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“The holidays can be very difficult for a lot of people,” says Hepner. “I know I was struggling with how to get through that first Christmas after losing my mom and best friend. The grief and sadness were so intense.”
The Christmas Checklist is about a grieving daughter who receives a Christmas checklist from her recently deceased mom that contains TWELVE activities she must complete before Christmas. It’s a Christmas romance wrapped in a self-help book. Hepner is primarily a screenwriter specializing in romance movies that have aired on Roku, Amazon, UpTV, Tubi and CBC in Canada. The Christmas Checklist is her debut novel. The limited series she wrote, The Christmas Checklist, based on the novel, aired on CBC in Canada Christmas 2022 and will hopefully air in the US this Christmas 2023.
“I think readers will be able to relate to my (and the main character’s) agoraphobia, isolation, anger, loneliness, time distortion, and guilt,” says Hepner. “I know that when I was decorating for Christmas and had a moment of joy, I felt guilty like it meant that I didn’t love my mom enough. And I know a lot of people have those feelings of guilt during moments of joy. But I also believe that our loved ones would want us to enjoy life,” says Hepner. “I also noticed that I experienced a lot of anger especially when people talked about insignificant, trivial things. Who cares if you received charcoal pants instead of black? My mom just died.” I think a lot of people can also relate to those feelings.
The Christmas Checklist offers activities (twelve, to be exact) to help people “move through grief.” “You never get over it,” says Hepner, “you just move through it.” The activities are all based on giving. Hepner remembers reading a quote by Richard Paul Evans that read, “The best cure for a broken heart is to use it.” She, in turn, came up with a checklist of twelve activities that will hopefully help people experience some joy and peace in the midst of their pain.
Hepner hopes that her novel will help others who are also struggling over the holidays and encourages people to try some of the activities on the checklist OR to make up some of their own and add to the Christmas checklist. #TheChristmasChecklist
Some of the activities are fairly easy like “Every day upon waking, state out loud one thing that you’re thankful for,” while others may be more challenging: “Forgive a grudge or do something you’re afraid of.” Then others are meant to allow us to play and experience joy like “Pick up an old or new hobby or decorate the house for Christmas.” “I know I didn’t even feel like decorating that first Christmas but my mom and I both love Christmas and it was a way to honor her and surround myself with some beauty as well,” says Hepner.
Readers can get a FREE copy of the actual checklist with the twelve activities at: www.thechristmaschecklist.com.
CONTACT:
Lisa Hepner
(503) 349-5710
[email protected]
www.thechristmaschecklist.com
Lisa Hepner
Lisa Hepner, LLC
+1 503-349-5710
[email protected]
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