THIS POST MAY CONTAIN REFERRAL LINKS. IF YOU CLICK THROUGH AND TAKE ACTION, I MAY BE COMPENSATED, AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.
Have you been following my newsletter or Facebook updates recently?
If so, you may already know that one of my novels, The Second Sister, has been adapted into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie titled Christmas Everlasting. It premieres on the Hallmark Channel on November 24th, 2018 at 8pm Eastern, 7pm Central. I hope you’ll tune in!
Even better, I hope you’ll watch it with me—more on that in a future post. For now, stay tuned.
A Life Highlight and a Craft Project That Got Out of Control
Last week I had the unforgettable chance to visit the set while filming was underway.
It was one of the happiest days of my life—so full of joy that by day’s end my face hurt from smiling.
But let me begin at the beginning.
This whole adventure into MovieLand began, as many of my adventures do, with an overly ambitious craft project, followed by a sleepless night, panic, and the frantic ripping out of seams while I wondered how I keep getting into these situations.
I often create a companion quilt to accompany my books. Most of those quilts are made by my good friend Deb Tucker of Studio180 Design, but when The Second Sister was going to press and Deb’s schedule was full, I designed and made the companion quilt myself.
When I learned filming was about to begin, I decided I wanted to give Lucy’s quilt, “Lucy’s Legacy,” to Tatyana Ali, who plays Lucy in the movie.
Then I thought, if I’m going to give a quilt to Lucy, I should have something for the other actors too.
So I made four quilted table runners in one week, finishing the last in the wee hours before catching my flight.
Fueled by adrenaline and coffee, and running on very little sleep, I arrived in Atlanta feeling surprisingly great. That energy lasted all day and well into the night.
The day was packed with memorable moments, but I will never forget walking down a driveway on a hot, humid Georgia day and getting my first glimpse of Lucy’s snow-covered lake house.
Seeing it felt surreal, like someone had opened my head and revealed the scene I’d imagined for years. I started to cry—tears of happiness.
What I Learned About Movie Magic
Movie sets are busy, crowded, and incredibly detail-oriented. I don’t know the exact size of the crew for Christmas Everlasting, but it felt like at least a hundred people, each with a specific role executed to perfection.
No detail was overlooked: wardrobe continuity, making a turkey appear freshly cooked, or projecting frosty window scenes against a dark background. The phrase “movie magic” is absolutely fitting—Hallmark’s team knows how to create it.
One challenge for a visitor is finding a place to stand or sit without getting in the way. Between cast, crew, cameras, and countless pieces of equipment, that’s no small task. Everyone I met, however, was polite and patient.
Despite a tight shooting schedule and an intense workload, the crew welcomed me warmly. I met the director, producers, makeup artists, hair and wardrobe teams, and many others.
I have a soft spot for the costume and wardrobe department—fabric and sewing machines are hard to resist. One of the wardrobe team members, Emily, shares my RV obsession, and between takes we had a delightful teardrop-trailer conversation.
The wardrobe trailer was an actual semi-trailer outfitted with a washer and dryer and costumes hung from end to end. There were also trailers for makeup, sound, lighting, props, and more—a small functioning city. Even the catering area was an expansive trailer converted into a cafeteria that could seat dozens.
When Characters Come to Life
The set had everything the production needed, and I was thrilled to meet the actors bringing my characters to life. Being mindful that they were working, I waited for appropriate moments to present my gifts.
When I spotted Tatyana Ali sitting quietly on a set of stairs between takes, I sat with her and presented the quilt I had made. When I explained how the quilt fit into the book and how it reflected Lucy’s character, we both teared up. Tatyana clearly loves Lucy as much as I do.
The actresses playing Rinda, Daphne, and Celia were delightful and very much like the characters in the story—wherever one was, the others were close by. It was heartwarming to see the bond they’ve formed during filming, and they genuinely appreciated the table runners I made as keepsakes of the experience.
I didn’t sew a gift for Dondre Whitfield or Dennis Haysbert, but knowing they both golf, I gave each a golf ball Christmas ornament. They were warm, humble, and generous with their time—terrific people as well as talented actors.
The final table runner I made was for the incomparable Patti LaBelle. Meeting her left me a little starstruck—not because she was distant, quite the opposite—she was warm, gracious, and genuinely kind.
Patti LaBelle! I still can’t quite believe I met her.
When Books Become Movies
The day was long but wonderful—one of the best of my life. Watching a book become a movie is an emotional journey. I knew changes were inevitable; films must condense stories, combine characters, and alter plotlines to fit a limited runtime.
Still, handing my story over to others felt like dropping a child off for their first day of school. Would they care for it as I did? Would they honor what made it special?
I didn’t need to worry. While some story elements were altered or reduced and some characters were combined or reshaped, the themes that matter most to me—friendship, family bonds, the constancy of love, forgiveness, and embracing life wholeheartedly—remain intact. That’s what matters.
It was well past midnight when I returned to my hotel exhausted, while the cast and crew were still working on set. As I turned off the lights and closed my eyes, my last thought was that my story and characters were in very capable, caring hands.