| ALCOTT | Author of Little Women and the short story A Christmas Dream (6) |
| BATES | Author of My Uncle Silas, The Darling Buds of May and the short story A Christmas Song (5) |
| TULIP | Bulbiferous flower with cultivars including Christmas Dream and Merry Christmas (5) |
| ADLER | Irene, antagonist of Sherlock Holmes in the short story A Scandal In Bohemia (5) |
| GREENE | 20th-century English novelist whose works include Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, The Potting Shed, Travels with My Aunt and the short story Went the Day Well? (6) |
| THOMAS | Welsh author of poetry, the radio drama Under Milk Wood and the short story illustrated by Edward Ardizzone titled A Child's Christmas in Wales (6) |
| NORTON | James - - -, Little Women and Mcmafia actor (6) |
| PENSIL | The sound made by writer of 'Little Pennon' (6) |
| FITZGERALD | F. Scott -; novelist who wrote The Great Gatsby, Tender Is the Night and the short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (10) |
| CREW | Oarsmen/women and the cox of a racing shell as a team collectively; a ship's company; or, a name sometimes used for the sport of rowing (4) |
| ANDREA | ___ Levy, author of Small Island (2004) (6) |
| HALL | Willis, author of the play The Long and the Short and the Tall (4) |
| MUNRO | Nobel Prize-winning author of Lives of Girls and Women and The Moons of Jupiter; or, a Scottish mountain such as Ben Nevis or Lochnagar (5) |
| DERN | Laura of "Little Women" and "Big Little Lies" |
| MERMAIDS | Imaginary sea creatures fabled to have the heads and upper bodies of women and the tails of fish (8) |
| YSL | Initials of the designer of Le Smoking tuxedo for women and the Mondrian dress |
| RONAN | Saiorse of Little Women and Lady Bird |
| FATAL | 22 film part, introducing a short story a couple of times (5,10) |
| TALISMAN | Is fellow by end of short story a bringer of luck? (8) |
| TROCHAIC | Chair and cot knocked over with feet being the long and the short of it (8) |
