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The Romance Reader's
Connection's
Christmas Parade 2003
DECEMBER AUTHORS OF THE MONTH
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has become a tradition here at TRRC to offer a Parade of Authors to our
readers and their answers to our Holiday Question. We are proud to once
again offer this treat to you, as our reviewers reviewed some of their
favorite author’s holiday releases and asked them this question:
The winter holidays are a special time of year and
Hollywood has done it's part by producing some fantastic holiday themed
movies. Whether a tear-jerker as in It's A Wonderful Life, a
laugh-out-loud comedy like A Christmas Story, an animated favorite as in
A Charlie Brown Christmas, a foreign feature like Sirota Kazanskaya, or
even a non-traditional blockbuster such as Die Hard 2, what is your
all-time favorite holiday movie, and what makes it special for you?
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Nero Blanc
by
Kelly Ross |
Click for Review
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Holiday-themed movies. Hmmmmm.
What a tough question. I guess our first "winter" favorite is
DR. ZHIVAGO. Although it's not Christmasy, it's certainly full of snow
and romance and spectacle - an escapist's paradise and true tear-jerker.
It's a perfect way to spend a long, ive-bound holiday afternoon. And who
can ever forget the musical score or those gorgeous costumes?! For
serious laughter: Monty Python's LIFE OF BRIAN As you see, our tastes
are pretty eclectic.
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving,
Cordelia and Steve
http://www.crosswordmysteries.com
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Irene Brand
by
Sarah Sprohra |
Click for Review
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My favorite Christmas movie is
BORROWED HEARTS, starring Roma Downey of Touched by An Angel fame.
Her co-star is Eric McCormack. It's a heart-warming story of a
rich playboy bachelor who wants to sell the factory he's inherited from
his father. The potential buyer is a strong family man. The hero
of the movie needs a family right away to impress the buyer, so Roma
Downey (who works at his factory) and her daughter agree to move into
his mansion and pose as his family during the Christmas season. I
agonize with the characters through many twists and turns as the
romance builds. The satisfactory conclusion of the movie leaves me with
the conviction that family ties and the love of a faithful spouse do
bring happiness.
We have the movie on video and my
husband and I watch it every Christmas season .
Irene Brand
http://www.irenebrand.com/
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Nancy
J. Cohen
by
Wendy Keel |
Click for Review
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| Probably the latest film
that is my favorite winter season title is The Family Man with Nicolas
Cage and Tea Leoni. It contrasts a swinging single wealthy urban
lifestyle with family values set among suburban cliches. In a way, it's
a switch on It's A Wonderful Life, if I remember that film correctly.
The Family Man is another second chance story, done with humor and
humility and a touch of Christmas magic.
Nancy J. Cohen
Bad Hair Day Mysteries
Coming in Dec: HIGHLIGHTS TO HEAVEN
http://nancyjcohen.com
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Shelley
Freydont
by
Deb Hern |
Click for Review
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| My absolutely favorite
holiday film is A Christmas Carol starring Alistair Sim. I watch
it every season, sometimes more than once, and even during the year when
I need a dose of optimism. The Dicken's story is one of the great
examples of mankind's ability to change for the better, even after a
lifetime of selfishness. Sim, for me, more than any other portrayer
of Scrooge, embodies both the worst and best of a character, and his joy
at discovering that it isn't too late to change his misanthropic ways is
catching. I laugh and cry and at the end, I recite along with the
narrator, "Scrooge became as good a friend, as good a master and as
good a man as the good old city knew . . . It was always said of him he
knew how to keep Christmas well." And so as Tiny Tim
observed, God bless us Every One.
http://www.shelleyfreydont.com |
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Kate
Huntington
by
Deb Hosey
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Click for Review
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Holiday
Inn_ with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, absolutely, is my favorite
Christmas movie. It came out in black and white in the late forties, and
Bing Crosby's love interest wore these short, saucy, high-heeled boots
with fur around the cuffs, just like the ones my mother
wore when I was a child and she was all dressed up for Christmas Mass.
There were so many good songs launched in that show -- "White Christmas,"
"I've Got Plenty To Be Thankful For," etc.
Plus, you had Fred Astaire dancing all over the place in a tux.
Yum. It's not Christmas if I don't get my Holiday Inn fix in the
original black and white version, thank you very much, Mr. Turner!
Personally,
I love old black and white movies, and I'm almost always disappointed in
the colorized versions. When I was young, I used to employ my
imagination to "color" in the costumes. I'll see an evening
gown in some hideous shade of flamingo pink in a new version, and I'll
think, "that looked much better in turquoise with crystal
beads," which is the way I envisioned it when I saw the
black-and-white version.
Kate
Huntington
http://www.theromanceclub.com/authors/katehuntington/default.htm
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Debbie
Macomber
by
Charlene Paus McConnell |
Click for Review
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Anyone who’s followed my career
has probably guessed by now that I’m a Christmas person.
For the last ten years I’ve written a special Christmas book
each year. It only stands to
reason that I enjoy Christmas movies.
Choosing a favorite is almost impossible.
I think my fascination with angels started with THE BISHOP’S
WIFE, starring David Niven and Loretta Young as a young bishop and his
wife. Cary Grant plays the
role of the angel, and what an incredible role it is.
From what I understand, the movie was remade recently starring
Denzel Washington, but I urge everyone to see the original to get into
the Christmas spirit.
There’s a beautiful lesson in
this movie to remember what’s really important about the holiday
season. THE BISHOP’S WIFE
reminds me that all too often I tend to get caught up in the urgency of
the season, cramming in as much as I possibly can.
I keep thinking about everything that needs to be done and all
the people I hope to see and places I want to go if only there were
enough hours in the day. This
movie’s gentle message helps me remember what’s really important in
the season and the reason we celebrate it.
http://www.debbiemacomber.com
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Gail
Gaymer Martin
by
Melissa Fowler |
Click for Review
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| Answer to the question on
favorite holiday movie - My favorite holiday movie is Miracle on
Thirty-Fourth Street - the original version with Monty
Wooley, Natalie Wood, and Maureen O'Sullivan. Nothing captures the
amazing joy of Christmas as this movie. It demonstrates the power of
faith. As the Bible says, we are blessed when with have the
unyielding faith of a child.
Gail Gaymer Martin
http://www.gailmartin.com/
THE CHRISTMAS KITE (November, 2003)
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Karyn Monk
by
Melissa Fowler |
Click for Review
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| Christmas just wouldn't be
Christmas for me without seeing A Charlie Brown Christmas at least once.
I can remember when I was a little girl, my two brothers and I would
wait impatiently for days for it to be on television, sometimes pleading
with my mother for permission to stay up late if it happened to be on
past our bedtime. We never tired of its gentle reminder about the
meaning of Christmas and its wonderfully jazzy music...and once we had
watched it, we knew the Christmas season had really begun!
Now that I have my own small children, I love
snuggling with them on the sofa and watching them be delighted by the
movie's simple animation and its sweet, timeless message. And the music
remains as wonderful and moving to me now as it did then--it is the
first CD we play as we begin to decorate our Christmas tree, officially
heralding the happy beginning of Christmas.
Karyn Monk
http://www.karynmonk.com
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Melissa McClone
by
Barb Deane |
Click for Review
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| I thought this would be an
easy question to answer. What
else could my favorite holiday movie be, but It's A Wonderful Life? I
have references to it in my latest book and can't imagine a Christmas
without watching it. But the
more I thought about it, the more uncertain I felt.
I ran through the litany of other holiday movies I enjoy:
Borrowed Hearts, The Bells of Saint Mary's, The Bishop's Wife,
Miracle on Twenty-fourth Street. And
then it hit me. My all-time
favorite holiday movie is Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.
Holiday Inn doesn't have the message and sentiment
of It's A Wonderful Life but when Marjorie Reynolds sees the pipe at the
end it always brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.
Gotta love a holiday movie with romance! Sure the movie's dated
and the blackface routine offensive by today's standards, but it's still
an enjoyable, feel-good musical, songs courtesy of Irving Berlin.
It's
the film where Bing sang White Christmas for the first time, and Fred Astaire
does an amazing 4th of July dance number with fireworks.
Just thinking about the times my family watched it together with
snow falling outside and a fire crackling inside makes me feel all warm
and fuzzy. I can't wait to
share the movie with my
children and make it one of our Christmastime traditions.
Thanks
for including me,
Melissa
McClone
http://www.melissamcclone.com/
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Marta Perry
by
Wanda Augustine |
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| My all time favorite Christmas movie is just about any version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." I first met the story in a book my mother gave me when I was about eight. I never get tired of it, even when I can say all the lines with the actors! The theme is so real, and the story touches my heart every time. Our local theater group does a version of the story every December, and I go to see it, too!
Happy Holidays,
Marta Perry
http://www.martaperry.com/ |
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Jane Porter
by
Debora Hosey |
Click for Review
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My all-time favorite holiday
movie is the musical, "White Christmas", starring Bing Crosby,
Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney. I've always loved the old
musicals, and White Christmas always makes me think of my childhood in
Visalia, California, my family, and especially my parents who both loved
music. White Christmas makes me nostalgic for the wonderful
holidays we had before my father died. Dad was really the Spirit
of Christmas and he loved the holidays. Every year he earmarked
his December paycheck (he was a college teacher) for Christmas presents,
ornaments and decorations and I just hope I can give my own children the
same love of life, and passion for family and friends, that my father
gave me. And that's probably why I like "White
Christmas" so much. The film has great songs and gorgeous
costumes and sets, but its also about taking care of those you love, and
helping others when they need you.
Jane
http://www.janeporter.com
The Latin Lover's Secret Child (Nov)
The Spaniard's Passion (Dec HP)
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Roxanne
Rustand
by
Cynthia Cooper |
Click for Review
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By
far, my family's favorite Christmas movie is The Christmas Story--the
movie about little Ralphie's quest for
a BB gun. We watch it over and over, every single year, because
we love the witty voice-overs, the humor, and
adore the wonderful sense of
place, during a time
when life was so much more simple. During
the year, we even find
ourselves quoting lines to each other.
Trains,
Planes and Automobiles is the other one we watch every year, but Ralphie
and his BB gun still win, hands down!
I
look forward to seeing the review of Christmas at Shadow Creek, and I am
so happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
Roxanne
11/03
CHRISTMAS AT SHADOW CREEK (Birth Place series #3) Superromance
2/04 OPERATION:
SECOND CHANCE (Special
Agents #3) Superromance
9/04 OPERATION:
TEXAS
(Special Agents #4) Superromance
http://www.roxannerustand.com
http://www.ditzychix.com
http:/www.BooksByRustand.com
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Mariah Stewart
by
Livia Holton |
Click for Review
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| Although I do love It's a
Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, I also love the Muppet's
Christmas, and the Muppet's Christmas Carol. But my very favorite
Christmas movie was made-for-tv and was only shown one year (as far as I
know). It's The Christmas Toy, and it's just wonderful.
I watched it with my daughters that first year, and when it never
ran again, we searched until we found it on video. It's the movie we
can't wait to watch each year. The girls are 19 and 21 now - both in
college - but it's part of our tradition. Every year, on Christmas Eve,
we give them special Christmas jammies (you wouldn't believe the uproar
the year I oh-so- wrongly assumed they were too old for Christmas
jammies!), and we take an hour or so to watch The Christmas Toy
together. This movie had wonderful characters - Rugby Tiger, who had
been Jaimie's special Christmas present last year, Apple the doll,
who had been Jaimie's Christmas toy the year before, and Meteora, who is
under the tree in a beautifully wrapped box destined to be this years
special present. There's even a cat toy named Meuw, who is shunned
because he smells like, well, like a cat toy ("Catnip," he
explains when the people toys turn their noses up at him. "Just
catnip..."). We laugh and we get teary-eyed every year
watching this one. I think I may have to find that video early this
year...
Mariah Stewart
http://www.geocities.com/mariahstewart/ |
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