Tell me a little bit about you
I live in Northern England with my family and a bonkers cat called Mitzie! When I am not writing, I am cycling or watching a reality show – my latest is the jungle I’m A Celebrity show. I write romantic comedies and am published by Carina UK (HarperCollins). And I am still on cloud nine after my summer bestseller, Game of Scones, won Best Romantic Ebook 2015 at the recent Love Stories Awards ceremony.
What do you love about Christmas?
I love the way it summons up very happy, nostalgic feelings from my childhood – the sound of Bing Crosby singing, the smell of turkey and the sparkle of fairy lights, all of those things give me butterflies in my stomach. And I especially enjoy chilling out with my husband and children for a few days, as the rest of the year is so busy. It is a time of year for families and friends to get close and that is very much the feel of my festive novel, My Big Fat Christmas Wedding.
What do you hate about Christmas?
I don’t think I actually hate anything about it – although I do get a little stressed a few weeks before, when I think I haven’t much-wanted presents in time. I am very lucky on the Big Day as my husband does all the important cooking. I am more of a gopher, setting the table and chopping vegetables. And then we eat out on Boxing Day – so there isn’t much to hate!
What is your favourite Christmas book?
Christmas at the Gingerbread Cafe by Rebecca Raisin is a recent favourite – such a cosy, feel-good read, perfect for the festive season.
What is your favourite Christmas song?
I couldn’t pick one – I have lots of cheesy Christmas albums and enjoy playing them all! Anything by Michael Bublé always goes down well though. And my poor family do despair as if I discover a favourite track, I play it non-stop until I am sick of it!
What was your best Christmas?
I think one where “Santa” secretly bought the children rabbits. That had to be strategically planned down to the last detail! But like anything, the more you put into it, the more you get out.
What was your best Christmas present?
The Christmas cards stand out more in my memory…. especially when they were younger the children always used to make a huge effort making their own gift cards, and that meant everything.
What was your worst Christmas present?
Drinks glasses that wouldn’t stand up – I think someone bought them for us not realizing they were actually candle holders and needed a stand!
Describe your ideal Christmas
Me, husband and the kids, chilling for a few days, locked away from the world – eating, drinking and arguing over the latest board game!
What do you want for Christmas this year?
It’s a cheesy answer, but I honestly just want us to all be happy, healthy and relaxed for a few days. Although a box of anything to do with peanut butter wouldn’t go amiss 🙂
Where can we find you?
My Big Fat Christmas Wedding by Samantha Tonge Also by this author: How to Get Hitched in Ten Days, Game of Scones, One Summer in Rome, Forgive Me Not
Series: The Little Teashop #2
Also in this series: Game of Scones
on 15th October 2015
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle, Audible
Things don’t always run smoothly in the game of love…
Former hot shot city girl Pippa Pattinson loves her new life of rustic simplicity, running a quaint teashop on a sleepy Greek island with her hot fiancé, Niko. But it’s been a quick change to slow living – and you can’t blame a girl for wondering, ‘how did I get here?’
As her Christmas wedding approaches, a trip back to snowy England for her ex’s engagement party makes her wonder if those are wedding bells she’s hearing in her mind, or warning bells. She longs for the excitement of her old London life – the glamour, the regular pedicures. Can she really give that all up to be…a fishwife?
There’s nothing for it but to throw herself into bringing a little Christmas magic to the struggling village in the form of a Christmas fair. Somewhere in amidst the sparkly bauble cakes and stollen scones, she’s hoping she’ll come to the right decision about where she belongs…fingers crossed in time for the wedding…
About Samantha Tonge
Samantha lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and two cats who think they are dogs. Along with writing, her days are spent cycling, willing cakes to rise and avoiding housework. A love of fiction developed as a child, when she was known for reading Enid Blyton books in the bath. A desire to write bubbled away in the background whilst she pursued other careers, including a fun stint working at Disneyland Paris. Formally trained as a linguist, Samantha now likes nothing more than holing herself up in the spare room, in front of the keyboard. Writing romantic comedy novels and short stories for women’s magazines is her passion. Her bestselling debut novel, “Doubting Abbey”, from CarinaUK Harlequin, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award in 2014. Its fun standalone sequel is From Paris with Love. Mistletoe Mansion is a fun Christmas novel. Her fourth romantic comedy, Game of Scones, won the Love Stories Awards 2015 Best Romantic Ebook category. Her festive novel, My Big Fat Christmas Wedding is out now!
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