Favorite Fireman Movies

If firemen make good heroes in books, it stands to reason the same would be true on the big screen. I watch movies about firemen whenever I come across them. The three that stand out in my mind are all excellent, but one looms far above the others -- and I bet my top choice will surprise you! Let's kick things off with:

BACKDRAFT, released in 1991.

Kurt Russell and William Baldwin star as two Chicago firefighters battling a dangerous arsonist. I'd guess this is the most famous fireman movie of all. Ron Howard directed and he did a great job with the personal drama (the two brothers don't get along) and the fire scenes. Did anyone except firefighters know what a backdraft was before this movie came out? I doubt it. This movie achieved iconic status and really put firemen on the map. I mean, look at Kurt Russell here. Sigh.

Then there's LADDER 49, released in 2004. Joachim Phoenix plays a rookie fireman to John Travolta's veteran Captain. The film tells the story of his career in flashbacks while he's trapped inside a collapsing building. It shows how tough it is to be married to a firefighter and constantly worrying about the risks. Fair warning: this movie does not have a happy ending, but it's gripping and intense and well worth watching.

And now for my favorite fireman movie of all time:

ROXANNE, from 1987.

Surprised? Steve Martin plays the Fire Chief of a tiny little Colorado town. But that's not his most outstanding feature. No, that would be his nose. And his quick, witty sense of humor. (It's a retelling of the play, Cyrano de Bergerac.)  He falls in love with an astronomer played by Darryl Hannah, but she likes the cute, normal-nosed visiting fireman. A touching, comical series of events follows from there.

 
The film focuses on the romantic comedy, while the fire station provides an endearing, occasionally goofy backdrop. (I'll never forget the scene in which the crew learns to haul a hose to the tune of a waltz.)

Maybe that's why I love this movie the most -- because I write romance, not gritty reality. I want to see characters falling in love, learning to see the true beauty in each other, allowing themselves to surrender to the magic. Hot firemen are a bonus.

So there you have it ... my favorite fireman movie of all time. What's yours? What have I left out? Any other other recommendations? 

My Fire Guru

While I write about firemen, I am not one. Nor am I married to or related to one. This could pose a problem when I'm trying to evoke a firehouse or describe a structure fire -- if not for my secret weapon: A very generous Captain from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Whenever I have a technical question or anything related to fire station operations, I email him or we talk on the phone. I've never met him in person, but in my imagination he looks something like this:

I'm sure he'd be chuckling over that. He has a great sense of humor, but he takes his job very seriously and wants to help get the details right. While I appreciate this greatly, it can be inconvenient. I had to rewrite one hero's entire storyline because he informed me that fire captains don't make lateral moves from one department to another. The hero of my third book, Captain Roman, is now a Battalion Chief-level Training Officer transferring from New York, which actually makes him even more interesting.

What dumb mistake might someone make at a hazmat scene? He can tell me. What exactly happens during "lineup," the gathering of firefighters at the start of a shift? He knows. How many feet high does an "aerial" go? Sometimes I wonder why I'm writing the books, not him, but I know the answer to that. His book would be a very fact-based non-fiction account of firefighting procedures, while my books are light-hearted, fun, sexy rides in which a major theme is how darn hot firemen are.

No matter what my Fire Guru looks like, I know he's hot -- because he's such a good guy. He never gets impatient with my questions, he's always gracious and good-humored, he's extremely knowledgeable. Best of all, he's very excited for the books to come out.

I, on the other hand, am very nervous for him to read them! No matter how carefully he vetted certain details and passages, I'm sure some errors slipped through. In my dedication, I made sure to say that any mistakes are mine, not his. Completely true.

I hope my Fire Guru can enjoy the books for what they are: love letters to a profession I admire deeply (and think is hot.)

Christmas in April

Here in Alaska we know how to celebrate April Fool's Day. We started with a hailstorm, phased into some serious snow flurries, then decided to go all out and have ourselves a blizzard. I'd take a picture for you, but what would be the point? It would look more or less like this:





Yep. White space.

I keep scrunching my eyes shut and muttering, "April Fool's, right?" But no. It's a white, white world out there now matter how much I picture Mother Nature getting into the spirit of our human-invented holidays.

On top of that, my husband and 7-year-old are both sick with fever, which had better not be an April Fool's joke because it would be the least funny one ever. Well - it's kind of funny when you picture me, still recovering from knee surgery, stumping through the snow on my crutch to fetch them more tea or find the Children's Tylenol. (Our kitchen is in a separate building.)

I keep scrunching my eyes shut while they take their temperatures, but no ... it's still not an April Fool's joke, poor things. Neither is the game my little girl is currently playing, in which she slurps out her tongue really fast, twice in a row, then makes me guess which time was faster. Or the game in which she whistles snot in and out of her nose and asks if she sounds more like a cat or a coffee maker. Or the crazy game called "how many chapters of Harry Potter can I read before my voice gives out?" (Hey, whatever keeps the kid entertained.)

It's a tradition in our family that when my little girl is sick, she gets to watch a movie. We could have gone with her favorites, Ella Enchanted or Princess Mononoke, but I think we picked the right one considering the weather: The Santa Clause.

That's how April Fool's Day is going here. A blizzard, two fevers, a gimpy knee, and a Christmas movie. No joke.

So ... Happy April Fool's, AKA Christmas in April! May it be a merry one. 

How about you? Any good April Fool's Day jokes? How do you pass the time when your kids are sick?

Book of the Month

This is a quick pop-in to say that The Fireman Who Loved Me got a great 5 star review at Long and Short Reviews, which means it's up for Book of the Month for March. The book isn't even out yet, but I'm still thrilled to bits. Here's a snippet from the review:

"In this contemporary romp, Ms. Bernard takes us on a wild ride of fun, laughter, and emotion. The Fireman Who Loved Me has many plot lines going on and introduces a cast of characters that are memorable and realistic....This is one of those lighthearted feel good books that can be reread over and over again...I am in love, and lust, with these firemen!"

 I love this review! Here's the link to the entire review.

And here's the link to vote.  Many thanks!

My Chocolate Challenge

Since I'm no good at New Year's resolutions, I'm making a "new knee" resolution. I just had surgery on my left knee (ACL reconstruction, for those of you familiar with knee issues.) The lead-up to the surgery and the aftermath have put a serious crimp in my blogging intentions. But now -- new knee, new attitude. I'm going to aim for a new post every Monday.

But I'm the kind of person who needs an incentive. I fall somewhere on the spectrum between procrastinator and slacker. So I'm issuing this challenge to myself and to you. If you catch me without a post up by 9am on a Monday -- Eastern standard time, to make it even harder for me since I'm 4 hours behind -- and you call me on it in the form of a comment or an email to JenniferBernard.author@gmail.com, I'll send you some chocolate.

(Yes dear, someone said chocolate.) This is no hardship for me because I love sending people chocolate. I do it so often that Vosges, my favorite chocolate maker, assigned me my own "chocolate concierge." Her name is Betty, and I simply email her when I want to send someone a gift of sweet, delicious heaven. In fact, I may just miss a post on purpose so I can send off some chocolate.

My latest chocolate obsession? Dark chocolate-covered blueberry and acai berries. I've never seen an acai berry in the wild, but they sure taste good dipped in chocolate. What's more, I choose to believe they have magical healing properties since I hear they're grown in the high Himalayas and harvested under the crescent moon by chanting Tibetan monks. (Please don't ruin my illusions with any inconvenient factual corrections.) Since chocolate cures most ills anyway (see above request re factual corrections), these wondrous little sweets must be twice as powerful. 

Think they might heal my left knee if I eat enough of them? I figure it's worth a try.

So there it is, my Chocolate Challenge! I'm in the clear for this week, but please try again next week. And be sure to follow the blog to qualify to win. Here are the rules again:

1. See that I haven't posted a new blog post by 9am EST on any given Monday.
2. Comment here on the blog or email me at JenniferBernard.author@gmail.com.
3. Follow this blog.
4. Prepare to receive chocolate.

In the meantime, what's your favorite kind of chocolate? Have you tried the chocolate covered acai berries?

Have a great week!

Jennifer

ARC Giveaway - The Fireman Who Loved Me

I'm giving away an ARC of THE FIREMAN WHO LOVED ME on my Facebook page! Here's the link. And just because I like people who "like" me, I'm also going to include an adorable toy. I hope to see you over there!

In case you're on the fence, here's a snippet from one of the reviews I've gotten in the past few days, this one from A Tasty Read.

So my recommendation is.....READ THIS BOOK!!  PREORDER THIS BOOK and READ IT THE SECOND IT COMES TO YOUR HOUSE!!  You won't be sorry, and you will be talking about Captain Brody for the next week!!

What she said! Here's the link to the whole review.

Come on by! And good luck.

Jennifer

The Perfect Hero

I've been asked many times why I chose to write about firemen. The short answer is:

Enough said, right? Firemen are hot. Any other questions?

But of course that's not the real story. I first got to know a few firemen when I went to dinner at a firehouse with a friend of mine; it was one of the most fun evenings of my life. Not because they were all hunky and handsome, though a couple of them were. But because they were genuinely good guys with all sorts of different backgrounds and many interesting stories to tell. They were wonderful hosts and quite humble considering their job involves risking their lives. They weren't shouting from the rooftops about what studs they were. But somehow that made them even sexier in my eyes.

These firefighters had a great sense of humor, verging on goofiness. They were kind and considerate, they combined adrenaline-fueled machismo with down-to-earth get-the-job-done practicality. Several had science degrees, and all had the smarts to handle the complex technical requirements of firefighting. They had a sense of purpose and team spirit and dedication, but it wasn't all serious. They played pranks and teased one another and generally let out steam.

Okay, so I left with stars in my eyes. Later, it occurred to me that writing a romance about firemen on their home turf, not only out on the firelines, might be a lot of fun. And so it was. I've now written three books starring firemen and I feel that I'm just scratching the surface. Their hotness, in the end, is only one part of their appeal. 

Not that it hurts, of course.

So what do you say .... are firefighters the perfect hero or what?