Happy Holidays to You

 This time of year, with the lowered temperature, short days, threatening snowfall, the world is filled with holidays. Reasons for people to find cheer and keep going (and spending money) even in the most depressing times. The first of November starts things out with the Day of the Dead, All Saints Day, Prime Meridian Day, National Cinnamon Day and World Vegan Day all crowding in together on November 1. 

Holidays like National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day (November 15) and National Homemade Bread Day (November 21) combine to make November and December quite cozy. As a person who suffers from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I need every excuse to help me look up after Daylight Savings Time ends. 

All these happy holiday and dark days make November the perfect time of year for picking up a cozy mystery, especially one involving food. Let me suggest the newest of member of Cleo Coyles Coffeehouse Mystery series, Bulletproof Barista. 

In the new Coffeehouse Mysery, titled Bulletproof Barista, a film crew has chosen to spotlight a century-old Greenwich Village coffeshop, the manager Clasre Cosi, and its quirky crew of baristas as they film an episode of a popular reality show. Suspicious accidents plague the shoot until a stage gun fires a real bullet, and amateur sleuth Clare is a single mother with a quirky lovelife who who helps the NYPD solve crimes. 

She becomes convinced the "accidents" signal that something sinister is afoot. The murderer lurking in the wings forces her to root out the killer before the lights go out on her.

Author Cleo Coyle is actually a writing team, made up of Alice Alfonsi, and her husband, Marc Cerasini. This is their 20th Coffehouse Mystery book, releasing on November 14, 2023.

We all know about the Mother of All Eating Days, Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday in November. And never forget to celebrate November 11, whether we call it Armistice Day, Remembrance Day or Veteran's Day.

Following November, its time to hit the big host of holidays, including:

Dec. 5:      St. Nicholas Eve

Dec. 7-15: Hanukkah - a Jewish holiday

Dec. 8:      Bodhi (enlightenment) Day - a Buddhist holiday

Dec. 21:    Winter Solstice, also known as Yule

Dec. 25:    Christmas, a Christian holiday

Dec. 26:    Kwanzaa

Whether you celebrate only one of these days, or all of them, you should have time to sneak in a great holiday read. My December holiday reading suggestion is A Christmas To Remember by NAACP nominee and USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins, published in October, 2023.

The relationship between Bernadine Brown and diner owner Malachi "Mal" July has had its share of ups and downs. But now they're finally ready to say "I do."

Or are they? 

As wedding preparations go into full swing, and families begin to gather for the festivities, that long awaited walk down the aisle hits a speed bump.

 
Mal and Bernadine's relationship isn't the only one being tested.
Preston Mays aka Brain, loves his girlfriend as much like he loves physics. His heart breaks when she decides being a couple is no longer a good thing. He's ready to try almost anything, including connecting with his bio dad's family, to help ease his pain. 

Meanwhile, Reverend Paula Grant has been patiently waiting for God to send her someone to share her life. When a charming new chef arrives in town, she wonders if he could be the one. 

And then there's former mayor Riley Curry who throws a parade with his hog Cletus!  Really, is there even a hope that all ill end well in the small town of Henry Adams, Kansas?

I hope you find at least one of these stories stories enjoyable for the Holiday season. And if you have anything you enjoy and want to share, please add it in the comments. 

On Holiday Stories and Dithering

Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, stories that show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you make choices to overcome the darkest nights and choose love and light.

Do you ever dither?

I will admit I’ve become more of a ditherer than ever these past few years. I will also admit that I don’t like to dither. I understand procrastination better than I understand dithering although they do have some similarities.

What does dithering have to do with the Blog Queens’ November writing prompt?

I can only answer for myself for several reasons the main one being I’ve no idea if Sarah McDermed, co-Blog Queen, is dithering…I am.

How do you know that? I’ve blathered on for 85 words without really saying anything. My normal process is to sit down at the computer, remind myself of the monthly prompt and start typing. For this month, I’ve been dithering since August!

What’s so hard about the topic “Holiday Stories”?

First: I’ve not read any. I’ve been rereading my keeper shelves’ books and while there are a couple that have a holiday somewhere, it hasn’t been The Focus and I’ve probably already talked about them in previous years.

Second: The holiday story I was working on last year Winter Solstice: Charlie and Amethyst is still waiting for a bit more editing, tweaking before it’s published. 2022 has not been a good year for my writing life. Please hold positive thoughts it will be featured in 2023!

Third: The phrase holiday story or holiday stories when talked about in October and November brings to mind the fall and winter holidays (Halloween through New Year’s focusing on Thanksgiving and Christmas). That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just not where my mind and writing goes.

So where do my mind and writing go? The eight High Holy Days of the pagan calendar:

Samhain
Yule aka Winter Solstice
Imbolc aka Candlemas
Ostara aka Spring Equinox
Beltane
Lithia aka Summer Solstice
Lammas
Mabon aka Fall Equinox

It’s been 30 years since I began adding these days of celebrating the cycle of the earth into my more traditional upbringing. I don’t remember exactly when I began dropping some of those traditional holidays. However, within the last decade they are pretty much gone. For example, no more turkeys for Thanksgiving because I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving on the 4^th Thursday of November. I make an effort to give thanks be in gratitude each and every day. And I do not enjoy large family gatherings. Actually any large gathering is stressful because of my hearing and some vestibular issues.

What changed?

In some ways, nothing. When I look back on my life, I see a strong spiritual path from my childhood wending its way through to now. What is different is how I manifest it. These days I use Gaia, Mother Nature and Earth-based practices to express my spiritual self.

On this path, one of the greatest gifts came when the women in my Sacred Women’s Circle series began showing up in dreams and visions, their voices clear and insistent about what they wanted me to say not only about their life journeys but how they manifested their dreams into reality?

I’d already been involved in women’s circles for almost decade when I started writing so I had a foundation. I’d attended close to a dozen Women of the 14^th Moon gatherings. I was celebrating the pagan holidays so the foundation to tell their stories was there.

The stories

When you read my books, you’ll see that these women have created their own earth-based or pagan spiritual practices. And as they find their happy-ever-after, they choose to marry on one of the High Holy Days…although not Samhain. This High Holy Day marks the beginning of the pagan calendar for many.

For myself, I choose to start my new year on Winter Solstice. I love the dark of night, the colder temperatures, the firelight by which to read or contemplate who I am and how I fit into the world around me. And there is always much to contemplate as both the world and I are evolving, changing, adjusting.

This year I’ve much to review as 2022 has been a bigger challenge for me than most of my eighty plus years. I hope that as I sit in front of the fire, drumming on my horsehide or maybe my elk drum, I’ll hear new voices and see new visions and 2023 will be a year for sharing those stories with you.

I also write non-fiction. Learn more about Staying Sane in a Crazy World.  If you take the time, you end up with a Personal Staying Sane Plan tailored to help you through the challenging times.

You can find all of my books at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource. If you want a print copy? Ask your local independent bookstore to order it for you. If you are in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, my books are carried at Jan’s in Beaverton and Arte Soleil in SE Portland.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshley.net

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2022 Judith Ashley

The Turn of The Wheel

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

For those of us who look upon the natural world around us as proof of The Divine, Winter Solstice is an affirmation that on some level all is right in the world. In ancient times, the people were connected to the land in a way that most of today’s population is not.

Can you even imagine being so in tuned with the world around you that you would notice the difference in the amount of light there was between the Darkest Day and the next?

There were no clocks, no calendars in the day of the hunter/gatherers or earlier. And yet our ancestors learned how to mark the passage of time.

Winter Solstice marks the longest night and the shortest day of our year. For me, personally, it is my New Year’s Eve because it heralds the returning of the light. If you follow the waxing and waning of the Moon, Winter Solstice starts the waxing of the Sun that represents light. From now until Summer Solstice, the Sun gains in strength. On the Summer Solstice that starts to wane as darkness becomes more a part of our lives.

One of the things that fascinates me is how our ancestors kept track.

Stonehenge and other stone and wood henges, The Great Pyramids of Egypt and pyramids and ancient temples are aligned with the stars, planets and the position of the sun and moon on particular times of the year like the Solstices and Equinoxes.

And when the Judeo-Christian religions took hold and grew, many of the traditions from earth-based traditions were incorporated. There are several books on the subject if you are interested in learning more.

For those people who celebrate life, Winter Solstice gives them a focus.

For those people who have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) it is a sign the days will lengthen and we’ll be out of winter soon.

For those people who prefer heat to cold, it reminds them that Spring/Ostara, the vernal equinox, when day and night are equal in length, and flowers are not far away.

In my Sacred Women’s Circle series, my heroines celebrate the 8 Sabbats, holy days that mark the turning of The Wheel of Life (Samhain, Winter Solstice/Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Summer Solstice/Lithia, Lammas, and Mabon). And, they each marry on a Sabbat. (For more information on Sabbats and other earth-based spiritual practices, check out my Judith Ashley blog where I post every Monday).

If you are curious about how Sacred Women Circles come together, start reading Lily. In her story, you can learn how to create your own Circle and your own Ceremonies. Sign up for Connections, mynewsletter and get a free copy of Lily.

And to learn even more about sacred women’s circles,The Wheel of Life, and the Women of the 14th Moon Gathering, Elizabeth (Book 2) is available throughJanuary for $.99.

Regardless of your spiritual path, I wish you all the light you need to show you the way to love.

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2016 Judith Ashley

Spiritual-themed Romance Novels

By Judith Ashley

While I’ve done some reading this year, unfortunately I’ve not read a holiday themed romance novel. And this time of year when people see “holiday themed” romance novel, they often think the holiday will be Christmas.

All of my books in The Sacred Women's Circle series include one or more of the Sabbats, holidays that celebrate the turn of The Wheel of Life:

10/31 - Samhain

12/21 - Yule/Winter Solstice* this date does move because it is the longest night

02/01 - Imbolc

03/21 - Ostara/Spring Equinox* date also moves because days/nights are even

05/01 - Beltane

06/21 - Litha/Summer Solstice* date also moves because it is longest day

08/01 - Lammas/Lughnasa

09/21 - Mabon/Fall Equinox* like Ostara the days/nights are even

Did you know that the Christian Easter’s date is determined by when Ostara falls? Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after Ostara which is why it is celebrated in late March or sometime in April depending on the moon’s cycle.

For many people who follow earth-centered spirituality, The Wheel starts at Samhain. For Lily Hughes, the heroine in the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series, The Wheel starts with Yule or Winter Solstice. She marries her hero on the Summer Solstice or Litha.

Elizabeth Elliott, the heroine in the second book in the series, marries on Yule.

Diana Pettybone makes a momentous decision about her marriage and her relationships with her women’s circle. Marking her journey using The Tarot along with the Sabbat’s she finds her happily-ever-after on Lammas.

Ashley Kenner’s fight to survive a bout with recurring breast cancer is supported by her animal totem, the dragonfly. Struggling with the effects of chemotherapy, she finds solace in celebrating Samhain and Yule and marries on the Spring Equinox.

Hunter Compton thinks she’s lost everything when her daughter Logan runs away. Instead she finds love again. She and Grant find their way from the past to the present and marry on Mabon or the Fall Equinox.

The first five books are available through major distributors, my website and Windtree Press. The next two books will be in 2016.

Gabriella Montcrief struggles to overcome an abusive childhood believing no one would want her if they knew. With the support of her sacred women’s circle, she does find her way out of the darkness and is able to marry her hero on Imbolc, the Sabbat of light.

Sophia Stewart has always loved life, loved her garden, loved her work and loved her friends. When she lost her husband in a senseless traffic accident, she knew she’d never love again. Since I write romance novels, you know she does find her own HEA. Fittingly, Sophia marries on Beltane.

As you can see, although my stories are not traditional holiday-themed romances, each does include one or more of the Sabbats. My version or understanding of the Ceremonies surrounding these sacred days are included in each book. In addition you get a peek at how these women celebrate them. And if you read the series starting with Lily, you’ll have information to create your own sacred women’s circle.

Questions? Just ask.

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

You can find Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s website.

Judith has an author page at Windtree Press.

Judith posts every Monday here.

Follow Judith on FB

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