20 days until Christmas
Remember – all entries go into one big “bowl” for the drawing, so more entries improves your chance of winning!
Melissa has had many imaginary friends (and enemies) since she was a child. Her vivid imagination had her writing stories and jotting down book ideas for years until she finally sat down and finished a novel. She is married to an awesome man and the proud mother of three fun, sassy, lovely daughters. Melissa is a graduate of the University of Utah and currently resides in the Salt Lake area.
Connect with Melissa: BLOG | WEBSITE | Twitter | Facebook
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LDSWBR: What Christmas-related activity would you like to do this year that you have never done before?
MELISSA: I would love to go on a vacation for Christmas rather than give presents. Especially if that vacation involves a warm beach in Mexico or a cozy cabin in the Swiss Alps. So much of Christmas is meaningless; being somewhere isolated with nothing but the people I love most sounds like a real Christmas celebration.
LDSWBR: If you could find one book under the tree this year, what would it be?
MELISSA: I’d love a first edition collection of Charles Dickens’ books. It’d be even cooler if they were delivered by Charles Dickens’ ghost, or maybe Scrooge’s. If I had to choose just one, it would be a first edition of A Tale of Two Cities.
LDSWBR: What is your favorite childhood Christmas memory?
MELISSA: We had a horse pasture and every so often we actually had a horse in it. I remember my dad taking me out for a ride one Christmas morning and that was far better than presents. When my siblings and I were older we would always camp out in somebody’s bedroom on Christmas Eve and that brought a lot of fun memories as well as a tight bond before we all started moving out of the house. We went sledding at night when the moon reflecting on the snow created a place between night and day. My most memorable Christmases have come when my focus was on giving to others of my time and especially if they were people in great need.
LDSWBR: Thank you, Melissa. Have a wonderful Christmas!
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Buy Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon
CEDAR FORT | DESERET BOOK | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
How have you and your family helped others during the Holiday season?
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To enter the Countdown to Christmas 2011 contest, complete the following and then tell us what you did:
- **Required entry (+1) – Leave a thoughtful comment on this post. (More than just “Great contest!” please.) You must leave a comment on this post for your other entries to count. If you are reading this post through email or an RSS reader, please click through to leave a comment.
- Bonus entry (+1) – Tell us in your comment what your favorite fairytale was in your childhood. Is it still your favorite?
- Additional entries (one time +1 entry each) – 1) Subscribe to LDSWBR through email 2)Follow @LDSWBR on Twitter 3) Like LDS Women’s Book Review on Facebook (all found at the the top of the right sidebar on the LDSWBR blog). NOTE: If you already subscribe through email, follow us on Twitter, or Like us on Facebook you must tell us in a comment for the extra entries to count.
- By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Christmas 2011, you agree to the contest information found here.
***If you haven’t read the contest rules and info, read them here.***
Book prizes donated by their authors:
- Not My Type by Melanie Jacobson
- Cinder & Ella by Melissa Lemon (ebook)
- Pride & Popularity by Jenni James
- The Kissing Tree by Prudence Bice
- Rearview Mirror by Stephanie Black (paperback or Kindle)
- The Next Door Boys by Jolene B. Perry
- Winner’s choice of one of the books in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series by Josi S. Kilpack (including Banana Split which will be released in February 2012)
- Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden
- Obsession by Traci Hunter Abramson
- Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little
- Indelible by Lani Woodland and a swag bag!
- Identity by Betsy Love
- The Hainan Incident by D.M. Coffman (autographed copy)
- Count Down to Love by Julie N. Ford
- Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett
- The Breakup Artist by Shannen Crane Camp
- Seers by Heather Frost
Don’t forget to comment! Merry Christmas and happy reading!
24 Responses to “Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon – Countdown to Christmas 2011”
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We try to do a little something each year for people who don’t have much. This year we are more on the receiving end, but hopefully things will be back to normal next year. :) People are so generous during Christmastime. It’s amazing how caring they can be.
And this book looks SO cute! Putting it on my list! :D
What a great way to celebrate this Christmas. My family and I try to help others during the Christmas season by partaking of the angel tree at our local mall. They have angels ornaments on several trees with the names and gift wishes of local children. The girls take their own money and pick a child or two to each buy for. They then buy something on the child’s wish list. Our family has been doing this since our daughters were little. Now they are young women and I hope they will carry on this tradition with their own children.
My favorite fairy tale as a child was Snow White. I first saw the Disney movie when I was three years old, and Snow White became my imaginery friend at that time. Once I learned how to read I loved reading the tale of Snow White. She was always so kind, naive, and friendly. I was scared though the the evil Queen lived in my closet and would get me at night. I still love the story of snow White, and loved reading it to my girls when they were little.
I already subscribe to LDSWBR through email and also have liked you on facebook. Thanks.
The last couple of years our neighborhood has given money to those out of work instead of giving each other plates of treats. A much better tradition and also fewer calories! My favorite fairy tale as a child was one that I don’t even remember the name of. It was about a mean mother with a beautiful daughter and a couple of mean ones. The beautiful daughter was kind and in love with a prince, but her mean sisters were jealous and tried to steal him. They were both turned into donkeys and the beautiful sister eventually won the prince. I’m not sure it’s my favorite any more. I’d have to say my favorite right now is Rapunzel, just because of how many times our daughter has wanted to see the movie lately. :)
I subscribe to LDSWBR e-mails and follow on facebook.
We don’t usually take on a huge service project, but we try to help out in smaller ways by doing things like donating to local food drives, etc. A couple of times we have done the “Sub for Santa” program and that’s been very rewarding.
My favorite fairytale as a child was Cinderella. I loved the movie and there was just something about the whole fairy godmother thing that was just so fascinating to me. I also really admired Cinderella for having such a positive outlook despite her harsh circumstances. I remember I had to do a puppet show project once in elementary school and I chose to make Cinderella stick puppets. Since then I’ve become acquainted with so many other great fairytales that I wasn’t exposed to as a child (and they are all wonderful), but Cinderella is still probably my favorite!
1) The women at LDSWBR are awesome! Does that count as thoughtful? No? Hmm….well, let’s see…I think Christmas traditions are some of the best traditions. Sad that we really don’t have any. Well, I’ll leave a more thoughtful comment next.
2) My childhood favorite fairy tale? Um….I don’t know that I had one. Guess this isn’t that thoughtful. Some I really liked are Beauty and the Beast as well as Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel. Not a big “damsel in distress” fan. And even though Rapunzel kinda shows that cliche, she also had something different. I’ll even add that my favorite Disney princess is Belle and that on a spring break trip back home to CA, I went with some friends to Disneyland and got a picture with Belle where it looks like I’m proposing.
3) And I do subscribe to your newsletter (well, as of about 10 minutes ago), I like you on FB, and I follow you on Twitter. Yay!
This year my family and I are trying to focus on service as we dont have a lot of $ this season. We’ve tried to find ways to help our neighbors (raking leaves, oh so many leaves, taking out garbage cans to the street, watching children, etc)
My favorite fairy tale was Little Mermaid spurred by the Disney movie. :) It’s still a favorite I like to watch with my kids.
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One year my family picked another family in need and they had us drop off the gifts and ring the doorbell and run fast back to the car. That was fun to do as a child.
Beauty and the Beast has been a favorite. I have enjoyed reading the spin-offs on this fairy tale. I think their names are Beauty and Beastly. I liked Belle because she loved to read (in the Disney movie version).
1) I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time. It’s sounds so fun
2) I’ve always like the Little Mermaid, there’s something about being about to breath underwater. :)
3) I follow you on twitter
4) I like you on FB
I loved “The Maiden without Hands” in the Grimm collection when I was younger -and I still love it!
I follow LDSWBR via FB, Twitter, & email
+3!
Many years ago, when I was being taught by the sister missionaries back in VA, I bought them a real Christmas tree, stuffed it into my car, and left it at their apartment door with a poem (that i can’t remember). They were thrilled and knew immediately who it came from. On their preparation day they invited me over and we strung popcorn to hang on it. It was a fun time and so great for me as an investigator to the LDS church!
The last few years we have gotten ornaments off the “angel tree” at church and bought the items that were requested. This year, the tree was put up by my friend’s son who did it as his Eagle project.
Yes, we try to find meaningful service opportunities during Christmas. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate.
My favorite fairy tale was Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” as a child. Now it’s “Beauty and the Beast”.
I agree that a vacation would be a great present. My parents kinds did something like that last year with their kids beacuse they couldn’t figure out what to get us ( as we are all in our 20’s) so instead they did an experience gift with those who had spouses getting a gift card to a place for dinner and a show, and my sister got a day of snowboarding with my mom and I got a day of shopping. It is the different gifts that are the best. though the flying wrapping paper is important so maybe one wrapped gift :-)
I love your idea of a Christmas vacation instead of presents!! It would be a great present itself!!
My favorite fairytale as a child was Snow White!!! loved the dwarfs and the fact that Snow White was rescued by a handsome prince!!
I subscribe to you through e-mail and also follow you on facebook!!
One year there was a family that lived down the road who had a lot of little kids, like 6 or 7 kids, and they didn’t have a lot of money so my whole family went together and gathered up a bunch of toys and such and placed them all on their front porch Christmas morning.
My favorite fairytale was The Little Mermaid and it is still one of my favorites but I do have other favorites now as well. :)
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