The tiny seed of an idea for The Mince Pie Mix-Up started two Christmases ago while I was listening to some festive music (which I do A LOT during the run-up to Christmas. Who doesn’t like a bit of Slade and Bing Crosby and even Cliff Richard at this time of year?) when Gloria Estefan’s ‘Christmas Through Your Eyes’ came on. I loved the idea of two people switching places at Christmas, a bit like a festive Freaky Friday.
Although the song is about seeing Christmas through a child’s eyes and experiencing that innocent magic again, I took the basic idea and let it grow. What if it wasn’t a mother and child who switched places but a husband and wife? How would a man who is used to kicking back and letting his wife handle the festivities cope if all that responsibility – and stress – was suddenly foisted onto him? And would the wife find it any less stressful if she took over her husband’s life? We all have moments of wondering if the grass is greener on the other side – but is it?
I'm a huge fan of films where the main character makes a wish that’s granted and they either rectify mistakes of the past or realise their life wasn't so bad after all – Big, 13 Going 30, Eve’s Christmas, Vice Versa, for example – so I was looking forward to creating a set of characters I could really mess with. I created Judy and Calvin Neil, a husband and wife who have completely different jobs and roles within the home, and turned their lives upside down *insert evil laugh*
Ideas and scenarios began to form and by the following Christmas, I was ready to put pen to paper (or rather fingers to keyboard, in this case) and set off on the first draft. The foundations of The Mince Pie Mix-Up were formed and of course I listened to lots of Christmas songs while I wrote – it was only fitting and it definitely put me in the festive mood!
About Jennifer Joyce
Jennifer Joyce is a writer of romantic comedies who lives in Manchester with her husband and their two daughters. The Mince Pie Mix-Up is out now.
You can find out more about Jennifer and her books at
Blog: www.jenniferjoycewrites.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jenniferjoycewrites
Twitter: www.twitter.com/writer_jenn
The Mince Pie Mix-Up
Although the song is about seeing Christmas through a child’s eyes and experiencing that innocent magic again, I took the basic idea and let it grow. What if it wasn’t a mother and child who switched places but a husband and wife? How would a man who is used to kicking back and letting his wife handle the festivities cope if all that responsibility – and stress – was suddenly foisted onto him? And would the wife find it any less stressful if she took over her husband’s life? We all have moments of wondering if the grass is greener on the other side – but is it?
I'm a huge fan of films where the main character makes a wish that’s granted and they either rectify mistakes of the past or realise their life wasn't so bad after all – Big, 13 Going 30, Eve’s Christmas, Vice Versa, for example – so I was looking forward to creating a set of characters I could really mess with. I created Judy and Calvin Neil, a husband and wife who have completely different jobs and roles within the home, and turned their lives upside down *insert evil laugh*
Ideas and scenarios began to form and by the following Christmas, I was ready to put pen to paper (or rather fingers to keyboard, in this case) and set off on the first draft. The foundations of The Mince Pie Mix-Up were formed and of course I listened to lots of Christmas songs while I wrote – it was only fitting and it definitely put me in the festive mood!
About Jennifer Joyce
You can find out more about Jennifer and her books at
Blog: www.jenniferjoycewrites.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jenniferjoycewrites
Twitter: www.twitter.com/writer_jenn
The Mince Pie Mix-Up
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‘I wish I could live your life. I’d happily swap lives with you.’
’Tis the season to be jolly but for Calvin and Judy the usual festive bickering has already begun! Judy’s convinced that her husband has it easy – no glittery wrapping paper, no playground gossip and absolutely no Christmas baking. Calvin wishes he could trade in his obnoxious boss and dull nine-to-five job to spend more time kicking back with his kids – how hard can Judy’s life really be? But after a magical mince pie mix-up, one thing’s for certain – by Christmas Day, life for Judy and Calvin will never be the same again. Perhaps the grass isn’t always greener after all… |
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