Twelve Days of Christmas, Day 1 - Lillian Francis

I've made all my visitors answer twelve questions about Christmas because I'm mean like that.

The very first author to visit RJ's Twelve Days of Christmas is *drumroll please* Lillian Francis!



Lillian is offering a giveaway of an ebook of any of her catalogue except New Lease of Life. The giveaway will close on 18th December at 6pm GMT.


Question 1.       What is your favourite Christmas movie?

Muppet Christmas Carol or Stranded. Both kids’ films. For adults, Die Hard. Or White Christmas.
Question 2.       What is your best Christmas memory?


The early years with my son. When it was all leaving mince pies for Santa and up at the crack of dawn and big boxes of brightly wrapped gifts.
Question 3.       What is the best present you’ve received?


See above. An actual gift? When I was 15 there was a jumper in a menswear store across the road from my school. I wanted it so badly but it was £40 (that was a lot of money back then) and ‘it was a man’s jumper’. Imagine my joy when I opened my gift from my Dad that Christmas to find that jumper inside. I still have it, even though it doesn’t fit and the cuffs are all ragged.
Question 4.       What is the best present you’ve given?


Umm, I guess that is a question for another person. A trip to Disneyland Paris I suppose.
Question 5.       Santa Claus – real or fake?


What? Fake? How very dare you suggest such a thing.
Question 6.       What is your favourite Christmas book?


OMG. What sort of a question is that? I can’t pick just one.  Okay, a general disclaimer, I tended not to read Christmas stories until I discovered gay romance, now the entire month of December is dedicated to nothing else. Hang on, was this a trick question, was I supposed to say Dickens or something? I’m not going to single out an m/m read but if I have to pick something I’m partial to Tied Up In Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh. In our genre that title would conjure up a whole other type of story.
Question 7.       Do you like eggnog?


There’s rum in that, right? Then yeah.
Question 8.       What do you eat at Christmas?


Scrambled egg and smoked salmon on English muffins for brekkie. Turkey and all the trimmings. Christmas Pudding and brandy butter.
Question 9.    Be honest, when do you put up the Christmas tree?


Two weeks before and I take it down the day before I go back to work, so the 2nd Jan or the Sunday after New Year’s Day
Question 10.      When do you open your presents?


Christmas morning, because, really , Santa has to deliver them first.
Question 11.   Do you have snow at Christmas?


Only if we’re really lucky. I say that but I always end up having to drive somewhere on Christmas Day so I like it to hold off until the 27th.
Question 12.       What is the best – all-time – Christmas song. Ever!


Fairytale of New York by The Pogues. Best, best, best by all the margins. Although I’m always partial to anything by Frank Sinatra.  

17 comments

  1. Fun interview! I devote December to reading holiday stories, too. :-)

    Thanks!

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  2. I enjoyed the post it's amazing how many of the answers were the same as mine I loved the Pogues Fairytale of New York with Kirstie McColl takes me back to Christmas past.

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  3. Ah yes, Fairytale of New York, great song. It was on Radio 2 the other day - volume up, singing my head off!

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  4. Thanks for the interview, I enjoyed it. I look forward to reading New Lease of Life, just waiting for download day. ;)

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  5. Great interview, thank you for sharing!
    humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com

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  6. What a fun interview!! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

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  7. Awwww, that jumper story was just too cute, go dad ☺️

    Looking forward to new stories from you

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    1. That jumper must have cost a small fortune at the time :)

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  8. I have to agree with you Lillian I try and read mostly MM Christmas stories during December too, when I get the chance that is. December always ends up being an extremely busy month for me. Even now I'm several days behind on the Dreamspinner Xmas ones, I really need to download them and catch back up before the kids finish school for summer break.

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    Replies
    1. I never manage to read the whole of my Christmas to read pile.

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  9. What a fun interview! i love reading all the Christmas stories to!

    juliesmall2016(at)gmail(dot)com

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  10. Great interview.

    dejamew@centurylink.net

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  11. Fairy Tale of New York, great choice, also my favorite, you know it's christmas when you hear it start being played on the radio.

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  12. I'd actually never heard Fairy Tale Of New York so I looked it up on YouTube. I'd love to hear it enough to learn the words and sing along. :-)
    aelnova@aol.com

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  13. I love your answers, the movie and song are my favs too

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  14. I was not very invested in Christmas stories until I discovered this genre as well. Now I look forward to the holiday season and new stories.

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