Day: December 9, 2018

Blog Blitz: I’m Glad I Found You This Christmas

Today I am part of the blog blitz for I’m Glad I Found You This Christmas by CP Ward: I interviewed him! 

Book Description:

I’m glad I found you this Christmas – an uplifting sweet romance set against the magical backdrop of Christmas.

Maggie Coates is frustrated. Her longterm boyfriend, Dirk, recently moved to London to take a job she fears puts him out of her league. Despite the assurances of her best friend Renee, Maggie is convinced Dirk is slowly drifting away. All Maggie wants is to get married and settle down, but maybe Dirk has other ideas.

Convinced by Renee to make one last throw of the dice, Maggie books a romantic holiday for two in the quaint Scottish village of Hollydell. But will Dirk show up?

And if he doesn’t, what if there is a perfect man waiting for her among the Christmas magic of Hollydell’s snow-laden streets? What if Henry, the humble reindeer farmer with the kind smile, turns out to be the man of Maggie’s dreams?

I’m glad I found you this Christmas is a glowing sweet romance which will leave you feeling warm inside and buzzing with Christmas spirit.

Buy I’m Glad I Found You This Christmas now:
Amazon US
Amazon UK


JRR (Jessica’s Reading Room): Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Chris Ward, I’m 39 years old (nearly 40!) and I’m from Cornwall in the UK. For the last 15 years I’ve been living in the mountains of Japan, where I work full time as an English teacher. 

JRR:  Japan: Nice!  My hubby wants to visit there.  Now, did you always want to become an author?

From as young as I can remember. I started writing little stories at the age of 5 or 6, then began dreaming of superstardom during my early teens while typing away on my dad’s battered old typewriter. 

JRR:  What inspires you to write? 

I find myself constantly examining the world around me. It sounds like a cliché but I’m always thinking “what if this happened?”

JRR:  That could be the best way to come up with a story( What if this happened?). What does your writing process consist of?  Do you research, do you handwrite or type, do you have music or need silence?

I write in multiple genres and in a variety of different ways. In general, I write in the mornings, to as much silence as I can get, and on a battered old laptop with the internet connection deleted. Since my daughter was born two years ago, very early mornings – I generally start around 4.a.m, write until she gets up, then go to work and steal a little time on the clock if I’m not busy. If I’m awake after my daughter goes to sleep (rarely) I do a bit of marketing stuff.

My process depends on the type of book I’m writing. I prefer to make it up as I go along, but especially for series books I plan them more in advance. Some, like my mystery pen name (Jack Benton) I write them intentionally on the fly. That makes the plots more difficult to figure out.

As for research, I do it as I go along, usually by watching YouTube videos or using the Internet. 

JRR:  Who is your favorite author as an adult?

Currently, Gillian Flynn. Everything she writes is genius. Historically, Iain Banks. I’m also currently partial to a bit of Mark Edwards, although I pick books and authors at random and there’s no one I’ve read comprehensively.

JRR:  Who was the most influential author you read when you were growing up?  Did his/her writings influence you to want to become an author?

To be honest, there was no writer who inspired me to become one. I can’t even remember what I used to read when I was very young. Whatever was in the school library, I guess. In my teens I got big into Stephen King, but I was also a fantasy nut, reading loads of fat long books by people like Robert Jordan. 

JRR:  I read Stephen King as a teen as well.  If you could have dinner with three people (living or dead) who would they be and why?

 My grandparents, because I miss them, and my two-year-old daughter, because I’d like my grandparents to have met her.

JRR:  Aww, good choice! 

Which book have you always meant to get around to reading, but still not read?

The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje. I bought it about a week before I got my Kindle. It’s been sat around on my table ever since, and I’ve got to page 14 about fifteen times. 

JRR:  I’m Glad I Found You This Christmas is different from the books you usually write. What made you decide to write it?

Simply because I love Christmas. I always wanted to write a Christmas book, and I finally got around to it.

JRR:  Women tend to write ‘sweet romance’ books. How did you feel about writing this type of novel?

It’s not the first romance I’ve written – I have three mystery novels which have a romantic subplot (although darker), and I’ve written some romantic short stories. In general, though, I can turn my hand to anything. I started publishing in 2012, and got pigeonholed into SF for commercial reasons, but in the years before that I only ever wrote standalone novels, and each in a different genre. I was strictly opposed to writing the same book twice, and even now I struggle to maintain my interest past three or four books. I generally don’t read series for the same reason, although I probably would if I had more time. I like to get a complete story when I buy a book.

JRR: Is Christmas your favorite holiday?  What made you pick Christmas as the time of year for this novel?

It’s absolutely my favourite. I’m a teacher by profession, and a foreigner in Japan, so every year I end up getting the suit on and going round all the kids parties, churches, schools. It’s a lot of fun. Christmas in Japan is a poor imitation of Christmas in Western countries, so part of it is nostalgia because it’s over by midnight on Christmas Eve as everything turns to the New Year celebrations that we have out here. 

JRR:  Sounds like you have a lot of fun every year at this time!  Is there anything else you would like to share?

Thanks to everyone who’s taken a chance on my book. I hope it will warm your heart. And if you like it, please let me know.


About the Author:

CP Ward is a writer from the UK who currently lives and works in Japan. This is his first Christmas book.

Contact CP Ward:
Website