Author Spotlight: Get Wrapped Up in Christmas with Janice Lynn
A big welcome to new-to-Tule author Janice Lynn! USA Today Bestselling author Janice Lynn strives to write characters who evoke strong emotions and make readers want to go along on their journeys. She writes sweet contemporary Christmas stories for Tule. Janice also writes contemporary Medical Romances for Harlequin. Her books have been best sellers on numerous platforms and have won numerous awards, including the National Readers Choice Award, the Golden Quill, Romantic Times Magazine’s American Title, and the Holt Medallion Award of Merit. Janice lives in Tennessee with her Prince Charming, her vivid imagination, an adorable Maltese named Halo who’s the true princess of the house and a bunch of unnamed dust bunnies who took up permanent residence after Janice started her writing career. In addition to writing romance, Janice is a nurse practitioner, a quilter, an exercise queen, a military mama and a member of and supporter of the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Just kidding on the exercise queen.
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Mes amis, Janice Lynn…
I’m excited to be with y’all today to share about my Wrapped Up in Christmas series with Tule Publishing. These books are truly the books of my heart and combine so many passions of mine. One is quilts. I love quilts. Old quilts. New quilts. Fancy quilts. Plain quilts. I love them all.
That probably makes sense as I come from a long line of quilters. All of my grandmothers and great-grandmothers quilted. Some were super skilled, and one made quilts from clothes her kids outgrew to recycle their purpose into something else useful.
I’m so blessed that my paternal grandmother gave me a quilt that my great-grandmother made and had given to her and my grandfather. I cherish that quilt and wrap myself up in it from time to time when the need/desire hits.
I have a quilt that my maternal grandmother made that had a flannel backing. My kids loved that quilt and it’s a little worse for wear now. I know so people put quilts back to preserve them, but I’m a firm believer in using them. For people who save them, I always wonder what they are saving them for. At least for me, I use the quilts that have been given to me and I want the quilts I’ve made and gifted to be used.
I’m no expert quilter, for sure, just someone who wishes she was. I mainly make baby quilts to give as gifts, have made a few full/queen/king sized quilts to give as gifts, and have made/helped make a few Quilts of Valor. I’m slow and wish I was faster and more accurate with my craft. But I keep sewing and improving, so that’s what counts, right?
As mentioned, quilts feature in some way in all of my Wrapped Up in Christmas stories. With their permission, I promote a real organization, Quilts of Valor Foundation, who wrap veterans in patriotic quilts of healing. I first learned of this group after my son joined the Army and, wanting to make him a patriotic quilt, I did an online search of patriotic quilts. I kept seeing Quilts of Valor mentioned and was so impressed when I read their mission. It’s truly an amazing, loving group.
How about you? Do you have any quilters in your family or are you a quilter? Do you own any special quilts that give you comfort when you wrap yourself in them?
One lucky commenter will be chosen to receive a copy of Janice’s new Harlequin Medical Romance Risking It All with the Paramedic and a Wrapped Up in Christmas bookmark. We’ll draw a winner at random on Friday morning, August 30.
Wrapped Up in Christmas Hope
This Christmas they both hope to make a difference…
After the death of her daredevil husband, Morgan Morris longs to establish a stable life for herself and her son in the small town of Pine Hill, Kentucky. She finds comfort in her new job at a local nursing home, but lately there is another draw—a handsome first responder who’s gentle and kind to her grieving son, but his career worries her.
Firefighter Andrew Scott thrives on the rush of adrenalin and purpose when taking a call and rushing into danger to save others. His goal is to become a smoke jumper so that he can fight raging wildfires across the country, but he’s increasingly torn between ambition and his attraction to Morgan whose smile and sweet son light up his life and holiday season.
He’s willing to risk his life to help others. Will she risk her heart on him?
24 Comments
Kimberly Field
As far as I know, we do not have any quilters in our family, but I did take a class on quilting 30 yrs ago, unfortunately I moved before the class was finished and I never learned how to finish it. Maybe someday.
Joannie Sico
I don’t believe we have any quilters in our family or at least not anymore. My mom had a quilt that she got for a wedding present from my godmother. When we moved from Maine to Florida everyone told them they didn’t need winter stuff so she left her quilt with my dad’s parents. It was always going to come back to her one day. She saw it on the bed soon before my grandma passed away but then it disappeared. She asked my Aunt about it and she insisted it my grandma’s but also didn’t know where it was. She said if my mom showed her a picture she would look for it but still nothing.
Cherie J
Not a quilter and none of my family is either. I do have a baby quilt I cherish that a friends gifted one of our children when she was a child.
bn100
no quilters
Janice Lynn
Quilting is definitely what some call a ‘dying art’ as it’s much less expensive to go buy a premade quilt, but I do love my handmade quilts and find working on them therapeutic–most of the time. 🙂
Debra Pruss
I cross stitched a few lap quilts. The quilting was marked so it was easy to quilt. I do have one that I had given to my Mom before she died. Thank you so much for the opportunity. God bless you.
Janice Lynn
Hi, Debra. I love that you’ve cross stitched lap quilts. I bet they were gorgeous!! Hugs on your Mom. I’m so glad that you had the opportunity to wrap her in a quilt before she died.
Latesha B.
Not a quilter, but would love to learn how to be one.
Janice Lynn
I have more passion than talent for quilting but I get a little better with each one I make. I do better with hand stitched ones as far as the way the final product looks, but machine stitched is so much faster. 🙂
Beth Reimer
I have a quilt that my great grandmother made, I use it on my bed.
When I was first married, I used to wrap myself in it when I didn’t feel well.
I’m like you why not use it.
Janice Lynn
Yay! That you use the quilt your grandmother made. It’s what she would have wanted. I tell everyone I give a quilt to to please use it. I love wrapping up in one my great-grandmother made. It just makes me feel better. 🙂
Roseann McGrath Brooks
I’m not a quilter, but I’m in awe of them. (I’m craft challenged.) What a great charity Quilts of Valor is. So glad to hear you could mention them in your books.
Janice Lynn
On many things I am craft challenged, too, but too stubborn to not keep plugging along as if I wasn’t making a mess half the time. :).
Patty Fontenot Duplechin
I’m not a quilter. The book looks and sounds awesome. Can’t wait to read this one
Cathy Poyser
I am a quilter and have been for nearly 35 years. My most prized quilts, though, are not ones I’ve made (the vast majority of which I’ve given away). They are a crazy quilt made by one of my great-grandmothers in 1907 and a two quilts, one made by each of my grandmothers over 80 years ago. They are treasures. Thanks for the chance to win!
Janice Lynn
You’re right! True treasures to have those quilts! I understand on the not prizing quilts you’ve made. I’ve given every one I’ve made away. I keep thinking I’ll make one for my husband some day and then there will be at least one I’ve made kept in the house. 🙂
Heather Farr
I am not a quilter. No one in my family quilts. I’ve considered it, but its not a cheap hobby to get into. lol I do not own any handmade quilts at all.
Janice Lynn
Definitely not a cheap hobby to buy material, cut it up, rearrange it, then sew it back together. I was commenting on it to my husband once and he reminded me of how much fisherman spend to catch a fish–they buy a boat, electronics, poles, lures, etc. He isn’t a fisherman much, but that he compared it to that was sweet and definitely made me feel better. Not enough better to buy the longarm quilting machine I’d love to have, but better that I had bought my embroidery machine. 🙂
Laurie Gommermann
I am not a quilter. We recived a quilt as a wedding gift from one of my mom’s good friends. We still use it 47 years later. It graces one of the beds our children use when they come for a visit.
Love it!
My neighbor Gladys was a wonderful quilter. She used to donate the quilts for silent auctions that benefited the local library and senior center. I miss seeing her work her magic.
Janice Lynn
I love that you still use the quilt 47 years later. What a fabulous gift!! Sounds like your neighbor was a lady after my own heart. I’d love to have met her and seen her quilts.
Doris Lankford
I have a quilt that my husband’s aunt made for us as a wedding present over 44 years ago. We used it for years on our bed but unfortunately over time it has started to fall apart. It is used in a big basket for our cats to lay on. They love it as much as we did.
Janice Lynn
I love that the quilt is still being useful! I have made repairs to a few quilts and have a few that I’m contemplating trying to repair and wondering if I can. I’ve been considering repurposing them. 🙂
Lisa Reigel
Welcome. I love sweet Christmas reads so I’ll be checking out your books I do not quilt but my 27 yr daughter just took a class and has made 2.
Liz Flaherty
I really love your covers! I also make quilts, although not very well. I retired with the promise to my seven grands that I would make them each a bed-size quilt (having never made a quilt before), and I did it. Now, though, it’s usually baby or children’s quilts they can indeed wrap up in. I enjoyed your post!