Drake Sisters 02 - The Twilight Before Christmas

disciplines as wel . I taught self-defense to women and martial arts to both men and women and helped with battered women seminars and various other projects to empower women. Martial arts became a way of life for me, one I believe in and highly recommend. I had to retire due to my health a few years ago, but the training I received has enabled me to write realistic action scenes and to develop real characters in difficult situations. My training al owed me to spend a great deal of time around a certain type of alpha male so I developed an understanding of how they act and react when they are attacked or encounter physical danger. And no, it is not always the way our society would prefer them to do so!
    No doubt there’s a touch of magic in the Feehan household during the holiday season. Are the Feehan family’s celebrations anything at all like the Drake sisters’ holiday festivities?
    Yes, very much so. Christmas is one of the biggest events of the year for my family. Everyone comes home. It’s a time we look forward to throughout the year. Our Christmas celebration is huge. My mother has a very large two-story house (and it is needed!) and we al gather there on Christmas Eve. My brothers and sisters are married and have children of their own. My parents have seventy-two grandchildren. The house has high ceilings, and the top of the tree touches the ceiling. My sisters have a traditional party just before Christmas to decorate, and the ornaments are blown glass from al over the world! You can imagine the number of gifts beneath the tree. There’s always music and laughter, and my mom loves candles, so the scent is wonderful!
    Several sisters love to bake, so we have tons of wonderful desserts. Everyone brings an enormous amount of food. Wineglasses have been handed down from generation to generation and the glasses are brought out and we toast the coming seasons and any new babies in the family! Usual y at some point a cat runs up the tree. Dogs mil around. We play Ping-Pong and cards and other games. We tel stories and open gifts. And we often attend midnight mass together.
    Do you have a favorite holiday tradition you perform every year?
    Yes, we always decorate a live Christmas tree. The children love decorating the tree, as I’ve col ected ornaments over the years. I get teased about my ornaments because the children think I have too many! And my husband says I have too many lights to go with my too many ornaments. We spend hours decorating the tree. There’s a lot of laughter, but mostly at my expense! The children spend hours playing “I spy” with the ornaments. When Christmas is over, we plant the tree in the yard. My family thinks I have a tree fetish as wel as an ornament fetish. We always watch my husband’s favorite Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life together as wel . Then the children al tease him instead of me!
    What is your favorite holiday tune?
    “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.”
    Okay, this is a “revealing” interview, so would you please tell us whether you and your family open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

    My father is a retired fireman and usual y worked Christmas Day, so it became a tradition to always open the gifts Christmas Eve. We’ve continued that, going to my parents’ house and spending Christmas Eve with them, and then opening gifts at the Feehan house very early the morning of Christmas Day.
    The floor is covered with paper, and there’s a lot of laughter and teasing!
    And who cooks Christmas dinner?
    My husband Richard is a fabulous cook and he always cooks Christmas dinner. Some of the grown children bring side dishes, but for the most part, he plans, shops, and cooks the entire thing!
    Getting back to your professional life, what prompted you to become a writer?
    I believe I was born a writer. I honestly can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t write. I used to make up stories as a child, and my sisters would have to listen. Once I could write my bril iant masterpieces down on paper (and they were truly awful) my sisters would read them al dutiful y. Writing is a part of me, just like breathing. I can’t imagine not writing. When the day comes that I am no longer published, I wil stil be writing!
    Critics and reviewers hail you as one of the most imaginative authors writing today. Where do you get your ideas? And why do you choose to write stories with Gothic elements and paranormal characters?
    I love action and very