{"id":2686,"date":"2019-12-11T08:00:55","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.pelicanbookgroup.com\/?p=2686"},"modified":"2023-05-26T09:15:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T15:15:43","slug":"2686","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/2686\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unexpected Christmas Gift"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n\tThe Unexpected Christmas Gift&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tby Carol James\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Lucida Grande,Tahoma,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"background-color: rgb(243, 247, 251);\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t<span><strong>How much of the book is based in real life?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>Several years ago, I worked in international sales, and my husband and I attended a trade show in Dusseldorf, Germany. We stayed in the nearby town of Wuppertal. Just like Eli and Holly. We visited the cathedral in Cologne and enjoyed a breathtakingly spiritual and unexpected organ concert. Just like Eli and Holly. I wanted this story to reflect the beauty and wonder we found on this trip.<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t<span><strong>Are plots based on someone you know or events in your own life?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>Plots and stories are all around, and I am constantly watching for inspiration. Some of my plots are based on situations I&rsquo;ve observed or experienced over the years. While the setting for The Unexpected Christmas Gift is based on my personal experience, the plot is completely fictional.<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: rgb(243, 247, 251);\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t<span><strong>What do you do when you&#39;re not writing?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>When I&rsquo;m not writing, I enjoy walking my dog with my husband, traveling with friends, serving at my home church, volunteering at a nearby Christian school, and being a Grammy.<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t<span><strong>What is your next project?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>I have just completed a novel in which the heroine fights to overcome childhood abuse. My next work will be a novel whose plot was influenced by letters I read from the Secret Drawer Society while staying at Longfellow&rsquo;s Wayside Inn several years ago.<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: rgb(243, 247, 251);\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t<span><strong>What is the spiritual takeaway for your reader?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>We can trust God to work everything for our good.<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: rgb(243, 247, 251);\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t<span><strong>What is your hero&#39;s main character flaw?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>He allows his work to take precedence over relationships.<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t<span><strong>What is your heroine&#39;s main character flaw?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>Trying to handle everything on her own and failing to trust God.<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: rgb(243, 247, 251);\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n\t\t\t\t<span><strong>What makes your hero heroic?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>When faced with the challenge, Eli finds a way to achieve his goals and save his relationship with Holly without compromising his ethics.<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: rgb(243, 247, 251);\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;\" width=\"100%\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span><strong>what makes your heroine heroic?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Holly learns to trust God to lead her out of her desert of personal loss and pain into abundant life.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t&nbsp;\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Unexpected Christmas Gift (Christmas Holiday Extravaganza)\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"1080\" height=\"550\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen style=\"max-width:100%\" src=\"https:\/\/read.amazon.com\/kp\/card?preview=inline&#038;linkCode=kpd&#038;ref_=k4w_oembed_ka2Hh8A952jQAX&#038;asin=B07YSY1W4G&#038;tag=kpembed-20\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t&nbsp;\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t&nbsp;\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Unexpected Christmas Gift&nbsp; by Carol James &nbsp; How much of the book is based in real life? Several years ago, I worked in international sales, and my husband and I attended a trade show in Dusseldorf, Germany. We stayed in the nearby town of Wuppertal. Just like Eli and Holly. We visited the cathedral [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[512,506],"tags":[55],"class_list":["post-2686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-about-books","category-interviews-spotlights","tag-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2686\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}