Camille Eide writes contemporary romantic women’s fiction and was a 2009 Zondervan First Novel Competition finalist and a 2011 Genesis winner. Her novella eBook, Savanna’s Gift, released earlier this month.


A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, she serves on the board of the Portland Chapter. She is also a member of Oregon Christian Writers and Randy Ingermanson’s Columbia River Christian Writers.


A church secretary, Camille plays keyboard and bass guitar, sings in the worship band, and knows how to do a bunch of random things like baking four dozen cinnamon rolls in a flash for a crowd of drooling young adults.


Camille lives in the evergreen Cascade foothills near Portland, Oregon with her hero of twenty-eight years and is mom to three brilliant college-age kids.




Please tell us about Savanna’s Gift (White Rose Publishing, December 2011).


Savanna’s Gift is a Christmas romance about lost love, second chances, and recognizing God’s gifts to us, set in an elegantly adorned, rustic ski lodge in the beautiful evergreen Oregon Cascades.


Forced to return to the ski lodge where she once worked, Savanna Holt is reminded of one special Christmas and how ambition led her to make the worst mistake of her life: Leaving Luke Nelson.


Stunned to discover Luke never left, but worked his way up from lift operator to manager, Savanna sees the opportunity as a gift from God. She’s determined to win Luke back. But Luke wants no reminders of his past hurt, or a relationship with the woman who put ambition before love.


Can Savanna convince Luke she’s changed and her interest isn’t because of his position? And when her dream job beckons, will she sacrifice her dream for a second chance at love?



What inspired the story?


At times in my own life, I’ve made choices that hurt those I love most. I wanted to tell a story about a woman who has lost the love of her life due to her fearful, foolish choices. I’ve found that truth brings healing, and surrender (to Christ) brings freedom from the things that bind us. I wanted tell the story of someone finding hope as a result of repentance, the kind of hope available to us all. I love a great love story with a happy ending, one that addresses the value of a person’s flawed but noble character. I hope Savanna’s story will inspire the hope of second chances in readers as it did me.



Detours in life can be frustrating—especially around the holidays. Can you tell us about a recent “detour” in your life that turned out to be positive?


A good example would be the basis of this story, as I mentioned. Making mistakes based on fear can be painful, especially when we know we’ve caused pain to others. But God provides the courage to face mistakes, sometimes helping us right a wrong by revealing a painful truth, a truth that brings freedom and allows healing.



A few fun questions…


What is your favorite Christmas song?


O Come, O Come Immanuel. Love the beauty of the message: God with us, to ransom us. Rejoice!



What is your favorite Christmas comfort food and why?


Oh, you had to ask. I love Christmas cookies, but I’ve had to give them up, carbs are not my friend. But I still like baking them for my kids (who aren’t kids any more but still insist on their special favorites at Christmas . . .)



Please tell us about one of your favorite Christmas traditions.


We’ve always waited until our kids were in bed on Christmas Eve to put their gifts under the tree. We didn’t really push the Santa thing, but just to make the surprise a little more special. We’ve also attended a candlelight service on Christmas Eve every year, followed by driving through the neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights.



Which best describes your perfect Christmas tree: an elegant, evergreen covered in the latest couture; a vintage aluminum tree with shiny glass bulbs; a shaggy cedar covered in homemade ornaments and strung with popcorn; or a palm tree adorned with pink flamingos?


Sorry, none of those really appeal to me. I like a nice fat, fresh fir tree covered with assorted ornaments we’ve collected (we’ve saved the homemade ones from school though). We have a collection of figure-type glass ornaments, the kind that remind me of the ones I’d liked as a kid.



Thanks, Camille. Merry Christmas!


Thank you, Kathy, and Merry Christmas to you too!


~ ~ ~



For more information about Camille, visit her website at http://www.camilleeide.com/.



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