We are happy to have author Delaina Netherland Smiley, author of our newest Christmas release, One More Santa!
How did you hear about Anaiah Press?
Funny story. I decided last year to become part of the Twitter world and not long after, I saw a post about #faithpitch. I did absolutely no homework except to google “what is #faithpitch?” because that’s my go-to. I took a deep breath and put four tweets out there for four of my manuscripts and got a like from Candee Fick on “One More Santa.” That led to my introduction to Kara Leigh Miller and Anaiah Press Publishing and I’m very grateful that it has all worked out so well!
Tell us why we’ll love your book.
I think you’ll love it because it’s not like any other Christmas romance – in my opinion. I tried very hard to veer off in a different direction and I’m praying it is received well. I wanted a story about how God simply adds love into the life Cassie has built, the one she already loves, without making her radically change her whole lifestyle. Romance shouldn’t have to always entail turning your life completely upside-down. Sometimes it’s simply about giving someone room to walk beside you on the path you’re already on.
What writing advice do you have for other aspiring authors?
Stop waiting for it to be perfection. This is why I’ve waited so long to put myself and my writing out into the world. It was never perfect enough for my comfort. “One More Santa” was not perfect when it reached Kara Leigh Miller’s email. But she worked with me and worked with me some more and I’m really proud of the story we’re releasing on Friday. Write the book – the whole book. Tell the story you want to tell. Pitch it. And then write another one! You’ll be glad you didn’t sit on one story for years and years – waiting for all the perfect aspects of the publishing world to align. Life is too short for that kind of anguish.
Are you a plotter or a pantster?
I used to be just a plotter. Now, I write the first three or four chapters as a pantser and then I put together an outline. So, I guess I’m kind of both now.
Is anything in your book based on real life experiences?
The story is, of course, fiction, but the names of the sisters and mother in my story are a tribute to my grandmother, Rosemary, and her sisters – Cassie, Betty, and Brenda. I played off of my daughter’s love for photography and my son’s love of competitive archery. And I have a large Santa collection of my own that my mother started and my family has contributed to over the years. So I definitely took from my little world to create “One More Santa.”
How did you come up with the title of your book?
Every year my mother gives me new Santa for my collection on my December birthday and I always say “I bet it’s one more Santa” when I open it. Of course, it is and I love each and every one. So titling this book was an easy task for me.
Provide us with a two-sentence description of your book.
Cassie’s life is full to the brim with her photography business, her big, boisterous family, and the upcoming busy season for her family’s charity, The Santa House. She wouldn’t change a thing and maybe, now that Officer Talent seems to mesh right into her little world, she won’t have to.
Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers?
THANK YOU! I’m so grateful for my readers – more for your encouragement and support than anything! I’m so blessed to have a growing community of people who not only purchase my books, but share them and talk about them and let me know that my stories mean something. I am thankful for every message and every comment.
Where can readers find you online?
On Facebook: Delaina Netherland Smiley – Writer (@dnetherlandsmiley)
On Instagram: @dnetherlandsmiley
On Twitter: @DelainaSmiley
Anaiah Press 