TEN days into December? Wow. Where is this month going?!I'm really happy and energized by the participation of all of you in this year's calendar. Something about creativity sparks creativity. Have you noticed that?
Today's offering is from Karan Kapszukiewicz. Karan is a talented artist as well as friend, and she came up with an idea for YOUR participation.
Below are several photos and we want to hear from you as to who these clasped hands belong to.
As Karan put it: I was wondering what people would make of the ring or no ring....plus, who do you think might be on the beach this Christmas, who would get engaged over dinner, etc. That sort of thing.
I was wondering the same. Furthermore, if you can make a convincing argument, you just might see your scene show up in a forthcoming book. :-D
Anyway, because this calls for a bit of thought and creativity--yeah, this one's interactive!--I'm giving away ten ebooks from my backlist to randomly selected commenters (and those commenters get to choose which book they'd like.)
So here we go. The photos are numbered. You tell us who you think the photo represents and what's happening in that scene. (Remember the backdrop offers you clues as to the pairing -- although if you want to send Will and Taylor to London, I can go with that.)
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Wow. What a great idea this is, Karan. :-) I'm on my way out to school's (teachers') Christmas party, so my comment will be just a short one.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, picture #1 brought up vivid images of Jeff and George from Jefferson Blythe, Esquire. The background reminds me of Dean Street in London. It's in Soho, very near Chinatown. There is this lovely, cosy, romantic hotel called Dean Street Townhouse where hubby and I once stayed. In addition of staying in the atmospheric, small hotel it was wonderful to wander the streets nearby. So many beautiful, old buildings, so many nice restaurants filled with couples and groups of friends! I'd love to have Jeff and George walking those streets hand in hand, happy and in love. Looking for a place to dine or maybe heading to Chinatown and its delicious scents and lively chatter. Judging by the sleeve of that grey suit it must be some sort of anniversary, too! Or maybe a Christmas party? :-)
That was pretty good for -- *cough* -- off the cuff. :-D
Delete#2
ReplyDeleteJesse and Rocky have decided that this year instead of being cold and catching cold, and having someone else cook for them, they have landed on Maui. They plan on days of snorkeling and hiking and braving the road to Hana, and fish tacos, followed by lazy walks on the beach with drinks that come with those cute little umbrellas.
They might even take in a luau, one of the touristy ones with fire eaters and audience participation.
....now I want poke.
Now I want summer! :-)
DeletePoke is better than summer.
DeleteLOL
DeleteOh #3 could be my for my guys from The Dickens with Love. And Sedge proposing to James at his family home in England..That fireplace mantel peeking out in the background looks so old English estate-like. And I want them to find their happy
ReplyDeleteOh, I like this!
DeleteOH! Very good! Yes. I do love James and Sedge.
DeleteI would love #3 to be Adam and Rob from Winter Kill - Rob would wait for Adam to ask and he would wait forever, if necessary. But Adam does ask because Rob gave him more than his heart; he gave him a home and a life and a holiday worth celebrating. Together.
ReplyDeleteAwww! And you're right. You're right about this!
DeleteNumber 4 makes me think about Jake and Adrien spending their Christmas together in London (I can see the Big Ben in the distance). They have certainly ran away from Lisa and the rest of the family, and are enjoying a some time of their own, and their anonymity has made Jake bold enough to hold hands in the street....
ReplyDeleteAs for Number 5 makes me think about Colin and Thomas, from the French Have a Word For It. I do not recognise the city, but it reminds me of the streets of Paris in Christmas time. They are probably relaxing and enjoying their second chance.
"The streets of Paris." Just that makes me smile.
DeleteI wish #2 for Taylor and Will to be the long awaited vacation. After a successfully completed job they got as a bonus a short trip to hawaii on christmas. Nothing speaks against to take the trip because the families have their own christmas plans. After relaxing on the beach and drinking cocktails (beer) they got bored and decided to go fishing.
ReplyDeleteI can totally go for that. And how very happy Taylor would be if they actually went somewhere with sun and ocean. :-)
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ReplyDeleteThis is so cool!
ReplyDeleteMy first thoughts:
#1 is Stephen & Mark in Montreal. Utilizing those tickets Mark gave Stephen for Christmas. "Paris without the jet lag..." Don't ask me why they aren't wearing coats :-D
#2 is Nick & Perry. In Cabo. They are celebrating their anniversary as partners, and before you know it, they find themselves in the middle of a mystery. Could be, 'where do we find the best margarita,' could be something more sinister. Although a bad margarita is nothing to sneeze at.
#3 is Matt & Nathan. The following Christmas season, the men return to Little Fawn Lodge posing as ski buddies. Matt is able to arrange a private dinner in his room (hey, he has mad people skillz, and NOBODY questions him when he puts on his cop face). Nathan is deeply moved when Matt lays his heart on the line and a ring on Nathan's hand. After that evening, Nathan wears the ring on a chain around his neck, where it nestles against his heart.
#4 is Adrien & Jake before they beat feet back to LA, and begin the life they are looking forward to building together. They'd love to return to London someday. Just the two of them!
#5 is Kit & JX. A bit in the future. Kit is at last able to accept where he's at in all - well, most - phases of his life, which most definitely includes having JX at his side forever. For their honeymoon, JX indulges Kit's fantasy of visiting all the locales he used in his Miss Butterwith series. ALL. This may take a while. :-D
Good lord. Have you ever thought of becoming a lawyer? You argued your case(s) VERY well. :-D
DeleteHa, ha. No. I believe I've simply taken all of these guys to heart...just a little. :-)
Delete#3 Immediately the ties and dress shirts made me think of Pierce proposing to Brian/Griff, once Brian finally was comfortable in his new role and confident of Pierce's affections- and maybe Pierce twisted his arm into getting dressed up for Christmas without letting on that it would also be an engagement! I love those two!
ReplyDeletePierce and Griff! Oh nice one!
DeleteMy mind has been spinning all days just thinking about this. With so many stories and so many amazing casts of characters, the possibilities are endless. I've been reading each of the entries here and thinking, 'Oh yeah, that's awesome!'
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty floored, Karan!
Wasn't this a clever idea? :-D
DeleteThis is such a cool and neat idea. All the pictures are so lovely to look at. I just don't have the creativity to come up with any ideas for who's hands are which. It's been so fun reading every one elses ideas though. :)
ReplyDeleteReading everyone's ideas is kind of a mini story in itself! :-)
DeleteThat's such a wonderful idea Karan. Like Steve I have problems to settle down to one couple, when I look at the pictures.
ReplyDeleteBut in #3 and #2 I am seeing Elliot and Tucker. I hope for a marriage for this two, because that would ease Tucker a lot. And then they enjoy a real vacation somewhere warm and with the possibility to sail. To be together without the obligation to be the next days somewhere else.
That is very perceptive, Sabine. Tucker would be reassured by marriage. He really does long for his own family.
DeleteI'm glad everyone had fun playing, and I'm very happy Josh liked the idea.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Josh. :)
While I was making the images, I couldn't help but put in my own couples. #2, for me, was Sean and Dan from Dark Horse/White Knight, getting some warm and sunny beach time after finishing a movie shoot, free from danger. (It could happen, right? ;) )
:)
I like that too!
DeleteBUT if they were actually on vacation, you KNOW Sean is going to stumble over a murder plot.
YOU KNOW THIS. :-D
Thank you so much for this idea Karan. It's been fun reading everyone's take, as well as writing my own.
DeleteI'm going to have a try! :-D
ReplyDelete#3 looks like Will and Taylor to me. Not sure why -- and it doesn't really make sense because they would have already done this in bed in Paris. OR no! Maybe this is their wedding! And it's somewhere crazy. In the middle of a case. At a time when they weren't planning it, but the opportunity came up.
#4 is definitely Adrien and Jake. They're coming back from Christmas dinner and they know they're flying home early, early the next morning, but for these quiet moments they walk along the streets of London holding hands.
#2 Hmmm. Maybe JX has mercy on Kit and for once finally takes him away for Christmas. NO family obligations. NO pressure. NO BODIES. ;-D
#5 who is married?! Who has married without my permission!? :-D
That would be par for the course for Will and Taylor, wouldn't it?
DeleteWho is married indeed? Hmmm? Guess we stay tuned :-D
Didn't Graham and Wyatt get married?
DeleteOh, VERY true, Mr. Pinkerton. I'd nearly forgotten.
DeleteSomeone could be married secretly, not wanting to share the news yet...though, who would that be??
Delete;)
What a great idea! I was out all day yesterday, so just adding mine now. #5 is Adrien and Jake. They've just gotten married in a quaint German village on Christmas Eve. Backstory to the picture: Lisa has planned for the family to spend Christmas in Germany. Adrien and Jake have decided to get married on the trip but want to keep it a secret for fear that Lisa will turn it into a huge affair. Adrien is concerned that Jake's family won't be there, but Jake believes that even though his family has warmed somewhat to them as a couple, they wouldn't support a marriage. Just before departure, Adrien finally spills the beans to Lisa. The day of the wedding, Jake is excited but is having second thoughts about not inviting his family. He tries to call them to wish them Merry Christmas, but there is no answer. As Jake walks into the lobby of the inn for the ceremony, he's shocked and overcome with joy as he sees not only his mom and dad but all his siblings and their families as well. After the ceremony, Jake finds Adrien and asks if he did this for him. Adrien answers no, but he thinks he knows who did. They walk down the street hand in hand to find Lisa.
ReplyDeleteJosh, thanks so much for the advent calendar and especially all the codas!
Hi! The only series I've read so far from you are AE, All's Fair & Holmes & Moriarty though I'm planning to read more soon :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, when I saw pic #2 I remembered how Elliot & Tucker were planning to spend holiday together somewhere. Maybe in an island, something like that. So imagined that is their holding hands ha I'm not actually remember everything >__<
I'm not good at this & lack of imagination too. But this is fun & different, so I have to try :)
Thanks again for doing this. I'm so happy to read everyone's ideas, you're all so creative!
sadly I haven't met many of the couples to be able to put them into "proper" settings
ReplyDeletebut I'd like Adrien and Jake to be in #5