Thursday, October 14, 2021

Mocha Memoirs Press Focus #6: Alexandra Christian

This month I'm following up the previous series (eSpec Books) with a new one -- this time the amazing writers of Mocha Memoirs Press. Meet Alexandra Christian!

Tell us a bit about your latest work.

Falling Into Rhythm is my latest from Mocha Memoirs Press. It’s a contemporary small-town romance about a kindergarten teacher who falls in love with one of her students’ dads. It’s a seasonal story in the vein of a Hallmark movie. Nothing too complicated, but a light, feel-good read. 

What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer?

My family is full of storytellers and readers. My father was the master of telling a joke or funny story and definitely passed that on to his children. My sister, novelist Lucy Blue, was the first to pursue writing as a career, and watching her put down stories that were entertaining and the kinds of things I wanted to read, was really inspiring.

What inspires you to write?

Finding stories that I want to read. I know I can’t be the only person that wants a good, character-driven adventure with a romance at the center. I always loved movies like Romancing the Stone and Crocodile Dundee that are essentially romances with an awesome adventure for the couple. 

Unfortunately, finding books with that same sensibility is not easy, so I decided to write my own.  

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

Unlikely pairings and small-town weirdness are probably my favorite things to work into a story. 

What would be your dream project?

I’ve always wanted to write a Harley Quinn YA novel. She’s one of my favorite comic book characters and I think she gets a bum rap for being a stupid nymphette in most iterations. 

What writers have influenced your style and technique?

My sister, Lucy Blue, has definitely been a big influence—by proximity if nothing else. I’ve also been heavily influenced (get this mix…) by Stephen King, Anais Nin, Nora Roberts, and most definitely all those “old school” romance writers — Julie Garwood, Sandra Brown, and other purveyors of the bodice ripper.

Where would you rank writing on the Is it an art or it is a science continuum? Why?

I definitely think writing is an art. Or it should be, anyway. Just like singing or painting, or acting—one can be taught technique, but to be good, one must have natural talent. Art is an expression of the soul that comes from the artist but can be interpreted in a thousand different ways by the receiver. It takes that little spark of magic to make that happen and not everyone is gifted with it. Which is great. I mean, I can’t do math. I was not gifted with that spark. If one approaches art from a scientific standpoint, it shows. If a writer is using a marketing formula to create, you might sell a few books, sure. But the books will never speak to the reader’s soul. They won’t be remembered in a few weeks’ time. 

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Finding the time to do it. 

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?

I have a couple of things out right now that I’m super-excited about. First is my squishy contemporary romance, Falling Into Rhythm. It’s a small-town romance about a kindergarten teacher and a retired rock star. It was so much fun to write and the perfect “curl up with a cup of tea on a rainy day and read” book. The other is the second novella in my Shadow Council Archives series starring Dr. Watson, Dr. Watson and the Ladies Club Coven. In this episode, Dr. Watson finds out that his landlady, Mrs. Hudson, is a witch whose coven is charged with protecting the secrets of the philosophers’ stone. That one is especially dear to me right now following the death of Una Stubbs, the incredible actress who played Mrs. Hudson in the BBC’s Sherlock

For more information, visit:

I can always be found on Facebook and haunting the outskirts of Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. My website is under construction at alexandrachristian.com, but you can still find my links at https://lexxxchristian.wixsite.com/alexandrachristian 

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