Author Interview · Hope Came at Christmas

A Conversation with Megan Crouse

Author of Christmas with Ms. Josie and The Sign Upstairs

If a teen is tired of dark, hopeless YA, what hope does your story leave them with?

There’s Light in this dark world, and His name is Jesus. This collection doesn’t shy away from the fact that life can be challenging, even heartbreaking at times. But it’s in these very moments, when shadows deepen and answers are few, that God steps in to do His finest work. He did this long ago in Bethlehem. He still does today.

Which character would you want a teen to meet if they’re going through a hard season right now?

I think Ms. Josie would make anyone’s day better. With over eighty years of wisdom and a box full of recipes, she’d serve you some good advice with pie and ice cream, and probably do it all in a wacky sweater and slippers.

Why did you say yes to this collection, and what do these 11 stories share that a single novel can’t?

The opportunity to work with some fantastic YA authors with a heart for Jesus? How could I say no?

Megan’s stories

Christmas with Ms. Josie
When 17-year-old Pepper Haines ends up stranded in a snowstorm, she’s forced to seek shelter in the home of an elderly widow named Josie Tuttle. Spending Christmas Eve away from family feels like disaster, but God may bring about something more beautiful than either of them planned.

The Sign Upstairs
Zoe Milligan loves Christmas, except for having to spend it with her show-off cousin, Sofia. Yet when Zoe is confronted by Sofia’s strange, withdrawn behavior, she must choose—does she hold onto their old rivalry, or can she show the love of Jesus instead?