes: I’d have to say the Christmas memory that most influences my writing is my own real-life holiday romance. My husband and I got together during Christmas. We actually met at a college Christmas party! Our first date was a trip to see the city’s famous Christmas lights, followed by a few more festive dates throughout the season. Not long after the holidays, he asked me to marry him. So now, every Christmas, I’m reminded of how we fell in love — and that sweet, magical feeling often finds its way into my stories.
5. Is there a particular message or feeling you hope readers take away from your book?
Cindy Steel: If they shut the book with a happy sigh, then I would have done what I set out to do. Provide a fun and happy escape for the reader to slip into whenever life gets too hard.
Heather Garvin: While reading When the Fake Snow Falls, I want readers to have fun more than anything. The story is light and full of humor for the perfect holiday escape any time of year. Well, that, and I hope they fall in love with Chase because he’s a total flirt and an absolute dreamboat.
Katie Bailey: I always hope my books leave readers with a big smile on their faces.
Kortney Keisel: I hope they leave feeling happy, hopeful, and wanting to spend the holidays with the people they love. Mending relationships and realizing the things that are most important in life are also messages sprinkled throughout.
Larissa Hommes: No matter what story I’m writing, I always hope my readers get swept up in a journey that brings them joy. Reading should be fun and full of all the feels. With my Christmas book, Mistletoe Meet Up, I wanted readers to feel that not only is there hope for a magical, love-filled holiday, but also that who they are, exactly as they are, is enough.
Bonus Questions
If your book were made into a holiday movie, who would you cast?
Cindy Steel: Always, always, always Chris Hemsworth. And for Olive, Nina Dobrev.
Heather Garvin: Such a fun question! I’m not always the best at knowing the names of actors and actresses, but maybe someone like Henry Cavill for Chase, and I could totally see someone like Dakota Johnson to play Candace.
Katie Bailey: Glen Powell and Zoey Deutch.
Kortney Keisel: That would be a dream come true! For all of my books, I like to do character inspiration, and with my latest Christmas book, One Foggy Christmas, I had Glen Powell cast as my leading man, Nash. For Sadie, I’m still up in the air, but I would definitely want her to have a girl-next-door kind of vibe.
Larissa Hommes: I’m a big fan of Hallmark Christmas movies, and one of my favorite actors is Kristoffer Polaha. He’s charming and funny, everything I imagine for Madden Blake. For Sage Dawson, my female lead, I think Lacey Chabert would be perfect. Her warmth and sweet personality would bring Sage to life beautifully. And of course, I can’t forget Grandma Mabel, she’s such a key part of the story. I’d love to see someone like Paula Shaw take on that role. She has the perfect blend of heart and sass to capture Mabel’s spirit.
If you could spend Christmas in any fictional holiday town, where would you go?
Cindy Steel: I would go to Miles’s family’s Christmas cabins in Vermont. When I was dreaming it all up, it sounded like so much fun. If not that, then I’d love to go to The Cotswolds in England, like in my friend, Kasey Stockton’s book, Cotswolds Holiday. It sounded so dreamy!
Heather Garvin: I think the perfect fictional place to spend the holidays would be Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. Getting a coffee at Luke’s on a crisp December morning, followed by whatever festive shenanigans the town has planned, sounds like such a fun, cozy way to spend the holidays!
Katie Bailey: I’d love to spend Christmas at Hogwarts!
Kortney Keisel: In One Foggy Christmas, my characters spend the holiday in Switzerland, and although it’s not fictional, that’s where I would choose. The snowy mountains, the chalets, the amazing food — it all sounds so dreamy and magical for Christmas.
Larissa Hommes: I’m probably biased, but I’d have to choose Mistletoe Meadows from my book Mistletoe Meet Up. When I first imagined this charming, Christmassy small town, I had no idea how much I’d fall in love with it — and with the people who live there. In fact, it was the town itself that turned what was supposed to be a standalone into a series. I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Mistletoe Meadows, to Grandma Mabel, Mayor Stockington, the Christmas cookie bake-off scandal, or the delightfully shocking town newsletter, The Mistletoe Meadows Messenger. So, I decided to return — and I’m thrilled to share that two more Christmas books set in Mistletoe Meadows are on the way!
Thank you, Cindy, Heather, Katie, Kortney, and Larissa, for a charming interview! Be sure to pick up these talented authors’ Christmas books from your favorite book retailer or any of the links above. Even in July, sometimes we need the magic and love of a Christmas Romance.
Looking for more Holiday Romances to add to your TBR? Check out ‘Tis the Season for Love: 12 Holiday Romances to Savor!
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