Today we’ll have one winner for both books.
Mia and I have several things in common. First of all, we both love Meryl Streep movies. And secondly, we both appreciate Colin Firth’s performances in Love, Actually and Then She Found Me. I’m going to have to check out her recommendation on the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice.
I’m not-so-secretly hoping that she’ll decide to base her next book on Bette Midler. Please help me welcome Mia!
Introducing Mia March
Mia March lives on the coast of Maine, the setting of her novels, with her ten-year-old son and their sweet beagle. Her debut novel, The Meryl Streep Movie Club, was a USA TODAY “hot summer read.”
Mia particularly enjoyed the research required for her upcoming novel, Finding Colin Firth: watching every Colin Firth film she could get her hands on, including her favorite, the BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice. Swoon.
Learn about Finding Colin Firth, Simon & Schuster, July 2013
From the author of The Meryl Streep Movie Club, “a heartwarming, spirit-lifting read just in time for beach season” (Kirkus Reviews), comes a new novel about three women, connected in secret and surprising ways, who are in for a life-changing summer when rumor has it that actor Colin Firth is coming to their Maine town to film a movie.
After losing her job and leaving her beloved husband, journalist Gemma Hendricks is sure that scoring an interview with Colin Firth will save her career and marriage. Yet a heart-tugging local story about women, family ties, love, and loss captures her heart–and changes everything.
The story concerns Bea Crane, a floundering twenty-two-year old who learns in a deathbed confession letter that she was adopted at birth. Bea is in Boothbay Harbor to surreptitiously observe her biological mother, Veronica Russo–something of a legend in town–who Bea might not be ready to meet, after all.
Veronica, a thirty-eight-year-old diner waitress famous for her “healing” pies, has come home to Maine to face her past. But when she’s hired as an Extra on the bustling movie set, she wonders if she’s hiding from the truth . . . and perhaps the opportunity of a real life Mr. Darcy.
These three women will discover more than they ever imagined in this coastal Maine town, buzzing with hopes of Colin Firth. Even the conjecture of his arrival inspires daydreams, amplifies complicated lives, and gives incentive to find their own romantic endings.
Learn about The Meryl Streep Movie Club, Simon & Schuster, June 2012
In the bestselling tradition of The Friday Night Knitting Club and The Jane Austen Book Club, three women find unexpected answers, happiness, and one another with Meryl Streep movies as their inspiration.
Two sisters and the cousin they grew up with after a tragedy are summoned home to their family matriarch’s inn on the coast of Maine for a shocking announcement. Suddenly, Isabel, June, and Kat are sharing the attic bedroom–and barely speaking. But when innkeeper Lolly asks them to join her and the guests in the parlor for weekly Movie Night–it’s Meryl Streep month–they find themselves sharing secrets, talking long into the night–and questioning everything they thought they knew about life, love, and one another.
Each woman sees her complicated life reflected through the magic of cinema: Isabel’s husband is having an affair, and an old pact may keep her from what she wants most . . . June has promised her seven-year-old son that she’ll somehow find his father, who he’s never known . . . and Kat is ambivalent about accepting her lifelong best friend’s marriage proposal. Through everything, Lolly has always been there for them, and now Isabel, June, Kat–and Meryl–must be there for her. Finding themselves. Finding each other. Finding a happy ending.
I asked Mia three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:
1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?
Self-expression has always been–and will always be–a huge part of my life. As the mother of a ten-year-old boy, I’m watching my son just beginning to uncover who he is, what he believes in, what he feels, what he loves and doesn’t love, and how he feels about putting that all out there. I’m watching self-expression blossom right before my eyes in the biggest and smallest of ways. I love that he’s in chorus and band and involved with theater, that he gets up there on stage with such joy.
I love that he tries to wear the same black skull-decorated cargo pants to school every single day. I love when he says, “Mom, thanks for the advice, but I’m doing it my way.” Letting my son know that he’s a great kid just as he is, that he should embrace everything that makes him who he is, feels like my very job.
2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?
As a writer, self-expression is everything. To me, it means putting out there how I view the world, how I view life, love, relationships, myself. What I strive for, what I wish for. What I think. Who I am. It’s in my facial expression, my hair, my clothes, the way I greet a stranger while walking my dog. It’s in my emails. It’s in my vote. The choices I make. And, of course, it’s in my work as a fiction writer.
Sometimes without even realizing it, I put every bit of who I am into my novels, into my characters, into my plots, my subplots, my ideas. It’s woven into every line, every thought, often in ways I can’t identify.
3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?
My novels have let those who know me know me a little better because I do put so much of myself and how I view the world into my work. But I often receive emails from readers who want to know which of my characters I’m most like, and I have to tell them that I’m not really like any of them, that my characters and my worlds and my sentences, the lingering thoughts, are all tiny pieces of me, pieces of everything I am.
My self-expression is the whole. I love that I can put myself out there via writing fiction.
It’s amazing to me that one of the most solitary of pursuits ends up being such a public thing. Every time I read a book, I always feel like the author has invited me into his or her world, his or her world view. I love that.
And Now, Your Turn…
You remember how this works right?
Please read the complete rules at least once!
I ask you a question.
You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.
Please just respond once, even if you make a typo. 
Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).
Who is your favorite actress or actor and why? Which are your favorite performances? And what question or questions would you ask this person, if you could?
Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.
Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!
And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.
View the complete list of authors and books.
View the giveaway Pinterest board.
Comments on this entry are closed.
Colin Firth is a favorite actor of mine to watch on the big screen. I discovered him in the BBC series of Pride and Prejudice and have since enjoyed his acting in other films, particularly The King’s Speech and Nanny McPhee. He’s handsome and can slip into a variety of roles easily. If I could meet him (and my husband knows that he is on my dream celebrity birthday lunch list along with Jon Bon Jovi and Viggo Mortenson, and all at once thank you), I would ask him what drew him to acting and when he knew acting is what he wanted to pursue in life. I would also ask what has been his favorite role and most challenging role. I’m always interested in knowing how actors and musicians juggle family life with their work so that would be on my list of questions as well.
I go in waves. Generally, I don’t have a favorite actor. It may happen with a favorite TV show or a movie that made a big impact on me. Every role is new and different. While it’s true that actresses like Meryl Streep can bring every role to life — I tend to admire an actor based on something I’ve seen.
My favourite actress is definitly MERYL STREEP. She’s one of the best actresses of the cinema history. She’s the chameleon of the accents. She has her own day. She’s with the same man for over 30 years. She has a perfect family. She’s funny, and very intelligent.
I love Sophie’s Choice, because she plays a Polish woman, and does a sweet, and perfect polish accent while talking in english. And she also talks in polish in some moments. I also love Marvin’s Room. That was the first movie I’ve seen with her. In Mamma Mia! she’s just perfect. Her voice is perfect, and she made me love ABBA.
I would ask her if she still remembers some words in polish, what she feels while kissing a man and who was the actor she loved to kiss with.
My favorite actor is probably Colin Firth, who played Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC production of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and King George VI in the 2010 production of ‘The King’s Speech.’ In ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ he delivered an excellent performance of a man who is shy and slow to speak, to the point that he appears proud. In ‘The King’s Speech,’ he’s again a sort of proud character who is also slow to speak, but this time it’s because he has a speech difficulty. I would probably ask him whether he’s that stoic in real life. I’d also ask him whether he’d started dreaming in Elizabethan English by the end of filming ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ Oh, and I’d want to know what he thought of the many-layered costumes he had to wear for both productions.
My favorite actor, without a doubt, is Pierce Brosnan. I love his work and you can tell from his performances and interviews that he’s a very genuine and soulful person, which is pretty hard to find these days in Hollywood. I think he’s really underrated as an actor, he definitely doesn’t get the recognition and appreciation he deserves for his work. Most people just think James Bond when they hear his name but he is so much more than that one role, and he’s done a wide range of movie genres and roles. My favorite performance of his would be in his newest movie “Love is All You Need” where he plays a widower. He portrays the emotion of the character so well as he has lost a spouse in his real life. I would ask him what it’s really like to be an actor and get to travel the world making films.
My favorite actor is Brad Pitt. And not only because he appears to be a down to earth guy from Missouri (I went to college in Columbia around the same time he was there, sadly our paths never crossed) but because he is simply amazing on screen. I think my favorite movie of his is the first A River Runs Through It but I also loved him in Thelma and Louise and probably every movie since. He has become an amazing humanitarian with his wife. And his dedication to his family is an example for us all. If I could meet him and ask him any question it would be what is next? But not in terms of movies but rather causes to celebrate and participate in and make the world a better place.
My favorite “actress” is Kelly Ripa. She’s mainly a talk show host but she was an actress before she became a talk show host. I love watching her every day on Kelly and Michael. She’s so hilarious and gorgeous and just amazing. Her show makes me so happy and she always makes me laugh. I think she’s a wonderful role model. If I could, I would ask her about her time hosting with Regis and I would ask her if she preferred hosting with him or Michael. But I would probably just stare at her in awe and not be able to ask her any questions. =]
Meryl Streep is my favorite actor for many of the reasons Veronique gave. Meryl’s amazing performance in “Sophie’s
Choice” shook me to the core. Besides incredible acting skills and a down-to-earth personal life, I applaud Meryl for being opposed to the plastic surgery so many Hollywoodites endure. I drive my husband crazy ranting about Mary Tyler Moore, Jane Fonda and other celebrities whose facial skin is pulled so tight they look as though they’re wearing expressionless masks. The rumor mill wonders how Meryl can be 63 and still have a relatively smooth neck and face without chemical peels or Botox, or how her eyes can still look attractive without blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery). Well, I’m almost 60 and I still have a youthful appearance. Maybe it’s our strong-woman-from-old-country Polish genes! Honestly, I can’t understand why so many women are afraid of growing older. We should be proud of the experience and wisdom we gain with age.
I’m looking forward to reading The MS Movie Club. book. And Mia Marsh is such a cool name. Plus it matches the background in her photo.
Tom Hanks is my favorite actor. I loved him in A League of Their Own (my all time favorite movie), but all of his performances have been top-notch in my book. He does justice to every character he plays. I would ask him how he has managed to keep his integrity while being a celebrity. He just seems to be the kind of person that has it all together with wholesome values kept at the forefront!
Okay, this question is just too hard! I have so many actors that I admire, both in television and film, and the list is ever-evolving. I was a huge fan of River Phoenix before his death, and his performance in “Stand By Me” moves me to tears to this day. I would be curious to know what his favorite film to work on was and if he ever had any idea that his life would be cut so short. I’d also love to ask him what he thinks of his brother Joaquin’s impressive body of work.
My favorite actor is Stan Laurel (of Laurel and Hardy). He’s passed on, but I love the films. Trying to pick one film is too hard. I enjoy them all so much. If I must choose, I’d go with Sons of the desert since that was the first one I saw that won me over.
If I could go back in time, I’d love to ask him what brought him the most joy in life. In interviews he seems like a genuinely happy person and the most sincerest.
On a side note: one of my twins gets his facial expressions once in a while. He’s been doing it since he was a toddler and he’s never watched the shorts and films.
We got a pair of kittens and named them Stan and Ollie. Funny thing Ollie is now huge! It’s like they knew their name sakes and embodied them physically, 🙂
My favorite actress is Keira Knightley. I first became aware of her in the film “Bend It Like Beckham.” My favorite Keira films are “Love Actually,” “Atonement,” “Pride & Prejudice” and “Anna Karenina.” I think she’s extremely talented and always chooses roles that are unique. I recently read an article where she stated she’d rather do smaller films and make little money than make the big budget films like “The Pirates of the Caribbean.” I admire her love of the indie films. My question to Keira would be to think about all the characters she’s portrayed in films and tell me which one she related to the most and why.
After some thought I think my favorite actor is Sally Field. I first fell in like with her from watching old re-runs of ‘Gidget’ even before seeing her as ‘Norma Rae’ and ‘Places of the Heart’. I know the reason that I really this she is my favorite actress is because I have seen her grow up on screen from ‘Gidget’ to ‘Brothers and Sisters’ and she has proven over and over again that she can do it all: from comedy to drama. I also feel a very small connection because she is from Southern California originally.
My favorite actor is Johnny Depp. Yes he’s handsome but he’s captivating on screen and that’s what I love about him. I have hated some of his movies but I always want to watch his performance on screen. I especially loved Chocolat. The book was better but the movie was wonderful. And what’s not to love about his living on a private island in France.
I agree with Erica – Johnny Depp is my favorite. There is always a real emotional depth to the characters he plays, even the ones who are more than a bit off-kilter. And his characters are often edgy, I hitch intrigues me. I enjoyed all the Pirates movies, but I think I liked him best as J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland.
My favorite actress is Meryl Streep. I love how she’s able to get inside the skin of any character she plays and “becomes them.” She’s known for this and has spoken about it in many interviews. My favorite actor is Robert De Niro. Not the tough guy De Niro, but the softer romantic, sometimes goofy, sweet family guy.
Not coincidentally, my favorite movie, Falling In Love, stars both Streep and De Niro. Set during an ‘80s Christmas holiday, a
chance encounter creates an extended soulmate connection that neither can shake. SO romantic!
Because Streep and De Niro seem to get into their roles with
such intensity, if I had the opportunity to meet either of them, I’d ask how they are able to “act” so deeply emotionally while seeming to not fall so deeply in love with the other in real life. I know it’s “acting” but their portrayals are always so intense, it just seems to me that they’d be touched emotionally in a life-altering way too.
I can’t wait to read The Meryl Streep Movie Club. And create one of my own!