Clinging to Christmas cheer

This past Friday was horrifying, I know. Others have shared wisdom and comfort much more eloquently that I ever could (including my friend Dr. Lisa Marotta, who offers thoughts on helping your child weather the storm of tragedy at her blog). My own form of coping is to refocus on the joy of the holidays.

First off, I wanted to thank people for their music/book/film recommendations. I'm excited to explore all your suggestions. For music, specifically, I've already added Dee Dee Chumley's recommendation of the Ware Patterson Duo's An Angel's Noel. XM radio's Holiday Pops inspired me to get Noels and Carols from the Olde World from Apollo's Fire and Joy to the World from the King's Singers. My favorite song from the latter is "What Child is This" -- you can listen to the audio on their Myspace Page, or you might check out their rendition of "Greensleeves" (same music, different lyrics):



Saturday was my crit group's annual Christmas tea at Inspirations Tea Room. It was wonderfully cheering to spend time with these amazing ladies, and you know I can't resist sharing a tea photo or two:


The tiered tray is always impressive . . .


and the company always divine!

I'm nearly done with Christmas shopping. This week I plan to buy those last few things, do some holiday baking, wrap presents, revise a short story, go ice skating with friends, and hopefully watch a few more Christmas movies. (Have already watch The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Holiday (the latter twice!).

What are your special traditions for the week leading up to Christmas? And those of you who celebrated Hanukkah -- was it wonderful? I hope so!

[Cross-posted to Livejournal]

Friday Favorites: Christmas Edition

Hooray for Christmas!

As happens every year, my joy is tinged with panic. There's the panic of shopping lists and travel plans, yes, but there's also the fear that I'll let the season slip by without savoring every moment. With that in mind, I'd like to use this space to dwell on some favorite things and hopefully get your input, as well.

Christmas Music
I've never been a fan of the pop star Christmas albums, or anything too
contemporary (with the exception of Loreena McKennit or Vince Guaraldi, if you can even call the latter contemporary). I am more drawn to Rennaissance and Baroque music, or stuff that approximates them. Here's a sampling of what I've been listening to:

Mistletoe and Wine from Mediaeval Baebes (This is sort of a contemporary/Medieval hybrid, right?)
The Baroque Christmas Album
Baroque Christmas Masques
Renaissance Holiday, from Mannheim Steamroller (but not REALLY Mannheim, according to reviews?)

As mentioned above, I also love Charlie Brown Christmas, and many years ago when I worked for an indie bookstore in Milwaukee, WI (the now defunct Audubon Court Books), I bought Noel! by the Griffith-Hanser Duo (which isn't available anymore? Wah.). So I'm wondering . . . do you have any recommendations for me?

Christmas Movies
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe--the book and movie always put me in the Christmas mood!
The Holiday--the first time I saw this one, I scoffed a little at its sentimentality. What a jerk! I adore it now. (Though I still have to look away when Jude Law is crying at the end.)
You've Got Mail--not exactly a Christmas movie, but the holiday bits are nice, aren't they?

What am I missing? I'm not a huge fan of It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, or even A Christmas Story. I respect them as beloved classics, but I never personally connected with them. I know some of you would mention Love Actually, but the Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman story is unbearable for me. And I prefer stories with a more restricted cast, anyway.

ETA: Here's an exhaustive "Roundup" of Holiday movies! I didn't know In Bruges had anything to do with Christmas--I'm not a huge Colin Farrell fan, but Bruges is one of my favorite cities, so perhaps I should check this out? Oh, and I forgot all about Bridget Jones' Diary! Love that one. And The Family Stone. I might be ready to watch The Dead again, too. What a great list!

Christmas Books
Other than the aforementioned The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I find myself at a loss. Little Women? Sort of Christmassy. I should probably read A Christmas Carol. (Performing in the play a 100 times is not the same thing.) Actually, the novel I'm reading now--the fabulous Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz--feels Christmassy because of its Dickensian orphans and villains. But what books am I forgetting? Anyone have Christmas related novels to recommend? Particularly COZY MYSTERIES? (Oooh, look at this! Seems like I've read Rhys Bowen before, but my memory is foggy . . .)

Next week: Christmas tea and baked goodies!

[Cross-posted to Livejournal]

Friday Favorites: the collateral joys of seeing HUNGER GAMES

I finally saw HUNGER GAMES this past Tuesday.

Yeah, it was great, but one thing that really thrilled me that night was finally getting to see the Prometheus trailer on the big screen. Even if this film gets the worst reviews ever I'll still be running to the theater because, you guys, Ridley Scott! Space Horror! And this cast? Guy Pearce, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and IDRIS ELBA WITH A SOUTHERN ACCENT? Get outa town! It looks so gorgeous and creepy. See for yourself:



Another striking discovery that's more directly related to HUNGER GAMES was The Civil Wars' contribution to the soundtrack. I've been stuck in a music rut for soooooo long that it was nice to finally have a new band to download. I'd heard of them before, but never actually heard them until the movie. I'm sure all you cool cats were in the know already, but remember, I've been living in the music cave of lame, and they are big news to me. Heh.



P.S. Turned in my revisions! Time to work on the shiny new thing. :)

Friday Five of Fun and Magic

1. In case you didn't see me EXCLAIMING ABOUT IT all over the place yesterday (like a crazy fool), I finally got permission to share my cover for THE REVENANT. Here it is. Thanks for celebrating with me!

2. Tomorrow I will be sharing tips on getting an agent at the Oklahoma SCBWI Fall conference. If you're reading this and you attended my "Schmooze" talk on the same topic a few months ago, I will have new material. Oh, and big thanks go out to the Elevensies who donated their queries for my presentation. *smooch*

3. I needed a little extra magic for my presentation, so yesterday I went on the hunt for a new pair of shoes to jazz up my look. So many ladies have been working the red shoes lately that I had to get my own pair. Here they are. And here's an an action shot, so to speak. They're slightly old-ladyish, but also foxy. Silver-foxy?

4. Speaking of magic, I am listening to Sara Bareilles' new CD Kaleidoscope Heart. She is my #1 girl-crush! Would love to see her in concert again, but I'm afraid Steve would stow away on her tour bus and I'd never see him again.

5. Even more magic: I love this interview of L.K. Madigan by Jaclyn Dolamore. Lots of Mermaid-y goodness AND a giveaway. Please do go check it out -- you might win something fabulous. And don't forget that L.K.'s The Mermaid's Mirror will be released on October 4th!

Happy weekend, everyone!

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]