Praise Christmas Eve Letter: Time Travel Novel by Elyse Douglas

“The Christmas Eve Letter is a wonderful Christmas novel. The authors weave an intriguing time travel holiday romance tale written in the third person narrative that follows Eve Sharland’s personal journey between the present and the past.  The reader is easily drawn into this fast paced time travel holiday romance story as they follow Eve’s journey between the past and the present. The reader can easily envision both the present and the past among the city’s famous landmarks, and easily get drawn into the city’s joyous sights and sounds of the holiday season. You can’t help but relate to Eve and cheer her on as her personal journey brings an unexpected destiny that will change her life forever. I really enjoyed the intertwining of a time travel tale with a holiday romance twist, the historical references were realistic, while the time travel between the present and past kept me intrigued right to the end.  Captivating.”-Kathleen, Jersey Girl Book Reviews

“This book was very enjoyable because I do like time travel stories – the possibilities and potential and having to figure out how to fit into the past (or the present depending on which way you are going!).
I thought the author did a good job of recapturing that time period including the fact that women really didn’t have any rights and were chattel. The men were egotistical which contributed to any downfall they experienced. The ending has an interesting twist that changed how I saw a few characters in the book. This is the first book by this author that I have read and I will be seeking out some of her other books.”-Leslie Storey, Storey Book Reviews

“The Christmas Eve Letter is a beautiful, poignant story. It is well written and will have you turning the pages eagerly. Eve is a lovely, smart young woman, especially when she quickly realised that her manners, and the way she talks, needed to alter for her to fit in with her arrival in Victorian New York. All of the characters are well thought out, and believably written, together with the well-constructed scenery, that has you feeling as if you yourself have just stepped into the past.
The story is unique and moving. It will hold you long after you turn the last page. A perfect Christmas tale of love and hope.”-Stacey, Whispering Stories

Interview Elyse Douglas, Author ‘Lost Mata Hari Ring’

TR: What is your favorite scene in the book? Why? 

ED: I suppose my favorite scene takes place when the protagonist, Trace Rutland, meets the World War I flying ace Edward Kenyon Bishop for the first time. 

Edward simply burst into my writing room and demanded to be in the book.  He was so alive, so dashing and so much fun to have around.  As Edward might say, “No, my good friends, I am not daft.”  But he was that real to me. 

Anyway, I fell in love with Edward at around the same time Trace did. 

TR: How much time and effort went into your research for the book?

ED: It’s hard to say, because it was on-going for the nearly one and a half years it took to write the book.  Initially, before beginning, we read several books about Mata Hari, along with many articles and blog posts.  We also contacted Hans Groeneweg, Lid projectgroep Mata Hari, of the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, Friesland in the Netherlands, for specific research as to Mata Hari’s daughter, and his help was invaluable.

We found postcards, notes and letters Mata Hari had written, and she wrote many.  She would have loved modern social media, probably posting on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram several times a day.

TR: Why did you decide to use time travel for this book?

ED: The novel is essentially about redemption, so the challenge was how best to peel back the layers of Mata Hari’s remarkable and tragic life to show what was actually going on in her gut.  We wanted the reader to be both a participant and an observer, as Trace is. 

We decided fairly early that time travel would be a good device to reveal emotion, regret, character and drama both in the past, the present and the future.  We liked that the story would be textured, offering many plot possibilities to explore the theme of regret and redemption and, ultimately, self forgiveness.

We also felt that setting the novel in 1916, when Mata Hari was 40, about a year before her death, would be best for the theme.  She had fallen in love with a 21-year-old Russian soldier, which was an interesting and, as it turned out, an important plot thread, an event that may have helped lead her to her death. 

Finally, we wanted the protagonist, a modern young woman of twenty-eight, to give us an experience of what it was like to live through the harsh realities of France during the First World War.  We loved the idea of a modern woman being swept off her feet by a handsome young British flyer who reflected the culture, manners and speech of 1916.

TR: Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

ED: As one of our friends pointed out just the other day, the Canadian actress Sarah Gadon would be perfect for Trace and Alex Pettyfer would be just right for Edward Kenyon Bishop.

TR: Tell us about your cover. Did you design it yourself?

ED: We offered ideas and suggestions.  Our good friend and talented designer, Ken Kenyon, designed the cover, along with a few others.  We decided the one we finally used had the historical look and feel we wanted.  We used his last name for Edward’s middle name, Kenyon, and he loved that.

TR: If you could meet 3 people living, dead, or fictional, who would they be?

ED: I will not say William Shakespeare, so… St. Teresa of Avila, Casanova (why not?) and George Sand.

TR: What is your usual writing routine?

ED: I write at least six days a week, more often seven, and my best time is from 1pm to 5pm.

TR: What are you currently working on?

ED: We are currently working on the sequel to our Time Travel Christmas novel from 2017, The Christmas Eve Letter.  The new novel is entitled The Christmas Eve Child, and it will be released sometime in September. 

About Elyse Douglas

Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the husband and wife writing team of Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse began writing poems and short stories at an early age and graduated with a degree in English Literature. Douglas began writing novels in college, while studying music at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music.  He traveled the world as a professional pianist for many years.  He has also worked as a copywriter and corporate manager.

Some of Elyse Douglas’ novels include: The Christmas Eve Letter (A Time Travel Novel), Christmas for Juliet, The Summer Letters, The Christmas Diary, and The Summer Diary. They live in New York City.

Website: www.elysedouglas.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/douglaselyse
Facebook: www.facebook.com/elyse.authorsdouglas

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