Amber Marshall will star in the new Hallmark Christmas movie My Christmas Guide. The film, which will premiere as part of Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Miracles of Christmas lineup, also stars Ben Mehl and Ava Weiss.
New Hallmark Christmas movie
In the movie, Ben Mehl plays Trevor, a college professor and single dad who has suddenly lost his vision. When a major construction project begins on the campus where he works, his boss wants him to take some off so he won’t get hurt.
Trevor’s daughter, Amy (Ava Weiss), convinces him to visit Best Friend Dog Guides, a facility that trains seeing-eye dogs for the vision impaired. There they meet Peyton (Amber Marshall) who introduces them to the perfect guide dog, Max. As Peyton and Trevor work together with Max, the two bond as Peyton helps Trevor regain his old self-confidence.
But when Trevor is finally forced to take leave from his job due to the hazardous construction conditions, his faith and trust in Max is tested. Trevor will have to step out of his comfort zone, let go of everything he’s familiar with, and turn to those around him — including Peyton — to restore his faith and confidence in his abilities.
Amber Marshall
For 17 years, Amber Marshall has played Amy Fleming on the hit CBC series Heartland.
She began acting as a child, appearing in productions with the Original Kids Theatre Company in London, Ontario. She made her professional debut on the mini-series Me and My Shadows: The Life of Judy Garland. At 14, she was cast as Elizabeth Smart in The Elizabeth Smart Story. She went on to appear in Resident Evil, Doc, Power Strikers, and Dark Oracle before being cast in Heartland.
She is a dedicated animal rights advocate and works with the Canadian Animal Assistance Team.
Ben Mehl
Ben Mehl is a Canadian actor best known for his role as the librarian Dante in the Netflix series You. Though not fully blind, he has Stargardt’s disease and is considered legally blind.
Ava Weiss
Ava Weiss played Mary Louise on the Hallmark series When Hope Calls, a spinoff of When Calls the Heart. She has also appeared in the movies Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday (2019), A Christmas Letter (2021), Lemonade Stand Romance (2022), The Most Colorful Time of the Year (2022), and Twas the Night Before Christmas (2022).
My Christmas Guide will premiere on Hallmark Moves and Mysteries on Thursday, November 2 at 9/8c.
A Heartland Christmas movie? The show’s producer drops an exciting hint
A producer of the hit series Heartland said she would love to do another Heartland Christmas movie.
“…We did the Christmas movie after Season 3,” said Heather Conkie, the show’s frontrunner and one of its executive producers in an interview on Keep Heartland Strong. “I would love to do another Christmas movie. You know there’s Lyndy now seeing Christmas through a child’s eyes.”
Conkie made the comment during an interview with Nita Abbott, who runs @KeepHeartlandStrong on YouTube and the Keep Heartland Strong page on Facebook. In the course of the interview, Conkie talked about the show’s continued success after 16 seasons on the air.
“It’s a kinder gentler place,” Conkie said. “I mean, everyone in this day and age is dying for a kinder gentler year to exist in, a place that you can look at and love and appreciate nature. …It’s like therapy.
Hit TV show Heartland
The hit TV show Heartland is Canada’s longest-running one-hour drama. The series premiered on television in October 2007. Set in rural Alberta, the show told the story of a teenage girl who was living on her grandfather’s horse ranch following a tragic car accident that took her mother’s life.
Over the course of 16 seasons, the show has been nominated for more than 80 awards and has won the Directors Guild of Canada Award for Best Family Television Series five times.
A Heartland Christmas movie
CBC released a holiday special in 2010. In A Heartland Christmas, ranch owner Jack Bartlett (Shaun Johnston) receives an anonymous call about a group of starving horses who have been stranded by an avalanche in the Rocky Mountains. He sends Amy (Amber Marshall) and Ty (Graham Wardle) to rescue them.
In her interview with Nita Abbott (which can be watched here), Conkie also talked about the unique experience she has had working on Heartland.
“I got chills,” Conkie said watching the show’s footage during the editing process. “And I just thought I don’t get chills that often on a show that I’m involved with.”
Conkie has written and produced a number of shows for television, including Dark Oracle, Port Hope, and Road to Avonlea.
Her latest project is a new series for Hallmark Channel called The Way Home. The multi-generational drama will premiere on January 15.
Just in time for the holidays — a cookbook for fans of the hit TV show Heartland
There’s a new cookbook on the market for fans of the hit TV show Heartland. The Unofficial Heartland Cookbook: A Cookbook for Fans of the Hit Show Heartland features 55 dishes that have been cooked and served on the show over the course of its 16-season run.
From Scott’s infamous Prairie Oyster Stew and Maggie’s Saskatoon Berry Pie to Grandpa Jack’s Stew in a Jar and Tim’s Cedar Plank Salmon, the book lets readers cook their way through some of their favorite episodes of the CBC show.
“Heartland is the longest-running one-hour drama in Canadian history and food and cooking has played a central part in almost every single episode,” reads a promotional snippet for the book on Amazon. “Family-style dinners served at the Heartland Ranch and classic Canadian entrees served at Maggie’s Diner are almost as memorable as any of the storylines on the show. Meals shared have played no small part in keeping the family engaged with laughter, tears, feuding sisters and the food making every meal a treat to watch.”
The hit TV show Heartland
The hit TV show Heartland is Canada’s longest-running one-hour drama. The series premiered on television in October 2007. Set in rural Alberta, the show told the story of a teenage girl who was living on her grandfather’s horse ranch following a tragic car accident that took her mother’s life.
Over the course of 16 seasons, the show has been nominated for more than 80 awards and has won the Directors Guild of Canada Award for Best Family Television Series five times.
The Unofficial Heartland Cookbook
The cookbook was written by Nita Abbott and Mike Hurley, fans of the series who took turns making and perfecting each of the recipes they shared. Abbott, who runs the Facebook page “Keep Heartland Strong” and has interviewed the show’s writers, actors, and producers for her YouTube channel (which can be viewed here), said she wanted fans to have printed material to go along with their favorite show.
Hurley and Abbott re-watched the series looking for episodes where the characters did any cooking and baking. They created recipes for the dishes and wrote accompanying text explaining when the dish was made on the show and what significance it played.
It took the authors nearly two years to complete the project. The book was published in September 2022.
Rave reviews
The book has received rave reviews from Heartland fans, who approve of everything from the book’s layout to the fact that the text includes a metric conversion chart.
“We may not be able to go there, but we can eat like we were there at Maggie’s, The Dude Ranch, and The Heartland Ranch,” wrote one reader.
“I don’t cook much, but this book makes me want to,” wrote another reader. “A must-have for any fan, and worth the money even if you don’t watch the show.”
The Unofficial Heartland Cookbook: A Cookbook for Fans of the Hit Show Heartland is available for purchase on Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each cookbook will go to support the Wild Horses of Alberta as well as to The Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Ontario.