If anyone adored the 2017 Hallmark Christmas movie Coming Home For Christmas as much as I did, you might remember that I had the honor of interviewing the author (Jenny Hale) who wrote the book upon which that stellar Hallmark movie was based. How amazing was it that yet another movie based on one of her delightful books kicked off the entire Countdown To Christmas programming on the Hallmark Channel this year?! If you savored every moment of Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses a couple of weekends ago (and maybe even rewatched it since that time), then I would encourage you to read this most recent interview I did with Jenny on her life since 2017 (which has been pretty idyllic, professionally speaking).
RH: Since we last chatted, your Hallmark Christmas movie Coming Home For Christmas has gone on to be a perennial favorite. Why do you believe this Christmas movie has been so successful?
JH: It’s hard for me to say why a television movie was successful when I’m not involved in the production of movies, but I think that the cast has a lot to do with it. I’ve heard that the particular cast on that movie really had great chemistry and enjoyed themselves when they were making it, and some of them mentioned wanting to work together again. That comes through in the film.
It’s been so popular with the fans that there are many requests for a sequel. Any chance of that?
I believe that any sequel decisions would fall onto the shoulders of Hallmark and their screenwriter. Although, Nina Weinman (the screenwriter for Coming Home for Christmas) and I said if there ever was a sequel and she was writing it, we should do a FaceTime call and bat around ideas! I’d totally be up for that.
Since that time, you’ve released several books. Please tell us which books are available and a little about each.
All my books are available on my website, but the following is a list of books published since 2017:
Christmas at Silver Falls (Bookouture, 2019)
White Oaks Inn has always been at the heart of Christmas celebrations for Scarlett Bailey and her family. Her adored gran has owned the rambling, old-fashioned hotel, filled with the scent of cinnamon and chocolate, since Scarlett was a little girl. But now her gran’s home is under threat. And it looks like it could be the Baileys’ last Christmas together there…
It Started with Christmas (First published: Bookouture, 2018; released in US mass-market by Forever, Grand Central, 2019)
Holly McAdams loves spending the Christmas holidays at her family’s cozy cabin, with its little red door and twinkling lights, tucked in the snowy hills outside Nashville. But this year will be different. Someone unexpected is joining them…
After Holly and her beloved Nana struggle through a snowstorm to reach the cabin, they discover gorgeous and wealthy Joseph Barnes, who has been renting the cabin for the last few weeks, is now snowed in. And it looks like he’ll be staying for the holidays.
Summer at Firefly Beach (Bookouture 2019)
Hallie Flynn’s favorite place in the world is her great Aunt Clara’s beautiful beachside house, with its inviting wraparound porch and enchanting views across the sparkling turquoise ocean. For Hallie, going to Firefly Beach, filled with magical memories, feels like coming home, but in one moment Hallie is left broken-hearted when her adored Aunt Clara passes away…
As always, Aunt Clara has thought of everything. In her last letter she included a bucket list Hallie wrote as a child, for Hallie to complete. Leaving her dead-end job and predictable schedule, Hallie returns to Firefly beach and embraces Aunt Clara’s words. All the time her childhood best friend Ben Murray, with his golden charm and infuriating ability to be right all the time, is by her side.
The Summer House (First published: Bookouture, 2017; released in US mass-market by Forever, Grand Central, 2019)
Callie Weaver and best friend Olivia Dixon have finally done it: put their life savings into the beach house they admired through childhood summers, on the dazzling white sand of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. They’re going to buff the salt from its windows, paint its sun-bleached sidings, and open it as a bed and breakfast.
Callie’s too busy to think about her love life, but when she catches the attention of local heartthrob Luke Sullivan, his blue eyes and easy smile make it hard to say no. He’s heir to his father’s property empire, and the papers say he’s just another playboy, but as they laugh in the ocean waves, Callie realizes there’s more to this man than money and good looks.
Just when true happiness seems within reach, Callie and Olivia find a diary full of secrets… secrets that stretch across the island, and have the power to turn lives upside down. As Callie reads, she unravels a mystery that makes her heart drop through the floor.
Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses (First published: Bookouture, 2015; released in US mass-market by Forever, Grand Central, 2018)
Single mother Abbey Fuller loves her family more than anything, and doesn’t regret for a moment having had to put her dreams of being an interior designer on hold. But with her son, Max, growing up, when a friend recommends her for a small design job she jumps at the chance. How hard can it be?
Nick Sinclair needs his house decorated in time for his family’s festive visit – and money is no object. What he doesn’t need is to be distracted from his multi-million dollar business – even if it is Christmas.
When Abbey pulls up to the huge Sinclair mansion, she has a feeling she might be out of her depth. And when she meets the gorgeous, brooding Nicholas Sinclair, she knows that she’s in real trouble…
The Summer Hideaway (Bookouture, 2018)
Alice Emerson and best friend Sasha Miller have made a pact. They’ve decided to swap city living for the beautiful white beaches of the Outer Banks and pour everything they have into launching an ice cream shop in the little house by the sea where Alice spent blissful childhood holidays with her grandfather. As Alice and Sasha add color to the walls of the beach house and tempt the locals with their delicious recipes, their fresh new life begins to take shape.
Swept away by her plans, love is the last thing on Alice’s mind. But she keeps running into mysterious doctor Jack Murphy, and finds herself falling for his golden charm and warm smile. As they laugh through sunshine-filled days and long romantic evenings, Alice tries hard not to think he could be the one for her – Jack is only here for the season, and Alice has had her fair share of heartbreak.
Just when Alice’s summer couldn’t be more perfect, she discovers an old letter tucked away in the beach house. It contains a family secret that turns Alice’s world upside down and threatens the future of the ice cream shop. And then Jack reveals a secret of his own…
We’ll Always Have Christmas (Bookouture, 2017)
Christmas has always been a special time for Noelle Parker. Winter evenings spent with family and friends, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies at her family’s cozy bakery have shaped her love for all things festive. But this year everything is changing …
The beloved bakery is facing closure and Noelle needs a miracle to save Christmas.
Determined to raise funds for the family business, Noelle begins revamping the bakery while juggling a surprise new job, caring for the elderly and cantankerous William Harrington in his luxurious, sprawling mansion.
As Noelle melts the frostiness of the house with cake baking, snowball fights and glittering decorations, she helps William to reconnect with a romance that has spanned decades and unexpectedly finds herself falling for his grandson – the gorgeous but mysterious Alexander Harrington …
Your book Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses was made into the first Hallmark Channel Christmas movie of the season. How did this particular deal come about?
Donna Mills Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Josh Stringer
It was relatively straightforward; I was approached by the production company and once Hallmark was on board, we went under contract.
How long did it take for the book to be transformed into a Hallmark movie?
This one took two years to go from contract negotiations to screen.
While I understand authors are not really involved once their book is optioned for a movie, I know that often those involved try to make the author feel like part of the process. How did those involved with the film include you in the overall process?
With Coming Home for Christmas, I was very much involved through Nina Weinman–we chatted quite a bit and she shared pictures from set. With Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses, I wasn’t involved in the process. Every production company runs their show differently, and I just roll with whatever they want to share with me.
While books often get changed quite a bit when adapted to film, having seen the movie now, what pleased you the most when watching this film?
Matthew Davis, Jill Wagner Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Josh Stringer
There wasn’t just one thing with either film. I loved many aspects about them both. With Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses, the town and clips of the book’s setting of Richmond, Virginia were a very nice touch.
Any other upcoming works/books you can mention?
Sorry! Lips are sealed on any possible upcoming projects. 🙂
How will you be celebrating the holidays this year?
Definitely decorating, baking, reading, and watching lots of Christmas movies. We might throw a little travel in there as well–you never know!
While your writing has focused on sweet romances often set during the holidays, do you have aspirations to write in other styles/genres?
Never say never, but at this moment, I don’t have any niggling toward another genre. I absolutely enjoy writing romantic fiction and, given my personality, it’s a really good fit for me.
In truth, Jenny’s talent and attitude both impress me immensely. Not only can she pen a sweet romantic story like very few can in today’s literary world, but she also possesses the correct demeanor when discussing the screen version of her books to movies. While no screen adaptation is ever going to be a perfect representation of what the author and/or the readers envisioned, the fact that Jenny is able to “go with the flow” and recognize that every production company will do things differently is truly the only response an author can have once a book is optioned. Moreover, authors who conduct themselves professionally and adapt easily to the process are authors who are more likely to be approached again for future productions. Jenny is living the dream of so many authors out there today. I can’t think of any author I have interviewed who has not desired (secretly or otherwise) to witness a movie version of at least one of their books. Jenny actually has two, and both are beloved within the Hallmark community. While God only knows what the future may hold for Jenny and her books, there is no doubt that she has a loyal fanbase composed of readers and viewers, and I am so grateful the network brought her to my attention a couple of years ago.
If you have not had the opportunity to see either of these movies, the good news is that you are in luck! Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses replays on the Hallmark Channel a few more times this season, next showing November 17th. Coming Home For Christmas will be shown on the Hallmark Channel several more times as well, and the next scheduled showing is November 9th. While you’re savoring these Christmas classics, I hope that everyone will pay Jenny a virtual visit at all her links below and consider following her where applicable. After all, you never know when you might fall in love with one of her romantic tales or witness a new Hallmark movie based upon one of her books!
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