Claire Kingsley is a USA Today-bestselling author of sexy, heartwarming contemporary romance, romantic comedies, and small-town romantic suspense. Her newest release, Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms, is a festive small-town romantic suspense perfect for the holiday season!
Kingsley writes sassy, quirky heroines, swoony heroes who love big, romantic happily ever afters, and all the big feels. She can’t imagine life without coffee, great books, and all the characters who inhabit her imagination. She lives in the inland Pacific Northwest with her three children.
We spoke with the author about her favorite holiday traditions, what makes a great book boyfriend, and how indie publishing sparked her career.
Tell us about your new Christmas romance Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms! What sparked this story idea for you, and what was your favorite part about creating this small town romance?
I wanted to write a fun twist on a Christmas romance. Could I add a little suspense? What would that look like? And to make matters more interesting, I had a side character from a rom-com series who'd always been begging for his own book. So I thought, why not take a charming British man from another series, drop him into a small town, add some suspense, and make it Christmas!
Why does Christmastime make such a perfect backdrop for romance, and why do you think readers gravitate toward these festive love stories?
Christmas is such a feel-good time of year. Even when it's busy, there's something so familiar and cozy about the lights, decorations, Christmas trees, hot cocoa. I think for many of us, it conjures good feelings—even when our realities are more complicated. Setting a romance against the backdrop of Christmas takes advantage of those cozy vibes in the best way.
In the spirit of Christmas, what are your favorite holiday traditions around this time of year?
I love watching Christmas movies with my kids. We have a few favorites (A Christmas Story, Elf, It's a Wonderful Life, among others) that we love to watch every year. I also love the lights and decorations. Just last night I was sitting on my couch with a fire going, Christmas tree lights twinkling next to me. It was so cozy and wonderful! I love it.
Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms features tropes like a spicy meet-cute, a fake relationship, and a morally gray hero. What draws you toward these tropes?
There's so much to love about a fake relationship, whether it's the backbone of the story, or just a small part of it. It forces the characters to interact in a certain way in front of others, and gives them all sorts of deliciously complicated feelings towards each other.
As for a morally gray hero, Jensen Lakes is a CK version of moral grayness—we'll call it a light gray. I didn't want the story to be dark, but there are plenty of rules he's happy to bend. But I think the appeal with any morally gray hero is his willingness to do absolutely anything to save or protect the woman he loves. And in Jensen's case, to save Christmas.
Get into the holiday spirit with Claire's small-town Christmas romance with a dash of suspense & adventure!
How do you go about crafting a great book boyfriend?
Each of the book boyfriends I've written has their own personality and character. I usually start with a "type." Is he grumpy? Wounded? The good guy? A "golden retriever?" Laid back? A bad boy? From there, I figure out why he is the way he is, and what's holding him back. What's he struggling with, or what's keeping him from being happy in his life? I think realistic flaws are an important aspect of good character building. There's a what, but also a why. And that leads to the ways he needs to be challenged (usually by the heroine) so he can grow into the person he's supposed to be.
You have playlists that go along with each of your books! How does curating these playlists weave into your creative process?
The playlists are a lot of fun. Sometimes they include songs I listened to a lot while I was writing (not during my actual writing time, but in the off-times when I'm doing other things—and usually daydreaming about the book). Other songs are added later, and they're usually ones that capture something about the vibe of the story.
What genres do you gravitate toward as a reader?
I read SO many things. I tend to not read a lot of fiction when I'm actively writing. I start to hear the other author's/book's voice in my head and it kind of messes with me. But in between books, when I take a writing break, I love to read fiction. I do love romance novels, and I also read all kinds of other things, depending on my mood at the time—fantasy, thrillers, suspense, mysteries, historical fiction, classics.
When I'm writing, I read a lot of nonfiction. That can be anything from religious/spiritual reading to philosophy to nutrition and wellness to neuroscience to history to... pretty much any topic that catches my attention. I often have two or three different books going at any one time. Reading is my happy place, so I do it a LOT.
You’ve experienced both traditional and indie publishing in your career. What makes the indie side of your work especially meaningful to you?
I started as an indie author, and I'm so grateful that this path was open to me. It sparked my entire career. The entrepreneurial side really spoke to me—not just writing, but owning my brand, my intellectual property, etc. And being the one to steer my own ship, so to speak. It's been a great experience.
When you think about your writing career, what does success mean to you?
I've always enjoyed writing for an audience, rather than just for myself. I think that's why I always fail at journaling. If no one's going to read it, I'm not as motivated to write it. So, sharing my stories with others is an absolute dream come true. That's what success is for me—bringing my wild imaginings to life and sharing them with readers.
What’s the best advice you’ve gotten from a fellow writer, and what advice would you give to an aspiring romance author?
I think the best advice I've received is to be consistent with writing. It's a marathon, not a sprint. And that's the advice I usually give when fellow authors ask. Be consistent. Open the manuscript. Get in a few words. Go from there. Books aren't written overnight. They're written one word, one sentence, one paragraph, one chapter at a time.
