When I was strictly a reader, before I wrote my first novel, I can’t remember if my taste in books changed with the seasons. As summer leaves turned a burnished fall reddish orange, did I suddenly long for ghoulish ghost stories? Did my mind wander toward frosty mornings and wish for a cozy holiday romance to snuggle up with by a roaring fire?
Probably not. But I like the idea. The whimsicality of turning the page—so to speak—on my reading material just I turn the calendar. Instead of sorting my books alphabetically by author or title, each bookshelf could have a seasonal theme. Christmas. Halloween. Thanksgiving. Valentine’s Day. Though I might have a hard time rounding out my President’s Day selections. (Any suggestions are welcome).
What, you may wonder, took my musings in such a direction? Good question. I hope my answer is as interesting.
One of my Facebook friends recently groused that September is too soon to release a Christmas themed romance novel. Most of us are still shaking our heads, wondering how the summer passed in a blink of the eye. The stores are filled with Halloween goodies, but we aren’t quite ready to embrace out inner Trick or Treater. So, why push Christmas down a reader’s throat. Can’t we gorge on Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie before we have to think about eggnog and tinsel?
Naturally, as a reader, each person is different. However, if we only wanted Santa Claus and Mistletoe in December, the Hallmark Channel wouldn’t give us Christmas movies in July. They know what their viewers want. The shopping channels follow the same tradition. Do I really want to buy a snowman figurine when the temperature outside reads ninety-eight? I always scoff. But one or two sparkly items always seem to show up in the mail. And I can’t blame magic or elves.
Personally, I love a Christmas romance. Warm and familiar. Family, home, love, and good cheer are themes we should try to embrace all year long. And if our favorite authors can remind us of those feelings in September. Or March. Or June. I, for one, am all in.