Literarily Speaking

Sheila Roberts lives in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have appeared in Readers Digest Condensed books and have been published in several languages. Her novel Angel Lane was an Amazon Top Ten Romance pick for 2009 and her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas is slated to be a Lifetime Channel movie presentation this December. When she’s not hanging out with her girlfriends or hitting the dance floor with her husband, she can be found writing about those things dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.

Her latest book is The Snow Globe.

You can visit Sheila at her website (http://www.sheilasplace.com). You can also find her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/_Sheila_Roberts) and

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/pages/Sheila-Roberts/76502579853?ref=ts)

Q: Thank you for this interview, Sheila. Can you tell everyone what your latest book, The Snow Globe, is all about?

Sheila: This is a book about three friends who stumble on a magical snow globe in an antique shop. As with all good Christmas tales, these women are each in need of a Christmas miracle. Each woman sees something different in it – from Mr. Perfect, to the solution to an over-scheduled life. And, thanks to the possibilities she sees in the snow globe, each woman gets what she really needs for Christmas: positive change.

What an exciting premise! We’d all LOVE to have that snow globe. How did you come up with such a unique plotline?

Sheila: You know, that’s a bit of a Christmas miracle in and of itself. I really have no idea.

I’m picturing a great Hallmark movie out of this one. As a matter of fact, one of your books has been made into a movie and will be aired on Lifetime this holiday season. We’d all love to know how that happened?

Sheila: My novel “On Strike for Christmas” was optioned for film three years back. The book premise is a fun one, about a group of friends who are tired of doing everything for the holidays and decide to put the men in charge (of course, with very entertaining results). My husband and I are actually the prototypes of Joy and Bob in the book. He was being naughty one year, balking at having to spend his zillionth Christmas with my big, loud family and decided to teach him a lesson and put him in a book. Needless to say, he learned his lesson. He also likes to point out that if it wasn’t for him this movie would never have happened. Oh, wait until it’s his turn for the red carpet interview! Seriously, we’re very happy that the book got made into a movie and are looking forward to watching it. It’s slated to air December 5th.

Were you ever on the set when they were making the movie?

Sheila: Sadly, we learned about the filming too late to get up and pester, er, visit the film crew.

If words can ever describe such an experience, what was your reaction when you were first told of this?

Sheila: Big, over-the-top excitement – squealing and running around the house like a mad thing. And that was just my husband :)

You must be a walking good luck charm because everything that comes from your fingers turns to gold, especially with your new book, The Snow Globe. It has such a universal theme – we’d all love to have someone to love. Which part of the book did you find was the hardest to write?

Sheila: Oh, I don’t know about that. Everyone goes through hard times and my writing career has had as many downs as it has had ups. But, I must admit, I’m enjoying this up phase. And who knows? Maybe someone will want to make a movie of “The Snow Globe”. I think it would make a lovely Hallmark movie. Of course, I could be slightly prejudiced. I didn’t have a “hard part” with this novel. I really enjoyed writing it.

If you had to pick out a part of your book that had the “wow’ factor, what would that be without giving too much away?

Sheila: Maybe the section where we hear the history of the snow globe and see that first Christmas miracle. I must say though, I’m also very partial to the ending of the story.

Q: Do you plan on writing more books?

Sheila: Yes, I think I have a few more left in me. My publisher already has one scheduled for next Christmas that I’m very excited about.

Q: Finally, I like to ask authors this question. What is your passion? What is it that you’re more passionate about than anything else?

Sheila: Encouraging people to live their lives to the fullest!

Q: Thanks for the interview, Sheila. Do you have any final words you’d like to say to your legions of Sheila Robert fans?

Sheila: Legions? I don’t know about that. But to everyone who buys and reads my books I’d simply like to say a heartfelt, “Thank you. So much.”

Related posts:

1. Friendships among women shines through for Sheila Roberts’ ‘Small Change’
2. Literarily Speaking Book Club Selection: Small Change by Sheila Roberts – Day 2
3. Interview with Allie Larkin: ‘I’ve always loved women’s fiction’
4. Living with Muses by Women’s Fiction Author Shobhan Bantwal
5. Bestselling author Claire Cook on virtual book tour in July ‘10