I never set out to write a Christmas story, but when I was brainstorming with my friend, and editor, Victoria Milne, the idea of a Drag Queen and a Pub Manager getting together came to me, and I couldn’t let it go. It’s out on 5th December, 2017. I hope you enjoy it!
I started this story on the 4th August, sat in a sunny garden whilst eating cupcakes and listening to Christmas music. I’m not a big fan of Christmas before December, the idea of shops playing Christmas music in November and enticing me with their blend of Christmas coffee (you know who I mean!). However, it was fun to get into the spirit of it with Victoria, especially watching my Christmas classic move, Make the Yuletide Gay. We also watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation too, which was a barrel of laughs.
The writing process is one which continues to fascinate me. When I started out, I had a clear idea that my Drag Queen would be a character who’s been in my head for some time. An older Queen, who is always unlucky in love. However, she was too big for me to write. I couldn’t get her voice and she would also not put up with the situation that Sebastian, my main character was in. She does appear in the book and whilst I can write her as a supporting character now, I am sure she will get her own story one day. However, right now she’s happy with a blond muscle hunk called Erik, and as she said “he has a year in him,” before she sends him packing.
Blurb
Sebastian Bennett is really looking forward to his Christmas holiday with boyfriend Elliot Bolton in the Gran Canarian sun. The only thing left is for him to sing one last song at the pub as his Drag Queen alter-ego, Donna Tracey. After the wig, make-up and dress come off, he rushes home to pack, only to find he and his chihuahua, Buster, have been deserted by Elliot, who’s taken someone else to Gran Canaria. Devastated, Sebastian turns to his friend and the pub’s manager, Javier Reyes-Martinez, who helps him pick up the pieces.
Javier seems determined to bring fun and laughter back into Sebastian’s life during this holiday season, and Sebastian is both grateful and enchanted. After a family Christmas and a word of advice from his great-uncle, Sebastian starts to look at Javier in a different light. Is Javier as fond of Sebastian as he appears, or is Sebastian being misled by his own need? If he’s reading the signs right—and if he’s ready to move on from his previous heartbreak—could he and Javier be much more than friends?