Julia Williams' Last Christmas

3 months ago 03rd Nov 14:12

After a career in publishing author Julia Williams finally stopped putting off her desire to move in writing her firs book ten years ago.

After the success of Pastures New and Strictly Love Julia is back with her new boo Last Christmas, perfect for the festive season.

I caught up with Julia to talk about her latest release and what lies ahead for her.

- Your new book is Last Christmas can you tell me a little bit about it?
 
Last Christmas is partially set in the fictional village of Hope Christmas (loosely based on Church Stretton in Shropshire), and partly in London. In Hope Christmas we follow the stories of Marianne, a teacher new to the village, and Gabriel a sheep farmer, both of whom have had their hearts broken.

In London the story revolves around Cat and Noel who are married with four children, but going through something of a marriage crisis.

The two stories become entwined because the magazine Cat works for runs a competition to find the perfect nativity, and Marianne enters Hope Christmas, while Noel finds himself working on an ecotown project which may destroy the village, with which he finds himself falling in love.

All four of them gain help and support along the way from the mysterious Ralph Nicholas, who weaves his way in and out of their stories.
 
- I spoke to you when you released your last book Strictly Love so where did the inspiration of the characters and the story come from this time around?
 
My editor asked me if I was interested in writing a Christmas book, and at first I was a bit stumped. Then I thought about all the many nativities I've seen over the years with my children, and I thought, aha, I could write about that. 

I know several primary school teachers, so it was natural to make Marianne a teacher, and have her looking at the dire Hope Christmas nativity and think, I could do better...
 
While I was writing this, my oldest daughter was turning into a teenager, and I became interested in the way mothers and daughters' relationships change as they each get older, so I've explored some of that too. 

As a keen cook myself, there is also a lot about cooking. Cat's dilemmas are very real to me, as the constant juggling of home life versus work life is something I am familiar with, and I hope her story will have resonances for readers.
 
But I also feel huge sympathy for Noel, who I think like a lot of men in middle age can feel pushed out by family and let down by their work situation. Gabriel is my hero though - and certainly owes a lot in looks to Richard Armitage, while in character retaining something of my ultimate fictional hero, Gabriel Oak from Far From the Madding Crowd.

I even made him a shepherd. Ralph is probably my favourite character and I admit to shamelessly borrowing from both It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol for his part in the story.
 
- The festive period is supposed to be a happy occasion but all the characters in your new book seem to be struggling in one form or another?
 
I think Christmas can be an incredibly stressful time of year, especially when you have children. I have had two really dire Christmases when people were ill and everything was very difficult.

Even in families where the children are grown up I think it can be hard, as people who don't usually spend all that much time together suddenly  get to spend several days in each other's company, which can lead to friction - particularly when alcohol is involved.

As a writer, that's a huge gift. So I tried to think of dramatic things that could have happened to each of my characters the previous Christmas, the impact of which are still being felt in the present.
 
- In the book a lot of the characters are really fed up with Christmas are you looking forward to Christmas this year? Are you doing anything nice?
 
I'm like Cat, I love Christmas. Though I'd never make the mistake of saying this year is going to be perfect! I've learnt the hard way that too much can go wrong...