Christmas to many is the most wonderful time of the year. As the song goes, 'There'll be much mistltoeing, And hearts will be glowing, When loved ones are near, It's the most wonderful time of the year.' But one of the staples in every holiday rotation is the Christmas Movie. There are even a few major TV networks that have defined their brand by the seasonal movies they play, almost year-round.

Today's guest Lauren Swickard not only stars in a new Christmas Movie on Netflix, but she also created, wrote, and produced it. Her real-life husband and “General Hospital” star Josh Swickard stars opposite her in the movie. 'A California Christmas' is coming to Netflix on December 14th. The movie was also one of the first feature films to be produced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lauren has quickly established herself as a powerful woman in film. She has written and sold multiple original screenplays throughout her short but impressive professional career. Lauren’s next endeavor is her role as lead writer and producer for “Casa Grande” - an episodic series she created that is scheduled for distribution in early 2021. The hour-long serial narrative drama follows an ensemble cast through the intertwining lives of various families in the farmland of Northern California.

In today's conversation, we learn about Lauren's indirect route to becoming a writer and actress, the art of writing screenplays, how to find inspiration in story, the importance of story to communicate humanity, and much more.

Links
A California Christmas: https://www.netflix.com/title/81344378
Lauren's Instagram: http://instagram.com/laurenswickard/