Interview with Amy Quick Parrish, Author of Highlands Christmas

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Highlands Christmas – Wishes Come True?

I’ve always loved Christmas movies like Elf and A Christmas Story, but I couldn’t understand the “Christmas in July” Hallmark Christmas Movies mania… until the pandemic, when I finally sat down and watched one. And another. And another. And then I started on the Netflix Christmas movies and then the Lifetime Christmas movies. I attended a panel on Christmas movies at the Austin Film Festival and realized these four people in front of me had written some of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. (Elf, Princess Switch, and several others.)

This novella started out as a screenplay but I realized rather than get involved in the inevitable backlog of scripts written during the pandemic, I could just release it out into the world as a novella. During that time I was writing, I was receiving a lot of Facebook ads/articles for dream homes in Scotland. They were amazing – little stone cottages with cozy libraries and fireplaces.

It’s the escapism, the fantasy – who wouldn’t want to inherit a beautiful home in Scotland’s Highlands? So I thought about it and decided a lot of those inheritance schemes seem like a scam (I later actually received a scam about an inheritance myself) and I wondered what would happen if you were already there with your heart set on living there… and this novella is the result.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Highlands Christmas – Wishes Come True, what would they be?

Melissa: Sleigh Ride by the Ronettes, Colin: O Tannenbaum by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, Alexander: Let it Snow! By Dean Martin, and Lindsay: O Holy Night by Brian Setzer.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I read a lot of non-fiction, usually research and inspiration for the fiction I write. But I love YA, Christmas books, fairy tales, and SciFi. My favorite genres are YA and SciFi but I’m definitely ready to write more Christmas books. It’s such a great form of escapism.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I have several books about Irish and Scottish fairy tales and folklore.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

I enjoyed writing the scene where Melissa and Colin have their “meet cute” at the airport.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

My cat likes to sit on a blanket in the “inbox” on my desk. I also try to eat whatever my characters would eat – so I ate lots of oatcakes, haggis and shortbread during this book.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

“Whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye.” It’s a Scottish saying that means if something is meant to be, it’ll happen. If it doesn’t happen, it’s because it wasn’t meant to be.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Go to Scotland! It’s beautiful!!