Q&A with RaeAnne Thayne

 

 

RaeAnne Thayne is the author of the new novel The December Market. Her many other novels include Christmas at the Shelter Inn. She lives in Utah.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The December Market, and how did you create your characters Amanda and Rafe?

 

A: I was inspired to write The December Market because I love holiday markets. I watch YouTube videos of European Christmas markets extensively and feel like it’s such a charming, fun way to shop for friends and loved ones. I wanted to move a similar kind of market to my little Idaho town of Shelter Springs.

 

Amanda and Rafe both appeared in my book Christmas at the Shelter Inn, which came out last year. Amanda is the sister of the hero of Shelter Inn and Rafe was a firefighter and paramedic who really only had a walk-on role in that book.

 

I knew I wanted to write Amanda’s book next but wasn’t sure who would be a good hero for her until I remembered Rafe. After that, it was easy to come up with their story.

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between them? 

 

A: They are polite acquaintances as we open the book, having both grown up in the same relatively small town. When Rafe moves down the street from Amanda with his 6-year-old son Isaac, the two begin to interact more.

 

And when Rafe’s grandfather begins to date Amanda’s grandmother, both residents of the senior living apartment building in town, Amanda can’t escape him, or her growing attraction to him.

Q: This is the second in your Shelter Springs series--should readers begin with the first book?

 

A: They don’t have to, as this is a standalone story, but they may have more context about the backstory of some of the characters in The December Market if they read Christmas at the Shelter Inn first.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I hope readers find that love is possible at any stage of life and also seems to appear when you least expect it. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am actually busy plotting my 2025 Christmas book, which will be another story set in Shelter Springs.

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The December Market is my 75th book and my 22nd Christmas book!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with RaeAnne Thayne.