Revisiting December Past!

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Marcia King-Gamble

Be warned this is a repost with a few updates. The first edition was written in 2021 when we were coming out of COVID. Not that we actually ever did. Today we've learned to live with it. So, as we wrap up the year, I want to wish all my readers, happiness, health and good cheer .

Greetings from The Big Easy!

Yes, you guessed it. I’m in New Orleans, and it’s beginning to feel a whole lot like Christmas up here.

A great start to the day was breakfast at The Ruby Slipper. Gotta love that name. Shrimp and French toast never tasted so good and washing it down with a Bellini and a custom made latte, added more than a  spot of joy.

Next stop, the French Market for gifts you’d never find in Florida. Of course NOLA  being Nola I had to experience a fun parade. This one came complete with a marching band, a stilt walker, and several of Santa’s elves. Music always makes it easy to get into a holiday mood.  

So, what’s new with me?  By Design has a new cover. Doesn’t any romantic, holiday story need a festive dress.  Take  a peek here  https://amzn.to/3EpwYBP and tell me if the artist did it justice.

Another brand new holiday story is Kwanzaa ‘pon A Time. You can find both at Amazon and Barnes and Noble at these links: https://amzn.to/3CdcSZP and here https://bit.ly/3InpnWK.

Here’s an excerpt from Kwanzaa ‘pon A time.

Mac pushed up his sleeve, showing Elan the tattoo that matched.

“You already have a best man,” Fergie quickly interjected. She and Jen exchanged looks.

“Oh, Cory won’t mind. He didn’t want to be in the wedding party anyway. This solves two issues and now Fergie has a date.”

She was going to strangle her brother. Punch him in his good eye.  Last Christmas, as the lyrics in the background said, she’d given him her heart. This year he’d given it away to a stranger. The ingrate had just made her sound like some desperate loser who couldn’t find a date on her own. Elan more than anyone should know she’d been too busy breathing life back into him to cultivate a relationship. She’d been so intent on taking care of him that she couldn’t make anyone she met work. She’d buried herself in him.

“But I do mind,” Fergie said, “You’re palming me off on your friend without consulting either of us.”

“This is perfect,” her traitorous brother said, “You need an escort. Cory would rather be with his girlfriend at the ceremony, and Mac here is single. Besides, we promised each other. A promise is a promise.”

“Bradley escorting me isn’t part of that promise.”

Could it get an any worse? Elan was making her sound like a hard-up spinster. She wanted to crawl under the newly decorated tree and shrivel up.

Jen tossed Fergie a sympathetic look and attempted to shush up Elan, but Elan would not be shushed.

“I’ve got another idea,” Elan said, obliviously. “No need to be holed up in your excuse for a hotel. Move in with Fergie. She’s got plenty of space. Jen and I will come over and help you move.”

New this year are my Kindle Vella efforts. The first three episodes are free. Find HotShot Doc here: ASIN: B0CB1TWHCY

 Also writing as Sari Smith on Kindle Vella. Estate of Mine found here: ASIN:B0CC8HWQ52 

Happy Holidays All!

Happy Holidays

 by Diana McCollum

I have found some charming pictures of the holidays and winter. I hope you enjoy them.

Our Christmas tree 2023

Antique ornament the middle spends around. Passed down from my mom.

Free from Deposit photos

Deposit photos

Author Vitalk Redco

Author Alla Serebrina

Author Igor Velushko

AuthorOleksin Alebtosha

Author Alla Serebrina

Author Hay Dmitriy

I hope you've enjoyed these holiday and winter pictures!

All the best to you and your family this holiday season.

What do you like best about this time of year?

Pick a day, any day ...

Here we are in the first full week of March and there are so many fun and exciting things to celebrate. For some reason, this is National Celery Month. My hubby will be excited. Me? Take it or leave it. Though I admit it adds a little something to an egg salad sandwich. 

More exciting for me, March is also National Peanut Month. Given the choice between celery and peanuts, I’ll take the latter any day. And I’ll enjoy the legume in either sweet foods like peanut butter cookies with or without chocolate chips, or savoury foods like Thai noodles with spicy peanut sauce.

When we delve into daily celebrations, well, sorry, but you missed National Pig Day on the 1st. Or maybe you didn’t miss it. I’d love to hear how you celebrated! We also missed If Pets Had Thumbs Day on the 3rd. I’m not sure how that would change the world, but I suspect it wouldn’t be good. However, as you’re reading this on the 7th, you’re just in time to celebrate National Cereal Day. It’s never too late in the day to enjoy a bowl of crispy, crunchy flakes of the grain of your choice. Cereal for supper is a thing. And you can certainly use a cereal grain in savoury cooking – beef and barley soup, anyone? Hm… I’m making myself hungry.

March 9th is Barbie Day. I still have my Barbie doll, in her special carrying case, with all her clothes, shoes, and accessories. My Barbie even had custom knitted outfits, thanks to my Grammy O. Perhaps I’ll celebrate by giving Barbie some fresh air, change her outfit, and relive some of the adventures we enjoyed. And I’ll cap off the day by honouring Popcorn Lover’s Day with a bowl of stove-top popcorn made by my hubby.

Huzzah! The 12th is when Daylight Savings begins at 2:00 a.m. I’m all for dropping the whole time change thing. It’s outlived its usefulness, in my opinion. 

All hail the mighty potato chip! March 14th is National Potato Chip Day!!! Whether you believe it was William Kitchiner of England in 1817, or George Crum (Speck) of New York in 1853, the inventor should be honoured with much rejoicing. And we should feast on potato chips all day. In fact, NOT eating potato chips should be illegal. I’m rather pedestrian in my potato chip flavours, preferring plain old plain or ripple-cut. With French onion dip (Particularly on March 23, National Chip & Dip Day. But one assumes any type of chip would do, not necessarily a potato chip.). Second choice is salt & vinegar. Third choice is a snack up here called Hickory Sticks, potato chips cut in thin strips with a salty, smoky flavour. Delicious!

My friend, let’s call her Jane, has a son-in-law who I’m sure will celebrate Extraterrestrial Abductions Day on the 20th. I’ll leave it to your imagination as to why.

But for the rest of us, the 20th is the first day of spring, or the Vernal Equinox, or Ostara, or however you want to celebrate longer, warmer days, dreams of picnics in the park, and planting the vegetable garden. 

Almost weekly, I make a trip to a nearby bulk foods store called, wait for it, Bulk Barn. And because I’m being such a good doobie about minimizing packaging (I take my own containers), I reward myself with one of my favourite treats to eat on the drive home. I’ll be sure to indulge myself a little bit extra on the 24th, National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day.

And to round off the month, the 31st is World Backup Day. Holy, moly, if you backup your computer files only once a year, you are a gambler. Playing with fire. Poking the tiger. Putting all your eggs in one basket made of spider webs. 

Now excuse me while I search out a peanut recipe, add potato chips to the grocery list, and make a special treat for my hens on March 19th, National Poultry Day.

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. She spends her days writing contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and historical romance. When not torturing her characters, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. She lives in Nova Scotia with her patient husband and five hens.

Website ~ Bookbub ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

The Surprise and Discovery of Story Arcs ... by M. Lee Prescott

“The spiritual path is not a solo endeavor. In fact, the very notion of a self who is trying to free her/himself is a delusion. We are in it together and the company of spiritual friends helps us realize our interconnectedness.” – Tara Brach

 Greetings!

             It’s Mary Lee, writing as M. Lee Prescott, author of mysteries, romances – contemporary and western -- other fiction and nonfiction. No matter what the genre, my books, even the nonfiction titles, are about interconnectedness and the communities we create, large and small. I believe Tara Brach’s words about being “in it together” and want that for “characters” in my fiction, nonfiction, and in my life.

            The theme of connectedness came to me when thinking of what I might blog because I’ve been pleased with the story arc linking two of my recent romances, last year’s A Horseshoe Crab Cove Christmas (HCCC) and this December’s Joe’s Calling. They are both part of the Morgan’s Fire series, set in New England, number 7 and 8 respectively.

            When writing series, many authors, myself included, introduce, or incorporate minor characters who then move to center stage in subsequent books. I love this foreshadowing as it builds reader excitement for what’s ahead. We become attached to these relatively minor characters when they do something that touches our heart, grabs our attention, or makes it impossible to ignore them. They push in, make themselves known, and ask for their own stories. There is delightful anticipation that builds in the characters as well as the readers and writers interacting with them. Such fun!

             Although Joe O’Leary appeared in earlier titles in the Morgan’s Fire series, the holiday book, begins and ends with him. A Horseshoe Crab Cove Christmas follows him as he grapples with life after leaving the priesthood. At fifty, where will his spiritual journey take him, and will he/ must he make his way alone? Early on in HCCC, as the village bursts forth celebration, Joe meets Meryl, chef of the town’s hottest new restaurant. Amidst the tinsel, lights, and carols, these two connect, first as friends and then, perhaps, something more. There is promise at the story’s conclusion. There is also the question Brach addresses about solo versus connected journeys, spiritual or otherwise. Do we need or want loving friends on our life passages? Are our spirits destined for interconnectedness or something else? 

The village of Horseshoe Crab Cove sparkles as the community celebrates a birthday and a wedding. The kindling of a new relationship and a baby boom bring joy and resonance to the season as Joe O’Leary makes the difficult decision to leave the priesthood. Will he find peace in his new life? Celebrate the holidays with a copy of Morgan’s Fire # 7!

 Links to A Horseshoe Crab Cove Christmas!

AMAZON

APPLE

BARNES AND NOBLE

KOBO

GOOGLE

    Of course. I write romances. Connectedness always wins out. In Joe’s Calling the story arc continues as these two lovers explore whether, indeed, freeing oneself to walk alone is a delusion or the only path to wholeness in life. One can and should practice self-love and compassion, in effect, romancing oneself, but Joe’s Calling is a romance between two people, so a shared path looks promising!

            Down-to-earth Meryl Stockdale meets gorgeous ex-priest, Joseph O’Leary and their relationship explodes with fiery passion. Certain she’s found the love of her life, Meryl is shocked when Joe suddenly disappears. After 30 years, the priesthood has shaped Joe in ways not easy to put aside. He loves Meryl but struggles in his new life. Is there a loving future ahead for this couple? Find out in Morgan’s Fire book 8!

Pre-order links to Joe’s Calling: Release date: December 20^th

 AMAZON

APPLE

KOBO

NOOK

GOOGLE

 

            Story arcs and foreshadowing are important elements of many series, but somehow the links between these two books seemed subtler yet determined. As if the silken threads of emotional connection blew forward in the soft, prevailing winds, from book to book, without my awareness. This particular arc became a discovery for me, a surprising, lovely connection that supported plot, but also these beloved characters.

             I wish everyone a lovely December and happy holiday season! May your connections sustain you as the days grow darker and bring you peace, comfort, and joy.

             Warmly,

            Mary Lee

 Please keep in touch, always!

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The Season of Abundance ... by Delsora Lowe

Speaking about abundance in November, the first thing to come to mind is a Thanksgiving table laden with way too much food, most of it rich and heavy. And usually, there is an abundance of family and friends gathered around that table. 

But for me, and for anyone who has read my November RTG blog over the last few years, the one thing I have an overabundance of, at any time of the year, are books on my Kindle. And in November, that overabundance is in the category of holiday romance—Christmas, Hanukkah, and any other November / December seasonal holiday. 

Below are the seasonal books I read. I’m sure each of you have lists of holiday books you enjoy. And some you may reread each year.

So, enjoy a quiet moment with a book, amid all the rush of the season.

This year my holiday rush includes another special event, the marriage of my daughter. So, I am happy to say a few of these books contain holiday weddings. 

What topics and/or genres do you like to read during the fall into winter transition? 

This list is not considered a recommendation (since we all have different reading tastes,) but is a list of books I have read in the last two months. I have another list I plan to read the rest of November and into December. I do go a bit overboard on holiday books, but then I do love reading them all year round. Enjoy! 

Snowflakes & Stockings (Oct 2021) – Marianne Rice 

A sweet, small-town romance, with opposites attract, each character brings out the best in the other, until a holiday secret could derail all they’ve built together. Lots of Maine charm, Santa, good Portland, ME food, and a raucous family add atmosphere to the story.

Tinsel and Tatas: A Holiday Romantic Comedy Anthology (Oct 2021) – Kilby Blades, Serena Bell, Kameron Claire, Dylann Crush, Hope Ellis, Melonie Johnson, Tawdra Kandle, Stina Lindenblatt, Elizabeth Lynx, Claire Marti, MK Meredith, Susannah Nix, Tracey Pedersen, Marika Ray, Piper Rayne, Arell Rivers, Brenda St John Brown, Sylvie Stewart 

Eighteen quick reads, ranging from sweet to steamy. The money raised from this anthology goes to Young Survival Coalition for Breast Cancer, which is an international organization to help women under the age of forty who are diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Spirit Of Christmas (Sept 2019) – Fern Michaels 

A transplanted small-town heroine gets called back from the big city, and the thriving company she built from the ground up, to fulfill her grandmother’s dying wish. Before she can get back to work, she is thrown into a crazy holiday schedule and a comical cutthroat, annual holiday competition between inn owners. With a few of her grandmother’s matchmaker friends, she is partnered with the inn’s lawyer. A fun romp through the backend world of running an inn, of course, leads to a HEA. 

Christmas Town Homecoming: A 10-Book Connected Holiday Romance Collection (Oct 2021) – Melinda Curtis, Anna Stewart, Anna Adams, Cheryl Harper, Liz Flaherty, Leigh Riker, Beth Carpenter, LeAnne Bristow, Claire McEwen

Love these annual anthologies, with novelettes from Harlequin Heartwarming authors. All take place in Christmas Town, Maine, a town that celebrates Christmas all year round. Each anthology brings back characters and locations the reader has seen in past stories, and adds new ones. They even mentioned my home town in one of the stories. 😊 This book has connected 10th high school reunion stories, which is a lot of fun. 

Christmas, Alabama (Oct 2017) – Susan Sands 

Experience the over-the-top, small-town Christmas cheer, and the harried lifestyle of two characters from the big city—one an event photographer, the other an ER physician. Add in crazy families and friends, and you have a holiday Rom-Com with a touch of serious drama. 

 

Cole for Christmas (Oct 2021) – Janet Raye Stevens 

A meet-cute, mistaken identities story, between two who end up working together to pull off a holiday wedding in a Maine blizzard. Add in fun and quirky secondary characters, a bit of slap-stick comedy, a great setting on the ocean, and lots of chemistry between the fill-in event manager and the sous chef who must take over the chef’s job, and you have an entertaining RomCom.

Home for the Holly Days (Holly Point) (Nov 2021) – Cindy Kirk   

The third book in an annual Christmas series in a sweet town in Vermont, where celebrating Christmas is a huge part of their economic base, so you get to know the business owners, who come back in every book, plus the new featured couple—this time a sweet reunion.  

A Big Easy Christmas (Oct 2021) – Sue Ward Drake 

A duet of novelettes about the Guidry brothers, family, and friends. The first is a follow-up look at characters from Walking the Edge, as they celebrate Christmas in New Orleans. The second story is about two who meet around the Guidry Christmas dinner table and celebrate New Year’s Eve together. Full of New Orleans atmosphere. 

Christmas Mountain Romance (Dec 2020) – Susan Hatler 

A trilogy of sweet romance novels that take place in Montana. I enjoyed book one, and look forward to reading the next two in the series, as we move into late November and December. 

Morgan's book has her thrown together through circumstance with someone who is totally opposite her. Their differing life goals set up great conflict, but also a chance to really see the other for who they eachare.

 

Mistletoe Kiss with the Millionaire: Heirs to an Empire Miniseries, Book 4 (Oct 2021) – Donna Alward 

A fake-engagement, friends-to-lovers, millionaire romance that gives the readers wonderful architectural and culinary romps through London and Paris, as well as glimpses of the French countryside at the chateau and the English countryside at the manor. Lots of family and corporate workplace fun and drama. This is the fourth book in a series, where the reader will reconnect with characters from past books, but definitely can be read as a standalone, with a lovely holiday ending.

A Lot Like Christmas (Sept 2021) – Jennifer Snow 

The small town baker who

who bakes everyone else’s wedding cakes, would love the chance to bake her

own. But love seems elusive, until a friend’s older brother comes to town for the holidays. Only home to regroup, a wandering doctor who goes from country-to-country with Doctors Without Borders, finds he needs to do more than regroup after the last assignment. Instant attraction and a chance to spend a few fun weeks with each other…could this lead to true love.

Gift-Giving Cowboy (Nov 2021) – Vicki Lewis Thompson 

Book 10 is a combination end to one series and introduces characters and a new location for the next cowboy series. Throw in lots of Christmas-on-the-ranch traditions, and a love story between two unlikely soul-mates and you have a fun ending to the Buckskin Brotherhood series.

Fixing Christmas (Nov 2021) – Peggy Jaeger 

If you read last year’s Christmas book, the prequel, you will now see the heroine 

all grown up. With the loving help of her parents and the “irritating handyman,” the heroine finally believes in acceptance and finds love–sweet and funny, all rolled into one. The prequel is super sweet, but this book can be read as a stand-alone.

Do you have a favorite holiday book OR a list you plan to read? 

Come Dance With Me 

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Come-Dance-Me-Serenity-Starlight-ebook/dp/B074N95RGK

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/bMrQva 

Woman’s World 5-minute Romance Holiday

A digest of 40 holiday shorts – I have a Thanksgiving story and a Valentine’s Day story

(on stands until Feb 7, 2022) 

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~ 

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine. Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her novella, The Love Left Behind, released in October, 2020. She is currently editing her own holiday book, The Inn on Gooseneck Lane. 

Social Media Links:

Author website: www.delsoralowe.com 

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 

Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe 

BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe60387651

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986

Delsora_Lowe Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/ 

Christmas Books Galore!

by Diana McCollum

I am sharing a Christmas book with two great stories in it. During the busy holiday season sometimes it is nice to sit with a cup of tea, my feet up and read a good, short story. A breather if you will, from the hustle and bustle of the season.

 

 A BIG EASY CHRISTMAS by Sue Drake Ward, is a holiday duet with two Christmas stories. 

 

Story one-

Gifts of Christmas-is about Cath Guidry, a French Quarter ghost tour guide who is searching for the perfect gift  for her husband Mitch. Cath gets a little help from Mitch’s Aunt Edi and she has the perfect thoughtful gift for Mitch.

 

Not to be left out, Mitch discovers Cath’s good luck necklace chain is broken and he knows he’s the one fix it.

 

This is a lovely story about two deeply in love people.

Story Two-

 

New Year, New Love is the second story in A BIG EASY CHRISTMAS. Rhonda attends a Christmas dinner at her friend’s house and meets widower Tony, a police detective. They enjoy each other’s company and he drives her home. Neither is looking for romance.

 

Rhonda’s ex is stalking her and she calls the handsome police detective to give her a ride home from work. As new Year’s Eve approaches they both hope to put their pasts behind them and celebrate New Year’s Eve together.

 

This book is included in the following promotional holiday books! Follow this link to sign up for a chance to win these books or buy the bundle. https://maggielynch.com/holiday-books-contest/

The more times you enter the better chance of winning! You can also purchase it where ever you buy books.

 

Have you read any holiday books this year?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AS THEY START THIS MONTH WITH THANKSGIVING!!!!🦃🦃

 

An Attitude of Gratitude!

 

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

I manifest abundance by being grateful for what I already have

MJ Brown

 When I hear the word abundance I think of excess. Excessive spending, more food than one could possibly eat, gifts that I don’t want and possibly wouldn’t use. Literally, it means to have much more than you need. Yet holidays are associated with that A word. No wonder so many dread them.

It's the over the top expectations.

Imagine that poor mother with four kids working a minimum wage job. Imagine the expectation as the holidays approach and the disappointment on those four faces when mom provides only what she can afford. Imagine how that mom feels.

I love holidays but somewhere along the way holidays  went on steroids and galloped way out of control. They've become costly and have lost their true meaning.  There are many ways to celebrate holidays that do not include debt and excessive shows of opulence, Is it that important to keep up with the neighbors and their elaborate  lawn decorations?

Shouldn’t Holidays be about giving grateful thanks and appreciating making it through another year?  Yes, I know, I’m beginning to sound like the grinch that stole the holidays.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a nicely decorated table and a well-prepared meal, but do we need four entrees, especially if all of those entrees aren’t eaten and a good portion makes the trash? Do we need five desserts that everyone takes a bite of but never finish?

At Christmas, do we need more than one gift? Could the money be better spent feeding the poor? Could we not give back by working in a soup kitchen, visiting an orphanage, donating food or clothing to the homeless, adopting a poor family or teaching an underprivileged child how to read?

Is it possible to spread the abundance of good cheer and seasonal generosity over the year? Maybe if we cut back a bit on being over the top, we could replace the material things with kindly actions. Maybe this abundance of loving actions can take the place of material things.

As the year draws to a close, maybe we should rethink how we do abundance and make it more about acts of service and about giving from the heart.

My Holiday novella, Kwanzaa ‘Pon a Time  is all about forgiveness, It's available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  I hope you enjoy it. 

https://amzn.to/3BSRGsC

Happy Thanksgiving all!

About Marcia King-Gamble

USA Bestselling romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This former travel industry executive has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. She has contributed to Michael Fiore’s DigitalRomanceInc and served as a moderator on the now defunct eHarmony advice boards.  Having witnessed the bad, the ugly, and the not so good in relationships, she still prefers to write about happily ever after. Caring for her animal family keeps her grounded and sane.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

Be sure to join her newsletter mailing list.

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Ten. Dix. Diez. Ashara. Zehn. Tio.

May the Fourth Be With You. Now that we’ve got that out of the way...

This month’s topic is “10”. Not the movie starring the wonderful Dudley Moore and Bo Derek, but the numeral that comes after number nine, number nine, number nine...Help! Oh, lordy.

Anybody remember a candy bar costing 10 cents? I don’t, the cheapest I remember was twenty-five cents. But the liquorice cigars were a dime and the Bazooka bubble gum was ‘two for a dime’. 

The most exciting part of the countdown to a space launch is 10 seconds. As is the most exciting part to the countdown to a New Year. Heck, we could be counting down to 2022 now, if we had nothing better to do, but I bet it would get boring.  Let’s try...20,908,800...20,908,799...20,980,798...anyone bored yet? Yeah, the final 10 seconds is tons more fun.

I mentioned May the Fourth at the top of this post. Other celebrations and observances we could be celebrating and/or observing are, in no particular order:

Orthodox Easter Tuesday in Cyprus. Have I mentioned that I’ve visited Cyprus? I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Greenery Day in Japan. As you might guess, it’s a day to celebrate nature, and is marked by the planting of seeds by the Emperor and Empress. I’ve not been to Japan, but my Mum has a few times to visit a niece who lives there. She’d go back in a heartbeat as well.

Declaration of Independence Day in Latvia, which declared independence from the USSR in 1990. I’m ashamed to admit I had to look it up on a map. I knew the general area, given its former inclusion in the Soviet Union, but it’s good to know the precise location of these things. Should the subject come up in a pub quiz, for instance.

National Remembrance Day in The Netherlands, commemorating all Dutch victims of war. Have I mentioned that I’ve been to The Netherlands? Another country I’d return to in a heartbeat. Also, my maternal ancestors hailed from a village in the north called Uithuizen. 

And few of us would be where we are now without the skill and talents of an incredible bunch of people who are honoured on today’s National Teacher Appreciation Day.

All told, there are 10 national public holidays celebrated around the world on this day, including National Bird Day. Now get out there and hug a bird!

Seasonal Stories #scifi #paranormal #romance

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories to engage your emotions. Tomorrow is the spring equinox, and I'm so happy about that. January and February are such gloomy months, and all the more so with yet another lock-down in the UK since Christmas. At least now the days are getting longer and warmer, and I can spend time in the garden soaking up the emerging rays and work on new housing for my much diminished flock of feathered friends.

But with a new book release tomorrow as well, I decided to look back at the seasonal stories I've written, published, or am still agonising over. 

A few years ago I decided I wanted to write some holiday stories. They seemed popular and I like a challenge. Unfortunately my muse didn't like the challenge of Christmas in Space, so that kind of stymied that idea. Fortunately I can't confine myself to one genre (as long as it's speculative) so a paranormal Halloween story offered itself as an option...even if it did start out as a 13 year old young witch who managed to morph into a 30-ish year old warlock. Such fun! It also happened to be set in my favourite season of the year - autumn - but shh! Don't tell the others! Just look at the glorious colours in that cover, part of what I love about that time of year.

But muse still wouldn't play ball with a Christmas story. Instead I turned to more pagan origins and a winter solstice story. I could do that, couldn't I?! Unfortunately muse decided to turn it into a mystery scifi rather than a scifi romance, and that didn't work out particularly well to begin with. When you're a pantser and don't write linearly, trying to hit the correct plot points, deaths, disappearances etc and build up the clues is a pretty hard ask. As a consequence, Solstice on Vintro took a stonking SEVEN YEARS to complete and finally publish.

By this time, muse had gotten over her hissy fit on Christmas in Space to deliver A Merry-traxian Christmas for the family in my main SFR series, and a few years before the solstice story. Ah, well, good things come to those that wait...? The story is very much based on my own thoughts of Christmas and how my family have come to celebrate it and what it means to us. How cute is that alien Christmas tree on the cover?!

So now I have an autumn story and two winter stories. Again, a few years back I came up with an idea for an Easter story, again based on the original pagan festival of Eostre, a celebration of spring. Which...also isn't finished. (This isn't going too well, is it?).

But that still leaves one season out. I did think about a Midsummer story, and that was as far as it got. Until I saw a call for paranormal short stories for an anthology. I wrote an angel story for it, but then the anthology got cancelled. This was not going well. It was only as I struggled for a new title for it because too many stories and songs had the same name that I took note of the time of year I set it, and that decided the title - My Summer Angel. It's still in edits, but at least it's getting closer to publication.

And maybe this year I'll finish that Eostre story too and have the full compliment of seasons. Or has winter been given an unfair advantage now...

For now, I have to share my spring release (even if it isn't exactly the spring themed story I plan to finish one day).

How could a moment's anger destroy so much happiness?

It is a question that will haunt him. When an old enemy comes to Kasha-Asor to kidnap their daughter, armed with a weapon that could end everything, Keir is forced to leave an injured Quin on Lyagnius. But his quest for a cure and their missing daughter will come at a terrible cost.

Book #2.5 of the Redemption series. Releases 20th March, 2021 (pre-order available now)

Trigger warning: the loss of a child.