Q&A: Codi Hall, Author of ‘Along Came Holly’

We chat with author Codi Hall about her latest release Along Came Holly, which follows Holly Winters who is not about to let her grumpy neighbour Declan steal her holiday joy…even if he does look rather handsome under the mistletoe!

Hi, Codi! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Sure! Hi, I’m Codi Gary and I live in Idaho with my mid-size children and my top shelf reaching husband. I have a menagerie of fur and feather babies that are spoiled and often needy. When I’m not writing, I am working my day job, doing homework as I’m currently going back to school, and watching Halloween and Christmas crafting TikToks. I’m currently reading a Harry Potter fanfic with a group of author friends and some day, I’m going to travel to Scotland because I’ve been dreaming of it since I was eleven.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I’ve been an avid book lover since I was three and would listen to books on cassettes, but it wasn’t until I was eleven that I discovered my love of writing. I used journaling and writing horror stories as a way to work through a turbulent time in my life. Writing was cathartic and when I got my first computer, I started saving my stories to floppy disks. (Yes, I am dating myself.)

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Moondust and Madness, which was an alien abduction romance.
• The one that made you want to become an author: L. Stine’s Broken Hearts. I hated the ending and found myself rewriting it in my head, and then I wrote it down. I wanted the bad guy to survive.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Julie Garwood’s For the Roses. I read it when I was fifteen after getting my heart broken and it made me laugh when I’d spent days crying. I’ve reread that book dozens of times since then.

Your latest novel, Along Came Holly, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Gnome War Leads to Steam? Grinch and Mrs. Clause get down? Angry Neighbors get an HEA? He sure hung her lights? LOL I am so bad at this!

What can readers expect?

Like all of my books, there are emotional moments and maybe even a few tear jerker spots, but I hope readers get a lot of laughs out of Holly. I had so much fun writing these two and getting to spend time with previous characters. Nick and Noel fans are gonna want to snatch this up because there is a… nevermind, I’ve said too much.

Where did the inspiration for Along Came Holly come from?

When this series came to me, all I had were the titles of the books. I knew I wanted it to be an enemies-to-lovers with the boy next (store) door. The biggest inspiration was the prank war, which was actually inspired by two teachers at my kid’s school. They didn’t find love together, but their antics were so hysterical, I knew I wanted to include it in Holly.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I love writing realistic characters with problems and reactions we can relate to. Declan’s past was especially interesting to write and evolved as I went through edits. I also pulled inspiration from some of my favorite TikTok creators and of course, their prank war often made me laugh out loud. My husband was worried for my sanity.

What’s next for you?

I have a few projects I’m working on for my agent to take out on submission and some indie titles I’ve had on the back burner the last few years that I want to release in 2024. Finding Mr. Purrfect, the second book in my Meow and Furever series, releases January 16th 2024. As for Mistletoe, I hope to write a spin off series where Pike, Anthony, and Sam find love.

Lastly, do you have any holiday themed book recommendations for our readers?

This year, I’ve read four holiday romances that are releasing this fall and absolutely loved them!

• The Trouble with Tinsel by Juliet Giglio, Keith Giglio
• The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy (It is her book’s birthday too!)
• Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander
• It’s a Fabulous Life by Kelly Farmer

Will you be picking up Along Came Holly? Tell us in the comments below!