Geralyn Corcillo

First off, to quote the great writer and filmmaker John Waters, I’m big, blonde, and beautiful. I can’t give blood because I’m a risk for mad cow disease – I lived in England for six months during an outbreak. And what was I doing in England? Loving life! I spent a semester at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. I’ve always been an Anglophile, growing up reading so many books set in England – including every book by Agatha Christie, including the plays and the dramatic novels she wrote under the name Mary Westmacott. Oh yeah, and I write kick-ass Romantic Comedies that make you laugh out loud and feel all the tingly, fizzy feelings that make you curl your toes.

Tell us a little about your holiday story.

Last year, in the beginning of November, I read a Christmas novella, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Gwen Hayes, and it put me in such a wonderful mood for the holiday season! So, this year, I set out to write just such a Christmas confection of delight, that would infuse readers with holiday bonhomie. A Drakenfall Christmas is the story of the young, energetic, and very unaristocratic couple Lord & Lady Mark and Maisy and their first Christmas together at Drakenfall, their estate-turned-resort in the heart of the Cotswolds. The novel features not only a subplot involving Maisy and a secret (or two) she’s keeping from Mark, but it also tells of three budding romances – two involving the madcap staff and one involving the quirky guests. And the book taps into themes of family and making your own family and wrapping yourself in the love that is actually all around you. Reviews have thrilled me to the core because readers are finding exactly the warm cozy joy in the book that I hoped they would find! (Three separate reviews even compare the book to Love, Actually!)
High praise indeed! That sounds like such a fun holiday story  :)

Married, single, or waiting for Mr. or Mrs. Right?

Married to Ron Corcillo. We met in 1993, started dating in 1997, moved in together in 2000 and got engaged in 2002. We had the most perfect wedding in 2010: I was in jeans and a T-shirt, he was in cords and a button down shirt. A two-minute ceremony – just us and pastor Jamie, under a willow tree in the yard of a chapel in Las Vegas. We didn’t take any pictures but here is a picture of me and Ron taken two weeks after our wedding at our house at Thanksgiving.
Aw, how romantic. And you’re right  that is the perfect wedding!

What was your favorite job before writing?

When I was in high school in Pennsylvania, I worked sometimes in my friend Kelly Stanton’s dad’s greenhouse. Potting geraniums in the height of winter with Kelly in the muggy hothouse as we bopped along listening to awesome eighties music (cuz it was the eighties) was JUST. THE. BEST. Here’s a picture from The Stanton’s Greenhouse website – and there’s Kelly’s Dad – still going strong at the greenhouse!
That sounds like a fun time. Jobs with friends make everything better.

What is your favorite classic holiday story or legend?

Hands down, “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. She blanks her blank, he sells his blank (no spoilers, here!) – oh, I get choked up just thinking about it! I write Romantic Comedy, and I always strive to make the romance as warm and unforgettable as I can, moments that make you go Awwwww and blush just to think about the deep feeling behind the scene. So when a story comes along the just NAILS the simple essence of true love, it stays with me. Like “The Gift of the Magi.”
I’ve heard such wonderful things about this story, but haven’t read it yet. I will definitely have to give it a read. There’s a copy here somewhere… <starts digging through stacks of books>

When did you decide to become a writer?

Seventh grade. Well, I don’t know if I decided then, but I knew by then. I remember my English teacher Mrs. Sheehan asking me what I wanted to be one day, and I said, “A writer.” She tipped her head, considered, and nodded. “You have a flair for writing,” she said. Mrs. Sheehan looked an awful lot like Anne Baxter or Claire Trevor. And I knew this even then because I was a heck of an oldies movie buff growing up.
Love. This. A “flair for writing” — high praise indeed!  

Plotter, Pantser or Plotster?

Hmm … well, I plot the stories out, for sure, but in my head. I don’t, like, write anything down before I start writing. I know what the story is about and who the characters are – I always know all about the entire lives of my characters – and I usually have a number of scenes very clearly played out in my head. Then I start writing. Ready, set, go!
Living the writing life dangerously, I see! 

Do you write to music?

No way. Damn, Girl, when I write, I’m creating the music!
Perfect response! You’re cracking me up! lol! 

Where did the idea for this story come from?

The whole idea of Drakenfall – and how Mark, the twelfth Baron Shiley transforms it into a resort and an invigorating boon to the community – just seemed like a really wonderful idea to me. When I lived in England in 1993, my friend Ian Tovell and I would drive all around visiting grand estates and castle ruins. I loved the places, but I couldn’t help but think that huge houses that had so few people rattling away inside were kind of a waste of beauty and resources. And shortly before I wrote my 15K novella “Upstairs, Downstairs … and the Lift in Between,” the story of how Mark and Maisy meet, I saw in the news that Prince William got a job as an ambulance helicopter pilot and he was donating his salary to charity. So I knew this idea of the aristocracy giving back to the community was right on. Here is a picture of me and Ian on the grounds of a posh estate we were visiting in 1993.
I love that idea. As someone who writes historically set stories in English manor houses, this story is kind of like seeing “future generations” give back. Gives me the warm and fuzzies. :)

What was your favorite chapter or part to write and why?

As much as I love all the characters I introduce in this novel, I most enjoyed writing the Mark and Maisy scenes because those two are old, dear friends of mine from the novella I wrote about their whirlwind courtship. And I had such fun thinking up what they would get one another for Christmas!
Oh, I just love revisiting characters, both as a reader and a writer. It’s like catching up with old friends. 

Is Drakenfall based on a real place?

Nope, I made it all up. Though I did a lot of Cotswolds research once I had the idea of what I wanted Drakenfall to be. You know, one of my readers loved Drakenfall so much she Googled it and she was sad to learn that it didn’t really exist! And others have mentioned in reviews that they wish Drakenfall was a real place. I cannot tell you how over the moon it sends me to know that I’ve created such a wonderful place for people to visit – if only in their hearts and minds.
That’s awesome! 

Have you ever had a white Christmas?

Absolutely! I grew up in Chinchilla, Pennsylvania and it was weird NOT to have a white Christmas. Gosh, the look of outdoor Christmas lights glowing in the snow is what hot chocolate dreams are made of. This is a typical winter day in the backyard of the house I grew up in in Chinchilla Pennsylvania. You can see the clothesline and the our garden fenced off underneath. And our neighbor’s barn.

This is the quintessential “winter wonderland” picture. It looks so lovely…from the warm inside! 

What holiday TV special or movie is a must watch each year?

Die Hard. Every year, on or around Christmas Eve, my husband Ron and I watch Die Hard with our best friend Matt. Most years, I watch It’s a Wonderful Life at least once and A Boyfriend for Christmas – at least my favorite scenes – but Die Hard is tradition. As it should be. It takes place on Christmas Eve in my hometown of Los Angeles. Die Hard is just the most feel-good Christmas movie: buddy movie, love story, action, suspense, comedy – it is the complete package with every story having its arc, every single character is fleshed out and interesting, and everything pays off.
I really do love that movie. Even with all the action, it really is romantic. 

Christmas cards, Christmas letter, or photo card?

I just love Christmas cards.
<makes note to send Geralyn a Christmas card…>

What is one thing that makes you happiest at the holidays?

My husband Ron and I do the cooking for all of our friends on the holiday so Christmas is very hectic. I love the quiet moments the day after Christmas when Ron and I just take some time to curl up, eat left overs, and watch either an old movie or the NY Giants if they’re playing.
Sounds like an ideal time enjoying the calm after the flurry of holiday activity.

What’s next?

Let me first tell you what Christmas treat I’ve got going on now besides my Christmas novel A Drakenfall Christmas. I’ve also got a Christmas short story in this season’s FREE Holiday Anthology It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Chick Lit. My story, “It Doesn’t Show Signs of Stopping,” is about two flirty cross-country texters who have a chance to be together for Christmas if they can weather a vicious storm, teenage drivers crushin’ on each other, and the unexpected calamities of flaming rum punch.
OMG! That sounds hilarious! 

Can you tell us a little about your next project, too?

I am working on Those American Thighs, the next novel in the Drakenfall series. It’s the story of village vicar Peter Cade, whom you meet briefly in A Drakenfall Christmas. Peter Cade, a vicar with a hatful of secrets, has his world knocked off-kilter when a scandalous American jezebel comes to town.
Oh, this sounds absolutely perfect! 

Where can we find out more about you and what you write?

Here’s the deal – I don’t write a blog. But I DO post daily on my Author Facebook Page about what I’m reading and writing, what songs and videos I like, what I’m watching on TV, and what movies I love. I post about what inspires me and what makes me happy. I love for readers to comment so we can dish. So please stop by – I love to connect with readers!
And also I’d love for you to follow me on Twitter. I tweet about my books and all sorts of romcom and chick lit. I also love sharing tweets that make me smile.
And please sign up for my newsletter. Don’t worry – I won’t annoy your inbox with letters about this or that nonsense. Come on, I cannot even be bothered to blog – you think I’m gonna write newsletters for anything other than to alert readers about sales, giveaways, and new releases? As if. And when you sign up for my newsletter, I’ll send you an ebook version of my book of four romantic comedy short stories for free.
And of course, you can always buy any of my books on Amazon.

Wonderful! I can’t wait to see you around online. Thanks again for stopping by!
Thanks for inviting me on this Sunday Speed Date, Christina. This has been a blast!