May the FOURTH be with you!

Whether you're a Star Wars fan or not, you're probably familiar that May the 4th is Star Wars Day. That's when social media gets to post crazy memes and fans (like me) take pride in sharing. Not familiar with the Star Wars movies? Are you like one of my physical therapist assistants and have never seen one of the flicks? Wow and sad face. When the original movie (A NEW HOPE) premiered I was one of the few people in my group that had a car and could drive. I stood in line a long time (no multiplex theaters), Gas was inching up in price so if you rode, you contributed to the fifteen mile drive to the ONLY theater where it was showing. I know I saw the original movie (in theater) as many times as their were weeks in the summer. Yep. That was me. I hope you a have a wonderful day (and weekend) and yes, I have to say it...May the Fourth be with you!

Taking advantage of this day in pop culture history, I asked the Crew to share a Star Wars memory--good or bad. So I'll start...

ANGI MORGAN
I've seen the original three movies more than I can count. But I still remember the very first time I saw the space ship appear in the very first scene.  It kept going and going and going. I got goosebumps. So of course by the time I had kids, I wanted to share it. Just wasn't the same watching on a small screen television off a video tape (which took years) but we did it anyway.  So...a funny memory related to Star Wars:

My son had everything Star Wars, toys, pajamas, figurines, models, and books. And in 1983 books came with read-along tapes. My son listened to his tapes all the time. One night at my parents, he was ready for bed and told my dad he'd read the story to him. AND HE DID. My dad was so amazed. I mean REALLY amazed. He thought my kid was brilliant...right up to the middle of the book when my son said, "BEEP. Time to turn the tape over."  Yeah, my son was smart, but he'd only memorized the tape. My dad laughed about that for years and years. I can still hear him laughing until he had tears in his eyes.

May the Fourth be with you!

Now for the commercial...  Have you pre-ordered RANGER GUARDIAN yet? Out in stores mid-June and available for download July 1st. Don't miss book 3 in the Texas Brothers of Company B series.

Amazon | B&N | Google | iBooks | Kobo

LIZBETH SELVIG

I'm old enough that I was out of high school and ready to graduate from college when the first Star Wars movie (Episode 4) came out in 1977. I went to see it in the theater with my husband and sis-in-law, and we were mesmerized right along with everyone else. I will never forget the scene where all the young rebels are going after the Death Star, trying to get that shot down the tiny shaft. When Han Solo and the Millenium Falcon showed up to save the day, nobody at that time had seen the movie or expected Han's return. Literally every person in that theater stood straight up and cheered--as loudly as anyone ever cheers for a sporting event. I still remember my goosebumps! Nowadays my kids are the Star Wars experts. They think they own the geekiness of being a SW fan--but I know differently. I was there at the very start! And it was a magical ride.




I don't write Star Wars but my two most recent books are adventures in their own rights. Check out Missing By a Heartbeat and pre-order Wild Deadwood Tales containing my short story "Gotta Have Faith" at your favorite retailers!

NANCY ROBARDS THOMPSON

This may be an unpopular confession, but I’m rather blasé about Star Wars. Yep. I am. I know! I know! I can hear some of you gasping and muttering behind your hands, What’s wrong with her?? Rest assured, I don’t hate the Star Wars franchise. They're great stories. They just don't strike the same chord with me that they do in others. I don’t get jump-up-and-down excited when the newest installment hits the big screen. Having said that, I usually see the movies…eventually…when my husband or daughter drags me to see them…and I always find them enjoyable enough. So, in that spirit, May the Fourth be with you. Is that how you say it?

P.S. While Star Wars isn't exactly my thing, romance is. If you're looking for a fun secret crush/ rivals to lovers story, please check out my latest release, MADDIE FORTUNE'S PERFECT MAN. It's part of Harlequin's best-loved Fortunes of Texas series (and my 3oth book for Harlequin). If you haven't read any of the Fortunes stories, never fear, all books stand alone. This would be the perfect place to jump in.

                    Amazon | B&N | Google | iBooks | Kobo

E.E. BURKE
My favorite scene in Star Wars is where Leia tells Han she loves him. He has the best reply ever.

I just LOVE Han Solo. He has all the makings of a romance hero. Who are some of your favorite hero figures from movies or books?

My latest hero is a wise-cracking blind man with a dog named Bear. Hank Donovan has a rather unconventional romance with the local madam in JOLIE, one of the Brides of Noelle books. You can check it out at my website, along with my latest project: www.eeburke.com

May the Fourth Be With You!

AMANDA McINTYRE

Confession. Serious Star Wars geek. So much so that stood in line with friends three hours before the theater opened the day of its release. I can remember thinking it was the most amazing cinematography I'd ever seen. But SW geekdom was not limited to simple movie madness. Heck, no. Why not make it a part of your wedding?

Picture an August evening. A beautiful Iowa sunset. A grand pipe organ at the back of the historic catholic church in a the peaceful rural farm town...and a musician who knows his way around a pipe organ!!

Our recessional (he cranked up the volume on that pipe organ!) )  was the music from the original S.W. Final /Throne Room scene, which btw, makes for a very nice wedding recessional! Here is the you-tube of the music. #starwarsgeeksforever

Star Wars opened up our imaginations, once again proving that love (be it for family, hero, heroine, friends, or even strangers) will always find a way!

You can find my contemporary western and historical at: http://bit.ly/AmandasAuthorPage
May the Fourth be with you!

NAN DIXON 
My favorite memories are renting the movies and having a weekend Star Wars marathon. We would buy two dozen tacos, nachos grande and cinnamon twists and have a picnic in the family room. (It takes a lot of food to feed 5 athletic kids.) No pop--they had to drink milk. And at least one child would snuggle up or even fall asleep.  Great memories!  

Maybe it's because of all my family memories that I create families in my stories. And in my latest Fitzgerald House release, I introduce a secret half-sister. (It was really fun.) You can check out TO CATCH A THIEF  and read about the entire series on my website.

KATHERINE GARBERA 

I think I fell in love with Star Wars when I saw the very first commercial for the movie as an eight-year-old.  I didn’t know what was going to happen in the movie at all but it looked like a fun adventure with a scary bad guy.  I made sure to sit by my dad when we got to the theatre (I have two sisters so this took some planning!) and then the movie started and I was swept away into a world that I have never forgotten.  My mom was very strict about our time when we were younger and allowed only one half hour of television a day so my sisters and I would spent most of our time outside playing different movies or books that we loved.  And Star Wars dominated our playtime that summer.  Of course my middle sister who likes to cause trouble was always Darth Vadar—she volunteered! My youngest sister and I were the Princesses Leia and her sister and we would fight against Darth Vadar all day and then sometimes escape the Death Star that mom had made for us out of sheets drying on the clothes line.   I still love the Star Wars universe and look forward to each new foray into that world that film makers and novelists make though none of the stories are as exciting as our acting it out on those long summer days back in 1978. 

 

Coming August 2018

from Harlequin Books 

& Katherine Garbera

PJ FIALA 
I've seen all of the Star Wars movies. Not always the day they come out, but soon after. As a writer, even though I don't right science fiction, I still live mostly in a fantasy world. So, Star Wars fits right in with that fantasy. Add in a husband and children who love fantasy and we've got a great recipe for family fun. 

Star Wars has it all in terms of what people want to see. 
The good will save the world, even though it isn't easy - check. 
Family drama - check. Who can forget the words, "Luke, I am your father."
Sibling rivalry - check.
Adventure - oh yeah.
Travel - through the stars and then some.
Magical creatures - Some of the weirdest creatures ever known to man.
Leave the theater feeling like you can conquer the world? For sure!

I invite you to check out my latest release, Ford, The Bounty Hunters Book One.  And coming soon, Moving Home, book 6 in the Rolling Thunder series will be released.  Let me know your thoughts won't you?

And, May the Fourth be with you!

JILLIAN STONE
For me, the best thing about STAR WARS is Carrie Fisher aka Princess Leia. Once you get past the wacky hairstyles and strange wardrobe choices, it's really all about attitude with her. It can't be easy being Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan surrounded by all that fantasy space opera testosterone. But Carrie pulls it off—a heroine who is smart, sassy and can handle a blaster as well as the boys.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GET YOURS TODAY!

100% Profits go to the Western Sports Foundation.

HELP A REAL COWBOY !

| Amazon | iBooks |  Barnes & Noble

DO YOU HAVE A STAR WARS MEMORY?