Sarah McGuire's Blog

(Originally published 12/12/2014) I love Christmas movies. Even (most) TV Christmas movies. I think it's because they have a fairy-tale quality to them– magic and kindness and a hope that things will end better than they began. Over the years, I've a collected movies that I watch over and over. Most of them are old or not so well known, and I adore them. (The titles are links to IMDb, so you can learn more if you want.)
These movies are worth hunting down, even if they aren't streaming, though I bet you could get a disk from Netflix. So here are some of my favorite Christmas classics, in no particular order. Except for #1, which really is my favorite, I think: ) The Shop Around the Corner, (1940). This is the other Jimmy Stewart Christmas movie. And it's also the original You've Got Mail. (Meg Ryan's bookstore in YGM was named after this movie.) The Shop Around the Corner is charming and sweet and romantic, but deals with some pretty intense subject matter, too. You can't help rooting for Klara and Alfred, and the supporting cast is amazing. But then, so was the director, Ernst Lubitsch. 2) Desk Set, (1957). This isn't an overtly Christmas movie, but some of the best scenes include Christmas presents and multiple recitations of Santa's reindeer. But mainly, it has Spencer Tracy trying to replace Katharine Hepburn with a room-sized computer. Hilarious dialog, incredible chemistry, and a heroine that gives the guy a run for his money– and a guy who appreciates that. (I'd watch this movie just for the scene where Tracy gives Hepburn the intelligence test.) 3) While You Were Sleeping, (1995). Because Sandra Bullock thinks she loves the guy in a coma, but she really loves his brother. Because the family's dinner conversations are like my family's conversations. Because it explains "leaning". Because we ALL know a Joe Jr. I almost didn't mention WYWS, and then I realized it's almost twenty years old and it's possible people don't know about it anymore. This one is streaming on Netflix. Go watch it. 4) Pocketful of Miracles, (1961). If Guys and Dolls was a Christmas movie. No, Really. This is based on a short story by Damon Runyon. Guys and Dolls was also based on Runyon stories. In this, a gangster dresses up an alcoholic beggar and puts her in a penthouse– all because he needs her lucky apples and she needs  her newly engaged daughter to think she's part of New York society. It has Bette Davis and Peter Falk and dark jeeters and scenes that make me laugh out loud or tear up every single time. It's long, but it's worth it. 5) Christmas in the Clouds, (2001). This independent film isn't the most nuanced movie I've ever seen, but it IS fun. The folks who run a ski resort on a Native-American reservation are trying to get a good rating in a travel guide. It has comedy and romance and Magua from Last of the Mohicans calling bingo while wearing a kilt. (Yes, you read that right.) Most of all, it has this hilarious plot line that centers around a romance novel. I think I watch this movie just for Buffalo Thunder. Don't ask, just watch. 6) Christmas in Connecticutt, (1945). Imagine discovering that Martha Stewart couldn't cook. That's what can't happen here. To save her job and her lifestyle column, Elizabeth Lane (who can't cook!) pretends to be married and stages Christmas at a farm in Connecticut- then ends up falling for the sailer she and her "husband" are hosting. Awesome classic comedy, and if you've never seen a Barbara Stanwyck movie, well, you need to fix that. This movie is hunky-dunky. 7) Little Women, (1994). The theme music starts playing, and I get misty-eyed. Because I have two sisters, because Jo wants to write. Because Professor Bhaer doesn't have empty hands anymore!! However, I have never, ever, finished a manuscript, then tied it with twine and tucked a flower into it. (I normally just shower for the first time in days.) But this is Jo March we're talking about, so of course there is a flower. And a very young Christian Bale. 8) We're No Angels, (1955). Christmas on a sweltering prison colony in French Guiana with Humphrey Bogart, and Peter Ustinov. (You may not know these actors, but I associated Bogart with gangster flicks, and Ustinov with Nero.) This movie is so good! Three (and a half!) escaped convicts hide with a kind, if naïve, shopkeeper's family. Once they decide not to rob the family, they determine to make the family's Christmas perfect. Even if they have to steal money to buy a Christmas turkey. Even if they have to deal with the truly awful Cousin Felix. 9) White Christmas, (1954). I wanted a red satin dress with a puffy skirt and sparkly snowflakes because of this movie. And my teenaged self had a bit of a crush on Danny Kaye. White Christmas is colorful and sweet, and it has Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas". And snow. I love this movie. I'm sure you've heard of it, but I had to include this in the list. 10) Holiday Affair (1949). You know those moments when a couple kisses, and you think oh-my-word-THAT-was-a-kiss!? Well here you go. Apparently, this movie wasn't super popular, because folks couldn't imagine the lead actor, Robert Michum, in a romance. But I think he does just fine, thank you very much. The story is about a single mother who has almost rebuilt her life. She has a darling son, a decent job, and a platonic relationship with a truly good guy. Then she meets Steve. This movie may have a love triangle, but this is how it should be done. You like (and respect!) each person involved. Go watch this. I could go on and on, but ten movies are more than enough. I hope I've listed a few you haven't seen, and I'd love it if you'd leave your favorite Christmas movies in the comments. It is the weekend, after all...

The Flight of Swans is here! ARCs arrived last week and it is time to give one away! I'll mail a copy anywhere in North America. To be entered: 
1) leave a comment below. I'd love to know your favorite original fairy tale. (Or just say hi!) 
                         or 2) retweet the giveway on Twitter. The contest will close midnight (EST) Friday, April 27th. Read on to learn more about The Flight of Swans! Princess Andaryn's six older brothers have always been her protectors—until her father takes a new Queen, a frightening, mysterious woman from the forest who quickly enchants the men in the royal family. When Ryn’s attempt to break the enchantment fails, she makes a bitter bargain: the Queen will spare her brothers’ lives if she remains silent for six years. Ryn thinks she freed her brothers with her bargain, but she never thought the Queen would turn her brothers into six black swans. She never thought she’d have to discover the secret to undoing the Queen’s spell while eluding the Otherworldly forces that hunt her. And she never thought she’d have to do it alone, without speaking a single word. As months and years go by, Ryn learns there is more to courage than speech . . . and proves that she is stronger than the Queen could have ever imagined. Based on a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, “Six Swans,” THE FLIGHT OF SWANS follows Ryn's journey to save her family and reclaim their kingdom. ​Available October 1, 2018

       
The Flight of Swans is here! 

ARCs arrived last week and it is time to give one away! I'll mail a copy anywhere in North America. 

To be entered: 
1) leave a comment below. I'd love to know your favorite original fairy tale. (Or just say hi!) 
                         or2) retweet the giveway on Twitter.
The contest will close midnight (EST) Friday, April 27th. 

Read on to learn more about The Flight of Swans!


Princess Andaryn's six older brothers have always been her protectors—until her father takes a new Queen, a frightening, mysterious woman from the forest who quickly enchants the men in the royal family. When Ryn’s attempt to break the enchantment fails, she makes a bitter bargain: the Queen will spare her brothers’ lives if she remains silent for six years.

Ryn thinks she freed her brothers with her bargain, but she never thought the Queen would turn her brothers into six black swans. She never thought she’d have to discover the secret to undoing the Queen’s spell while eluding the Otherworldly forces that hunt her. And she never thought she’d have to do it alone, without speaking a single word.

As months and years go by, Ryn learns there is more to courage than speech . . . and proves that she is stronger than the Queen could have ever imagined.

Based on a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, “Six Swans,” THE FLIGHT OF SWANS follows Ryn's journey to save her family and reclaim their kingdom.

​Available October 1, 2018 Amazon Barnes and Noble

I'd forgotten how lovely it was to have January roll around and realize that you have a book coming out that year.

So much has happened since Valiant released in 2015: Egmont USA closed, I traveled around the world, I sold my second novel, I moved, I got married . . . and now here we are at 2018 with my retelling of Six Swans on the horizon. 

Here are some of the details: The release date has been moved from Spring '18 to October 1, 2018. (See wonderful craziness above for the delay.)The title has been changed to Flight of Swans.No cover yet, alas. But soon!
And here's the updated synopsis of Flight of Swans:

Princess Andaryn's six older brothers have always been her protectors—until her father takes a new Queen, a frightening, mysterious woman from the forest who quickly enchants the men in the royal family. When Ryn’s attempt to break the enchantment fails, she makes a bitter bargain: the Queen will spare her brothers’ lives if she remains silent for six years.
 
Ryn believes she freed her brothers with her bargain. She never thought the Queen would turn her brothers into six black swans. She never thought she’d have to discover the secret to undoing the Queen’s spell while eluding the Otherworldly forces that hunt her. And she never imagined that she’d have to do it alone, without speaking a single word.
 
As months and years go by, Ryn learns there is more to courage than speech . . . and she proves that this daughter of the House of Cynwrig is stronger than the Queen could have ever imagined.

Based on a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, “Six Swans,” Flight of Swans follows Ryn's journey to save her family and reclaim their kingdom.
 

There's so much that I love about this story: the heroine who is determined to save her family . . . her wonderful and crazy and annoying older brothers . . . black swans . . . a broody hen . . . a fabulous hero (because only hens should be broody) . . . and stinging nettles*.

There's lots to talk about in the coming months, and I have tons of questions for you! But I'll save that for another post.

Until soon,
Sarah


*I learned so much about stinging nettles! And they are awesome. 

I'd forgotten how lovely it was to have January roll around and realize that you have a book coming out that year. So much has happened since Valiant released in 2015: Egmont USA closed, I traveled around the world, I sold my second novel, I moved, I got married . . . and now here we are at 2018 with my retelling of Six Swans on the horizon. Here are some of the details: The release date has been moved from Spring '18 to October 1, 2018. (See wonderful craziness above for the delay.) The title has been changed to Flight of Swans. No cover yet, alas. But soon! ​
And here's the updated synopsis of Flight of Swans: Princess Andaryn's six older brothers have always been her protectors—until her father takes a new Queen, a frightening, mysterious woman from the forest who quickly enchants the men in the royal family. When Ryn’s attempt to break the enchantment fails, she makes a bitter bargain: the Queen will spare her brothers’ lives if she remains silent for six years. Ryn believes she freed her brothers with her bargain. She never thought the Queen would turn her brothers into six black swans. She never thought she’d have to discover the secret to undoing the Queen’s spell while eluding the Otherworldly forces that hunt her. And she never imagined that she’d have to do it alone, without speaking a single word. As months and years go by, Ryn learns there is more to courage than speech . . . and she proves that this daughter of the House of Cynwrig is stronger than the Queen could have ever imagined. Based on a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, “Six Swans,” Flight of Swans follows Ryn's journey to save her family and reclaim their kingdom. There's so much that I love about this story: the heroine who is determined to save her family . . . her wonderful and crazy and annoying older brothers . . . black swans . . . a broody hen . . . a fabulous hero (because only hens should be broody) . . . and stinging nettles*. There's lots to talk about in the coming months, and I have tons of questions for you! But I'll save that for another post. Until soon,
Sarah *I learned so much about stinging nettles! And they are awesome.

I have lovely news to announce. After all the craziness of Egmont USA's closing, I've been able to sell another story– one with a heroine who has sworn herself to silence, six wonderful and wild older brothers and, of course, a romance. You can read more about it here.

THE SWAN PRINCESS is a retelling of The Six Swans. As with VALIANT, I've taken the original story and tried to add my own unique twists. And while I admire the original heroine's grit and endurance, I love that Andaryn, the heroine in my retelling, does more than just suffer. She's kind and canny and a gifted artist and ... well, I love her.

I hope you will, too. I know it's a long time to wait, but I'm so grateful for your support and enthusiasm!


All my best,
Sarah

I have lovely news to announce. After all the craziness of Egmont USA's closing, I've been able to sell another story– one with a heroine who has sworn herself to silence, six wonderful and wild older brothers and, of course, a romance. You can read more about it here. THE SWAN PRINCESS is a retelling of The Six Swans. As with VALIANT, I've taken the original story and tried to add my own unique twists. And while I admire the original heroine's grit and endurance, I love that Andaryn, the heroine in my retelling, does more than just suffer. She's kind and canny and a gifted artist and ... well, I love her. I hope you will, too. I know it's a long time to wait, but I'm so grateful for your support and enthusiasm! All my best,
Sarah

There are lots of things you secretly hope for when you publish a book: amazing reviews, amazing sales, a permanent spot on the New York Times Best Seller list. (I can hear you chuckling, but it's true!) There are also a lot of things you're told to expect: bad reviews, late nights promoting your book, even later nights writing the next one. And then there's the completely unexpected . . . like your publisher closing. Egmont USA's closing is old news by now. I won't rehash it here. There were folks whose "unexpected" was worse than mine: They lost a job. Or they had contracts or covers or ARCs and it all fell through– they have to sell their books a second time. Me? My "unexpected" was finding out that VALIANT would be released April 28. And while a few essential Egmont USA staff remain and are committed to seeing this through, (hi Andrea and Margaret!) VALIANT's release isn't going to be the same. Not by a long shot. I didn't expect how adrift I would feel. I certainly didn't expect the awful sense of powerlessness. So when Harold Underdown suggested that the remaining authors band together to promote our releases–when my agent and the folks at Egmont USA thought it was a good idea–I jumped at the opportunity. Which led to a few more things I didn't expect: I didn't expect that ten authors who were juggling busy schedules and their own disappointment would pull together in less than two weeks, determined to get every last one of us across this finish line. I didn't expect this fabulous community would circle around us so quickly. Of all the unexpected things since January 21st, the one that has surprised me the most is you. You. You who sent notes. You who messaged and posted and tweeted and offered ways to support Egmont USA staff and authors. You Egmont USA authors who have barely gathered up the pieces of your dreams, but are doing everything you can to take care of ours. All of you. You are the most miraculous, most unexpected, thing of all. So I am going to ask for one more miracle: Please help us get through the end of April. Please support the authors with releases tomorrow. Please visit Egmont's Last List so that you can see all the Egmont USA authors who need your support. Please sign up for Kat Kennedy's Last List blog hop that will help feature those authors. Please tweet about us– #LastListEgmont. Please talk about us to your friends and local bookstores. And please, please know how grateful we are for every lovely, wonderfully unexpected thing you've done over these last few weeks. With all my heart,
Sarah

There are lots of things you secretly hope for when you publish a book: amazing reviews, amazing sales, a permanent spot on the New York Times Best Seller list. (I can hear you chuckling, but it's true!) 

There are also a lot of things you're told to expect: bad reviews, late nights promoting your book, even later nights writing the next one.

And then there are the unexpected things . . . like your publisher closing. 

Egmont USA's closing is old news by now. I won't rehash it here. There were folks whose "unexpected" was worse than mine: They lost a job. Or they had contracts or covers or ARCs and it all fell through– they have to sell their books a second time. 

Me? My "unexpected" was finding out that VALIANT would be released April 28. And while a few essential staff remain at Egmont USA and are committed to seeing this through, (hi Andrea and Margaret!) VALIANT's release isn't going to be the same. Not by a long shot. 

I didn't expect how adrift I would feel. I certainly didn't expect the awful sense of powerlessness. 

So when Harold Underdown suggested that the remaining authors band together to promote our releases–when my agent and the folks at Egmont USA thought it was a good idea–I jumped at the opportunity. Which led to a few more things I didn't expect:

I didn't expect that ten authors who were juggling busy schedules and their own disappointment would pull together in less than two weeks, determined to get every last one of us across this finish line. 

I didn't expect this fabulous community would circle around us so quickly. Of all the unexpected things since January 21st, the one that has surprised me the most is you. 

You. 

You who sent notes. You who messaged and posted and tweeted and offered ways to support Egmont USA staff and authors. You Egmont USA authors who have barely gathered up the pieces of your dreams, but are doing everything you can to take care of ours. 

All of you. You are the most miraculous, most unexpected, thing of all. 

So I am going to ask for one more miracle: Please help us get through the end of April. 

Please support the authors with releases tomorrow. Please visit Egmont's Last List so that you can see all the Egmont USA authors who need your support. Please sign up for Kat Kennedy's Last List blog hop that will help feature those authors. Please tweet about us– #LastListEgmont. Please talk about us to your friends and local bookstores.   

And please, please know how grateful we are for every lovely, wonderfully unexpected thing you've done over these last few weeks. 

With all my heart,
Sarah

I love Christmas movies. Even (most) TV Christmas movies. I think it's because they have a fairy-tale quality to them– magic and kindness and a hope that things will end better than they began.

Over the years, I've a collected movies that I watch over and over. Most of them are old or not so well known, and I adore them. (The titles are links to IMDb, so you can learn more if you want.)
These movies are worth hunting down, even if they aren't streaming, though I bet you could get a disk from Netflix.

So here are some of my favorite Christmas classics, in no particular order. Except for #1, which really is my favorite, I think: 

1) The Shop Around the Corner, (1940). This is the other Jimmy Stewart Christmas movie. And it's also the original You've Got Mail. (Meg Ryan's bookstore in YGM was named after this movie.) The Shop Around the Corner is charming and sweet and romantic, but deals with some pretty intense subject matter, too. You can't help rooting for Klara and Alfred, and the supporting cast is amazing. But then, so was the director, Ernst Lubitsch. 

2) Desk Set, (1957). This isn't an overtly Christmas movie, but some of the best scenes include Christmas presents and multiple recitations of Santa's reindeer. But mainly, it has Spencer Tracy trying to replace Katharine Hepburn with a room-sized computer. Hilarious dialog, incredible chemistry, and a heroine that gives the guy a run for his money– and a guy who appreciates that. (I'd watch this movie just for the scene where Tracy gives Hepburn the intelligence test.) 

3) While You Were Sleeping, (1995). Because Sandra Bullock thinks she loves the guy in a coma, but she really loves his brother. Because the family's dinner conversations are like my family's conversations. Because it explains "leaning". Because we ALL know a Joe Jr. I almost didn't mention WYWS, and then I realized it's almost twenty years old and it's possible people don't know about it anymore. This one is streaming on Netflix. Go watch it. 

4) Pocketful of Miracles, (1961). If Guys and Dolls was a Christmas movie. No, Really. This is based on a short story by Damon Runyon. Guys and Dolls was also based on Runyon stories. In this, a gangster dresses up an alcoholic beggar and puts her in a penthouse– all because he needs her lucky apples and she needs  her newly engaged daughter to think she's part of New York society. It has Bette Davis and Peter Falk and dark jeeters and scenes that make me laugh out loud or tear up every single time. It's long, but it's worth it. 

5) Christmas in the Clouds, (2001). This independent film isn't the most nuanced movie I've ever seen, but it IS fun. The folks who run a ski resort on a Native-American reservation are trying to get a good rating in a travel guide. It has comedy and romance and Magua from Last of the Mohicans calling bingo while wearing a kilt. (Yes, you read that right.) Most of all, it has this hilarious plot line that centers around a romance novel. I think I watch this movie just for Buffalo Thunder. Don't ask, just watch. 

6) Christmas in Connecticutt, (1945). Imagine discovering that Martha Stewart couldn't cook. That's what can't happen here. To save her job and her lifestyle column, Elizabeth Lane (who can't cook!) pretends to be married and stages Christmas at a farm in Connecticut- then ends up falling for the sailer she and her "husband" are hosting. Awesome classic comedy, and if you've never seen a Barbara Stanwyck movie, well, you need to fix that. This movie is hunky-dunky.

7) Little Women, (1994). The theme music starts playing, and I get misty-eyed. Because I have two sisters, because Jo wants to write. Because Professor Bhaer doesn't have empty hands anymore!! However, I have never, ever, finished a manuscript, then tied it with twine and tucked a flower into it. (I normally just shower for the first time in days.) But this is Jo March we're talking about, so of course there is a flower. And a very young Christian Bale. 

8) We're No Angels, (1955). Christmas on a sweltering prison colony in French Guiana with Humphrey Bogart, and Peter Ustinov. (You may not know these actors, but I associated Bogart with gangster flicks, and Ustinov with Nero.) This movie is so good! Three (and a half!) escaped convicts hide with a kind, if naïve, shopkeeper's family. Once they decide not to rob the family, they determine to make the family's Christmas perfect. Even if they have to steal money to buy a Christmas turkey. Even if they have to deal with the truly awful Cousin Felix.

9) White Christmas, (1954). I wanted a red satin dress with a puffy skirt and sparkly snowflakes because of this movie. And my teenaged self had a bit of a crush on Danny Kaye. White Christmas is colorful and sweet, and it has Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas". And snow. I love this movie. I'm sure you've heard of it, but I had to include this in the list.

10) Holiday Affair (1949). You know those moments when a couple kisses, and you think oh-my-word-THAT-was-a-kiss!? Well here you go. Apparently, this movie wasn't super popular, because folks couldn't imagine the lead actor, Robert Michum, in a romance. But I think he does just fine, thank you very much. The story is about a single mother who has almost rebuilt her life. She has a darling son, a decent job, and a platonic relationship with a truly good guy. Then she meets Steve. This movie may have a love triangle, but this is how it should be done. You like (and respect!) each person involved. Go watch this. 

I could go on and on, but ten movies are more than enough. I hope I've listed a few you haven't seen, and I'd love it if you'd leave your favorite Christmas movies in the comments. It is the weekend, after all...