Wet, Hot, Australian Christmas by A.V. Sanders: #Interview #HolidayTour #Giveaway @Annenigmatic

Wet, Hot, Australian Christmas

by A.V. Sanders

Length: 37 pages

Genres: Contemporary, Gay (M/M), Holiday, Romance

Reid, an American shark research scientist, is in Perth, Australia working to develop a mobile app that may revolutionize shark safety practices. But even the company of his boyfriend, Graham, isn't enough to stave off homesickness as Christmas approaches, and a missing shark and Graham's struggling business seem set to ruin the holiday for good.

Hi, my name's A.V., and I'm happy to be sitting down with Carly to share a cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows AND whipped cream, and chat about some of our fondest Christmas memories! One of the plot lines in my newest release, "WET, HOT, AUSTRALIAN CHRISTMAS", centers around main character, Reid's, nostalgia for Christmas 'back home'. Thinking back on my own Christmas memories, things like food, family, and fun are some of what made the holidays special. I'd love to hear about some of your yummy Christmastime memories, Carly!

The last time my grandpa danced with me.

I come from a large German-American family. we looooove food, and I have two specific memories that come to mind. The first is that my beloved grandfather, who passed away three years ago at the age of 91, made fudge every year. He was so proud of the fact that he made it without a recipe but boy, oh boy, he should have used one. It was hard as a hockey puck, so dry it would make your mouth pucker and the nuts were burnt to the bottom 9 times out of 10. We used to dare the kids in our neighborhood to eat it! The best part of this story is that none of the family, including my 8 aunts and uncles, 22 cousins and 38 second cousins, ever had the heart to tell him how truly awful it was.

We always open our presents on Christmas Eve and the second yummy memory I have is that, because of my large family, we never had a traditional sit down dinner.  For as long as I can remember my mom has served homemade pizza. It’s delicious, she does use a recipe, and it’s a tradition I’m passing down to my children as well.

Oh, my goodness! [laughs] Those are great stories! I can't top that, but I'll go ahead and tell you about a yummy memory of my own. Growing up, my parents and I lived at least half a country away from our nearest family. One of things I'd hear most was what an excellent cook my grandmother was, especially at desserts! One year, when I was maybe about ten, my Granny (as she liked to be called) surprised our family and sent a box to San Diego FULL of homemade cookies and fudge, all the way from her home in Missouri! I remember feeling like the box was Mary Poppins’ carpet bag—impossibly, more and more goodies kept coming out! It was wonderful, delicious, and I felt connected to my Granny. 

Christmas Card Lane

Like I said, I was born and raised in San Diego, and sometimes it was a little tough to get into the swing of the holidays when it was oppressively sunny! But, the town certainly didn't lack spirit. There was a special neighborhood called 'Christmas Card Lane' that was known for their Christmas displays, and my parents took me there each year. This was a special place to visit with my family, and I remember that even the car ride there was filled with Christmas carols, togetherness, and happy anticipation. I loved it as a kid: it actually felt chilly outside (usually), people sold hot chocolate, Santa often showed up, and a lot of the decorations were homemade, giant wooden cutouts that'd been lovingly painted and animated. I remember in particular a Ferris wheel that took stuffed animals for a ride, lollipops as big as I was, Santa's Workshop, animated light pictures covering rooftops, and Santa and his sleigh (led by Rudolph, of course) crossing the street high above. Carly, what are some of the special times you spend with your family around the holidays?

2014 was a "deer year"

One of my favorite holiday traditions is one that my husband and I started when our son was young. Every year we go together and buy a real tree. There are Christmas tree farms where you can cut your own tree and we like to do that when we can. If previous winter was particularly cold or snowy the deer will eat the young trees, so sometimes we have to search out the perfect pre-cut tree instead. Although the destination varies, we always head out the first Saturday after Thanksgiving to select our tree. We break out the Christmas movies and decorate together on Sunday. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Santa's Village

Ha! I would've never thought of deer…eating the Christmas trees when it's cold! Even though I lived in a hot, sunny place, snow wasn't actually that far away. There was a place called Santa's Village that we would visit, only about two hour's drive north in the San Bernardino Mountains. It was like stepping back in time; the park itself had opened two months before Disneyland, and I'd wager a good part of it hadn't changed much since then. The Enchanted Forest that Santa lived in had rides and shops, and on a good year, LOTS of snow! It was where I had a fun wearing snow clothes, and rode my first rollercoaster, The Bobsled! It closed in 1998, but while looking for a picture for this post, I learned it has since reopened as a conservation-based outdoor recreation park! Cool! What was some of the wintery fun you would have, Carly?

My family is large, loud, outgoing and we hail from the snowy state of Minnesota. Our Christmas holidays were chocked full of snowmobile rides, sledding, pond skating and gallons of hot chocolate.

Now, that IS a cold place! Those all sound fun, and it sounds like you have a great family. Thank you so much again for hosting me, and I hope you, and all of your readers, have the happiest of holidays! xo, A.V.

I’ve had so much fun reliving some of my favorite Christmas memories with you! Thanks for the hot chocolate. =)

Thank you for featuring "Wet, Hot, Australian Christmas" on your blog!

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My Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

If you mixed Jaws, Dawson's Creek and a Hallmark movie together you'd end up with something an awful lot like Wet, Hot, Australian Christmas. The combination of angst, drama, action, adventure and seriously sweet romance is an emotional whirlwind. It's a non-traditional holiday short story with interesting characters, a unique premise and a happy ending. I'd have loved to see where the multi-faceted story line would have gone had it been given opprotunity to develop at a slower pace.  Wet, Hot, Australian Christmas' concept is engaging and A.V. Sanders is a new author I'm going to be keeping my eye on in the future.

A.V. Sanders loves and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She shares her home with her husband, two cats, and tropical aquarium fish. She is an avid hoarder of Halloween decorations and inconsequential information. When writing science fiction, mystery, horror and romance with LGBTQ main characters, she can be found staying up all hours of the night listening to endless sets of EDM music. She is an advocate of love, art, animals and frivolous acts of beauty. She also has a growing suspicion that not causing harm to one another is what matters in the end.

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'7 HOT Days of Christmas Blog Tour' Schedule:

12. 16 - Wednesday - THE NOVEL APPROACH - A Partridge in a White Fir Tree: Exclusive Excerpt + Giveaways

12. 17 - Thursday - CARLY'S BOOK REVIEWS - Two Sea Turtles: 'Christmas Memories' with A.V. and Carly + Giveaways

12. 18 - Friday - PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE - Three French Men: 'Let's Talk About: Sharks!' + Giveaways

12. 19 - Saturday - BAYOU BOOK JUNKIE - Four Sea Birds: 'On Location: Inspiration for the Story' + Giveaways

12. 20 - Sunday, Double Day! - AUTHOR RJ JONES' WEBSITE + BECAUSE TWO MEN ARE BETTER THAN ONE BOOK REVIEWS - Five Engagement Rings: 'Marriage Equality in Australia' with A.V. + RJ Jones, Review at BTM, Giveaways at both!

12. 21 - Monday - ON TOP DOWN UNDER BOOK REVIEWS - Six Blokes a-Layin'...Out: Review + Story Playlist + Giveaways

12. 22 - Tuesday - HEARTS ON FIRE REVIEWS - Seven Sharks a-Swimmin': Character Interview + Giveaways