Showing posts with label Star Wars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Wars. Show all posts

5/04/2018

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.







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.


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DO YOU HAVE A STAR WARS MEMORY?

1/06/2017

A Tribute to Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds from the Crew!


Let's face it, 2016 was brutal. Besides having to endure a never-ending, divisive election campaign, we also lost so many great actors and other public figures. I dare you to look up the 2016 celebrity deaths timeline this year—it is staggering. It will also make you cry.  In fact, 2016 was so bad, the media is calling it the year of celebrity deaths.

It all started last January with David Bowie and Alan Rickman. The mid-year brought the Prince shocker along with many more celebrities including Gene Wilder. 2016 ended with the deadliest December ever, which included Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds.


Debbie and Carrie had a tumultuous relationship until they didn't.
We honor the passing of all our celebrity heroes at Get Lost in a Story, but would like to pay a special tribute to Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Each of us have a favorite book or movie of theirs to share with our readers, and we encourage all of you to post your favorites in the comments section.

Carrie never liked her Princess Leia hair.
She called them space buns.

A few words about Princess Leia…I mean Carrie. 

One of Carrie's younger sisters had this say about her in a recent interview. "We had the coolest, badass, gun-toting sister in the world." What I loved most about Carrie Fisher was her honesty and humor, but she was also a kick-ass princess hero and powerful spirit. I loved her as Princess Leia in Star Wars, but I loved her books even more. I particularly loved her up and down relationship with her mother—I could relate, sigh. Mothers and daughters can be complicated, right? In fact, Carrie and Debbie were estranged for a decade before becoming so close they lived next door to each other. And if you've never read Carrie's books—do so—now! We all spark to different people in our lives, there's just something about this funny, complicated woman that will always be with me.  —Jillian Stone
~ ~ ~
"All about a Mississippi gal who taught a sophisticated bachelor about Love."
(Universal CinemaScope-1957)
~Tammy and the Bachelor

One of my favorite movies is Debbie Reynolds in the 1957 movie, " Tammy and the Bachelor." (What a great year that was in many ways!)

Featured opposite of Ms.Debbie, is a handsome Leslie Nielsen and the cantankerous old grandfather played by Walter Brennan whom she lives with in a houseboat along the river in Louisiana. I love the colorful, eccentric variety of characters and the circumstances that bring them all together and how they have to flex and change to ultimately create their happily ever after. Not to mention the lovely Debbie singing, "Tammy's in Love" ~the innocence and purity of the discovery of love amid all the obstacles it must face is the stuff of great romantic storytelling! If you've not seen it, I encourage you to take a few moments and enjoy a story that reminds us that kindness, acceptance, and faith are part of our DNA, oft times shoved under the rug as archaic ideas. Not to this author~ thanks for the reminder, Ms. Debbie. ~Amanda McIntyre
~ ~ ~
The deaths of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds were particularly poignant for me and my mother. We're the same ages. These two stars were women of our eras.

Debbie Reynolds played many wonderful roles in the grand old MGM films. It's hard to name a favorite. The Unsinkable Molly Brown in some ways mirrors her loss of innocence and rags-to-riches rise to fame, as well as her spirit of determination. Debbie gave her all in this role and got an Oscar nomination (but lost to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins. Here's a clip of her singing, "Belly Up To The Bar Boys."

I'm a big Star Wars fan and have always enjoyed the intelligence and toughness that Carrie brought to the role of Princess Leia. But here's one of my favorite scenes with Carrie, a brief one she has in The Blues Brothers with John Belushi. It always makes me laugh. ~E.E. Burke

~ ~ ~
I loved Carrie as Lea in Star Wars but I thought to share my favorite Debbie Reynolds’ movie: How the West Was Won. In “the Plains” segment, she plays Lilith, who chooses to go to St. Louis, where she finds work performing in a dance hall. We get to hear her sing as she attracts the attention of professional gambler Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck) 

After overhearing that she has just inherited a gold mine, to avoid paying his debts Cleve tries to court her. But she isn’t interested. When she discovers her mine is worthless, Lilith returns to work as a singer, first in a dance hall and later, in the music salon of a riverboat. By chance, Cleve is a passenger. When he hears Lilith's voice, he leaves the poker table (and a winning hand) to propose to her. This time, she accepts his proposal. How could she turn away Gregory Peck? ~Regan Walker
~ ~ ~
It is so hard to lose the stars that we watched grow up or grow old. But at least we can go back and catch them in their glory years. 
Since I spend years on stage, singing and dancing, my absolute favorite Debbie Reynolds movie was Singin' in the Rain. (With Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor--love the choreography!) And my morning radio station used to have callers sing along with the broadcasters the Good Morning song. ~Nan Dixon
~ ~ ~
I was lucky enough to catch Debbie Reynold's show in her Las Vegas casino back in the day, and she was more brilliantly hilarious than I could ever have imagined. There are so many moments I could choose as a favourite memory, but I'm going with These Old Broads - partly because Carrie Fisher wrote the movie for her, and partly because it not only stars Debbie Reynolds, Shirley MacLaine and Joan Collins, but also Elizabeth Taylor as a Hollywood agent who once stole Debbie Reynolds's character's husband. 

The movie is about three former Hollywood stars who must overcome their dislike of each other to reunite for a TV special when their old 1960s musical is re-released. Here's the closing number of the movie... ~Avril Tremayne
~ ~ ~
All of the above. Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher are long-time favorites of mine. As Jillian stated, I totally get the up/down relationship with her mother. I'm delusional if I think I can choose just one character they've portrayed over another. I particularly enjoyed Debbie's cameos in several fun films like CONNIE & CARLA.  People.com shared this photo which is particularly touching.

shared on: http://people.com/movies/carrie-fisher-watching-debbie-reynolds-on-stage-photo-story-photographer-lawrence-schiller/
LAWRENCE SCHILLER/COPYRIGHT POLARIS COMMUNICATIONS INC.

I've read so many tributes over the past week and discovered so much trivia about their roles. Did you know that Debbie was a gymnast and not a dancer? After landing the role in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, Fred Astair gave her dance lessons on the movie lot when she wasn't filming. ~Angi Morgan

One of my very favorite Carrie Fisher moments is short, silly, and relatively recent, but it made me fall in love with her ability to laugh at herself and the world and just have fun.  This is Carrie in a cameo on the Big Bang Theory and what was so cool about this is that it was literally the first time she and James Earl Jones had ever met. On the set of Star Wars, JEJ was in a sound booth recording Darth Vader's voice and never appeared on film. In an interview he said it was "very sweet" to finally meet her!  ~Lizbeth Selvig






~ ~ ~
Have a favorite Carrie Fisher or Debbie Reynolds movie to share with us? Please comment while enjoying this little snippet of song:


12/18/2015

Get Lost in THIS LOVE OF MINE with Miranda Liasson

Help me welcome another of my Golden Heart sisters to the crew!  This is Miranda Liasson.  She and I were finalists together in 2013 - the Lucky13s.  And she was won!  It was her debut --THIS THING CALLED LOVE--Book 1 in the Mirror Lake series.  Her great cover is below.

Don't forget to comment for a chance to win Book 2 in her Mirror Lake series.  MIRANDA WILL KEEP THE DRAWING OPEN THROUGH SUNDAY!

Meet Miranda Liasson
Miranda Liasson loves to write stories about courageous but flawed characters who find love despite themselves, because there’s nothing like a great love story. And if there are a few laughs along the way, even better! She’s a former Golden Heart winner who writes lighthearted contemporary romance for Montlake Publishing and also writes series romance for Entangled Publishing. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, three kids, and Posey, a rescue cat with attitude.



Let's talk about the second book in the Mirror Lake series THIS LOVE OF MINE.

The Story Blurb

Bridal shop owner Meg Halloran spends her days making other women’s wedding dreams come true—and her nights dreaming of her childhood crush, hometown heartthrob Dr. Benjamin Rushford. After a lifetime of wearing her heart on her sleeve, she’s done waiting. Meg’s ready to find love, with or without him. Moving on feels right—until Ben pops an unexpected question.
To win the open ER position in Mirror Lake, Ben has to convince the board that he’s settled and ready to put down roots. His latest stroke of genius? Asking Meg, the local good girl, to be his pretend girlfriend. With her by his side, he’s a shoo-in for the job. But he’s in over his head because, as much as he tries to deny it, Meg tempts him. And if she learns the truth about a secret that has shadowed and shaped his life, will she ever be able to forgive him?

Ooooh - sounds delicious!

READ A LITTLE, BUY THE BOOK
“I can’t dance,” she blurted. It was a trauma from her teenage years, when her prom date had gone so far as to mock her, saying dancing was an indication of how sexual a person was and she was clearly frigid. After that slap down, she’d never set a toe out on any dance floor ever again.
“Everyone can dance.” Ben said it as easily as if he’d said everyone eats or everyone farts. “It’s terrific stress relief. Just fake it.” 
How far did she have to go to spell this out? She planted her feet and stood her ground. “You don’t understand. I was a wallflower in high school. I never danced. I only dance at home under the most private of circumstances.” And even then her cats tended to hide under the bed. “I’m completely missing the dancing gene. I suck. A klutz. I’ll totally embarrass—”
He laughed.
She almost stomped a foot, for lack of any other way to get him to listen. “Did you hear what I just said?”
Before she could finish her sentence, he grabbed her by the hand and strode out to the dance floor with her in tow.
“I don’t expect this night could get any worse than it is now. Just follow me.”
Before she could protest, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her securely. Under any other circumstance, she would have thought she’d died and gone to heaven. But as it was, her hell was only just beginning.
“What possessed you to tell them we’re taking ballroom dance lessons?”
He spun her around and caught her expertly. As if she weren’t dizzy enough from his nearness, his hot body, and dammit, his amazing dance moves. She managed to calm down enough to look him in the eye.
He was still smiling. Not just any old smile, either. One that was big and wide and reached all the way to his eyes. It was a tragedy. Because it said, with every bit of its radiance, that beyond a doubt, Ben Rushford loved to dance. Little crinkles surrounded the corners of his eyes, giving him a mature, sexy look that made Meg want to settle her hands on his cheeks and pull him closer and kiss those lines and every other blessed part of his too-handsome face.
“Stop worrying so much,” he said, boogying down to the beat. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”
“No, but I know what I’m about to do. Embarrass us both on this dance floor.”
He shook her gently. She loved the feel of his hands on her, firm and sure. Hands that knew exactly what they were doing. And she wanted them roaming over every other part of her body right now.
“Meggie, you saved my ass. You reassured Donaldson. You showed you love our town. In other words, you made me look good and I’m so grateful to you for that.”
She scanned his eyes. They held honesty and sincerity in their chocolate-colored depths. And something more. A desire to make her feel better, to take away her discomfort. That unabashedly touched her more than any compliment he could give her. Before she could process all that, the music tempo changed to a hot Havana beat.
“Okay, baby, here we go. Hold on tight!” Ben’s face lit up with clear glee as he spun and twirled, tipped and swayed, keeping a hard and fast grip on her at all times.
He put his hands on her hips and had her mimic his own movements.
Terror threatened to freeze her limbs but she couldn’t not do . . . something. Maybe it was the fact that she felt responsible for doing whatever she could to help him get this job. But maybe it was the look of pure joy on Ben’s face that mesmerized her, made her feel giddy and . . . happy. Yes, happy in a way that made her throw herself into the dancing with reckless abandon for the first time in her life. She shook, she shimmied, she did wild and crazy things like swung and swayed and twisted. The disastrous evening seemed far away, and she was enveloped in Ben’s smile, his confident touch, and his cocky swagger as he clearly loved every move.
He drew her near and said into her ear, “Hang on for the finale, sweetheart.” Before she could respond, he pushed her until she flew away from him, then when their arms were fully outstretched and they were holding on only by their fingertips, he reeled her slowly back in until their bodies were touching, hips swaying together in a rhythm fueled by the erotic beat of the music.
As he flung her out one final time, she lost balance a little and cast out an arm to compensate. She stumbled, clutching at him to avoid falling. That was when she heard the rip.
The first sensation was relief—she could finally breathe. But that was followed quickly by terror as she realized the entire seam along the backside of her dress had ripped wide open, and the entire restaurant was about to catch a full and unobstructed view of her ass.
She spun and backed up against Ben’s body, plastering herself flat against him.
“Wow, Meggie,” Ben said as she ground into his crotch. “I never realized dancing got you so hot.”
She twisted her neck around far enough to send him the stink eye. Then she clutched at him for dear life.
“Do not move away from me,” she managed.
“Sure, no problem. Are you . . . flirting with me? Because if you are, I’m all in.” As she pushed against him, he wrapped his hands around her upper arms, a move which normally would have caused goose bumps to course up and down their lengths.
She scootched up against his chest and put her mouth near his ear. “Listen to me carefully. I’m only going to say this once. I am not flirting with you. My dress tore and . . .”
He stilled suddenly. “And what?” he asked.
“And I always wear undies. I never go anywhere without them. Except maybe for today.”
You had me laughing out loud!!  I want more!  
BUY IT AMAZON 

A LIGHTING ROUND OF Q&A WITH MIRANDA LIASSON

NAN: How often do you get lost in a story?

MIRANDA: I have been getting lost in stories since I was old enough to read. My mom used to take me to the library in our small town often, and the head librarian there was very kind and patient. She was always making suggestions about good books and holding books for me, and exposed me to many wonderful books I never would have read. She looked out for me! I read everything, from fairy tales to literary classics to every beat-up Barbara Cartland paperback I could get my hands on.
How wonderful!

NAN:     What’s your favorite movie of all time?

MIRANDA:   The summer of 1980, The Empire Strikes Back came out. I was a teenager, working at a gas station, filling up cars (yes, before self serve!), washing windshields, and checking oil. I was also suffering a broken heart. I saw Empire with my girlfriends and found myself so captivated with Leia and Han Solo, I saw the movie three more times that summer (twice by myself!) Oh, the power of a handsome scoundrel! Leia was a kick-butt woman character—I mean, she was a kick-butt Princess, how much better can that get! who could dish it out to Han as fast as he could dish it back—and they had chemistry out the wazoo.  
And that kiss! That wonderful, amazing scene where he says There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life and she says I happen to like nice men and he says I’m a nice man and then she says No, you’re not. I imbibed that! Totally lapped it up and came back for more.  




You must be excited that the next Star Wars is bringing back Hans!

  NAN:     Is writing or story-telling easier for you?

MIRANDA:   I seem to think the best on paper. Ask me to actually tell a story or a joke out loud and I’m sunk. Weird, huh?
Me too.

NAN:    What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

MIRANDA:   I love smart, sassy heroines and guys who have a heart of gold that maybe can’t be seen immediately because they’re dealing with other problems. But once they get over their issues, they are true blue honest-to-goodness fabulous guys who love with all their heart.
Nice.

NAN:     What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?


MIRANDA:   My mother was Polish American and she passed down to us the tradition of Polish Christmas Eve. Originally, we’re told there were twelve courses, one for each apostle. But we “only” have eight. It’s an elaborate affair with many traditional foods that we’ve kept intact. The meal begins with whiskey shots! The first year I brought my now-husband to dinner, he was shocked, because even the littlest of the kids gets a taste! (Talk about corrupting kids early :)
 It’s kind of amazing, because my mother is gone, my brother and sister-in-law’s kids are grown and some of them married, and our spouses from different backgrounds but we all gather every year and make and embrace this amazing meal. My mom would be so proud. It’s a lot of work!
One thing we don’t do is put hay on the table. My mom said that when she was a little kid, the table caught fire! Yikes!
Sounds fabulous!!  (Everything except the whiskey shots!)

NAN'S GOTTA ASK:   What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?

MIRANDA'S  GOTTA ANSWER:   Thank you! This is the first year I’ve been published, and I’ve had three books release. I really appreciate the support and kind comments!
Ahhh - that's lovely.

FIND MIRANDA LIASSON:
Miranda loves to hear from readers! Find her at:
Contact: mirandaliasson@gmail.com
Twitter: @mirandaliasson

MIRANDA WANTS TO KNOW--Did a movie or book impact you like The Empire Strikes Back affected me? Please share!

COMMENTERS -- MIRANDA  is giving away a signed copy of This Love of Mine (North America only).