The 2018 Bluestocking Belle’s anthology
Follow Your Star Home is a very special anthology by The Bluestocking Bells.
We were given an interesting brief.
- It had to be a Christmas story
- It had to be about 20,000 words
And it had to feature the following elements
- A ring (which you can see on the cover)
- A sword
- An Arabian horse
- A sailing boat, and
- A prodigal returns story
Our imaginations ran wild and the result is Follow Your Star Home.
So to have a little bit of fun, I’ve asked my follow Belles to show of their fantasy film casting skills and share a little more about their story. And I’m going to kick it off
And so, without further ado…
Tell us the name of the story and a little background about the hero and the heroine you’ve created for Follow Your Star Home
A Fine Chance is the most modern setting in the series – early 1920s San Francisco. It’s rather odd how everything 20th century still seems so modern – even though my story is set 96 years ago!
I think we can thank the movies for that. All of sudden we can see and hear people who were born more than a century ago. In the backgrounds of these films, we can see what furniture they had, what clothes, what ornaments…
Imagine living in 1922 and seeing moving sound and footage of people who lived in 1826! How might that change the way we see the past?
In A Fine Chance, Robert Fairmont is a wealthy young man estranged from his father. He lives home under bitter circumstances, but time has matured him. Robert has seen a bit of the world now and understands his father a lot better. He wants to return home to see if there is any hope of reconciliation.
My heroine, Helen Watson is a no-nonsense career girl but with a good heart. When she meets “Bobby” a man who appears to be on his uppers, she arranges to get him a job at the factory where she works. Little does she know that “Bobby”‘s father actually owns the company and her act of kindness is the chance Robert needs to make amends.
If you could cast any actor and actress into the role of your hero and heroine (it could be current stars or Golden Years of Hollywood legends), who would you pick?
I had a lot of fun picking my actors.
-
- This handsome chap is Hugh Allan and he’s just right to play Richard Fairmont. He was not a professional actor and only made half a dozen films. He gave up on Hollywood altogether after a film producer left him stranded in Hawaii in 1930 after sompleting a shoot.
-
- Pretty girl-next-door type Joan Fontaine is just the person to play Helen Watson. But don’t let the butter-wouldn’t-meld-in-her-mouth eyes fool you. Her bitter rivalry with sister Olivia de Havilland lasted until Joan’s death. Hmmm who said Hollywood was the dream factory…
What does this Season mean for your hero and heroine?
For Robert, Christmas is a time of new beginnings and second chances. For Helen, it is a season of goodwill to all men.
Excerpt from A Fine Chance
He stepped into the foyer, and he might as well have been transported back in time. Nothing. Nothing had changed!
A series of tall narrow windows spilled light onto the crisp white and navy linoleum tiles. A selection of Crusader Shirts were grouped by style – working men’s shirts, business men’s shirts and formal attire displayed on tailor’s dummies. Overhead, suspended from the ceiling were three long matching advertising banners with the company slogan.
You’re on a winner with Crusader.
A sinuous oak staircase rose up each side and over the double-wide and double height doors that led to the factory floor.
Somewhere in the distance the noon lunch siren sounded.
“Well, if you’re going to keep bumping into me, we should be properly introduced.”
Robert looked down.
“Helen of Troy!” he grinned. “I had no idea you worked here!”
Several heads turned their way and he was delighted to see her blush.
“You may as well call me by my real name.” She stuck out her hand business-like, Robert didn’t waste any time taking it. “Helen. Helen Watson.”
She looked at him, clearly expected him to reciprocate. He swallowed around his own name, though he wasn’t sure why did so.
“R… Bob. Bob Quinn,” he said, giving the name he had enlisted under – his mother’s maiden name.
The smile returned. “Well Bob Quinn, I take it you are here to see someone?”
Robert searched Helen’s face for any sign that she knew exactly who he was. She did not.
“Um, I was hoping that…” Damn! Why had he suddenly become so tongue tied?
With a gentle touch to his elbow, Robert followed Helen to an olive fabrikoide banquette.
“You’re looking for work?” she asked kindly.
Robert had no idea what made him nod his head, but he did it anyway.
“Can you start tomorrow?”
“Sure,” he said, finding his voice. His one word answer was worth it to see her smile.
“It’s a warehouse job, not very exciting, but the fellas have been short-handed since Marco left. And,” she said, leaning in and squeezed his hand, “it will keep you out of the cold.”
“You’re very kind to me Helen,” he answered, conscious of her hand in his. It felt nice… right.
