**Christmas with Bookouture** Carol Wyer @bookouture @caroleWyer

Today I’m so excited to introduce my brand new feature Christmas With Bookouture in the lead up to Christmas I will be posting Christmassy guest post’s from some of Bookoutures finest authors (no there’s not enough days to feature them all). I may even be able to share with you some very Christmassy photos from the authors personal collection eeeek how exciting is that? So without further ado I welcome Carol Wyer to the very festive book review café 🎄🎄🎄

Hi Carol, What is your favourite Christmas memory?

I was brought up in Germany which in my mind, is always synonymous with Christmas. We used to go to the Christmas markets, filled with music and conviviality, magical displays and and I can still smell the wonderful aromas that accompanied the memory.

Last year, I took Mr Grumpy to Cologne to the Christmas markets so he could experience what I call a “proper” Christmas experience, and he actually loved it. We visited all of the markets, drank Gluhwein, marvelled at the Christmas decorations and incredible displays, especially the one of penguins skiing on a mini ski slope, went ice skating and had a memorable time. I recommend it to anyone.

Where will you be spending Christmas?

This year we are hiding in south-west France. Mr Grumpy despises Christmas and moans about everything from the advertising in August, to the television programmes. It’s a battle every year with him. We no longer go for the British celebration as we have no family to spend Christmas with, so we are opting for a rented cottage with a log-fire, no television, no turkey or sprouts, no paper hats and we’ll head off to snow-capped mountains for a hot chocolate if we feel like it.

Do you have any Christmas traditions?

I used to love Christmas and we had a tradition that I started when my son was small. Each year, I would collect games, jokes and things that were themed or relevant to Grumpy and son, and make up boxes for the Christmas table instead of crackers. These were hand decorated with our names and inside there were several surprises.
We opened the boxes at the beginning of the meal and started with the jokes (several of them) then moved onto quizzes or puzzles, later in the meal. I usually found tiny presents to fit in each box, like a pedometer when my son was going through a fitness phase or small car keyring like his first car. We all loved the boxes more than the tree presents. I gave up the second year my son left home and didn’t want to spend Chrostmas with us any more. I still have one or two of the boxes though.

What was your best ever Christmas present?

Christmas has never been about big presents for our family. My son always got the biggest haul and I used to spoil Grumpy but one year he surprised me. He gave me box of pricey special teas (I only drink herbal or fruit teas.) In the evening, he asked if I fancied a teabag form the new box. When I opened the box it contained a gold bracelet. I have never been so surprised in my life.

What was your worst ever Christmas present?

My mother and father were champions at buying “silly” gifts. One year they bought me a fridge magnet of a chubby bear that said, ‘I’m not fat, I’m fluffy.’ I still don’t know why they bought it for me to this day.

Favourite Christmas tipple?

I’d like to say a snowball but they are too sweet for me. Champagne always does it for me and failing that a gluhwein. Nothing says festive more than a tasty tipple.

What are you hoping for this Christmas?

We don’t exchange gifts any more. We stopped when son left home. Instead we spend any money on going away.

Have you got a Christmas message you would like to share with readers and bloggers?

Make the most of your family and friends this year because they are what actually make Christmas.

Carol E. Wyer is an award-winning author whose humorous books take a light-hearted look at getting older and encourage others to age disgracefully. More recently she has chosen to write for the “dark side” and embarked on a series of thrillers, starting with the gripping Little Girl Lost which will be published by Bookouture on January 19th 2017.

Her book Grumpy Old Menopause won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction 2015.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ‘Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’ featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and writes regularly for The Huffington Post.
Carol is a signed author with Bookouture and Delancey Press.

To learn more about Carol, go to http://www.carolewyer.co.uk or follow Carol on Twitter: @carolewyer. Carol blogs at http://www.facing50withhumour.com and http://www.grumpyoldmenopause.com

Book description

A perfect family hiding disturbing secrets. A killer

who wants the truth to be told.

A teacher goes missing under suspicious circumstances.
A millionaire is murdered at a local reservoir.
For Detective Robyn Carter, there’s no obvious link
between the men. But as she starts to delve into the
cases, her investigations lead her to Abigail, perfect
wife and mother to beautiful little Izzy. What was
Abigail’s connection to the victims? And why is she
receiving threatening messages from an anonymous
number?

But as Robyn starts to inch closer to finding the killer,
Izzy is abducted.

Unless Robyn gets to the twisted individual in time, a little girl will die …

Gripping, fast paced and nailbitingly tense, this serial killer thriller will chill you to the bone. Perfect for fans of MJ Arlidge and Angela Marsons. Discover Carol Wyer’s new series today

Amazon UK

Other books published by Bookouture by Carol Wyer

Life Swap Amazon UK             Take A Chance On Me Amazon UK

My thanks to Carol Wyer for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions and special thanks to Kim Nash for all her help in getting this feature off the ground 😘😘