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A royal Christmas ball, a mischievous rescue dog, and a dog trainer who drives the princess up the palace walls—what could possibly go wrong? In this feel-good holiday episode, I’m chatting with Christmas romcom queen Karen Schaler, writer of A Christmas Prince, Christmas Camp, and her new royal romance A Ruff Royal Christmas.

Karen shares how she went from war correspondent and hard-hitting journalist to writing the cozy, comforting Christmas stories so many of us binge every December. We talk about the inspiration behind A Ruff Royal Christmas (including the real-life “devil dog” who inspired Stormy), how she stays in a Christmas mood all year even while living in the desert, and why she’s built a portfolio career across movies, books, audio, travel shows, and even real-life Christmas Camp retreats. We also go behind the scenes of filming Christmas Camp for Hallmark, talk about the power of comfort watches/reads, and get a sneak peek at what she’s working on next.

📚 Books Mentioned

A Ruff Royal Christmas by Karen Schaler — Buy on Amazon | Royal RomCom, Christmas Romance | KU ✅ / Audio ✅

Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Christmas Romance, Hallmark Movie Tie-In | KU ✅ / Audio ✅

Every Day Is Christmas by Karen Schaler — Buy on Amazon | Christmas Romance, A Christmas Carol–inspired | KU ✅ / Audio ✅

Once Upon a Christmas Carol by Karen Schaler — Buy on Amazon | Christmas Romance, Full-Cast Audio Original | Audible Exclusive ✅

⏰Timestamps

[00:00 ] Meet Karen Schaler & why she literally breathes Christmas

[02:00 ] From war zones to Christmas romcoms: Karen’s journalism background

[06:00 ] Inside A Ruff Royal Christmas: royal hijinks, rescue dogs & a big twist

[11:00 ] Writing Christmas all year long (from the Arizona desert!)

[16:00 ] Portfolio creative life: movies, books, audio & Christmas Camp IRL

[21:00 ] Behind the scenes of the Christmas Camp Hallmark movie

[27:00 ] New non-Christmas series, TV ideas & future Christmas specials

[33:00 ] Where to find Karen online & holiday well-wishes

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