Today I am so pleased to welcome Roan Parrish to Joyfully Jay. Roan has come to talk to us about her latest release, The Remaking of Corbin Wale (which I reviewed yesterday and loved). She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

The Remaking of Corbin Wale Tour Banner

My Top 5 Wintry Movies

I love winter. Well, I don’t love the cold, but I love snow, I love that clean smell of possibility in the air, and I really, really love wintry movies. They’re often holiday movies, which amuse me. But more importantly, they’re often cozy—stories of friends, lovers, and family driven together inside because of the weather. And we all know that DRAMA ensues when everyone’s stuck inside together for too long, cozy or not ;D. So, here, in no particular order, are five of my favorite wintry movies! Tell me yours in the comments, so I can watch them with my cat.

Home for the HolidaysHome for the Holidays (1995), directed by Jodie Foster

Home for the Holidays is my favorite holiday movie. Based on the short story by Chris Radant, it’s packed full of the most delicious pathos and deeply ingrained family dynamics. Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Junior are an epic sibling combo, and I would happily watch them just talk to each other for five hours. Anne Bancroft is everything and her delivery of a monologue about the vagaries of aging while taking her clothes off with a cigarette hanging off her lip is literally the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Exquisite from moment one to the end.

 

The Family StoneThe Family Stone (2005), directed by Thomas Bezucha

I really enjoy being emotionally manipulated by movies when I know I can watch them alone with my cat and vacillate between laughing and weeping where no one will ever see. So, when I’m in one of those moods—come on, you know you’ve been there!—The Family Stone is my pick. By turns funny, ridiculous, cozy, and sad, it’s a great ensemble cast. Bonus points for everyone getting to hate Sarah Jessica Parker, just like I always do when I have to watch her (except in Hocus Pocus, which is obviously beyond reproach).

 

FargoFargo (1996), directed by The Coen Brothers

Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, and Steve Buscemi? Hello. This movie is the perfect balance of desperate human weakness and the barest grasping hope. A blanket of winter snow is the necessary backdrop for murder and betrayal: against something so blank and white, every mistake is horrifically visible. Dark humor, white men being incompetent, and Steve Buscemi? Epic winter watching.

 

Let the Right One InLet the Right One In (2008), directed by Tomas Alfredson

This coming of age vampire tale (based on the excellent novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist) is as chilly as its setting. The central image of the film is lonely kid, in a lonely playground, in a lonely town, surrounded by snow that dampens everything. The deep freeze of winter echoes the way time has frozen for Eli. When bullied Oskar meets Eli, the warmth between them struggles to kindle, and then quickly burns out of control. Part horror, part coming of age narrative, and part first love story, Let the Right One In is perfect viewing for a cold winter night.

 

SnowpiercerSnowpiercer (2013), directed by Joon-ho Bong

Based on the amazing graphic novels, Le Transperceneige, by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer takes place entirely on a train that … uh, you know, pierces snow. In the now-unrelenting winter, the train is the only sanctuary against icy death beyond it. Passengers have been sorted into cars with different levels of amenities based on their economic class. When the impoverished passengers at the back of the train learn of the wealth others are living in, they lead a revolt, with their passage through different classes a literal fight from the back of the train to the front. While not perfect (it’s still a white-man-as-hero story), it’s an amazing example of a big-budget film engaging with issues of class and class consciousness. Also, p.s. the fight scenes are amazing.

What are your fave winter movies? Tell me in the comments!


Blurb

The Remaking of Corbin WaleAbout The Remaking of Corbin Wale

Last month, Alex Barrow’s whole life imploded—partner, home, job, all gone in forty-eight hours. But sometimes when everything falls apart, better things appear almost like magic. Now, he’s back in his Michigan hometown, finally opening the bakery he’s always dreamed of. But the pleasure of opening day is nothing compared to the lonely and beautiful man who bewitches Alex before he even orders.

Corbin Wale is a weirdo. At least, that’s what he’s heard his whole life. He knows he’s often in a fantasy world, but the things he feels are very real. And so is the reason why he can never, ever be with Alex Barrow. Even if Alex is everything he’s always fantasized about. Even if maybe, just maybe, Corbin is Alex’s fantasy too.

When Corbin begins working at the bakery, he and Alex can’t deny their connection any longer. As the holiday season works its magic, Alex yearns for the man who seems out of reach. But to be with Alex, Corbin will have to challenge every truth he’s ever known. If his holiday risk pays off, two men from different worlds will get the love they’ve always longed for.

 

Riptide Charity CollectionAbout the 2017 Holiday Charity Collection

20% of all proceeds from this title will be donated to the Russian LGBT Network.

Each year, Riptide Publishing releases a holiday collection in support of an LGBTQ charity. Twenty percent of the proceeds from this year’s collection will be donated to the Russian LGBT Network.

The Russian LGBT network was founded in April 2006. It is an interregional, non-governmental human rights organization that promotes equal rights and respect for human dignity, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. They unite and develop regional initiatives, advocacy groups (at both national and international levels), and provide social and legal services.

To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit their website: https://lgbtnet.org/en.

This collection would not be possible without the talent and generosity of its authors, who have brought us the following holiday stories:

  • Cecilia Tan, Watch Point
  • Roan Parrish, The Remaking of Corbin Wale
  • Katie Porter, Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Buy all three in the collection and save!


Bio

Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect with Roan:


Giveaway

To celebrate the release of The Remaking of Corbin Wale, one lucky winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 2, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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