Skip to main content

The 12 Authors of Christmas – Missy Tippens

Captain's Log, Supplemental

Continuing the 12 Authors of Christmas, here’s contemporary romance author Missy Tippens!

View the tour, including Rachel Hauck and Tricia Goyer’s authors, here.

About Missy:

Born and raised in Kentucky, Missy met her very own hero when she headed off to grad school in Atlanta, Georgia. She promptly fell in love and hasn’t left Georgia since. She and her pastor husband have been married 20-plus years now, and have been blessed with three wonderful children along with an assortment of pets.

In L.B.C. (Life Before Children), Missy worked as a clinical microbiologist. Once she had her first baby, she retired to become a stay-at-home mom. She’s grateful to God that she was able to do that for 16 years and had the opportunity to pursue her writing during that time. Nowadays, in addition to her writing, she teaches as an adjunct instructor at a local technical college.

Missy is an award-winning writer and was a finalist in Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Contest. After ten years of pursuing her dream, she made her first sale of a full-length novel to Steeple Hill Love Inspired. She still pinches herself to see if it really happened! Her debut novel, Her Unlikely Family, will be released in February 2008.

Missy would love to hear from readers through her website, www.missytippens.com, or by email: missytippens@aol.com.

Tell us about your first Christmas memory.

I think I mostly remember from photos. But there is one Christmas when I was about 7 that I remember. I got a huge doll house, about as tall as me (made of cardboard, I'm pretty sure). I also got a beautiful new pink plaid skirt and pink sweater. I've seen photos of that Christmas morning. I'm beaming in my pink outfit, standing beside my doll house. :)

Growing up, did your family have Christmas traditions? Tell us how you incorporated them into your family life. Or, how you created new ones.

We did have traditions! And having them has left me with such good memories. I've been determined to do the same for my children. While I was growing up, we always took an evening to go out and drive around looking at the lights. We also had the strange tradition of going out to eat dinner at Pizza Hut (one of the few restaurants open at dinner time!) on Christmas eve. Then we would go to a candlelight service at church. Afterwards, we would go home and open one small gift. One I particularly remember was a coin purse my dad had made for me out of leather.

When do you put up your tree? Describe the decorating at your house.
.
We always buy a live tree, a Frazier Fur. And we try to do it as soon after Thanksgiving as we can. However, some years it's well into December before we get the chance. This year, we got it up fairly early, on the 1st. My husband's job is to get the tree in the stand and carried into the house. He's also very patient while I have him turn it in all directions (over and over again) to find just the right side. Once the tree is up, I do the lights with some help from the kids. Then my kids do most of the ornaments while I put lights and greenery on the mantle and outside. It was sweet that one of the items on my daughter's Christmas list this year was that the family decorate the tree together.

What is your favorite Christmas song or album? (Feel free here to talk about choirs or other musical things you participate in during Christmas.)

Oh my goodness, I must own two dozen Christmas CD's! I adore Christmas music, from Manheimer Steamroller to classical. I couldn't possibly pick one, however I really love Jewel's album. I also sing in the choir, and we usually do a cantata each year. Also, I'm in our handbell choir, and we play at Christmas as well. The choir also does a Service of Lessons and Carols to start off Advent, and we sing for two of the three Christmas eve candlight services. As you can tell, it's a pretty busy time of year!

Relive your childhood Christmas mornings for us.

We would wake up at the crack of dawn and rush out to find all the wonderful gifts under the tree from Santa. After opening gifts, we would have breakfast, usually my favorite sausage gravy and biscuits prepared by my dad, with eggs made by mom. After that, we would play all day long! :)

Tell us about your Christmas setting--do you have a white Christmas?

I'm near Atlanta, so we're lucky to see snow once a year, and that's usually in January or February. Christmas tends to be mild, sometimes even warm. I know one year we went to play tennis in short sleeves! For the most part, it’s usually crisp and cold, an average temp in the 40’s or 50’s.

It's Christmas Eve… Describe your day and evening.

The day can be crazy as I’m usually out buying last minute gifts so that my three children’s piles look more even! That evening, we have three services at church, followed by communion in the chapel. I usually attend the two earlier services where the choir sings and bring my children along for one of the two. (My husband is a pastor and there the whole evening.) The service is so beautiful, and I get a great view from the choir loft. At the end of the service, as we sing Silent Night, someone lights a candle at the end of each pew, and then the light is passed from person to person until it’s bright enough to light the sanctuary. The faces just glow with the joy of Jesus’ birth! I love my view. :)

Confession time. Shop on line or at the mall?

I’m such an Internet shopper! I don’t usually hit the mall unless absolutely necessary. It’s impossible to find a parking place! I do go to Walmart and Target, though, which is bad enough crowd-wise. But the mall is to the point of ridiculous. Just give me Amazon and Bestbuy.com. :)

Christmas grows more and more commercial every year. Setting the hustle and bustle aside, what does Christmas really mean to you?

It means celebrating the gift of Jesus with family and friends. It’s always been such a special time for me with family. We usually spend part of the holiday with my family or my husband’s family, alternating years.

It's Christmas day… what's for dinner? Do you make cookies or other traditional foods?

I’ve continued my dad’s tradition of making biscuits and gravy after the gifts are opened. Then later in the day I usually make a beef roast with all the fixin’s. I don’t do cookies! They’re too much trouble. I will buy the pre-decorated refrigerator cookie dough shaped like little Christmas trees, though.

Tell us about your favorite Christmas memory.

I have so many! But one favorite was when my grandmother gave me her diamond ring. I had always loved the ring, and she had promised it to me in her will. But she wanted me to have it early, so gave it to me the Christmas right before I turned 18. It was about 35 years old at the time she gave it to me, so just think how old it is now! LOL And I still wear it every day.

What are your plans for this season?

We’re having a typical Christmas this year. It’s our year to get together with my family, so we’ll see them the day after Christmas.

Any final thoughts on Christmas?

Thanks so much for these great questions, Camy. They reminded me to appreciate every holiday memory and tradition, to appreciate the fact that I have all my family with me for the holidays this year. My son will graduate from high school in June, and I’m assuming we’ll see him for the holidays next year. But for some reason, everything we do this school year feels like a last before the huge change of having my oldest leave the nest. It’s been an emotional ride, but I’m trying to enjoy every minute.

Camy here: Thanks for sharing, Missy!

Hey, folks, Missy was one of the writers at that brainstorming retreat I went to in early November. We had a blast!

Missy and I have been friends since before we were contracted! Missy’s DEBUT NOVEL comes out in February, so keep your eyes peeled here for a giveaway!

Comments

Janet Dean said…
Missy, your home looks beautiful! I'm impressed you have a real tree. It's gorgeous!!

How sweet of your grandmother to give you her diamond ring while she could still see you enjoy it!
Ausjenny said…
Miss I agree with janet i love your tree and home.
im thinking next year we may get lights.
I tend to go shopping on Christmas eve as the shops are often shut for 2 days. Christmas and Boxing day and we get in some supplies cos its holiday time. But i agree the shops are crazy exspecially the supermarket. we normally only have a few things to buy like cold meet (slices) which you have to get the day before. the later you go the better sometimes depending on what day christmas eve is.
Your tradition of the bicuits and gravy reminded me of our tradition we always have Bacon for Christmas mostly for Breakfast.
thanks so much for sharing I love reading these each day.
Jennifer Taylor said…
Great interview. I keep learning more and more about you, Missy! Your story about your grandmother giving you the ring was beautiful. It reminded me of my own dear sweet grandmother. She loved Christmas and I tend to think of her more during the holidays. One year she bought a chirping bird and hid it in the Christmas tree. It nearly drove my grandfather crazy trying to find that bird.
Cheryl Wyatt said…
MIssy, it's really great to catch this glimpse into your life and holiday!

Thanks for sharing!

Camy, this was a fabulous idea!

Hugs,
Cheryl
Missy Tippens said…
I hope this comes through! I just got an error after typing all my responses. Blogger is acting up again!

In the disappearing message, I was saying how funny it was when I tried to take my Christmas photo. I was using a self-timer, and had to kneel in front of the fireplace each time--about 25 takes to get a decent shot. I was laughing by the time I finally got a one, and could barely get up from my knees! LOL

Jenny, bacon sounds yummy for Christmas morning, too. And Jenn, I'm still cracking up about the chirping bird. That would have driven me up the wall, too!

Thanks for stopping by, ladies!

Missy
Anonymous said…
Merry Christmas to you all.

Reading your post just got me thinking..look out!

Missy sold. We take it so for granted, but really it is so beautiful how God plants that seed in us for writing and then nurtures it along (with much hard work and prayer) and finally when you least expect it, SOLD.

I smile every time I see a book with the name of someone I know, like Missy who followed their dream, their calling and now they are in print.

Have a lovely holiday with your family and I pray for continued success in the new year. :)
Missy Tippens said…
Wow! Tina's been thinking! :)

I hope you have a great holiday, too, Tina. And I can't wait til I see your name on a cover, too!

Missy
Julie Lessman said…
Missy, loved your memories, especially the Pizza Hut run on Christmas Eve!

And I agree with Cheryl, Camy, this 12 Days of Christmas idea is awesome! It really helps you to get to know your friends even better!

Hugs,
Julie
Missy Tippens said…
Hi, Julie. Yes, we wanted to eat out, and everything was closed. We finally discovered Pizza Hut would be open just late enough for us to grab dinner. :)

Missy

Popular Posts

Lavender hand lotion

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.05.2009 I have to tell you, I LOVE Etsy.com ! Etsy is dedicated to providing a marketplace for people who like to make handmade products and people who appreciate them (and buy them). It has everything from handmade gifts (like my mom’s Bucilla Christmas stockings and ornaments and tree skirts and wall hangings and … well, just click here to see what she has! ) to soaps and lotions and jewelry and knitted items and hand-painted yarn and ... I could surf that website for DAYS. Anyway, lately I’ve been concerned about the lead content in my lotions, especially since I’m using them more now that it’s turned colder and drier here in California. I have to use lotion on my hands everytime after I wash them. So I went onto Etsy and searched for organic hand lotions, and bought this lavender lotion from Lue Cosmetics . What was really nice is that the owner, Jane, sent me a direct message via Etsy right after I made the purchase to ask if I’d received it yet and ...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Writing Goals for 2007

Captain’s Log, Supplemental I considered cheating on my goals for this year, but decided I was being a wimp. So here they are: Here are the goals required by my contract: Book 3 in the series marketing info sheet due March 15th Book 3 manuscript due June 1st Book 1 substantive/line edits due sometime in Jan/Feb Book 1 galleys due sometime after that Book 2 macro edits due sometime in Spring? Book 2 substantive/line edits due, I’m guessing in Summer. Book 3 macro edits due sometime in October, I’m guessing Dang, laid out like that, looks like I’ll be busy. Here are my personal writing goals: Long-term goals: --Complete two manuscripts and a novella by December 31st, 2007 (I have to write the two manuscripts, but I’m trying to push myself and write a third project. I chose a novella since it’s easier than a full novel.) Short-term goals: --Write a short story this year (I keep putting it off because I’m such a perfectionist about it! I think I’ve got to get just the right plot, etc. bef...