Right after Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year for Santa and his crew of eight famous reindeer! Every year, the Famous Eight sleigh team from the North Pole eagerly helps Santa by going on a quest to find kids who believe in Christmas magic. In Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals, Prancer, Vixen, and Dasher go on an adventure in search of eager pen pals. On their journey, they find three rambunctious girls who eagerly exchange letters with them and become lifelong friends.

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*Interview with author Michele Monaco*

Michele Monaco has a great love for the Christmas season. She embraces the Christmas spirit all year round by remembering to look at life through the eyes of a child. As a mother of three beautiful and exuberant daughters, she believes in the magic that the holiday brings. Michele lives in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and enjoys traveling, reading, running, and enjoying the outdoors.

connect with author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram 

Who is your favorite reindeer?

All the reindeer have such unique personalities, but the one that is my favorite and I resonate with the most is Prancer. Prancer is curious and daring. Prancer is social and has a huge heart for all people and animals.  When the going gets tough prancer has the most optimistic point of view and is encouraging to everyone in Sleigh Bell City.

How did you come up with the idea of the reindeer being pen pals with children?

My three girls, Corryn, Kylie and McKenna, and my love of Christmas inspired me to write this book. Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays and when my kids were younger I was looking for a way to bring more magic to the holidays. My girls and I always saw deer around the neighborhood and in our backyard so I got the idea of telling them that the reindeer came down here to watch what kids were doing and report back to Santa I then got the idea of assigning them a reindeer and writing letters to them letting them know what a great job they were doing in daycare and being wonderful kids period to my surprise my kids wanted to write letters back to the reindeer and that is where pen pals have blossomed. I did this throughout their whole childhood and my kids brought out such creative questions and ideas and it enhanced their writing and it brought such joy to the holiday season.

What is your favorite part about the Christmas holiday?

One of my favorite things about Christmas is getting the Christmas tree. This starts on Thanksgiving weekend. This is quite an event that happens after Thanksgiving.  Everyone must put on a Santa or elf hat.  It is the mandatory uniform for going out and seeking out a tree. We go out to a tree farm where you get a steaming cup of hot chocolate and we take a wagon ride out into the Christmas tree farm they are we get our saws and we disperse out to find the perfect tree. I like the trees that are nice and round and tall and soft. Everyone takes part in using the saw to cut down this tree, and everyone helps carry the tree back to get wrapped up and loaded on the car!

What did you enjoy most about writing “Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals”?

What I enjoyed the most was having my daughter’s story being told.  This is how my daughters remember Christmas and to be able to put this in a book and have their reindeers so engaged with them was the most exciting thing to see come about in book form.

Will you write books for other holidays?

With Christmas being my favorite holiday, I am focusing my next few children’s books on Christmas! There are 5-6 storylines that are evolving.

Is writing easy for you?

The concept writing comes easy to me. The broad strokes of the storyline freely come about. The challenging part is editing the story to fit the number of pages in a book!

How do you come up with your character’s names?

The characters in the book are named after my nieces and nephews!  Cookie Doodle is named for my niece Gabby, who loves to bake. Paddy Jingle Bottom is named after my nephew Jake, who is part Irish, when he was little he wanted to be a weatherman, and Paddy Jingle Bottom is in charge of Santa’s weather station. JuJu Bean is my niece and Goddaughter, Julianna. And JuJu Bean is her actual nickname!

As a writer, what would you say is your muse?

My muse is the magic of Christmas. There is something about Christmas that brings on a full heart. I find the decorations the aura the music the smells bring on a feeling of comfort, creativity, happiness, and the connectivity of people. I enjoy sitting and gazing at Christmas decorations, Christmas lights, Christmas trees, and the excitement in kids eyes during the holiday season.

Is there another genre you would like to write for?

I have a few storyline ideas for women’s fiction books. These books are going to be great engrossing beach reads.

What advice can you share with children reading your book?

      My advice is for them to use their imagination and ask questions. The book is made for kids to formulate their own questions and use their imagination.

How do/did you celebrate the publication of your book?

My boyfriend, Jeff, and I celebrated the publication of the book by doing a home photo shoot and toasting with champagne toast!

*Review*

Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals in an adorable story throwing you right into the middle of Christmas.

Monaco did a fantastic job creating a seasonal read that encourages young readers to use their imaginations.

The idea of letter writing is prominently featured here, and is a great way to teach kids to hone their handwriting abilities in a fun way.

I really loved the pen pal concept, and pairing that with the magic of Santa’s reindeer was fantastic.

The only thing that really bothered me about the story was how stalkerish the reindeer behavior was. I do understand why they act this way, it just threw me off at first.

The characters are lovely. Each character is inspired by the author’s neices and newphews, each with their own unique personalities and festive name.

I loved how she did not focus on just one reindeer, or even the most popular.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. They are vibrant and festive. There was so much to look at!

I rated Santa’s Magical Reindeer four stars.

I look forward to more holiday reads from this author!

Title:  Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals

Author: Michele Monaco

Category:  Children’s Fiction (ages 3 to 7), 38 pages

Genre:  Children’s Book

Publisher:  Mascot Kids

Release date:   Nov 7, 2023

Content Rating:  G.  Suitable for everyone.

Scroll down for information on the giveaway!

Enter to win a signed copy of Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals!

One (1) winner will receive a signed copy of Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals by Michele Monaco.

(USA only, ends December 18)

*Click the link to be taken to the entry form*

https://gleam.io/Rp03R/santas-magical-reindeer-becoming-pen-pals-book-tour-giveaway