We chat with author Zoe Allison about The Ex-Mas Holidays, which is a sparkling new rom-com set in the Scottish Highlands in which two former flames find themselves tangled in tinsel during a holiday season they will never forget.
Hi, Zoe! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m a romance author from Yorkshire (in England) originally, but have lived in Scotland for over twenty years and have a Scottish husband and two Scottish children. I’m a doctor in my day job and I love and champion romance.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
At high school I loved creative writing and my coursework gave all the English teachers a good laugh! But I concentrated on the sciences and then went on to study Medicine, ignoring the creative side of myself until after having children. At that point I got back into reading romances and decided I wanted to give writing them a go, because, why not?
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first books I properly remember reading and being obsessed with were The Sweet Valley Twins series. I loved visiting the local bookshop to see if they had any new ones to spend my pocket money on, and checking out the library for any I hadn’t yet read.
The books that made me want to write romance were the The Snow Crystal trilogy by Sarah Morgan. I loved her bright, optimistic style of romance writing.
One that I can’t stop thinking about is The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. I found her romances featuring women in STEM really spoke to me as both a romance fan and a science nerd!
Your latest novel, The Ex-Mas Holidays, is out September 26th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Humor, heart, heat (the spicy kind not the temperature kind), Highlands, snow (couldn’t think of something wintery beginning with H! Apart from Holidays, of course).
What can readers expect?
A unique meet cute featuring the hero as a naked butler, LOLs, skiing and festive fun in the Scottish Highlands.
Where did the inspiration for The Ex-Mas Holidays come from?
I wanted to write a series set in a ski town in the Highlands and the first idea I had for The Ex-Mas Holidays was the theme that we remember experiences from our pasts very differently to those who were also involved at the time. Then the first scene I pictured was the meet cute – I thought it would be both funny and cringe if the heroine ran into her ex as a naked butler!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing Maya because she’s funny and has a heart of gold. I loved writing Sam because he’s emotionally intelligent and a fixer of everyone else’s problems. My favourite scenes to write were probably the meet cute and the ‘fake’ kiss…
What are some of your favourite romance tropes?
I think it would be much shorter to list the ones that aren’t my favorites, because I love so many of them! Only one bed, enemies to lovers, he falls first, nerdy girl/popular guy, friends to lovers (to name but a few).
What’s next for you?
Next up is Liv and Arran’s story. Liv is Sam’s twin sister and Maya’s best friend, and Arran is Sam’s best friend.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
You With A View by Jessica Joyce, Ali Hazelwood’s STEMinist series, anything by Denise Williams and Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game.
