3:10 To Yuma - Long Live the Cowboy Movie!

On Sunday, hubby and I went to see a movie. This was quite an event, because it's not often that we both want to see the same thing (the last movie we saw together was Casino Royal... and let me just say that Daniel Craig makes a yummy James Bond!)

The movie we chose was 3:10 To Yuma. I love horses, but that doesn't mean I'm automatically drawn to all cowboy movies. For one thing, the horses often die in these movies, which I find to be a bummer. But, this one caught my attention because of Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Also, the premise was interesting; A one-legged Civil War vet must accompany a notorious murdering bandit to board the 3:10 train which will take him to Yuma prison. Problem is, the bandit's gang is doing everything they can to stop it.

There's a lot in this movie about destiny and what makes the true measure of a man. There's also a ton of action, a fair amount of swearing (it's rated R, after all) and some appearences by actors that you don't expect to see. I found myself having some rather unexpected reactions whenever they popped up.

Hey, is that Peter Fonda underneath all that hair?

Hey, that Gretchen Moll makes a pretty little farm wife.

Hey, how can Luke Wilson manage to still be so cute when he's playing a sadistic bigot with dirty teeth?

Hey, there's Alan Tudyk! Wash alert! (Let me just confess now, I'm a sci fi geek, and I love finding actors from my favorite sci fi series getting work after their series are over. In case you didn't know, Alan Tudyk played Wash, the pilot, in the series Firefly and the movie Serenity.)

But I gotta say, I really enjoyed this movie. Yep, it's violent, but I think the violence was pretty much a part of who these men were (the characters in the movie. I can't speak to how actual desperados acted, having never met one). The best parts of the movie are the performances turned in by Crowe and Bale. Both of these men are terrific actors, and they find the nuances in their characters, ensuring that it's impossible to take either one at face value.

And another plus, to my recollection, not a single horse died in the movie. Hot diggity! (A cow bit the dust, but I don't have quite the same emotional connection with bovine.)

So if you're looking for a good western with great acting, pretty horses, and you can stomach some blood and raw language, catch the 3:10 To Yuma. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Oh, My Aching Back!

I can't believe it's finally here... in just 4 short days, I'll be getting on a plane bound for Dallas and the ACFW conference. You would think, with such an incredible event coming up, that I would have spent the day writing. But you'd be wrong.

I've had a fun-filled day of cleaning! (Please note the heavy sarcasm intended.)

Normally, I'm not a great housekeeper. In fact, you could probably plant things on the dust that accumulates on my table tops and TV screens. But I've got this weird quirk... I have to know that the house is clean before I go on a trip. There's just something restful about knowing that the cleaning was done BEFORE my exodus from the house starts. Of course, this time I'm going off on my own, leaving my husband and teenage son behind, so who knows what the house will look like when I get back! But that's okay... I did my part.

It's only 2:00 PM right now, so technically, I've still got a lot of time to get some writing done. But I think I'm going to rest my spine (which is screaming out in protest of this morning's unusually physical activities) by kicking back in bed and reading. I may even watch a Star Trek Voyager rerun or two. If I pay really close attention to the character development and plot structure, I could even consider it writing related... couldn't I?

Love Books? Near Dallas? Come on Down!

Do you love Christian fiction? Want to be able to meet over 60 Christian fiction authors all in one place? Then join us for the ACFW booksigning on September 22nd from 1:30-2:30 at the Dallas Addison Quorum Marriott, 14901 Dallas Parkway, Dallas. Click on the picture below to see the flier. Hope you can join us!

When Eyelashes Are Wasted On Boys

There some things in this life that just aren't fair. Like...

• Chocolate is fattening
  
• Kids want to grow up fast and adults long to be young again
  
• You can't go to the beach without bringing a ton of sand home with you
  
• As a rule, boys get the best eyelashes
  

It seems I'm constantly being reminded of the eyelash issue. It all started with my brother, Josh. Josh is quite a bit younger than I am, so I noticed things like the fact that he had the longest eyelashes of anyone I'd ever seen. As a teen, I would be in the bathroom, experimenting with makeup and trying unsuccessfully to make my whispy lashes look full and lush, and I couldn't help but wonder why. Why had God seen fit to bless a boy with eyelashes like that when he obviously didn't need them?

Flash forward to today, when I have a son of my own. Billy is 14, but he's been blessed with a baby face that is a trait handed down from my side of the family. (I tell him that it may be a pain looking younger now, but he'll appreciate it later. I still haven't convinced him.) He also has incredible eyelashes. Not quite as amazing as my brother's, but still great. To make matters worse, he's got perfectly shaped eyebrows. Now I ask you, what does a boy need features like that for? They're wasted on him! I, in the mean time, still struggle with my balding lashes and almost non-existent eyebrows (they're so pale, they almost disappear).

But it's okay. I've made my peace with the fact that some things in life just aren't fair. And for every unfair thing, there's something cool to balance it out. Like...

• Dark chocolate is good for you
  
• When you get old enough, you can act like a kid and get away with it
  
• Car vacs can suck up a lot of sand
  
• As a rule, very few women go bald, and in the rare occasion that one does, there are lots of smashing wigs available!
  

Look Who's New in Christian Fiction - September 2007

Good news, readers! Here's the new list of Christian fiction releases for September 2007. Be sure to stop and visit the websites of the authors. Enjoy!

1. A Big Apple Christmas by Vasthi Reyes Acosta, Gail Sattler, Lynette Sowell, and Carrie Turnasky from Barbour.
A contemporary collection of four novellas that captures the sights and sounds of Christmas in New York City.

2. A Mommy In Mind, A Tiny Blessings Tale, Book 3 of 6 by Arlene James, from Steeple Hill Love Inspired.
A single woman trying to adopt an infant eventually realizes that the attorney behind a nightmarish custody suit is God's chosen mate for her.

3. A Shadow of Treason, 2nd book in The Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series by Tricia Goyer from Moody Publishers.
Sophie must leave behind the man she loves and return to the person who betrayed her. Another layer of war in Spain is revealed and nothing is as it seems.

4. A Texas Legacy Christmas, Texas Legacy series Book 4 by DiAnn Mills from Barbour Publishing.
Snuggle down between the covers of A Texas Christmas Legacy, where the miracle of love and life awaits you on every page.

5. Boo Humbug, The Boo Series by Rene Gutteridge from WaterBrook Press.
The zany characters of Skary return in this Christmas novella.

6. Finding Marie sequel to Frasier Island by Susan Page Davis from Harvest House.
Marie Belanger witnesses a murder and runs for her life not knowing why, eluding her pursuers so well it’s nearly impossible for her husband Pierre to help her.

7. Long Trail to Love 2nd in the Vermont Contemporary series by Pamela Griffin from Heartsong Presents.
Carly loses her boyfriend, her job, and the town’s respect in one crazy moment while out-of-towner Nate suffers a similar fate, but when they become “team mates” during a hike into Canada, the trek doesn’t allow for a smooth climb – in more ways than one!

8. Mason's Link by Bill Andrews from Xulon Press.
Recounts the fictional discovery of a link used to communicate with a departed loved one, considered by Heavenly powers to be the most important event since the Resurrection.

9. Montana Mistletoe by Lena Nelson Dooley, Lisa Harris, Debby Mayne, and Kim Vogel Sawyer from Barbour Publishing.
Four friends make a pact to marry by their twenty-eighth Christmas, but as the deadline looms, careers and experiences threaten to douse their Christmas spirit — and their chances for romance.

10. Shadow of Danger by Jeanne Marie Leach from Mountain View Publishing.
Sent away from home because of an undisclosed danger, a woman locates an old friend to help, but will she find love or will the danger get her first?

11. Sushi For One? by Camy Tang from Zondervan.
Will Lex Sakai be able to surrender her "perfect man" list and give Mr. All Wrong a chance?

12. The Restorer’s Son by Sharon Hinck from NavPress.
A new, reluctant Restorer is asked to sacrifice for his people—if he can find a way to yield to the One.

13. When the Morning Comes by Cindy Woodsmall from WaterBrook Press.
Wounded by her family, doubted by her fiance, Hannah Lapp plunges into life outside her Old Order Amish community.

14. When the Nile Runs Red by DiAnn Mills from Moody.
An Arab Christian dedicated to helping the Southern Sudanese is hunted by his Muslim brothers.

Happy reading!