An Interview with Amy Clipston

Cookies and Cheer by Amy Clipston

Alyssa Byler wants to build a sugar cookie nativity scene for her bakery’s Christmas window display—all she needs is the right cookie cutters. She turns to handsome blacksmith Kyle Smoker. Using Kyle’s handmade cutters, Alyssa created a striking display that brings more customers than she can handle. She soon realizes she’s been too busy to focus on the true meaning of Christmas—and too distracted to explore her feelings for Kyle. Together, they put aside the holiday rush to celebrate the season that brought them together.

This nativity is made from gingerbread

An Amish Christmas Bakery by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Irvin comes out on October 1.  In anticipation of her upcoming release, I was able to ask Amy a few questions about her Christmas traditions plus Cookies and Cheer (her novella in An Amish Christmas Bakery).  

In "Cookies and Cheer" Alyssa came up with an incredible idea for a display. Have you ever seen a display like Alyssa's? What was your inspiration for the idea?

My mom and I brainstormed Christmas story ideas and together we came up with the bakery display. I hope readers enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoyed writing about it.

Have you ever seen a sugar cookie nativity scene like Alyssa wants to make in “Cookies and Cheer?” What are some other creative, yet simple, ways the Amish might use to celebrate the Christmas season?

No, I have never seen a display like it; however, when I was little, we had cookie cutters. I remember having a star, a camel, a tree, and an angel, which were part of my inspiration. The Amish don’t decorate like we do. They may have a poinsettia and then decorate with some evergreen branches. They do send out Christmas cards, and they buy practical gifts. My Amish friend talked about decorating the kitchen table with gifts for her children and giving gifts such as ice skates.

How did you come up with such a cute name for the story?

To be completely honest, I can’t take credit for the name for the story. My publishing team holds meetings to name books and stories, and they chose it. I do love it!

Did any of your own Christmas traditions get written into this novella?

The only tradition I included was writing Christmas cards, which the Amish do. I love to send out Christmas cards every year. Lately, I have ordered cards with cats on them. What a surprise, right? I send them out to friends and family members and I always include a family photo that we had taken that year, along with the boys’ school photos. I already have decided what photo to include in this year’s card.

What are your boys' favorite Christmas cookies?

They would probably say any cookies are their favorites.

What is your favorite Christmas ornament and why?

I don’t think I could choose one favorite. Each year, I go to the Hallmark Store and buy one new one for each member of my family. I also make sure I get one that has the year on it. When we decorate the tree, it’s so fun to see the older ones with photos of the boys when they were little, the ones that they made when they were little, and also the ones that Joe and I made when we were little. I also love finding the ones with the year on it and then trying to remember something that happened that year. Someday I hope the boys have special memories from their previous Christmases when they put the ornaments on their trees.

What is your favorite cookie to bake for Christmas?

Sugar cookies! It reminds me of baking with my mom when I was little. I loved decorating them.

Join Amy on October 1 to celebrate the release of An Amish Christmas Bakery (see graphic below for details).  You can keep updated on Amy's latest books and news by signing up for email updates (click here).  Remember that An Amish Christmas Bakery will be out on October 1.  You can pre-order now through Amazon. Thank you for dropping by today. Please ignore the funky spacing on this posting. I tried to fix it without success. I will return tomorrow when I feature Stitches in Time by Suzanne Woods Fisher. It is the second story in The Deacon's Family series. I hope you have a special day. Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader