Sunday afternoon movies

Hubby and I just watched an intriguing, heartrending, edge of your seat movie called The Next Three Days starring Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Brian Dennehy, and Olivia Wilde.

The story is about a man whose wife is falsely accused and convicted of a crime and after a series of appeals fail, she faces a lifetime in prison away from her family. He is forced to take drastic measures - watch it, no spoilers here...

The movie made me think on so many levels and as a writer I looked for as many parallels to my stories as possible. I didn't look for stolen stories, I just compared events, challenges, actions and emotions.

In Courage of the Heart (NOW available in AudioBook!), Adam Sherman has to live with a past that includes a false arrest and conviction as an adult when he was little more than a boy himself. As an author, wow, I must be cruel to put my beloved characters through such an ordeal just for the sake of a plot. When I watched the despair of Russell Crowe's movie wife, I did indeed feel a twinge of guilt.

In Courage of the Heart when Adam's past catches up with him, he sacrifices his own safety and puts his life on the line to save Davie, the woman he loves.

So repeating questions I asked once before (previous post on this blog) ~ How far would you go for love? How much would you be willing to give up? At what point does another's life become more important than the self-preservation instinct we are all supposedly ingrained with?

I have an idea!

Read OR LISTEN to Courage of the Heart and then come back here and let's discuss it.

Courage of the Heart

"I was really surprised by some of the twists and turns in the plot. The characters really seem to jump right off the page at you. I really enjoyed it and am totally enthralled by the hero!" (from an Amazon Review)

Previously posted... A reincarnation of Courage of the Heart

this blog was previously posted December 2008:

The True Story Behind

Courage of the Heart

This true story isn’t about the love affair between Adam Sherman and Davie Prescott, the hero and heroine of my book. This isn’t about the shame that Adam feels or Davie’s innocence, or about the way he fears that he will taint her.

This is a true tale about the publication of a novel and the dreams of an author. You see, I first wrote Courage of the Heart in 1999 and it was published in June 2001. At the time, the publisher was an innovative print-on-demand company and one had to apply to be published. And while they never promised to move mountains to market the book, they indicated that they would help.

So my book went to “press” and I experienced the wild euphoria of seeing my name on the spine of the book. Between the time that I signed the contract and my book actually was made available, the company had changed its policy and became an all out self-publishing company. There was nothing wrong with that except that even the limited help with marketing I thought I would get was nil since I had not paid any money or purchased any packages. And… I knew absolutely nothing about marketing a book on my own.

Courage of the Heart received a few very favorable reviews (no, they were NOT relatives!) and not many more books were actually sold. My copy sat filed away as a frustrating memory of what could have, should have, been. It was frustrating, but I had a book in my name even if less than 20 people had read it. I still felt some accomplishment.

I kept writing and in 2008, Vanilla Heart Publishingpublished my novels Bartlett’s Rule, Forgotten andWithin the Law. Then Kimberlee Williams, managing editor of VHP, asked if I would consider re-releasing Courage of the Heart. My heart took a leap! Could it really happen? VHP and I had worked as a team to promote my other books and things were moving along very nicely. Did I dare to hope?

So I sent Kimberlee the manuscript – and legal looked into the question of rights. Kimberlee liked the story with some updated scenes (mostly to reflect the more modern world of computer technology that the story relied heavily on). Right now I am soooo excited I could squeal – Courage of the Heart will be re-released in a few months by Vanilla Heart Publishing!

Kimberlee designed a magnificent cover that so perfectly reflects the heat and intensity of Davie and Adam’s love story.

And while I don’t remember the music I listened to when I wrote the first version in 1999, I do know that I listened to Keith Urban singing “Once in a Lifetime” while I made the changes to make my story fit into the 21st century. So I guess that "Once in a Lifetime" is the theme song to Courage of the Heart.

Keep your eyes wide open for this romance… You know that I will let you know as soon as it is available. And in the meanwhile, keep coming back here for bits and pieces of interest about Courage of the Heart as well as Bartlett’s Rule, Forgotten and Within the Law.

And now, in 2013, Courage of the Heart is

soon to be released as an audiobook!

visit Chelle's website

from Courage of the Heart

COURAGE OF THE HEART shows us that sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

Davie slept only fitfully through the night. It hadn't taken her long to realize that this was the first time she was sleeping without Adam by her side since he had come home from the hospital.

By the time the morning sun cast enough light, Davie got up as quietly as possible and changed into her jeans and a man's flannel shirt. She carried her loafers to the door. Davie tiptoed downstairs.

Everyone in the house was asleep.

She opened the door to Adam's room and peeked in.

"I must have finally fallen asleep…" He whispered from the couch which was made up like a bed. "I'm having a wonderful dream. You're here."

"Good morning." She hurried in and kissed him. "Get up, come with me."

"Where?"

She smiled seductively. "Trust me."

Davie waited silently in the kitchen. It didn't take long before Adam was by her side wearing jeans, T-shirt and sneakers.

"Come on." She took his hand and led him outside through the kitchen door.

It was chilly, a layer of frost covered the ground. They moved quickly along the side of the building until they came to a door. Davie pulled the door open slowly to minimize the squeak of the hinges and pulled Adam inside with her.

"What is this place?" He asked.

She had pulled the door closed behind them. A small dirty glass pane above the door let in just enough light to see the small cubicle. An old wash basin hung off the wall; it had obviously not been used for a long time.

"I think it was originally meant to be a laundry room. When I was a kid it was my secret playhouse." She put her arms around him in the tight quarters and kissed him.

"Mmm, good morning." He held her and kissed her back. "I missed you all night."

"I know." She slid her hands under his T-shirt. "Show me how much."

He nipped at her ear lobe with his teeth and caressed her through her shirt. "How did I ever manage to get so lucky to tap into all this passion you have bottled up?"

His breathing quickened when he felt the erect nub through the flannel. "No bra?" He stepped back and made a show of unbuttoning her shirt. Adam weighed her rounded breasts with his hands and bent to suckle each one in turn.

Davie ran her fingers through his hair as she held him tightly against her.

He backed her against a wall and knelt before her. He placed tiny kisses on her belly as he unsnapped her jeans to pull them down her hips and legs. Once again, he realized that she had worn no underwear and he felt his pulse racing. Kneeling before her, he tasted every part of her as she was exposed to him.

"Oh, Adam." Davie's breath was coming in short spurts as she felt his very intimate kisses on the inside of her thighs.

Courage of the Heart by Chelle Cordero

AMAZON B&N OMNILIT PDF

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