Meet author Daphne Benedis-Grab!

Today on OOM we welcome Daphne Benedis-Grab, the author of Clementine for Christmas and The Angel Tree, both heartwarming and completely charming middle grade novels that take place during the holiday season.

Thanks for joining us here, Daphne! In Clementine for Christmas three kids—Josie, Oscar, and Gabby—are all dealing with issues of their own on top of the Christmas Festival being canceled. Josie is timid and decides to volunteer at the local hospital with her dog Clementine for the holiday season. Oscar’s parents are fighting more and more at home and Oscar finds himself getting into trouble at school. In return, Oscar’s parents force him to volunteer at the local hospital. Then there’s Gabby, her life seems perfect, but when she ends up in the hospital, her secret might be uncovered and everything’s at stake. But somehow, Josie manages to pull everyone together to pull off the best Christmas Festival celebration yet. 

In Clementine for Christmas the Christmas Festival is Josie’s favorite part of the year, and she’s crazy about decorating for the holiday. How do you celebrate the holiday? Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition?

There are so many things I love about celebrating Christmas!  It starts the morning after Thanksgiving when my family breaks out our huge Christmas carol collection- carols fill our home for the next few weeks and I usually go a bit hoarse from singing along.  Then there’s the day when the vendors set up Christmas tree stands in my neighborhood- I love walking to the store or to the subway and passing mini forests of pine trees, all lit up and smelling fresh and zesty. Then there’s the food- minty Christmas candy, hot spiced cider and of course, cookies.  But if I had to choose just one favorite tradition, it would be decorating the tree.  This is partly because it combines several things I love- the tree itself, cookies (always Snickerdoodles for tree decorating), carols that play while we decorate and then the ornaments themselves which all have memories attached, like the little angels my husband and I bought on a trip when we were first married and the set of dogs wearing Santa hats that my aunt gave me.  The very best part though, is being with family and friends and celebrating together!

Each character is  very different in  Clementine for Christmas. Who was your favorite character to write?

This is a tough one because I love aspects of each character, and they were all fun (and at times challenging) to write.  But since Josie adores Christmas and animals as much as I do, I’m going to have to go with her. 

Who or what was the biggest influence on your writing?

Books and authors that I’ve loved throughout my life have had the biggest influence on my writing. The first book that enraptured me was Sylvester and the Magic Pebble which my dad read to me about a million times. Then there were Judy Blume’s and Beverly Cleary’s books.  In third grade our teacher read ‘Ramona the Pest’ out loud to the class and I hated when weekends came because I’d have to wait two extra days to hear what happened next.  As a teen I’d stay up late reading Lois Duncan’s books and my sister and I had a blast with Sweet Valley High, acting the dramatic parts out loud.  My favorite books inspire and comfort me, they make me dream big and they push me to dig deep and put my heart into every sentence I write. 

Do you have a fun holiday craft, activity, or recipe that you’d like to share?

I’m not a person who needs an excuse to bake cookies but baking Christmas cookies is extra special and my very favorite Christmas cookies are Snickerdoodles. I’ve included my recipe below, I hope you enjoy happy holidays and merry Christmas!

Ingredients:

• 1 c. soft margarine
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 T. sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1- Preheat to 400°F.

2- Mix together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

3- Beat together the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and beat. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until smooth.

4- Roll the batter into 1 1/4 inch balls with your hands. Roll the balls in a mixture of the remaining sugar and cinnamon and place about 3 inches apart on the pan.

5- Bake for 8-11 minutes, until light golden brown on the edges.  Cool and enjoy!