Q&A With Beth Albright & A Giveaway

I would like to welcome Beth Albright back to Book Mama Blog.  On Monday we celebrated her new book, Christmas in Dixie, with a review post.  Today, Beth is back with a little Q&A and she has brought along a special prize pack for one lucky winner.

Welcome back Beth!  We love having you at Book Mama Blog!

Thank Y’all so much for having me!! I LOVE BOOKMAMA!!

Holiday traditions are so special.  When our kids were younger, we’d wait for everyone to get up and open gifts together.  Now that our three oldest children are grown and out of the house, this Christmas will be a little different, but we still have our little Bella to bring us lots of Christmas cheer.    What's your favorite holiday tradition?

Oh heavens, there are so many! We always cook lots of food, and try to see a show, Like Scrooge on-stage, watch tons of sappy Christmas movies—and a few comedies. I LOVE The Holiday, with Kate Winslet, and I LOVE Fred Clause---‘cause I am a crazy Vince Vaughn fanatic. We have a huge Christmas Eve and usually go to church around 9PM. So still and soft. It’s usually a candlelight service. But I think what I love the most is decorating with my husband and son. We always try to get to a tree farm and pick several, yes SEVERAL trees, go home and make hot cider or hot chocolate, Toll House cookies, Christmas music and go nuts—indoors and out! I try my best to keep it classy but inside it definitely looks like a little old lady’s house! I have decorations out everywhere—even in my laundry room!

I love holiday desserts.  I don’t care if it’s a simple sugar cookie or an extravagant dessert.  What is your favorite holiday food?

Oh dear—only one? Hmmmm. My aunt Patsy’s magic cookie bars! Her appetizers and snacks are in the recipe section of CHRISTMAS IN DIXIE! After many years of me eating about a dozen all by myself, she started sending me a box all to myself! Besides these little treats, I know this is crazy, but I love that green bean casserole. :/ And even worse—Fruitcake! I am starting to see a pattern with that previous old lady comment! J

Our holidays are spent with family.  We always make a bunch of food and, as people stop by, we eat and chat.  How do you spend the holidays?

I used to go home to Alabama. But now it is crazy expensive and so hard to travel during the holidays! And my family is all over the state doing their own thing now. So we usually stay home and do very traditional holiday things. Take out hot chocolate and ride through Christmas lights. We almost always take a short trip—one we can drive to and not fly. I love spending time with my husband and son and am so aware these days will be passing by too soon. As my son graduates from college and his own adult life begins to blossom, time spent travelling as a family, spending all our time together will soon change, as life always does. So I try to take every holiday slow and deliberate so I don’t miss a thing.

We all love getting gifts.  What's the best gift you've gotten?

 

Anything my son gives me. He is 21 now and graduating from college in May. I LOVE getting letters from him. They are long and detailed and full of memories. I always cry when I read them on Christmas morning. He has used his Christmas money to get me such sweet meaningful things, but those letters—he most certainly has a way with words. And they are from his heart. I have them all tucked away safe…and one even framed. My mom gives pretty amazing gifts too. One year she gave me a wonderful scrapbook of my dad. Daddy died in a car accident when I was 4 years old and she had filled the book up with as much of his life as she could. I immediately burst into tears! She has given me things of my grandmothers, like cookbooks written in their own hand. I love those types of gifts the most.

At our house, we go all out for Christmas.  As I type this, I’m admiring all of the decorations in our house.  Do you just put up a tree or do you go all out with your decorations?

We are crazy decorators here…every room is full of Christmastime! Inside and out—our house screams Christmas—and I Love it!

Which do you prefer … Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

I use both. If I know you well I will say Merry Christmas…I use it almost all the time—but if I am talking to a stranger in the grocery store—, which is every time I am in the grocery store, and I live near such a huge city—I say Happy Holidays. Since I have no idea if they might be of another faith, like maybe they are Jewish. I try to be respectful of that. But for me personally—Merry Christmas!! For sure!

If I could get any gift, it would be more time with my daughter (who passed 8 years ago).  If you could get anything for Christmas, no matter how expensive or out of reach, what would it be?

 

I would give anything if I could live closer to my mom. She is my best friend and I miss her all the time. We are on the phone on and off all day every day but I need to see her and hug her more than I get to. I would give anything if she had her health back too!

This question is super tough! After my mom, I immediately think of my bucket list. I think of something I have always wanted to do. I would LOVE to take my son to see the Northern Lights. It is a dream of his and I want to be there when he sees this miraculous sight in the universe. He is such a lover of space and the stars. Experiences with the people I love most will always top my list!

Thank you, Beth, for stopping by.  It’s always a pleasure.  We love chatting with you.  We wish you the merriest of Christmases and much success with your new book!

Purchase Christmas In Dixie at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Beth Albright is the author of the award-winning, nationally best-selling series The Sassy Belles, and now her new nationally best-selling series In Dixie.

 After knowing Beth for just a few short seconds you’re sure to learn she is from Alabama. No, it’s not the lilt of magnolia you can still catch in her voice, or even the way she lovingly describes her undying love for her famous alma mater's football champions. She will tell you she loves Tuscaloosa, even after living quite literally all over the country. Though Beth has had a remarkable career, from New York City to Hollywood, and all points in between, she has never forgotten where she came from...and what she loves. That's why when it came time to write, Beth had no choice but to write about Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama, and all the quirky people she still calls family, though some do not actually share her bloodline!

Beth Albright has always been a storyteller. After spending nearly 15 years in talk radio, as a talk show host, playing the part of a principal character on the soap opera, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, owning her own acting school and children’s theater, and raising a son who was a nationally ranked figure skater, Beth has decided to return to her roots; storytelling. When she was in the sixth grade, her teacher gave her the floor every Friday to tell her stories. See, Beth was a talker, a future talk show host in the making, and she was sharing her stories so much that her teacher couldn’t teach. The teacher told 12 year old Beth if she would begin writing her stories down, she would be allowed time to share those stories with the class.

And she’s been writing, AND talking ever since. Beth has interviewed Bob Hope, Oprah Winfrey, Betty White, Wolfgang Puck and George Burns live from the Chinese Theatre, as well as numerous other celebrities, and authors. Then Beth became a principal character on Days of Our Lives. But through all of the excitement of talk shows and soap operas, Beth loved telling stories to her audience the most. With a degree in Journalism from her beloved University of Alabama, She always remains true to her roots, born and raised in Tuscaloosa, “My grandfather was the play by play announcer for the Crimson Tide in the 50s!” Beth will proudly tell you.   She is a down home spun girl, although she currently lives in San Francisco with her TV producer husband and her brilliant son. But her heart is always in Alabama. 

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter 

Beth is graciously giving one lucky winner:

a signed book, Starbucks gift card and holiday surprises!

a Rafflecopter giveaway