Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Carolyn Haley is talking with Terry Broxson, co-author of 12 New Christmas Stories.

FQ: Please tell us more about what inspired you to initiate this collection. For instance, did somebody in FanStory say something that gave you an “aha” moment, or did the idea arise independently? Or had you been mulling the idea for a long time and something triggered action?

BROXSON: Three of the stories in the book by Lee Hill and Jay Squires had won the contest for best Christmas Story for the three years. I really liked all three. I was familiar with their work. But I had not considered making a book. Last December, I read Diane Kenel-Truelove’s The Magic of Santa’s Box. The idea struck me. This story, Jay’s and Lee’s stories, and a few others would make a good Christmas book.

FQ: When it came to gathering the stories, did you put out a call among your FanStory colleagues inviting submissions, or did you have contributors in mind and approached them separately?

BROXSON: From the start, I knew Diane, Jay, and Lee needed to be part of the book. I also became friends with Ann Mullen-Martin. FanStory has members from all over the world. Ann and I found out we lived 25 miles from each other in the Dallas area. We are the only ones in the group who have met and spoken words to each other.

I had also read two of her Christmas stories when she was growing up in rural Louisiana in the 1950s. She showed me a third one, a fiction story based on her daughter and son-in-law adopting a baby. They are wonderful stories.

I also had a few Christmas stories, so I felt we had all the authors we needed for this project.

FQ: I’m curious about the logistics of managing the project. How many stories did you consider before winnowing it down to twelve? Was each selection a group choice, or did you serve as editor and made the selections? Did you have parameters such as length limit per story, or specific topics to include or avoid?

BROXSON: The first thing we agreed on was that there should be 12 stories. It sounded right for a book of short stories for Christmas.

The final decision about which stories to include was left up to the individual author. The question was simple: “Which of your stories do you like best?”

We discussed the book’s title a bit. We wanted 12 in the title, thinking of the 12 days of Christmas. Lee wanted us to add “New.” Our publisher’s editor said to keep it simple, and that’s how we got 12 New Christmas Stories, An Anthology.

FQ: How did you go about publishing the anthology? These days one can indie, hybrid, and traditionally publish. Was the decision collective, or did you marshal the manuscript from manuscript to release? Either way, what route did you take to publication?

BROXSON: We used a hybrid publisher, Atmosphere Press. I used them to publish a Christmas book in 2023. They produced a really good product for me, and I thought they would again.

The group's business structure was pretty simple. A budget was established for the project. Three of the authors became investors and provided the working capital. All authors own a piece of the project.

Most decisions are made as a group, and the process has been fun and educational.

FQ: Of the many topics you could build an anthology about, why did you choose Christmas?

BROXSON: I suppose several things came together at once. I had just published a Christmas book and had written several other Christmas stories, and then when I read Diane's story, a voice seemed to say, “A Christmas book with short stories.”

FQ: I imagine there are many more Spirit of Christmas stories to be told. Do you plan to make this an annual project, or will this volume remain unique?

BROXSON: Excellent question. You’re right about many more stories. It doesn’t mean our group would write them all, but we might consider publishing others as well. Or maybe we can sponsor a contest and choose new stories that way. The possibilities are intriguing. We do hope that this edition is around for a long time.

FQ: What else do you have in mind to write or have written before/during/since creating the anthology?

BROXSON: Last year, I did a Christmas book, Santa Claus: The Beginning.

Our authors continue to write and contribute to FanStory, Medium, and anywhere else we can.

Read the Review