Moving and THE MOVIE GAME

My husband and I are leaving Calgary this Friday, July 26, and heading for Hamilton, Ontario. We're both looking forward to our return to Ontario and to discovering a new city.

Therefore, I won't be on the computer very much over the next two weeks, so I'll provide the answer to last week's rendition of "The Movie Game" now.

The movie was To Kill a Mockingbird. That's a young, blond Robert Duvall playing "Boo Radley."

Happy trails!

RED2 Does Not Disappoint

Went to see RED2 tonight with my husband and my daughter, and the theatre was so full on an early Tuesday evening that we had to break up into single seats.

Some movie sequels are disappointing, but not this one. The plot leap-frogs from one country to another, the characters are bizarre but still grappling with relationship issues that we all face - be it with old friends or new lovers - there's lots of comedy, and some jaw-dropping action moments. I gasped out loud during one action sequence when a car being pursued at top speed by some bad guys drops back alongside a truck and then drives underneath it to come up behind them. Whoo hoo! Adrenaline-pumping fun. Never saw so many credits at the end of a movie for stunt people before.

I highly recommend that you go see this one for some hot summer movie thrills.

Starring Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zetta-Jones, Byun-hun Lee, and David Thewlis.

And one other fascinating fact. Cineplex is showing a commercial for "Urban Planet" this summer that features two young models. The young man in the ad is none other than my nephew, Wynston Shannon! It's not every day that you can go to the movies and see a relative up on the big screen. Here's the link to the commercial on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Lyx2EITtU.

Two Movies I'm Looking Forward To - Yippee!

Coming out November 1 . . . .

 Last Vegas

Four old friends - Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, and Morgan Freeman - get together for a bachelor's party in Las Vegas. What a cast!

"Let's party like it's 1959!"

 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204975/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

 Coming out September 27 (in the UK) . . . .

 Austenland 

A woman (Keri Russell) obsessed with Jane Austen's novels visits the quintessential Jane Austen theme park looking for romance. Austen snobbery abounds! Also starring Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Seymour, I think I'm going to find some new British actors to admire.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1985019/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

THE MOVIE GAME, July 19, 2013

This week's movie game is rededicated to Kate Spencer, 

who didn't like last week's selection. See if you can guess this. 

Send your response by the "Contact Cathy" app to the right of this post and 

win a copy of Small Tales Twin-Packs, Mysteries for the correct answer. 

Good luck!

Last week's movie is Confessions of a Shopaholic.

 

RED2

I'm so looking forward to RED2. Helen Mirren is such a badass. Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich; who could ask for anything more?

Here's a link to a preview/interview.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821694/?ref_=hm_3p_vi2#lb-vi4142967065

Interview on BookLOADS

I'm one of the authors being interviewed by "BookLOADS" for the month of July.
Please check it out at http://bookloads.weebly.com/july.html. 

Happy summer reading, everyone!

THE MOVIE GAME, July 12, 2013

Okay, this week's movie is dedicated to Kate Spencer. This movie was based upon a book. Send your guess via the "Contact Cathy" link to the right and win a copy of my short story collection, Tall Tales Twin-Pack, Mysteries," 

if you guess right. Here's the picture.

Here's the answer to last week's contest.

Auntie Mame (with the fabulous Rosalind Russell)

Anton Yelchin and CHARLIE BARTLETT

Last night I watched the movie, Charlie Bartlett, on DVD, and it wasn't until the film credits rolled that I realized the young actor playing Charlie was Anton Yelchin, who plays "Chekov" in the new Star Trek movies.  Yelchin is adorable as Chekov with his extreme youth, thick Russian accent, and "can do" attitude, and he was thoroughly charming as Charlie Bartlett.

It's a strange premise for a movie.  A teenage boy with a privileged background has been thrown out of several private secondary schools, inspiring his mother to enroll him in the local public school.  Charlie getting onto a school bus wearing a jacket with a crest inscribed in Latin and carrying an attaché case reminded me of how Niles and Fraser from the popular TV series must have looked going to school as boys.  Of course, Charlie is a duck out of water and a prime candidate for a beating from the school bully.  But Charlie just aspires to be popular, and he finds that by selling prescription drugs and playing father confessor to school mates with emotional problems.  He also fancies a cool young lady who happens to be the daughter of the school principal, deftly played by Robert Downey Jr., interjecting both romance and conflict into the story.

The movie was released in 2007 and apparently a lot of it was filmed in Toronto, standing in for L.A., if I remember correctly.  I borrowed the DVD from the library; if you can get your hands on a copy or watch it online, I strongly recommend it.

Enjoy!

THE MOVIE GAME, July 5, 2013

OK, today's movie is a little harder to guess.  

Remember, it was made from a book.  Please send your guess by the "Contact Cathy" app to the right of this post and win a free copy of my e-book short story collection, Tall Tales Twin-Pack, Mysteries, if you guess right.

 

Here's the answer to last week's post.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Great Summer Reading for Half the Price from Books We Love

Books We Love is having a huge sale of all its e-books, including those by yours truly, at Smashwords for the month of July. The great thing about Smashwords is that they format books for all e-readers, plus you can choose to read the books online or download a pdf.  Just click on this link, find the books you want to buy, and you'll be given a coupon code to use for half-off the price when you check out.  Just in time for great summer reading!

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bookswelove

Sneak Peek Sunday, THE MARRIAGE MARKET

It's a "Sneak Peek Sunday" excerpt from my regency romance novel, The Marriage Market.

  "After a time the light began to fade, and Wovington set his documents aside.  He had been concentrating on his work so heavily that he had forgotten about Victoria.  Glancing at her now, he saw that she had fallen asleep.  He eased the papers back into his case and tucked it under the bench before stretching out his cramped legs.  The evening had grown quite chilly, and he fastened his coat up to his throat.  He noticed that the blanket had slipped from Victoria’s waist, and pulled it back over her lap, tucking it carefully around her.  In the stillness of the carriage, he could hear Victoria’s soft breathing and smell her light floral scent. 

 

   He turned sideways to study her peaceful face.  He had not been alone with Victoria since business had taken him away from Bath before her engagement to David.  While away, he had decided that he was more in love with Victoria than with any other woman he had ever known, and had come back determined to woo and win her.  How shocked he had been to discover that he was too late; that his good friend had already captured Victoria’s heart.  Out of loyalty to David, he had tried to shut away his feelings and replace them with brotherly affection, but he found it less painful to avoid Victoria’s company whenever possible.  Today was an aberration, but he had intended to form a barrier between them with a briefcase of legal papers and meaningless chatter.  He had not anticipated this intimacy.  

   She had removed her bonnet and a curl had worked its way loose from the others.  He reached toward it, hesitated, and then picked up the strand between his thumb and forefinger.  He caressed its softness and brushed it away from her face as he had seen David do just a few hours before.  Her skin felt soft and warm to his touch.  He watched her in the fading light, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, her lashes brushing rosy cheeks.  He leaned toward her, feeling the warmth of her breath upon his face.  Victoria sighed in her sleep.  Pausing for a long moment above her, the last of his resistance crumbled.  Bracing one hand on the wall behind her head, Wovington lowered his face and kissed her tenderly upon the mouth.

   Victoria dreamt that she was under the fir tree in the garden with David again.  The air was cool, but she was warm in his arms.  He kissed her.  She wrapped her arms around him and returned his kiss, her body swaying with the motion of the carriage.  Sudden realization flooded her mind.  She was not in the garden with David.  She was in the chaise headed home to Eston House, and the man kissing her was not her husband!  Her eyes flew open and she arched back into the seat with a gasp.  Bracing her palms against Wovington’s shoulders, she pushed him away with all her strength.  He fell into a corner of the seat and remained there, immobile in the shadows.  Neither said anything for a shocked moment.  Only their ragged breathing was audible.

   Regaining her ability to speak, Victoria said, 'Mr. Wovington, are you mad?'"

The Marriage Market, published by "Books We Love," is available as an e-book from Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other e-book retailers.  Smashwords also publishes a version that can be read online or as a PDF if you don't own an e-reader.