More than likely, many of you know of my recent two-week excursions, but it is possible that some of you are not aware of the fact that this was the culmination of numerous years of incredibly arduous work on my part. In much the same way that viewers often only see and know about the entertaining parts of the life of an actor, journalists follow a similar pattern. A considerable number of people regularly assume that actors spend every night at lavish parties, hobnobbing with the rich and famous. Rarely do we see the hours of sleepless nights, last-minute changes, and grueling auditions they must undergo in order to enjoy those few moments of highly-publicized pleasure. For the record, I do not “sit around and interview hot guys” all the time (I have had fans describe my job as such from time to time.). However, my intensive labor over the course of many years did result in my having some enchanting moments over the past couple of weeks. And one of those is infinitely amazing enough that it requires an entire backstory and blog post.

I watched the first season of Cedar Cove way back when on the Hallmark Channel. I was only interested because it was based on a Debbie Macomber book series (she’s a fellow Washingtonian). To be quite honest, I knew absolutely no one in the cast. This was long before I understood live-tweeting, the art of reviewing a movie or show, or any quality interview techniques. I liked that first season, but there was one character for whom I had no use–Warren Saget. When it appeared that he may have been responsible for setting the fire at the end of season one, I was secretly hoping he’d be arrested, and he would never appear in the series again.

Following that initial season of Cedar Cove, I spent time learning about the fans of When Calls the Heart and Signed, Sealed, Delivered. As a proud member of the Postables, I learned to live-tweet (I even had my first celebrity tweet me back, but that’s another story.). I remember being distraught when season one of Signed, Sealed, Delivered was concluded because I had grown so accustomed to live-tweeting every Sunday night. What was I going to do now?

Brennan Elliott Credit: Copyright 2014 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Katie Yu

It was then that I realized Cedar Cove was coming back for season two, and I had the thought, “I wonder if any of the actors are on Twitter and whether they live tweet.” I had no idea how the answer to that question would change the trajectory of my life forever, as I have gone on to interview and even meet many of the cast members of that show. I quickly looked up everyone, followed them, and I even sent them a tweet explaining how excited I was for the series to return.

As you probably can guess, I left out one very important person in the cast. In fact, I forgot he was even a part of the show until I saw one of my friends tweet about Warren. Well, I figured there would be no harm in responding. I mentioned how I didn’t like Warren (my friend did), and I didn’t think anymore about it. I had no idea that the man who played this nefarious character (Brennan Elliott) was tagged in this tweet. But it wasn’t long until I saw his response, and to be honest, I was more than a little perturbed. I remember feeling a tad terrified because I had essentially equated the character of Warren with this particular actor who played him (Talk about a “rookie” mistake!). And now this actor was answering me back?!

Brennan Elliot (Warren)

Thankfully, I began to research Brennan and watch his interactions with the fans on Twitter. I remember reading every article I possibly could about him, and I followed every tweet he sent out. I was probably a Twitter stalker that summer, but in so doing, I began to recognize that Brennan Elliott was far different from the character he played on Cedar Cove. And it was pure joy to be able to live-tweet with him. While I continued to resist the entire “Warren Saget” revolution and the wide variety of hashtags the movement created, it was absolutely evident that I was rapidly becoming a “Brennan Elliott” fan. Moroever, I even began to build up my collection of his movies throughout that summer.

Unfortunately, this story has a bit of a six-month hiatus that I won’t take time to explain in great detail. Due to technology and strange Twitter algorithms, for six months, I was unable to tweet with Brennan due to an accidental “block” on his account’s part. I often look back at that time period as a dark interval in my life, and I’ve even been known to call it the worst six months of my life. I had discovered before this happened that Brennan was a man of faith, and I spent a lot of time in prayer for Brennan and his family, and that continued quite strongly during those six months. I honestly had no guarantees that the man who had become one of my all-time favorite actors would ever be a part of my world again. In fact, I can remember seeing him on Home & Family and feeling rather despondent that I was unable to tweet with the actor who had injected so much joy and frivolity into my otherwise humdrum life. Regrettably, the more I tried to discover the Twitter glitch that separated us, the sadder I became.

Thank God for answered prayers. A friend of mine knew of my dilemma. The biggest problem I had was that Brennan was unable to see my tweets, and it even got to where I couldn’t see his. How could I alert him to the issue? My friend offered to ask him about it, but I was adamant against drawing undue attention to the situation. So my friend suggested that I review one of his Hallmark movies and tweet the review to him. I had no idea if that would work, but I reviewed The Nanny Express, one of my earliest movie reviews as a matter of fact. And guess what…he saw it! Only because someone else tweeted it out, but nevertheless, he thanked me and invited me to watch his upcoming movie All Of My Heart.

I was a bit torn, I must admit. Why watch this upcoming movie and live-tweet when he would be unable to see my tweets? Well, God told me to go ahead and do it anyway, and I tell you, that was one of the hardest live-tweet sessions of my entire life. I quickly sat down to write up my review of this movie, and I remember clicking the button to post it and then sending it off to Brennan on Twitter. I don’t know how I knew, but somehow I believed this might do the trick. It was a pretty awesome review, if I do say so myself. Maybe…

I was sitting in my computer room typing away, and my mom was at the other computer in the room. Suddenly, there was a tweet from none other than Brennan just raving about the review. I almost didn’t want to check, but I clicked on his profile, and glory be! The Twitter glitch was gone! I remember saying to my mom in absolute shock, “Mom, I’m no longer blocked!” I was able to follow him and tweet with him normally. I will never know just how all that happened nor how the situation was ultimately resolved, but that was the review that opened the floodgates of heaven.

From that moment on, I became an ardent follower, supporter, and retweeter of Brennan’s. I used to send him fan art three times a week for promoting a sequel to All Of My Heart (I think I did that for almost a year!). I was constantly commenting on his tweets, reviewing his movies, and just making a general nuisance of myself on his feed! (Just kidding, I think!) I never missed a premiere. In fact, I recall that there were moments during the live-tweeting of Cedar Cove season three when I went out of my way to not tag him because he said he was only tweeting with the West Coast. And guess what that guy did. He came looking for me!! He used to tag me at various times if he wasn’t seeing my tweets during a live-tweet party, and I struggled to not tweet along with him every time. I mean, I took my daughter to see Taylor Swift and I was still attempting to live tweet and he told me I needed to stop and enjoy the concert. I could literally detail all these interactions for pages and pages because there are so many wonderful memories.

UnREAL

I never took our times of tweeting for granted. I followed him to Unreal on Lifetime (yikes, what an eye-opener but fantastic! And no, Brennan, I HAVE NOT watched season four yet! Do you know how many times I think of that right before I go to bed??) I used to check to make sure I was still following him and that I could see his tweets because I was so worried that Twitter glitch would come back or I might do or say something wrong which would cause him to block me or worse. I didn’t want to be one of those people who annoyed him (well, I may have pestered him sometimes, but I promise it was only ever in innocent fun!). I cherished the fact that I was able to support this man’s career, and I was so glad that Hallmark seemed to truly relish him and his impeccable work.

Well, nearly four years ago, I had the opportunity to become an interviewer. I had no idea what that would entail, and I seriously doubted I could do it. But I asked another dear actor friend of mine, and he said I would do a good job. He encouraged me to go for it. Well, I did. And who was the first person I asked? Um, it was Brennan Elliott, of course! I mean, who else WOULD I ask? I remember sending out the tweet where I asked him, and as I was telling my actor friend what I was doing, I got the response back (no more than ten minutes after I tweeted), and Brennan said “Yes!” He got me connected with his manager (oh, my goodness, Brennan has like the BEST manager on planet earth! I can say that now that I have worked with and/or tried to work with and/or been blown off by so many!!) As I began to communicate with Brennan’s manager, I discovered that I would be interviewing Brennan the next evening. WHAT?? Seriously?? How was that even possible??

Brennan Elliott Credit: Copyright 2015 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Eike Schroter

I tell you that I went home that evening realizing that within twenty-four hours, I would be interviewing Brennan Elliott, and I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn’t nervous about speaking with him, but I was anxious and troubled that I would do a terrible job. I didn’t want to mess it up. My actor friend assured me that I would do fine. When I was concerned about what questions I should ask, my actor friend (who knows and has worked with Brennan) told me not to worry. Brennan would be able to carry the conversation. Oh, I hoped so! (Side note–Brennan is one of the easiest people on the planet to talk to, and he can definitely keep a conversation going. You get him talking, and he unquestionably has the gift of the gab.)

Well, it just so happens that first interview is memorable for a wide variety of reasons. First of all, my phone company decided to block Brennan from calling me. I live out in the country, and so we have both a landline and cell phone. More often than not, my cell phone gets no service when I am at home, and try though I may, it just wasn’t getting through. So as I tried to determine the best course of action, I sent Brennan a message that said I would have to drive about twenty minutes to get service. (Oh, dear, that was three phones ago! My, how technology has improved!) I drove to our local gas station and then parked my car in the parking lot. I sent Brennan a message saying he could call, and the rest is history. Yes, my first-ever interview happened in my car while parked out in front of our local gas station and convenience store! Not very many journalists can claim such a wild story! And lest I forget, he was kind enough to do this interview forty minutes past our agreed-upon time. And all I could think about was trying to cut the interview short and be respectful of his time. And all he could think about was being the kind, supportive person that he always is, and he willingly gave me all the time I needed. The notes I took during that interview were scrawled on a paper I have long since thrown away, but it is a time that is forever burned within my intellect.

Brennan Elliott Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

As my career progressed at an expeditious pace, I began to develop sincere friendships with people in the business. Many of my friendships were with actors and writers and directors up in Vancouver, and I was honored to meet so many over the past three years. But I will admit that whenever I even considered the possibility of meeting Brennan…I decided to not entertain those thoughts. It just didn’t seem possible. After all, he was in LA most of the time when not filming, and I couldn’t see where meeting him in person would ever be a viable option.

Over the past three or so years, I have had the distinct honor of interviewing Brennan seven times. He has always been an absolute dream to interview. Invariably, he has seemed to respond to me in such an authentic way, and I never have grown weary of our phone chats. We have experienced practically every kind of interview imaginable. Everything from setting up an interview and getting the surprise call but ten minutes later and NOT being ready to interview him (but doing it anyway) to being privy to details of his life and work that I have kept secret and have not (nor ever will) shared with the masses. I take my acquaintanceships and friendships with industry professionals very seriously, and betraying a confidence is not something I would consider doing.

©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood

This past summer was the first time I began to kind of consider the idea of one day meeting Brennan in person, but again, I just couldn’t rationalize a meeting every occurring. When I was in LA this summer, I literally breathed a sigh of relief because I thought, “He’s filming, and so I don’t have to ask him and take the chance that he says ‘no.'” To be honest, rejection was my most prominent fear. And in the case of Brennan…I believed that he just might say “no” and crush my spirit once and for all. So it was easier to just not even contemplate the idea.

Interestingly enough, however, God had other ideas. I began taking a course this summer that was offered by another Hallmark actor friend and his fiance (Paul Greene and Kate Austin), and I had to come to terms with the fact that I was still being ruled by fear in this area of life. There were two LA actors who I just couldn’t bear to ask if they would like to meet me. I kept praying that Brennan would get a Christmas movie gig so there would be no point in my asking, but again, God had other ideas. I sensed in my spirit that Brennan was not going to film a Christmas movie because somehow God had a divine appointment for the two of us to meet.

Brennan Elliott, Dylan Neal

For weeks, I wrestled with these ideas. I began to take chances and ask other actors in Vancouver and LA, but the thought of asking these two actors (Brennan Elliott and Dylan Neal) just terrified me whenever the thought crossed my mind. But I knew that God was moving me towards actually asking. And I kept waiting for the right time.

While I was in Vancouver, one night, I finally made the decision to reach out to Dylan. After all, if he said “no,” I’d be okay. Amazingly, while it wasn’t conducive for us to meet this time due to scheduling, he wasn’t against the idea. And this told me exactly what I needed to know. It was time to ask Brennan.

Brennan Elliott Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Starbuck/Alexx Henry Studios, LLC.

I jumped in and promptly messaged Brennan and told him when I would be in LA, and I just put the entire situation out of my mind. He had the right to ignore me, say “no,” or even say “yes.” Well, when the response came in (I didn’t have to wait too long), it was clear that I had misjudged things. In truth, he wanted to meet me and assumed I was in LA right then (actually, I was still in Vancouver, and I was only planning ahead.). Suddenly, a dream I wouldn’t dare to even mention was knocking at my door. The thing I wouldn’t imagine or even vocalize was beginning to come to fruition.

I arrived in LA, and Brennan and I made the initial plans to see each other. My only issue was that Barbara Niven (that will be a separate story there) and Brennan wanted to see me on the same day at the same time. While at my first red carpet premiere (another story there too), I was attempting to reorganize our meetings. Who was I going to disappoint? Who would I not be able to see? I began to pray that somehow everything would work out.

Brennan Elliott Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer

Well, God did work it out, and Brennan and I finally had a date, time, and a place. I let him decide where, and as Saturday began to come into view, I began to believe this was actually going to happen. I’d known him on Twitter since 2013, and here it was 2019…wow! I was greatly anticipating this moment.

The morning of the meeting, I spent some time speculating about the next step my business needed to take. As I explored options and attempted to keep my mind occupied, I knew that I needed to offer some paid PR {Public Relations} options on my site. After all, I had been told before that a PR firm might be something to consider. And bingo! It hit me! Someone else had said that a few years ago, and I instantly looked up the tweet. And guess who it was! Brennan Elliott! I remembered reading that tweet nearly four years ago, and here I was following through on an idea he had for me. Wow! I knew what I would be telling him when I met him. (And now he says it won’t be long before I need to hire employees…woh! Let’s take it one step at a time!! But isn’t it sweet of him to see my potential and dream things like this for me??)

So, I called my Uber, and off I went to this place Brennan had picked out. I was to arrive at 11:30, and I made sure that I would be there a little early. My driver dropped me off, and I was like, “What? This can’t be the place!” But according to Google Maps, I was near the place. I realized I was in a shopping complex. I had about eight minutes to find this elusive place. I looked it up on the map and put it into Google Maps on my phone. As I began walking the correct way, I found the restaurant, and I suddenly realized this was about to actually happen. I wasn’t nervous. Instead, my excitement level was exceedingly high.

Brennan Elliott Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Christos Kalohoridis

Once at the restaurant, I looked around outside and realized one of two things. Either he was inside waiting or hadn’t arrived yet. So I slowly opened the door, and I walked in, wondering about when I may see him. Within moments, I heard my name, and Brennan walked towards me, and all at once, that unspoken dream of mine had come true. Because we had known each other for so many years online, it was the most natural meeting in the world. It was clear we both had longed to meet each other, and it was far beyond any kind of fan-worship or anything like that.

So, how was our meeting? Well, he was a perfect gentleman, allowing me to walk in front of him, ordering for me, taking a genuine interest in me. For two hours, we visited and chatted as though we were old friends. We talked shop, yes, but we talked about much more than just that. I will always say that no one tells a story quite like an actor can–the written word can never do justice to facial expressions, voices, etc. It’s a common thread I see time and again. And with Brennan, that was no exception.

The things I marveled at were the fact that we had exactly the same thing to eat–that is something that rarely happens with those I meet. In fact, I knew when he ordered a diet drink…I somehow knew I’d found a kindred spirit. I mean, NO ONE I know EVER orders a Diet Drink! Also, Brennan has a very keen mind for remembering names…something that many actors (and my mother) often struggle with. I regularly have to detail to my mother a virtual laundry list of roles the person played in order for her to place who the person is. And being quite frank, in a way, it’s funny because I am typically terrible with names of people I see on a regular basis, and in the classroom, it was a miracle if I learned a child’s name by the end of the school year. But online, because I am constantly in contact with the person’s name, social media account, and pictures, it means that I am more apt to connect those names to the specific person.

Brennan Elliott Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Alexx Henry/ Alexx Henry Studios, LLC

At the end of our conversation, we had our picture taken, and it was an honor for Brennan to not only have had it taken it with his phone but to have been the one to post it. Thankfully, Brennan looks amazing (as always) in the picture, and even though I appear to be in the shadows, trust me, I was just as charmed to have spent this time with someone who has become very dear to me over the past few years.

Reflecting on something that happened almost a week ago is a bit surreal for me, I must admit. I remember the first thought I had afterwards was, “Brennan is no longer just a face on Twitter. He’s a real person.” Now, I knew he was a real person. I mean, I hadn’t interviewed a phantom seven times! But, there’s something that happens when two people meet in person that just doesn’t happen on the phone, across emails, via social media, or even through video chat. There is a connection that occurs when you can look that person directly in the eye and see who they are within the depths of their soul. There is something authentic that passes between an in-person meeting that cannot be fabricated. Nothing can take the place of sharing a laugh, giving a hug, and exchanging meaningful eye contact that demonstrates you really do care about that person and are invested in them. It’s difficult to hide the “real you” when meeting someone in person. And discovering that this person is exactly who you thought they were (and more besides) is something extraordinary that cannot typically be manufactured. I’ve known charlatans in my lifetime. Heck, I was married to one for nearly ten years. Sure, I can still be fooled by appearances. But if there’s one thing I do know…Brennan and I have developed such a trust and ease between us over these several years. We’ve weathered the ups and downs of the fandom and his career. Our loyalty in support of each other’s respective careers is something that is not the usual course of action in any industry, let alone the film/TV universe. And so this particular meeting is definitely one of the most important and memorable meetings of my life.

Brennan Elliott Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood

Some might question why this meeting means so much to me. Okay, so let’s get this out of the way. Yes, sure, he’s handsome. I won’t deny that. Yes, he’s kind, compassionate, a great actor, a family man, and quite gregarious. I’m not going to lie and say that having one of the top actors in the Hallmark fandom in my corner and wanting to meet me is not mesmerizing. Of course, it is. But those are not the truly vital things to me. To be respected, honored, and treated as a fellow colleague…now that IS overwhelming! I’m the person who not too long ago went around calling myself “little miss nobody.” I’m the one who was avoided like the plague while in school. I’m the one who was the self-appointed wallflower whenever there was a social event. I was the one who was overlooked for the solos, disdained for my standards and values, perpetually considered a misfit. I was not easily molded by those who wanted to control me. I was a star peg attempting to be forced into a square hole. Most of my so-called “friends” would spend the time getting from me what they wanted and needed, and in the end, they would make up an excuse to toss me aside and blame the dissolution of the relationship on my shortcomings and missteps.

Brennan Elliott Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

To be able to be invited into the circles and the inner sanctums of those of the stature of Brennan Elliott and other “Hallmark royalty…” that is something of which I shall never grow weary. I was told more than once in my life that I was wasting my time with my writing. In fact, the last man in my life said–and I quote–“Your writing will never amount to anything.” If that man only knew that I have been given so many gifts and met some incredible people because of my writings…well, let’s just say that’s the best kind of “revenge.” {Note the quotes. It is not revenge in the traditional sense. It’s more like I proved them wrong! That’s the BEST way to set me into action. Tell me I can’t do something and then watch me do it!}

I have many more tales to spin, but for now, I just want to thank Brennan Elliott for a phenomenal experience and for being the person he is. When I used to entertain the ideas as a child of meeting and interacting with actors, it was certainly more of a fantasy than anything else. I am honored to be able to call Brennan a friend and a dear person in my life. And thankfully, I can call him a brother in the Lord (younger brother because I’ll always be a year older than he is…something that doesn’t bother me in the least! I mean, it should mean I can say I’m always right–hah, yeah right. I’m not like that.) I cherish the meetings with each person I’ve ever met in this business as well as all my fan interactions, and I commit as much of our conversations to memory as I can. I find myself reflecting on meetings from years past on a regular basis. But, this encounter with Brennan Elliott…to think that if I had not reached out when God told me I had to, I would have missed out on this opportunity. That nearly brought me to tears as I reflected and realized that I didn’t know just how much I wanted to meet Brennan until after I did.

Some people have called me “lucky,” and others have said how they are jealous I met all these people. Let me speak to that momentarily. First of all, these meetings didn’t just HAPPEN. I didn’t just go to a restaurant and bump into Brennan. I didn’t just do a review one time and move on. I didn’t just do a standard interview and then go on to interview other people and only darken Brennan’s doorstep to promote my own career. Over the past six years, I have promoted Brennan and his works faithfully. I have reviewed many of his movies. I have interviewed him seven times. I have sent him incredibly long messages (that he’s so kind to tolerate and even appreciate). And I have not only kept up with him, but hundreds more. And each one is special to me for more reasons than I can even begin to detail.

Brennan Elliott Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Russ Martin

Also, while Brennan is handsome, talented, intelligent, etc…those are not the reasons I enjoyed my time on Saturday so very much. He is genuine, grounded, kind, sweet, appreciative, humble…and just a downright nice guy. That’s what “turns my head” and makes me want to promote his career even all that more. He is one of the “good guys” out there. I am not obsessed with him, but I’ll tell you what. I will promote his work as long as there is breath in my body, and I hope and pray I have the honor of doing just that for at least fifty more years! Brennan is an incredible person who happens to be an actor for a living. But he is oh so much more than just an actor!

Barbara Niven, Larissa Wohl, Brennan Elliott, Lacey Chabert Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Alexx Henry/ Alexx Henry Studios, LLC

As we await January 2020 when we will finally see the next Crossword Mysteries installment (don’t think we weren’t all disappointed. This is Brennan’s favorite installment so far, and I was heartsick when I heard that the decision was made to postpone it.), let’s just continue to be strong and know that if you’re going to support someone in the Hallmark universe, Brennan Elliott is definitely one of the best. I have a hard time picking my absolute favorite actor…I feel bad when I say so-and-so is my favorite when I know a massive amount of amazing people. But I have no qualms in asserting that Brennan Elliott is on my top five list, and I would literally tune in to watch him read from a dictionary, an encyclopedia, or a telephone book! (I know that’s pretty cliche, but…after all, he would make it most entertaining!)

My undying gratitude goes to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for entrusting me with these stupefying opportunities and pushing me beyond my comfort zone to accomplish them. I am also grateful to my parents and my daughter who allow me to take these trips. Likewise, I have to thank Hallmark for being so supportive of my endeavors and allowing me these amazing opportunities to partner with them and introduce me to so many wonderful people. Maybe one of these days I’ll get to go to the Hallmark TCA’s (that’s another Bucket List dream that I am beginning to vocalize.). But most of all, thank you, Brennan, for being you–authentic, talented, kind, appreciative…and hey, the fact that you wanted to meet me just as much as I wanted to meet you…I mean, how is that even possible??? Well, thank you, my friend. And here’s hoping our paths cross again very soon.

Photo: Brennan Elliott Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

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Brennan Elliott Credit: Copyright 2015 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Brian Douglas

READ MY PAST INTERVIEWS WITH BRENNAN

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “All Summer Long”

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “Christmas At Grand Valley”

Interview With Actor/Executive Producer Brennan Elliott, “All Of My Heart: The Wedding” & “The Crossword Mystery”

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “Christmas Encore”

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott

Interview With Actor Brennan Elliott, “Flower Shop Mystery,” “UnREAL,” and More

Brennan Elliott – Flower Shop Mystery: Mum’s The Word

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