A prolific author who grew up in Orillia has released her latest book, and it’s quite a change from most of her previous ones.
Rachel McMillan’s third book of 2020 is a product of her passion for made-for-TV Christmas movies. It’s called A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide.
“I wrote it last year when I saw that there were no books about made-for-TV Christmas movies,” McMillan said. “These movies run from October through January, and everybody watches them.”
The book, which includes illustrations, customized viewing lists, activities, recipes and more, is timely for a number of reasons.
The popularity of made-for-TV Christmas movies “really took off after the 2016 U.S. election,” she said.
“It’s not just a typical demographic of women of a certain age group. It’s everybody,” she said.
The movies are becoming more diverse, too, McMillan said, noting they are starting to include more racially diverse casts and same-sex couples as characters.
“They’ve realized that they have to be more inclusive,” she said.
Also making the book and the movies timely is the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The world is so freaking stressful and uncertain. These movies counter the stress of the world,” she said. “You know you’re going to get a sense of nostalgia. You know you’re going to see happily ever after.”
McMillan is drawn to made-for-TV movies for a reason to which others who watch them might relate.
“You know they’re cheesy, but you can’t look away. They’re so engaging,” she said. “They also do magnificent things for the Canadian film and television industry because about 98 per cent of them are filmed here.”
A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide is McMillan’s 16th book. The majority of them are fiction, including her previous release, The London Restoration. She was writing the movie guide at the same time she was going through the stressful editing process for The London Restoration, which is historical fiction and required plenty of research.
“This was such a wonderful mental break for me. It was the happiest thing I’ve written,” she said. “Sometimes I would sit and think, ‘I can’t believe I’m getting paid to write this book.’”
A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide can be ordered online and through Manticore Books in downtown Orillia. McMillan, a supporter of independent bookstores and a former employee of Manticore, urges people get it from the local store.
She recommends the book as a secret Santa gift or a stocking stuffer.
Those who would like a signed bookplate from McMillan can request one by contacting her through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
She also encourages people to check out Laura Bean’s website. Bean illustrated A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide and also provided illustrations for McMillan’s Dream, Plan, and Go: A Travel Guide to Inspire Your Independent Adventure.
