By Abigail Connolly

SUNY Oswego professor Juliet Giglio and her husband Keith are making their novel debut with the book, “The Summer of Christmas.”

The duo has a number of movie credits to their names working on films like “Tarzan” (1999), “Pizza My Heart” (2005) and “Christmas in Tune” (2021), but are entering into a new medium with the novel. 

Keith Giglio said that the jump from screen to print was easy because the couple already had experience with storyboards and the writing process. 

“We got lucky, we sold this on the idea,” he said. “And this is where kind of our Hollywood skills came in persay. I put air quotes on ‘Hollywood skills.’ We knew how to kind of formulate a pitch document and the publishers got that and so someone gave us a two-book deal.”

Juliet Giglio remarked on how the couple felt moving from screenplay and textbook writing to the construction of a novel. 

“You know it’s interesting because we thought it was going to be really different but there are a lot of similarities,” she said. “We actually outlined it the same way we would outline a screenplay and that part worked.”

The couple took turns writing chapters, being careful to not repeat plot points and to make the novel as cohesive as possible. 

“When it came to writing the actual book, that was a lot of fun,” Juliet Giglio said. “Because we had the whole story worked out so well, we were able to divide up the chapters. We would go every other chapter more or less. We would always check in and read each other’s work so we would know not to duplicate something in our chapter.”

The book was picked up by the Chicago-based company Sourcebooks, one of the 20 largest independent book publishers in the U.S. Juliet Giglio noted that their novel fits in with the publishing company. 

“We are actually part of the ‘Casablanca’ division,” Juliet Giglio said. “So this is what I would consider a Rom-Com book. It is very much a beach read and our editor, Marge, said, ‘You know what, I can see us putting this out in the summer and also out right before Christmas.’”

The novel is set to be released this summer across digital and paper platforms. The Giglios said to expect familiar Upstate New York scenery, as they did a majority of their writing after visiting Geneva in the heart of the Finger Lakes. The Giglios added that Upstate audiences can count on recognizing scenes in the novel. 

“We have been living here 10 years now,” Keith Giglio said. “We always love going out there to the wineries. But we spent a few days just in Geneva, looking around, incorporating locations including Hobart and (William) Smith (Colleges), and you know, just trying to make it as authentic as we can.”

Juliet Giglio mentioned that there were numerous places the couple wanted to include in the novel. 

“The Belhurst Castle is a big location in the book,” Juliet Giglio said. “We thought it would be a fun place to set our story.”

The novel follows the story of screenwriter Ivy Green as she tries to navigate the challenges that come with filming a movie in her hometown right alongside her highschool sweetheart. Chaos and comedy ensue as movie crews manage to create a winter wonderland in the middle of July. 

“Of course we had to make it a love triangle,” Juliet Giglio said. “The main character is a screenwriter, something which we understand very well, and she’s been dumped by her boyfriend. First she wrote this script about her (kindergarten) through (12th grade) romance with her boyfriend. And when he dumps her, the movie is greenlit and it goes into production. The irony is when they go and film it, they are filming it in her hometown, and of course, he’s still there.”

Keith Giglio said that much of this novel comes from the couple’s experience writing Christmas movies within the same genre. 

“The book comes from our experience,” he said. “Obviously it’s not nonfiction, but our experience of writing Christmas movies and watching them being filmed in 85 degrees. If you think the craziness of the holidays is just for cold December, no.”

The Giglios will have a live reading of the novel at River’s End on Sept. 22.

“The Summer of Christmas” is available for preorder via Target, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books and more locally, River’s End Bookstore. Juliet Giglio recommends that those living in or near Oswego shop locally. 

“I think that if people are in the Oswego area they should definitely order through River’s End,” Juliet Giglio said. “The price is the same regardless, and that’s the other nice thing. Because it is being put out in a paperback, it’s a really nice price point.”

“We are actually part of the ‘Casablanca’ division,” Juliet Giglio said. “So this is what I would consider a Rom-Com book. It is very much a beach read and our editor, Deb, said, ‘You know what, I can see us putting this out in the summer and also out right before Christmas.’”

The novel is set to be released this summer across digital and paper platforms. The Giglios said to expect familiar Upstate New York scenery, as they did a majority of their writing after visiting Geneva in the heart of the Finger Lakes. The Giglios added that Upstate audiences can count on recognizing scenes in the novel. 

“We have been living here 10 years now,” Keith Giglio said. “We always love going out there to the wineries. But we spent a few days just in Geneva, looking around, incorporating locations including Hobart and [William] Smith [Colleges], and you know, just trying to make it as authentic as we can.”

Juliet Giglio mentioned that there were numerous places the couple wanted to include in the novel. 

“The Belhurst Castle is a big location in the book,” Juliet Giglio said. “We thought it would be a fun place to set our story.”

The novel follows the story of screenwriter Ivy Green as she tries to navigate the challenges that come with filming a movie in her hometown right alongside her highschool sweetheart. Chaos and comedy ensue as movie crews manage to create a winter wonderland in the middle of July. 

“Of course we had to make it a love triangle,” Juliet Giglio said. “The main character is a screenwriter, something which we understand very well, and she’s been dumped by her boyfriend. First she wrote this script about her [kindergarten] through [12th grade] romance with her boyfriend. And when he dumps her, the movie is greenlit and it goes into production. The irony is when they go and film it, they are filming it in her hometown, and of course, he’s still there.”

Keith Giglio said that much of this novel comes from the couple’s experience writing Christmas movies within the same genre. 

“The book comes from our experience,” he said. “Obviously it’s not nonfiction, but our experience of writing Christmas movies and watching them being filmed in 85 degrees. If you think the craziness of the holidays is just for cold December, no.”

The Giglios will have a live reading of the novel at River’s End on Sept. 22.

“The Summer of Christmas” is available for preorder via Target, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books and more locally, River’s End Bookstore. Juliet Giglio recommends that those living in or near Oswego shop locally. 

“I think that if people are in the Oswego area they should definitely order through River’s End,” Juliet Giglio said. “The price is the same regardless, and that’s the other nice thing. Because it is being put out in a paperback, it’s a really nice price point.”

Image via jkgiglio.com