Channel Your Brave Week!

CHANNEL YOUR BRAVE WEEK 

WITH COURTNEY C. STEVENS! 

I am so excited for Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens Contemporary Young Adult Novel Faking Normal to finally be available on February 25th! Last Christmas Courtney sent me a Faking Normal bracelet with the motto "Channel Your Brave" on it. I loved the idea. It is a challenge each and every one of us face on a daily basis. So Courtney and I decided to share some of the things that help us channel OUR brave, A couple friends will be stopping by with their input throughout the week as well. And we would definitely like to hear from you each day! 

 

Meet Courtney C. Stevens! 

Courtney C. Stevens grew up in Kentucky and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is an adjunct professor and a former youth minister. Her other skills include playing hide-and-seek, climbing trees, and being an Olympic torch bearer.  

TEN MOVIES THAT HELP COURTNEY 

CHANNEL HER BRAVE

1. How to Train your Dragon

Set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell, this action comedy tells the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn't exactly fit in with his tribe's longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup's world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges him and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.

2. The Blind Side

The Blind Side is a 2009 American semi-biographical sports drama film. It is written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and based on the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. The storyline features Michael Oher, an offensive lineman who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. The film follows Oher from his impoverished upbringing, through his years at Wingate Christian School, his adoption by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, to his position as one of the most highly coveted prospects in college football, then finally becoming a first-round pick in the NFL by the Baltimore Ravens.

3. Remember the Titans

Remember the Titans is a 2000 American sports drama film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The plot was conceived from a screenplay written by Gregory Allen Howard. The film is based on the true story of African American coach Herman Boone portrayed by Denzel Washington, as he tries to introduce a racially divided team at the T. C. Williams High School in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Alexandria, Virginia during the early 1970s. Actor Will Patton portrays Bill Yoast, an assistant coach making a transition to help out Boone. The real life portrayal of athletes Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell, played by Ryan Hurst and Wood Harris, appear within the harmonized storyline; while Kip Pardue and Kate Bosworth also star in principal roles.

4. The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Adapted from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the film tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker who spends 19 years in Shawshank State Prison for the murder of his wife and her lover despite his claims of innocence. During his time at the prison, he befriends a fellow inmate, Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, and finds himself protected by the guards after the warden begins using him in his money laundering 

5. The Dark Knight Rises

 

The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 British-American superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan and the story with David S. Goyer. Featuring the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the final installment in Nolan's Batman film trilogy, and it is the sequel to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Christian Bale reprises the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with a returning cast of his allies: Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The film introduces Selina Kyle, a sly, morally ambiguous cat burglar, and Bane, a mercenary bent on destroying Gotham City. Drawn back into action by new threats facing the city, an older Bruce Wayne is forced to come out of retirement and become Batman once again.

6. Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David O. Russell, adapted from the novel The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. The film stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, with Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, and Julia Stiles in supporting roles.

7. A Time to Kill

A Time to Kill is a 1996 film adaptation of John Grisham's 1989 novel of the same name, directed by Joel Schumacher. Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, and Kevin Spacey star, with Oliver Platt, Ashley Judd, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, and Patrick McGoohan appearing in supporting roles.

8. Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams. Set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in Vermont in 1959, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry. The film was critically acclaimed and was nominated for many awards.

9. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is the third and concluding installment in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, following The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.

 10. We Bought A Zoo

We Bought a Zoo is a 2011 comedy-drama/family film based on the 2008 memoir of the same name by Benjamin Mee. The film is directed by Cameron Crowe, and stars Matt Damon as the lead character. It tells the story of Mee and his family who just purchased a dilapidated zoo and took on the challenge of preparing the zoo for its reopening to the public.

FAKING NORMAL

Courtney's Book, Faking Normal, which this whole celebration is about goes on sale February 25th. Do yourself a favor and check it out! 

 

Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

A searing, poignant book, Faking Normal is the extraordinary debut novel from an exciting new author-Courtney C. Stevens

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