Where do story ideas come from? It’s a question authors get asked all the time and one I never tire of hearing about. Author Deedee Cummings shares what motivated her to write In the Nick of Time.

Thanks so much for letting me stop by as a guest today. It is a pleasure and an honor to introduce myself to your fans. My name is Deedee Cummings and I live in Louisville, Kentucky with my son and husband. I have two other children. But they are grown and out of the house now.

Today, I would love to share my attest book with you called, In the Nick of Time. It is a Christmas story filled with hope and inspiration. My family loves Christmas. We go all out. We decorate indoors and out. We wrap lots of packages. We bake and make all kinds of cookies. And we love to read Christmas stories. We read all kinds of stories about Christmas and the holidays in general, not just stories with black characters. However, we did try to collect Christmas stories with black characters, in addition to all
the others, and one year there were just no more to get. We literally had all the books that existed regarding Christmas with black characters in lead roles.

One of my favorite storylines is the one where a child gets to help Santa save the day. I could not find that specific storyline with a black boy as the lead character, so I wrote my own and named the lead character after my youngest son Nick. It has been a joy seeing how this story has spread across the country and brings smiles to all who read this book. That is all I really wanted- for my son to see himself as the hero in a Christmas book and to add to the collection of Christmas stories with black characters.

I hope that everyone who has the ability to help a family in need this holiday season finds a way to make that happen.

In the Nick of Time also talks about privilege, poverty, and gratitude. These are very timely messages for the world we live in today. I hope that everyone who has the ability to help a family in need this holiday season finds a way to make that happen. It is important for us to look after one another. Stay safe this holiday season.

Thanks for taking the time to read why it was so important for me to model this work through a book and otherwise to my own children and to all the families I serve.

For more details about Deedee Cummings’s books (and to enter for a chance to win a copy of both books plus an Amazon gift card!), visit Book Review + Giveaway: This is the Earth and Blog Tour + Giveaway: In the Nick of Time.