Welcome to CentreStage with a very special guest indeed! I am delighted to welcome the amazing Meredith Schorr. Now Meredith lives on the other side of the Atlantic, but yet I feel we’re great friends. We’ve been hanging out on Facebook together since forever and, earlier in the year, Meredith took it upon herself to mentor and advise me on the geographic realities of her hometown of New York City. As if that weren’t enough, she then also read the whole first draft of my manuscript for local colour and accuracy. Peeps~Meredith seriously rocks on the talent, love and generosity front. I am honoured to introduce her today!

The one, the only: Meredith Schorr!

There are two things you should know about me for the purposes of this post. The first is that I’m Jewish—not a religious Jew—I don’t go to temple, and I don’t keep a kosher diet. In fact, I can’t eat a hamburger unless it’s a cheeseburger, and I’m a sucker for shellfish-both decidedly non-kosher. Nonetheless, I was raised in a Jewish home and my family does not celebrate Christmas. We never had a Christmas tree or stockings hung by the chimney with care—probably because we were pretty certain Santa and his reindeers would skip our house regardless of whether we were naughty or nice.

One might think someone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas would opt out of watching Christmas movies in favor of something… well…something less Christmassy.

Secondly—I’m currently romantically unattached. My last relationship ended more than a year ago and, although I’ve dated a bit since then, nothing has stuck. I’m typically an optimistic and hopeful individual, but it’s become increasingly more difficult over the past few months to maintain my positive outlook and certainty that my love life will turn around.

It stands to reason that someone who is fearful that her own romantic happiness is out of reach would avoid romantic and mushy chick flicks in favor of something less sappy, for instance horror movies or legal thrillers.

Logic suggests that someone like me would avoid Christmas-themed romantic comedy movies like a criminal evades the police, yet I am addicted to them with a capital A.  My favorite activity this season is curling up on my couch with my eyes glued to the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas movie series. For those not in the know, the Hallmark Channel is a television network known for its broadcast of sappy movies. From late October through Christmas, the channel features 24/7 holiday programming, including twelve new and original Christmas movies that I cannot get enough of. As the weather outside turns frightful, the movies play on a continuous loop and I watch them with the same frequency. The flicks, usually starring former child actors like Candace Cameron Bure and Lacey Chabert (of Full House and Party of Five fame), combine timeless love stories with modern sensibilities. They are sappy yet sassy and feature a bevy of male eye candy for folks like myself who are sorely lacking it in their “real” lives. They also provide a guaranteed happily-ever-after that leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Even though I’m acutely aware that these movies are a grand departure from reality, when the closing credits role, I find myself filled with renewed hope that there is someone out there for me and that I will meet him in time. The Christmas aspect also serves to remind me that this time of year is about more than crowded stores filled with frantic shoppers, but about counting our blessings and being happy—whether or not you have a significant other or a Christmas tree.

Awww Meredith! I am a fellow addict with you. One of my all-time faves is The Holiday: the ultimate hope movie, right? Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts, I love it. Now let’s hear it for your latest masterpiece!

BLURB FOR HOW DO YOU KNOW?

What if you were approaching the end of your thirties and all of the life milestones you took for granted in your youth suddenly seemed out of reach? On the eve of her thirty-ninth birthday, Maggie Piper doesn’t look, act, or feel much different than she did at twenty-nine, but with her fortieth birthday speeding toward her like a freight train, she wonders if she should. The fear of a slowing metabolism, wrinkling of her skin, and the ticking of her biological clock leaves Maggie torn between a desire to settle down like most of her similarly aged peers and concern that all is not perfect in her existing relationship. When a spontaneous request for a temporary “break” from her live-in boyfriend results in a “break-up,” Maggie finds herself single once again and only twelve months from the big 4.0. In the profound yet bumpy year that follows, Maggie will learn, sometimes painfully, that life doesn’t always happen on a schedule, there are no deadlines in love, and age really is just a number. Meredith Schorr, best-selling author of chick lit, digs deep in her newest novel and raises the age old issue of the ‘proverbial clock’ that haunts many women, in a way that is refreshing and sassy no matter your age or relationship status.

About Meredith Schorr

A born and bred New Yorker, Meredith Schorr discovered her passion for writing when she began to enjoy drafting work-related emails way more than she was probably supposed to. After trying her hand penning children’s stories and blogging her personal experiences, Meredith found her calling writing chick lit and contemporary women’s fiction. She secures much inspiration from her day job as a hard-working trademark paralegal and her still single (but looking) status. Meredith is also the co-founder of BookBuzz, a live author/reader event held annually. She is a loyal New York Yankees fan and an avid runner. How Do You Know? is her fourth novel. To learn more, visit her at www.meredithschorr.com.

CONTACTS

Website: www.meredithschorr.com
Twitter: @meredithschorr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeredithSchorrAuthor

Buy Meredith’s Books:

Amazon.com |  Amazon.co.uk | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

So, peeps. What do you think of Meredith’s holiday movie addiction? And what’s YOUR answer to the big question: How do you know? Go on, let’s hear it!