By Assistant Editor, Laura McCallen

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Alright, I’ll admit it—I love Christmas. There’s something so wonderfully magical about snuggling up in your cosiest pyjamas with a mug of hot chocolate and your favourite Christmas book or movie while the cold winds and—if you’re lucky!—snow buffet the windows. Needless to say, I’m not one to let my festive spirit be constrained by the pages of the calendar. Working in publishing this is a very good thing because Christmas comes not once, not twice, but three times every year! Yes, we deck the halls and trim the trees in December but we also put on the carols and light the lights in April (which is when the holiday books are submitted by our authors) and again in July and August…when we sit down to plan our Christmas continuity!

In the land of Romance HQ a continuity is like a miniseries—a collection of books linked closely in content, characters and setting. The only difference is that the story ideas come from the editorial team and are presented to the authors who then take the concept and characters and bring them beautifully to life. This means brainstorming and planning the books months in advance of when they’re written, let alone when they’re published! For instance, we brainstormed and developed our Christmas 2016 continuity back in July and the authors are writing it as we speak.

So, what exactly goes into the process of creating a Christmas continuity? Well, for starters, a good old-fashioned brainstorm. We gather together the UK editorial team and—helped along by some gentle carols playing in the background and some tempting mince pies on the table—we think about where our story will be set and what the overarching links between the books will be. From here we think about who the characters are that are going to populate our continuity world and what they might go through during the course of the books.

We’re a creative and outspoken bunch so every idea is welcome and the suggestions build on themselves as the characters, their journeys and the medical drama comes into focus. From this initial brainstorm we move to smaller, more focused meetings with the editors of the authors involved as we always want to make sure the books we outline are the perfect fit for the author we’re asking to write the story. From here there’s a lot of writing, editing, re-writing, more editing (all helped along by even more carols—I honestly can’t get enough!) until we have everything perfect. Once we’re happy with it (and have done just one more check…) we send it off to the authors and eagerly wait to see the result!

Luckily for us, our Medical authors never cease to amaze and as you’ll see from our 2015 continuity they know how to bring the stories and characters we’ve fallen in love with beautifully to life… Midwives On-Call at Christmas Mothers, midwives and mistletoe – lives changing forever at Christmas! Welcome to Cambridge Royal Hospital—and to the exceptional midwives who make up its special Maternity Unit! They deliver tiny bundles of joy on a daily basis, but Christmas really is a time for miracles as midwives Bonnie, Hope, Jessica and Isabel are about to find out.

This holiday season, don’t miss the festive heart-warming spin-off to the dazzling Midwives On-Call continuity from Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™: 

A Touch of Christmas Magic by Scarlet Wilson

For head obstetrician Jacob Layton, family life has never been an option – until he offers midwife Bonnie Reid and her little daughter Freya a temporary place to stay! But as Bonnie and Freya bring a touch of Christmas magic into his home, Jacob begins to wonder if he can really let Bonnie go…

Her Christmas Baby Bump by Robin Gianna

Midwife Hope Sanders is just weeks away from beginning fertility treatment when Dr Aaron Cartwright throws a holly sprig in her plans. After one Christmas night together, she’s pregnant with Aaron’s baby! Now Hope has the baby she’s been longing for—but has she also found the man of her dreams?

Playboy Doc’s Mistletoe Kiss by Tina Beckett

With her family’s Christmas visit looming, midwife Jessica Black needs to convince them she’s so over her ex.. She’ll need a ‘boyfriend’ for the holidays! Stepping in as Jess’s fake date should be simple, no-strings fun for Dr Dean Edwards. Until they’re caught under the mistletoe! Suddenly ‘no-strings’ is the last thing on his mind….

Her Doctor’s Christmas Proposal by Louisa George

All available now! Have you got your Midwives On-Call at Christmas story yet? We’d love to hear what you think so please do leave a comment to let us know! And be sure to check out our special Midwives On-Call at Christmas festive giveaway, happening now! Check our Facebook and Twitter pages for details. XXX

By The Mills & Boon team