December Joyathon: Interview + Giveaway with Penny Watson

Meet Penny:

click to read an excerpt

PENNY WATSON is a native Pittsburgher whose love of romance started at the age of twelve when she discovered Gone With The Wind in the middle school library. This resulted in numerous attempts at a first novel about a young lady with windswept hair who lived in a treehouse.

A biologist by training, Penny has worked at various times as a dolphin trainer, science teacher, florist, and turfgrass researcher (don't ask). Through it all she was a compulsive reader and collector of romance novels. After taking time off to raise her two spirited children, she decided to rekindle her passion for storytelling with the support of a wonderful writer's group, The Quirky Ladies. Now she gets to incorporate her wide array of interests, including gardening, cooking and travel into her light paranormal stories. Penny lives outside of Boston with one fly-fishing crazed husband, two lively Filipino kids, and a wiener dog.

Where To Find Penny: Author Site | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Kati: Who is Penny during the holidays? (author, gift giver, last minute shopper, baker)

Penny: The holidays are all about fun…..gingerbread house competitions, listening to Celine Dion music and trimming the tree, watching the movie “Elf” and drinking hot cocoa. And of course….shopping for the kids. I love searching for the perfect gift for everyone.(Including me…hee hee!)

K: What is your favorite thing about the holidays?
P: Christmas morning! There is nothing like the excitement of the kids coming downstairs after “Santa” has visited, and watching their reaction. I love that!

K: Do you write more or less during the holidays?
P: I take a break from writing. I am usually promoting my Christmas Series (The Klaus Brothers Series), so that takes a lot of time.

K: If you’ve written a holiday themed/titled book, what is it about? If you have not, would you write a holiday themed/titled book in the future?
P: The Klaus Brothers Series is about the five sexy sons of Santa Claus. All the brothers pitch in to help with Klaus Enterprises….Nicholas is a master pastry chef who specializes in Christmas cookies and sweets. Sven is the toy designer and wood-worker. Gregor is the financial guru. Wolfie is in charge of Charitable Donations. And Oskar, the youngest, is Director of Elfin Resources. It’s a family affair.(I am loving this series.)

K: Which of your heroes would you go on a sleigh ride with? (with permission from the heroine of course)

P: Wolfgang Klaus. He is a buff giant of a man with a big beard. He’s also very kind-hearted. Yum! (He doesn't happen to be lumberjack-y, does he?)

K: Regifting: Tacky or is there a sneaky way to do it?
P: Goodwill? (lol)

K: Real tree or fake tree?
P: Fake! No dropping needles, no allergies, no fire hazard. It looks real and it lasts forever. Merry Christmas! :^)

K: Specific gifts or gift cards?
P: I pack the stockings with gift cards and little presents. But I also try to pick out special gifts for everyone. That’s part of the magic of Christmas.

K: Fruit cake or gingerbread?
P: Gingerbread! We make gingerbread houses, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread muffins. Can’t get enough of that stuff.

K: Just enough decorations or “every tree lighted, blow up snowglobe, snow man in the yard” decorations?

P: We have lots of decorations, including vintage stuff from my Nana. Everyone has a mini tree in his/her room, too, with miniature ornaments.

K: Home for the holidays or visiting relatives?
P: I like to spend Christmas morning at my own house. Everyone is welcome!

K: What are you looking forward to in the new year?
P: Spending time with family and friends, adventures in travel, discovering new characters in my stories.

K: Author’s choice.
P: What’s your favorite Christmas movie? We have a huge collection at our house, including old favorites like The Grinch and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, and some new favorites, like Elf and Olive The Other Reindeer.

Happy Holidays To All!
Love, Penny
Thanks Penny!

SWEET MAGIK:

Oskar Klaus' job is killing him. Not even his favorite hobbies (extreme snowboarding and browsing old bookstores) are enough to snap him out of his funk. It's not easy living in the shadow of four successful older brothers and a father named Santa. Little does he know that a kiss on New Year's Eve is about to turn his life upside-down.

Kiana Grant's Manhattan life is a world away from her childhood in Oahu. She traded sunsets and surfing for a respectable career in library science, but Oskar Klaus is a temptation that's hard to resist. Before she knows it, she's in the midst of an outrageous adventure in the North Pole, dealing with mischievous elves, wicked demons, and a devastating attraction to Santa's youngest son.
There's just one problem...a bitter elf hell-bent on revenge threatens the future of everyone in the North Pole, even Santa himself...

Where To Buy: Amazon | Kindle | Nook | The Wild Rose Press
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt | My Review

Penny is giving away a copy of SWEET MAGIK (#2 in the Klaus Brothers series) to one(1) lucky reader. Here's how to enter and get your own green haired snowboarding hottie:

• Leave a comment answering Penny's question along with your email addy, ninja style: yourname at gmail dot com.
• Fill out the rafflecopter form below. You must answer Penny's question. All other entries are optional.

Easy peasy right? Don't forget to enter for the awesome super secret prize here.

A huge thank you to Penny for participating in the Joyathon and for giving away a copy of SWEET MAGIK.