12 Smart & Savvy Days of Christmas - Day 10 - Guest Post from Downey Greene

Hello, hello! Today I welcome the lovely duo known as Downey Greene to the blog. They released their debut novel, Partners In Crime, last year. Welcome ladies!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Happy New Year everyone and thanks so much Steph for having us. 

My New Years thoughts…

I am Downey of this dynamic duo.  We are new to this author thing and I have to say it has been a wild and sometimes daunting ride.  I have been in somewhat of a slump.  I for a wee bit seemed to let life, 2 jobs, 5 kids and so much more bog me down.  I have been on that crazy treadmill of life and temporarily lost my zest for writing and reading.  GASP…I said reading too.  READING…where it all began.

In the past week since the holidays have come and now are gone, I finally had a week to reflect on what is missing.  Besides the typical kid getting sick over the holiday, I have actually had some time to read and relax.  Gloriously read.  I have actually finished 3 books in less than a week.  I decided until Monday, I am going to binge read whatever tickles my fancy.  Not for my blog; Bitch Can Write A Book, not for any point but to bask in someone’s glorious story.   I have submerged myself into some really awesome reads.  And I am being reminded how much I adore the written word.  That of so many wonderful authors and writing it too.  That fire that had burned so bright is flickering again.  I am remembering how much reading then writing as helped me, has made me sane at times and most of all like so many, it has taken me all over the world on so many adventures.  It has made me ugly cry, laugh until it hurts and so much more.

So while I vowed this year to not make resolutions, instead I am making REAL SOLUTIONS.  One of them being to make time to remember what really makes me happy.  I will never be Nora Roberts AND BY THE WAY… I ADORE HER.  I need to stop comparing myself and my writing to anyone else.  I need to write and trust that what will be will be.   Also, I vow to get back to my blogging and recommending what I love, most of all…reading.  Taking that deep breath and diving into a book, relaxing and yes reveling in the journey that every book takes us on.

Thanks so much for listening to my thoughts for my New Year.  I love being a mom and a wife; I just have to make time to be Downey Greene and BCWAB too.  As my awesome writing partner said I hope you come and check us out on FB, and our cool new website. AND if you have not as of yet checked out our debut book, Partners In Crime, please do. 

Happy New Year and more importantly, remember to do what you find joy in.

<3 Downey

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So, Downey Greene’s a tad late on the uptake here for this holiday survey.  Apologies abound and all I can say, Greene that is, is what happens over the holidays stays over the holidays…LOL!  

Because this is late, I am answering two questions…never let anyone say that I’m not a giver!  ;)

What are your MUST watch holiday movies/tv shows?  

For me, Greene, the must watch holiday movies are of course and in no particular order:  Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by Rankin Bass, who else?  Frosty the Snowman, narrated by none other than Jimmy Durante.  Twas the Night Before Christmas, Joel Grey and George Gobel as cartoons?  Awesome!  There’re are some little known animated features that my mother-in-law taped for my kids that aren’t shown which is sad to me because they are really good.  Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Babar and Father Christmas, Deck the Halls.  Then of course I have my two absolute much watches and these are specific as remakes have been made but none shall be as good as these two:  Miracle on 34th Street, the 1947 NON-colorized version with Maureen O’Hara, Natalie Wood, John Payne, and Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle.    Then there’s all time Christmas Classic, A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens.  The version of which I speak is the 1951 version with Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge.  There’s nothing like seeing that old curmudgeon dancing around in his night dress once he’s realized it’s Christmas day and he survived.  Many people might say I forgot It’s a Wonderful Life and while I do like that movie, it isn’t a MUST watch for me.

What three books would I take with me to a deserted island?  And why those books? 

I’ve had to think about this for a bit, but for not too long.  So, again, in no particular order:

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling:  This book, I think, is really the best of the seven.  This book sets up the rest of the series more than the first two, in my opinion.  Also, this is the first book where Harry learns that Dumbledore, while powerful, cannot fix everything.  Harry’s life was rife with tragedy before this book, but since Hagrid found him on that solitary rock in the sea, Dumbledore has had his back, so to speak.  And don’t even get me started on the Dementors.  Depression symptoms personified.  Thank you J.K. Rowling for putting this surreal image of what depression and anxiety may look and feel like to those who are lucky enough to not suffer with these illnesses.  This book is the most entertaining, highly emotional, and foreboding.  It is definitely my favorite of the series.

2. A Song of Fire and Ice – A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin:  Unlike Prisoner of Azkaban, this book is the first in the series and is frackin’ brilliant.  The characters are rich and the description of the landscape simply beautiful.  I feel like I could hop a plane, if I had the money, and visit Westeros.  Fantasy at its finest.  The book is long, so if I were to be stranded for a while on that island, I’d definitely have time to read it.  This book, much like Prisoner of Azkaban, doesn’t really have a happy ending.  PoA ended on a happy note, but the foreboding of the coming evil was very present even at the end.  If you haven’t read or seen the series on HBO, I won’t post a spoiler.  All I’ll say is…Martin breaks many rules in the writing game…and I thank him for that!

3. Chances by Jackie Collins:  What can I say?  When I grow up I want to be Jackie Collins.  This is the first dirty book I can remember reading.  But it is much more than that.  This is the first book I remember getting mad at an author for killing a beloved character. *Side eyes Mr. Martin*  I still haven’t gotten over that tragedy…no matter how many you’ve written, Jackie Collins, I am not over that one.  Again, if you haven’t read the book or seen the made for TV movie, which ruined the characters, in my opinion, I won’t post a spoiler, just read it.  Also, Gino ‘The Ram’ Santangelo was my very first book boyfriend and as they say, you never forget your first.  There is no one like Gino.  Again, this is the first one in the Santangelo series.  I love Lucky, strong independent woman, sexy, takes what she wants without question or apology.  There’s a side character in this series of books that I remember well…or he could have come around in a subsequent book, but I will forever associate him with Lucky no matter in which book he was conceived, Boogie.  Lucky’s number one henchman…much like Boba Fett in Star Wars, he’s a side character who doesn’t get much “screen” time, but he made an impact on me.  Many of the men I write are modeled after Gino and Boogie…and quite possibly Boba Fett.  Have I mentioned I’m a Star Wars geek?

There’s no other reason I have chosen these books other than they’ve remained with me for one reason or another.  If I sat here long enough, I’m sure I could come up with about a thousand more books to choose but you’ve made me put my book memories under the microscope to see which ones are the most in focus.  At this time, these three made the grade.

Thank you so much for this.  It was really fun.  Hope to see ya’ll hanging around the Downey Greene Facebook page.  Have a happy new year.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thank you, ladies! You can find more info about Downey Greene and their debut novel, Partners In Crime (which is fab), on their website, Goodreads and Facebook.

For a chance to win an e-copy of Partners In Crime, comment below and tell who your favorite romantic suspense author is. 

Note: All winners will be announced on January 6th.