The Christmas Trolley was the winner in the Gift/Holiday/Specialty category of the 2021 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Marta Mahoney.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The title of this book is “The Christmas Trolley,” and it was published in 2020.
What’s the book’s first line?
The first line is, “The bottom line is $100,000.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Our heroine, Annie Mulvaney, has just scored her dream job: director of the Macklin House, a Victorian museum in her small California home town. She quickly discovers the building needs $100,000 in repairs, or they’ll have to shut down. A Christmas trolley tour seems like the perfect fundraiser – if she can find a driver. As luck would have it, her childhood sweetheart, Ben Grover, is also back in Macklin – and unemployed. Find out if Annie’s ingenuity and Christmas spirit can rekindle their love and rescue the Macklin House in this heartwarming, feel-good story.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I was inspired to write this book by a discussion of holiday Christmas movies with my friends. We were lamenting, “We’ll never have a Christmas movie set in California, because snow has to fall at the end!” And I thought, “I’m sure I could find a way around that!,” and the idea was born. A tour of holiday lights in my own town provided the basis for the plot, and many vacations in small towns across the country provided the setting!
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
To me, the most distinctive thing about Annie is that she’s passionate about history and making it come alive for others. She’s equally passionate about seeing the best in her friends and helping them develop talents they didn’t even know they had. Annie doesn’t bring to mind any real or fictional character – I suspect she’s the person I would like to be!
Is this the first you’ve written?
“The Christmas Trolley” is my first novel. I was an English major in college, and always planned to write a book some day, but instead I had a long business career. A milestone birthday convinced me that it was time to make my dream a reality!
Which book do you wish you could have written?
The book I wish I’d written? “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens. The best Christmas book ever!
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
The main reason someone should read “The Christmas Trolley” is that it’s a fun holiday romance with (no spoiler here) a happy ending. And it’s a perfect Christmas gift!