An American in Paris and Gigi

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This month, I received two Blu-Ray discs: An American in Paris and Gigi. Both films have been digitally remastered and are simply breathtaking. According to Warner Brothers, the films were originally produced in Technicolor and have been remastered by “taking the Technicolor negatives and carefully combining them to yield stunning picture sharpness and depth of field”.

In “An American In Paris”, Gene Kelly plays an ex-GI who decides to stay in Paris after the war ends and become an artist, albeit a struggling one. Then one day, he meets a rich American who offers to subsidize his art career in exchange for his affection. There’s just one problem: he’s fallen in love with a beautiful shop girl; a girl who feels obligated to stay with a man who gave her her life back during the war. The film commences to take the audience on a wild ride as the two try to let their love die, but in the end, they find away to be together. There’s loads of dancing and singing—which totally make the film.

In “Gigi”, a young woman is trained, by her grandmother, in the art of pleasing a man. The grandmother, having been a mistress herself, informs her granddaughter, Gigi, that as long as she can please a wealthy man, she will be given luxuries and a lifestyle she could otherwise not afford. The grandmother, still friends with her former lover’s nephew, introduces him to Gigi and convinces him to take her on as a mistress. There’s only one problem, Gigi wants no part of it! Yet, he persues her and in the end, the two fall in love—even get married.

If you love musicals, you’ll love these films. And if you don’t have a blu-ray, don’t worry. They’ve also remastered the DVD version of both films.

Watch Video:
Thank Heaven For Little Girls

Gigi Learns Manners

Disclosure: I was given a sample to review. This is "my opinion" of the product. I was not paid to give a positive review.

Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana by Melanie Dobson

This is a guest post by Tina L. Scott (formerly Miller). Tina is a freelance photographer from Merrill, Wisconsin with a passion for writing. She can be reached at PhotographyByTina.com


Book
Love Finds You In Liberty, Indiana

Author
Melanie Dobson

The Review
Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana, is not at all what I was expecting! This novel was fabulous because that’s what it was—a real novel. I was “expecting” a formulaic romance story. But what I got was a bona fide novel with history, suspense, some romance, and much more. I couldn’t put it down.

Now I’ll admit that I really enjoy reading about the Civil War era and the history of our country at that time. I abhor the concept of slavery and applaud all of the people who were brave enough and spiritually strong enough to develop and work the Underground Railroad that led many slaves to freedom. So once I started reading this book and realized this was the storyline, I was hooked!

Anna Brent is a young Quaker woman in 1850 who—together with her father—helps slaves escape to freedom in the North by hosting a safe house in Liberty, Indiana, one stop on the Underground Railroad. It’s a time in history when trust is a precious thing and loyalties are divided between the people who support the institution of slavery and those who want to see it abolished and the slaves set free. Slave hunters comb the countryside—and barge into homes—in search of escaped slaves and the people who help them—and there is a bounty on all of their heads.

So Anna and her father live and work in secrecy, fearing to trust neighbors, friends, or even relatives, never knowing who might expose them. In fact, Anna cannot even trust Matthew Nelson, the young man who has been courting her, nor even Daniel Stanton, the newcomer to town who has taken a position as the editor of the Liberty Era, the town’s newspaper, and is vehemently and vocally adamant about his opposition to slavery.

She dares not speak of her abolitionist views to anyone but prefers to take a quiet, Quaker-like stance marked by secret action rather than talk—and for this reason she has made up her mind that she shall never marry, because it would mean the end of her ability to help free slaves. Certainly, she can never marry Matthew Nelson who—together with his father, Henry—is vocal about his disdain for anyone who would help a slave escape.

Daniel Stanton, on the other hand, speaks loud and clear about his viewpoints, drawing criticism from many and interest from Anna, especially when she learns that he is a Quaker, too. She wonders how their two different approaches can impact the same cause and wishes she could trust him enough to talk to him about it. But she can’t. Lives are at stake, and Anna is not willing to risk the lives of the slaves she’s trying to help—or her own imprisonment—if she can help it.

The story begins with Anna helping several slaves on their journey north including one young slave girl named Marie, pregnant and running from the owner who is the father of her child, in fear for both of their lives. The novel draws readers in immediately and keeps them engaged throughout the entire book. I won’t give away any of the real story, because that would spoil this great read for you. But I will say this: I was truly sorry to reach the end of this volume and hope the author will follow it with a sequel.

Order Love Finds You In Liberty, Indiana Today!

Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the book to review.

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This post was sponsored by The Dabbling Mum.

For more articles like this, check out The Dabbling Mum eMagazine.

Wanted by Shelley Shepard Gray

This is a guest post by Tina L. Scott (formerly Miller). Tina is a freelance photographer from Merrill, Wisconsin with a passion for writing. She can be reached at PhotographyByTina.com

Book
Wanted

Author
Shelley Shepard Gray

The Review
Katie Brenneman is a 20-year-old Amish girl who fears she’ll never find Mr. Right and she can’t help but feel a little envious of her brother Henry and Anna, the newcomer he loves and plans to marry. She knows it is sinful to feel this way and truthfully, she really likes Anna and is happy for her and Henry, as she teaches Anna the ways of their Amish community and embraces her friendship. Yet Katie cannot help but wonder if she will ever find true love or if that is just fanciful thinking. And, too, she wonders if perhaps she isn’t deserving of such happiness given the things she’s done in the past. The memories of her time among the English, pretending to be one of them and living a lie, haunt and shame her, and the guilt of knowing that she hurt Holly and Brandon—who were never anything but kind and accepting of her—pierces her heart whenever she thinks of it. She’s tried to put it all behind her, but secrets have a way of catching up with you . . .

Then Winnie Lundy travels to Indiana and her brother, Jonathan Lundy, needs someone to help him care for his two young daughters, Mary and Hannah, whose mother, Sarah, died in a buggy accident. Katie has always had feelings for Jonathan, though he is eight years older than she, and she welcomes the opportunity this presents, hoping she and Jonathan can become better acquainted and that he will come to look at her in a new way—as a possible mother for his children, a potential wife, and perhaps a love interest.

But things don’t progress smoothly at the start. Katie’s parents aren’t keen on the arrangement at first, then Mary resents Katie’s presence in her mother’s home, and Jonathan is so caught up in his work and his grief that Katie feels almost invisible. Then, when Holly contacts Katie through some letters sent care of the general store, Katie fears her humiliating poor behavior from her Rumspringa is about to be exposed to her entire community. She’s scared that no one will want her when they find out the truth, least of all Jonathan Lundy.

As her feelings for Jonathan intensify and just when it seems Jonathan may be reciprocating at least a little, Holly brings Katie news that forces her to come face to face with her fears. She needs to do the right thing, despite what it may cost her.

I don’t want to ruin the ending for you, so I’ll stop there. But this novel illustrated several truths for me. First, the truth really can set you free because living a lie or pretending to be someone you’re not is like being imprisoned by invisible walls. Second, the thing you fear most usually doesn’t happen so you’ve stressed yourself out with your fears unnecessarily. And finally, forgiveness is the first step to moving forward with your life—and that includes forgiving yourself.

I enjoy reading about the Amish way of life and found Shelley Shepard Gray’s story about Katie and her community realistic and heartwarming. I highly recommend Wanted!

Order Wanted Today!

Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the book to review.

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This post was sponsored by The Dabbling Mum.

For more articles like this, check out The Dabbling Mum eMagazine.

Taking Flight

Taking Flight is full of fun craft projects with each chapter ending with two things: a quick look inside the mind of another artist and a lesson in creating an art piece. What I especially liked about the techniques section is that Kelly Rae takes a technique from another artist and blends it with her own art, thus teaching every new artist how to combine techniques to make art “their” own.


You can read the full review here: http://thedabblingmum.com/reviews/booksart/takingflight.htm

Artist Interview With Patrick Gracewood

I cannot recall how I ran across Patrick Gracewood’s work, but I do recall being mesmerized by his talent and immediately wanting to feature him. Patrick graciously accepted the invitation months back but had to patiently wait until a slot opened up—since we’re on a monthly timetable.

Read the full interview at The Dabbling Mum.

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Marketing Strategies For Writers

Freelance writers offer a product and that product is “writing.” If you’re making below minimum wage with your freelance writing, you need to start thinking like a business and get to marketing. But how do you market, where should you market, what do you market, and who do you market to?
That’s where “Marketing Strategies For Writers” comes in. First, you’ll learn the basics of marketing, then you’ll discover who your customers are and what their needs are, then you’ll learn how to sell yourself and your “writing” through various tips, like the fact that 70% of selling an idea to a publication is the publication’s need for that idea.
Michael Sedge says, “The average 1,000 word article sells for $375.” In order to make $36,000 per year, you’d need to sell 8 articles per month at $375 each. But then he reminds you to take into account the fact that as a self-employed person, you’d have to give up near 50% of your income towards business expenses, taxes, and health insurance premiums.
So how do you make $36,000 per year after expenses? That’s what Sedge sets out to teach you. If you haven’t read Marketing Strategies For Writers, you need to get a copy today!

Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of this book to review.