O Holy Night: Fun Fact Series

I’m starting a video series where I share facts about my upcoming picture book with Bloomsbury Books, O Holy Night: A Modern Christmas Carol, until its pub day on September 22, 2026. Here's a little book summary:

With lyrics adapted from the classic carol "O Holy Night," Alleanna Harris's luminous picture book celebrates the peace, light, and joy of Christmas.

Follow along to the tune of the beloved song and join a family amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Bask in the magical moments of Christmas traditions, from hunting for the perfect tree and hanging lights to brighten dark winter nights, to attending a Christmas Eve church service as a family.

The first fact is below:

O HOLY NIGHT FACT #1:

O Holy Night is my debut as an author AND illustrator. I’ve illustrated twenty picture books during my illustration career. O Holy Night is my eighteenth picture book overall, but it's the very first time I've illustrated and written the picture book myself. I must say, it's a completely different process.

Usually I only have to concern myself with the illustration process: plotting out rough sketches, polishing final art, going through multiple rounds of final art revisions, and checking the proofs to see if the printed colors are faithful to the ones that I've envisioned. This time, before I even started on the art side of things, I had to write my manuscript and go through a few rounds of edits. Now that I'm aware of the writing process, the term "author-illustrator" holds way more weight to me!

I'm thankful for my wonderful agent, Alex, and my editor, Megan, for making the manuscript process completely straightforward. There was never a moment where I felt lost. Plus, I felt even more accomplished once I started illustrating the book because I was illustrating my very own words. It's a unique feeling and that I enjoy.

O Holy Night: A Modern Christmas Carol is available to preorder now. It will be released on September 22, 2026, so the countdown begins!

Merrily,
Alleanna