As the weather gets colder, Halloween and Bonfire Night are over, and we move deeper into November, it’s my great pleasure to welcome Bloodhound Author, Lisa Darcy to my Thursday Themes blog to talk about her new book, Christmas Actually, which was released last month.
What are the themes around Christmas Actually?
Christmas Actually is a universal story about rebirth, love and redemption, packaged in fresh wrapping. Despite our imperfections, it is never too late to admit our past mistakes and ask for forgiveness.
Setting:
While many novels in this genre are set in the Northern Hemisphere Winter, and feature snow, chalets, ice-skating, beanies, gloves, and roaring fires, Christmas Actually is set against this backdrop of summer heat and humidity in the Southern Hemisphere, Sydney, Australia.
Christmas for Australians usually means very hot weather, beaches, swimming, surf, sand and sunburn. We wear as little clothing as possible, and Christmas lunches generally consist of prawns, crabs, and other seafood, salads, an abundance of fruit like cherries and mangoes, and an obligatory Aussie Pavlova, or two.
Expectations:
Familial expectations don’t fade into the background just because Christmas is looming. All of Kate’s family – her parents, husband, sister, children, and friends – demand something from her, whether that be love, time, acceptance, food, or silence. Kate’s at breaking point, and something’s got to give.
Kate’s husband, Matthew, is considering a transfer overseas, her sister, Robyn, an Instagram influencer, often seems to forget she’s eight months pregnant, and Kate’s parents, divorced for 25 years, are suddenly dating again. Then there’s her constant bickering with Lexi, Kate and Matthew’s 13-year-old daughter.
Kate has some life changing actions to confront, and decisions to make. Throw in a milestone birthday and Christmas, and Kate’s life becomes increasingly complicated. She can’t even find the time to haul the Christmas decorations out from the garage. And there’s no Christmas tree.
Conflict:
On top of trying to manage her family’s expectations, Kate’s new contract as a food photographer, presents its own demands and complications. Add impromptu office birthday/Christmas drinks, and Kate is set for a fall, all but guaranteed when she becomes friendly with the story’s villain, Graeme Grafton, a former Bachelor of the Year.
Christmas can be a difficult time for many people, and themes such as loneliness are explored. Matthew’s parents are interstate, and with his brother living overseas, Matthew is conflicted about his aging parents’ loneliness.
Kate’s friend, Diane, newly remarried, suddenly has two stepchildren in addition to her own two. Lacking confidence, Diane’s life spirals into chaos as she struggles to accommodate her blended family’s festive expectations.
Plot twists amp up the tension between the Kate and the people she loves, from minor scraps with neighbours, to bigger life issues including fidelity, deception, loyalty, friendship, and self-worth. Scenes of heartache and truth searching ensue, and finally, with long held secrets revealed and mostly resolved, Kate and her loved ones can move forward.
Redemption:
Ultimately, Kate is reminded that despite their differences, the real meaning of Christmas is forgiveness, compassion, love and family.
BLURB:
Every picture tells a story, but it’s not always the one we expect, or remember, in this festive drama about family and forgiveness.
Kate Cavendish: Photographer, mother, sister, wife, daughter, friend, and pet wrangler. Not great in the kitchen or at wearing heels. Like walking a tightrope, Kate’s life requires focus and balance. She’s also stuck in a rut. That is until a former colleague contacts her and offers her a chance to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a successful photographer.
But with her focus pulled in all directions by her children, her sister, her newly-dating mother, and the niggling worry that her husband may be having an affair, Kate is filled with self-doubt. And with one tiny miscalculation, Kate’s about to topple, and bring her world and all who she loves, crashing down.
With airbrushed precision, Robyn, Kate’s heavily pregnant sister, is an Instagram darling, a bone fide social media sensation. Her posts, photographed by Kate, scream perfection and happiness, but Robyn struggles to live up to the images she posts. Despite Kate’s concerns that her sister, increasingly trolled online, should consider her posts more sensibly, Robyn is determined to prove she is living the perfect life. But at what cost?
As the countdown to Christmas begins, and memories of her Kate’s childhood resurface, Kate’s anxiety deepens – both personally and professionally. Can she move on from past events and rebuild her future? And can the power of social media finally stop hindering her family, and help her create something successful?
Christmas Actually is a snapshot of modern family life; addressing Instagram to motherhood, and everything in between.
About the Author:
I typically stories about women navigating friendships, careers, romance, ultimately triumphing over adversity.
With several previously published novels under my name, Lisa Heidke, my seventh novel, Lily’s Little Flower Shop (print, ebook and audio) was published by Bloodhound Books UK in 2021 under my pen name Lisa Darcy. It has since been published in France as L’adorable boutique de fleurs de Lily, and in Italy as Il piccolo negozio di fiori di.
In 2021, My Big Greek Holiday (print, eBook, and audio) was also published by Bloodhound Books UK. It has since been published in Slovenia as Dopust v Grciji.
Should You Keep A Secret? (available in print and eBook) was published by Bloodhound Books UK in April 2022.
In April 2024, The Pact was published by Wings EPress.
My eleventh novel, Christmas Actually has just been published by Bloodhound Books UK.
I teach Creative Writing at the Australian Writers’ Centre in Sydney, present workshops and writing retreats, and have been on panels at RWA conferences, GenreCon, and many Australian and international writers’ festivals.
My social media handles:
(X)Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisadarcyauthor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisadarcyauthor/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lisadarcyauthor4
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.darcy.author/
Website: https://newauthorscollective.com/lisa-darcy/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@lisadarcyauthor?hl=en
