Christmas Movies

Considering my love of movies, you had to figure I’d eventually write about Christmas movies. When my kids were young, we watched all the kid-type movies: Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, etc.

I never got all the sentiment over It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s an enjoyable movie but not anything special. That’s probably heresy, right? After I saw The Family Stone (a movie I watch over and over and still tear up each time) I had to rewatch Meet Me in St. Louis to see what was so special. Again, an enjoyable movie but not a favorite.

After Thanksgiving, Hubs and I babysat our grandkids for five days. During that time, we watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I’d forgotten that Boris Karloff narrated it. Like all Dr. Seuss stories, this was so enjoyable. We also watched The Elf on the Shelf movie. I’d learned about the Elf last year when the grandkids showed us him sitting on top of a drapery rod. The movie made the story clearer. They could have done without the singing and just stuck with the story, but that’s just my opinion.

My all-time favorite movie is The Christmas Story (aka “you’ll shoot your eye out”). My kids got so tired of it (they’d leave the room), they gave me the VCR tape for Christmas. Since our VCR isn’t even hooked up anymore, I love the marathon so I can catch it anytime during the day. It’s the humor that attracts me. So much of the movie is reminiscent of my childhood—even though the movie takes place much earlier. I remember bundling up in snowsuits that were so bulky you could hardly move.

What’s your favorite holiday movie?

Saturday Sampler - Hurricane Crimes by Chrys Fey

Title: Hurricane Crimes

Author: Chrys Fey

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Format: eBook

Available on Amazon: November 25^th 2013

Official Release Date: March 5^th 2014

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Book Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00GVK921G

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18757793-hurricane-crimes

Blurb:

After her car breaks down, Beth Kennedy is forced to stay in Florida, the target of Hurricane Sabrina. She stocks up supplies, boards up windows, and hunkers down to wait out the storm, but her plan unravels when she witnesses a car accident. Risking her life, she braves the winds to save the driver. Just when she believes they are safe, she finds out the man she saved could possibly be more dangerous than the severe weather.

Donovan Goldwyn only wanted to hide from the police, but the hurricane shoved his car into a tree. Now he's trapped with a beautiful woman while the evidence that can prove his innocence to a brutal crime is out there for anyone to find.

As Hurricane Sabrina wreaks havoc, Beth has no other choice but to trust Donovan to stay alive. But will she survive, or will she become another hurricane crime?

 

Excerpt:

On the television set, which was fighting to stay alive, was breaking news. She caught bits and pieces of it as she emptied the bowl of blood-tainted water and threw out the cloth. It was about a high-speed chase that had occurred about a half-hour ago. Beth shook her head. Apparently, Donovan wasn’t the only idiot driving around during a hurricane.

She went back into the living room and began replacing all the medical supplies into the first-aid kit. Behind her, a reporter was explaining that the driver of the car was believed to be a murder suspect.

“The name of the—”

The lights flashed, prompting Beth to snatch up her flashlight.

“Donovan Goldwyn.”

Her fingers went cold around the plastic tube as ice frosted her veins. She straightened her spine and turned stiffly to the television, her heart wasn’t beating in her chest. On the screen was the picture of the man who was right now changing in her bedroom. Above it was a caption in bold letters that read—SUSPECT.

She gripped the flashlight in her frozen fingers. Her heart thudded fearfully. She stared into the immobilized violet eyes through the glass.

         

“Oh my god,” she gasped.

She had brought a murderer into her home!

Bonus:

5 Reasons why Chrys believes Readers will like Hurricane Crimes:

 

1.    Donovan Goldwyn. That’s almost all I have to say! He is sexy with brown hair, lavender eyes, and he is dangerous. What more could a girl want?

2.    Beth Kennedy. I think women will root for her through the story, and admire her strength.

3.    There is an element of romance, which could be deadly . . .

4.    The suspense. It starts on the first page!

5.    The third main character . . . Hurricane Sabrina.

 

Chrys Fey is the author of the short stories—The Summer Bride and Fallen. She created the blog Write with Fey to offer aspiring writers advice and inspiration. She lives in Florida where she is ready to battle the next hurricane that comes her way.

Author Links:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrysfey

Blog: www.writewithfey.blogspot.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ChrysFey

Google +: www.google.com/+ChrysFey 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/chrysfey

Insecure Writers Support Group

The first Wednesday snuck up on me this month. Apologies to anyone who stopped by earlier and didn’t find my post up. I get a little ticked, too, when that happens to me. Blame my delay on total forgetfulness. I’m sure you’ve heard of the new mother amnesia syndrome. Well, how about a grandmother’s amnesia after five days of babysitting a six-year-old and an almost four-year-old? There must be some sort of syndrome for that.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my grandkiddies dearly. We even moved over a hundred miles to live closer to them. But they take a lot of energy. The older child can do a lot for herself, minds well (generally), and can entertain herself. Her younger brother? Not so much. The word "challenging" comes to mind.

I’m afraid my brain cells went into hibernation. I forgot a guest post last week and now this. I hope a good night’s sleep and a couple of naps will renew my memory.

As we age, we begin to worry more about the future—especially our health. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. There is a disease that doesn’t kill us nor does it make us stronger. Alzheimers. I watched my mother struggle with losing not just her memories, but her very self. More than cancer or heart disease (both of which are prevalent in my family), I worry about losing my mind. I have so many stories I haven’t written yet. More importantly, I don’t want my grandkiddies to think of me as the Nana who forgot who they are.

PS I knew something was I forgot. Make sure to check out the other members' blogs to see what they are insecure about this month.  There is a contest going on today at the IWSG website. It’s all about spreading the word.

The Roses of Prose Have Free Stories For You

Ten authors at The Roses of Prose blogsite (yours truly included) http://www.rosesofprose.blogspot.com/ have a special treat for you during the month of December. An Unexpected Holiday. 

An Unexpected Holiday is a series of romance short stories, each penned by a different author, each with different characters and events, each beginning with the same first line, This was the last place she expected to spend Christmas.

Stop by each day and see the stories unfold. Our first story "Santa and the Elf" by Jannine Gallant starts today. For a brief description of each story, see yesterday's post at http://www.rosesofprose.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-month-of-christmas-stories.html

I haven't written a short story since high school English Composition class a very long time ago so I was a little nervous. Once I got started, I found it was more fun than I expected. I hope you'll enjoy all of our stories.

On another note, my friend Jessica E. Subject is having an Ebook Giveaway. One of the books she's giving away is my science fiction romance THE PILOT. Check out the others at http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/fill-your-ereader-holiday-ebook-giveaway-romance/