A Little Dose of Louisiana Christmas (in July)

My friend Morgan Tarpley Smith is filling in for me today while I’m on a 15-day writing marathon. Welcome, Morgan (and Betsy and Lenora). Thanks for this little preview of Christmas while the summer heat bears down!

By Morgan Tarpley Smith

In the spirit of this site, “Inspired by Life…and Fiction,” I’d love to share a little of the story behind the story about my upcoming release, “A Louisiana Christmas to Remember.”

First, let me tell you a bit about this three-novella collection, which will be published by Barbour on September 1. My fantastic co-authors are Lenora Worth and Betsy St. Amant, and we three are proud Louisiana girls who wanted to bring some of the warmth, humor, and spirit of our home state’s Southern culture to the page.

Our interconnected novellas are set in the fictional town of Moreau, which is loosely based off the lovely city of Natchitoches, the oldest European settlement in Louisiana. Our town of Moreau needed its own French connection and a historic chapel in need of restoration.

Natchitoches was founded by a French explorer in 1714, and in the late 1700s, my ancestors were actually married there. I love visiting this charming place adored by tourists for its gorgeous scenery, delicious food, and friendly people. It’s also known for being the setting of the hit 1989 film, “Steel Magnolias,” and for dazzling Christmas lights displays and decorations, which have drawn the masses each year for the Festival of Lights since 1927.

But going into the history of how this collection came to be, it began with a Facebook post in 2021. An Avid Reader of Christian fiction group member was compiling a list of Christmas books set in all fifty US states and hadn’t listed one for Louisiana yet. I was tagged in the post along with other Louisiana authors, but none of us could think of a single title. In the midst of this comment thread, someone commented, “Why don’t you write one?” and that set my mind in motion.

Not long afterward, Lenora and Betsy were graciously on board, and the characters of Mattie, Jolene, Adale, and Granny Eloise drifted into our lives like a Christmas snow. We had the best time planning and writing these stories and adding to our Pinterest boards too. And we hope readers will be as charmed as we were by these wonderful women during an equally wonderful time of year.

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Deb here: Thank you again, Morgan! And friends, if you’d like to learn more or pre-order A Louisiana Christmas to Remember, click on the title or the book cover above!

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Deborah Raney

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a three-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.

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