The Inspiration behind One Last Gift

The Inspiration behind One Last Gift

Like my debut novel, Always, in December, ONE LAST GIFT is a story that starts and ends at Christmas, though it spans the whole year. It’s also a story about grief, and about finding yourself in the wake of that grief. 

I sometimes get asked why I choose to write stories that deal with grief that are set around Christmas, which is often thought of as a magical, festive time of year. And, yes, Christmas is wonderful. I love it! I love drinking mulled wine by the fire, I love buying presents for my sisters and nieces and nephews, and watching them open them on Christmas Day. I love the excuse to dress up and wear sparkles, and I love the fact that it brings family and friends together.

However, like any other time of year, it can also be a time of sadness, loneliness, or grief for some people, and I wanted to reflect that in the stories I write. I hope that ONE LAST GIFT reflects both the joyful parts of Christmas, and the fact that it can be a difficult time for some people – people who might be missing someone close to them, or not have friends or family to spend it with. I know, in part, what this feels like on a personal level, because I lost my mum when I was little. It was a long time ago now, but I remember the first few years of Christmas without her, and what it felt like, wishing she was here, and I still have moments as an adult where I wonder what life would be like had she lived – and that is a feeling that crops up around these big, family occasions more than any other time.

ONE LAST GIFT is my second novel, and it’s about Cassie, her brother Tom, and Tom’s best friend Sam, none of whom had the most straightforward childhoods. Cassie and Tom lost their parents when they were little, and Sam’s dad has never really been around, so the three of them clubbed together and formed their own little family. Cassie and Tom, in particular, have a very strong sibling bond – Tom is the person Cassie leans on, who she knows will always be there for her. And Tom is the person who makes Christmas special for Cassie, after their parents die. He has come up with a tradition – every year, he creates a scavenger hunt for her, where she has to follow the clues, which eventually leads her to her gift at the end of the trail.

It’s a tradition she has come to treasure, and something that was so fun to write about – because I love scavenger hunts too! I didn’t realise this until I sat down and thought about it, but I have coerced two of my flatmates into creating a scavenger hunt for the third on her birthday, I have created a scavenger hunt for my dad, getting my nieces and nephews on board to help, for his 70th, and I created one for my 30th birthday, for my friends to solve while I watched them with glee. 

So, ONE LAST GIFT was born partly out of wanting to write about learning to live with grief and coming to terms with something that feels like it might break you – and those things happen around Christmas too! – but also I wanted to write something fun, and what is more fun than having to solve a Christmas treasure hunt? Through the treasure hunt that Cassie follows, she finds a way back to herself – and finds her way back to some other people around her, too. 

If you do decide to read ONE LAST GIFT then firstly, thank you, for giving it a go! And secondly, I hope that you enjoy it. For me, it was, in part, about the ways we experience grief, and how different people have to find different ways to go through that, even if that means making decisions that aren’t always perfect. When writing it, it was also about hope, and love in its many forms, and finding the courage to do things that scare you. It was a lot of fun to think up the clues – though sometimes I was struggling to make them rhyme! – and I hope that element of fun comes through too. 

Thank you, for reading this piece – and whether you love or hate Christmas, I hope you have a lovely end to the year!

Emily X

About ONE LAST GIFT:

For as long as Cassie can remember, it had been the three of them: Cassie, her big brother Tom, and Tom’s annoying best friend Sam. Now, Tom is sorted, Sam is flying high, and Cassie thinks she’s figured it all out. Then tragedy happens and three become two.

For Cassie picking herself up seems unimaginable. Until she finds an envelope addressed to her, asking her to follow the trail to one last gift…

And suddenly what seems like an ending leads Cassie to something unexpected, beautiful and new…

—

THE LAST GIFT

When a young woman finds herself lost and at a crossroads, one last gift from her brother just might give her another chance at life and at love in this epic holiday romance from the author of Always, in December

“Heartbreaking, romantic and full of warmth . . . waterproof mascara recommended!”—Sarah Morgan, author of The Christmas Sisters

Sometimes the best gifts in life are the ones you don’t expect.

Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age and relied on each other—as well as a community of friends—to cope. They were especially close with Tom’s best friend, Sam, who always made sure that Tom and Cassie were surrounded with love. But, twenty years later, Cassie has lost Tom as well. And in a way, she’s also lost Sam; over the years they’d drifted apart, and now the man she always had a crush on is someone she doesn’t even recognize anymore.

She’s never felt more alone.

Then Cassie finds an envelope with her name on it, written in Tom’s terrible handwriting, and she knows immediately what it is. It’s the first clue in the Christmas scavenger hunt that Tom made for her every year; he’d promised her for months that this year’s would be the grandest one yet. At first, she’s too scared to open the envelope—what if she can’t figure out the clues without his help? Or what if she does figure them all out and her last connection to Tom is gone?

Tom’s present sets Cassie on a heart-wrenching and beautiful journey that will change her life—if she lets it. And as she travels from London to the Welsh mountains to the French countryside, she reconnects with old friends, rekindles a lost love, and, most important, rediscovers herself. But once she’s solved the final clue, will she be brave enough to accept the gift her brother has given her—and the love it’s led her to?

Praise for ONE LAST GIFT:

‘Romantic and full of warmth. Waterproof mascara recommended!’ Sunday Times bestseller SARAH MORGAN
‘Sweepingly romantic, full of joy, hope and love‘ Sunday Times bestseller CATHY BRAMLEY
‘I adored it! A story that steals your heart’ Sunday Times bestseller MIRANDA DICKINSON

‘A gorgeously poignant novel guaranteed to sweep you off your feet‘ HOLLY MILLER
‘I absolutely sobbed… A beautiful reminder that life is precious. This should be on everyone’s reading list!’ LAURA JANE WILLIAMS
‘The most beautiful love story. . .full of warmth and heart’ ANNA BELL
‘Both heart-rending and life-affirming. I loved it!’ JO LOVETT

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