It is a truth universally acknowledged…
…that when a girl is obsessed with classic movies, her storytelling can’t help but be impacted by said obsession. Turns out every story I’ve written so far has some kind of classic movie thread lacing through it–whether it was an intentional “angle borrowing” as in the case of Made to Last and Christmas in Connecticut or the subtle, accidental flavor of It’s a Wonderful Life in Here to Stay.
My newest story, One December Night—my very first FREE e-short—was sparked by the movie It Happened On 5th Avenue.
It’s a cute classic Christmas movie, not as well known as some, but the premise is great. A homeless veteran moves into a vacated (he thinks) New York mansion…soon friends join him and before he realizes it, the actual home owners are living with him, too.
I borrowed one little angle from the movie and built One December Night from it. The story takes place in the same whimsical town as my second book, Here to Stay. It’s about a librarian named Penn on the brink of getting engaged.
But on the snowy night of the expected proposal, she finds out an intruder is squatting in the old Victorian home she inherited from her grandparents. She ends up back home in Whisper Shore, facing off with Will…who may not be exactly what he seems.
In addition to being sparked by the movie, there’s a subtle theme of bravery woven through the story. And if you’ve been around this blog at all in recent months, you know that’s a topic that won’t let me go at the moment.
I fell in love with these characters as I wrote this short story. So much that I’m pretty sure I’ll have to continue their story, maybe write future e-shorts or perhaps a novella. The story is free! You can download and read it right from your computer or mobile device…or send it to your ereader of choice.
GET ONE DECEMBER NIGHT HERE
And if you’ve never seen It Happened on 5th Avenue, you might be in luck—because it’s giveaway time! I’m giving it along with three other classic Christmas movies away (including Christmas in Connecticut which inspired Made to Last!) PLUS a $10 Amazon gift card and a $5 Starbucks gift card. You’ve got til Sunday to enter.
ENTER HERE
AND if you haven’t had a chance to read Here to Stay, now is a great time to pick it up. It’s only $1.99 in ebook form. A lot of people don’t realize it’s actually a pretty Christmasy story too—the whole premise revolves around a quirky town’s annual Christmas festival. Here’s where you can pick it up on the cheap…
Comments 17
Miracle on 34th street is my favorite and Elf is 2nd
Author
I really love both those movies. Natalie Wood is amazing in Miracle! And Elf…I love how that movie never tries to take itself too seriously. It’s just pure fun all the way through.
You know I love too many to limit it. Can’t wait to read your free novella! What a great idea, Melissa.
Author
Thanks, Cara! And I’m where you are—too many to pick a fave. ALthough, truthfully, I think It’s a Wonderful Life is totally my favorite, but after that, there are probably 10 movies in my second-favorite-classic-Christmas-movie slot. 🙂
Thank you for the free download for my kindle!! Can’t wait to read it. I love Christmas stories. It helps me to get into the spirit.
Author
Thanks, Rebecca! I really hope you enjoy it. 😀
I can’t figure out how to get “One December Night” to my Kindle.
Author
Sue, does your kindle have wi-fi or 3G? If so, you should be able to open the Internet browser on your kindle, go to my website and just click the book cover and it will open up.
If it’s a kindle paperwhite or older kindle, then it’s bit more of a process. But still doable. First you’ll want to download and save the pdf onto your computer. Then you can attach that pdf to an email and email it to your kindle. If you don’t know your kindle’s email address, just go to Menu, then Settings, then Device Options, then Personalize Your Kindle. There you should see a “Send-to-Kindle” email address. That’s where you’ll want to send the document. Then just go to your kindle docs and it should be there.
I hope that helps!
I need to watch that movie now, I love old movies! My favorite holiday movie is probably it’s a Wonderful Life.
Author
Mine too. I love that movie so much!
Christmas In Connecticut (black and white) and The Bishop’s Wife (b & w) and A Christmas Carol w/George C Scott are my favorites.
OH, but then there’s It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th ST (b & w) and White Christmas and and and and….
Author
I love every one that you mentioned! My first book was actually inspired by Christmas in Connecticut…the idea came to me while watching the movie. There are so many good ones!
I like It’s a Charlie Brown Christmas. Makes me remember my childhood being with all my aunts, uncles and cousins at grandma’s house.
Author
Aww, special memories…love that!
White Christmas
Author
Definitely a fun one 😀
White Christmas – while I love listening to Bing Crosby sing, Danny Kaye steals the show. My brilliant in-laws make a point to watch it every year on Christmas Eve, a tradition I’m only too happy to embrace.