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‘Tis the season… to meet the movers at the storage unit—watch them put all our worldly possessions into the trucks—hold our collective breath whilst the grandfather clock makes the journey—watch the movers empty the trucks into the new house—direct them where to put all the stuff—again hold our breath whilst the clock is situated—face the piles of boxes and wonder where to put all the stuff—fa la la!
Phew, just writing that made me tired and close to tears of exhaustion. Believe it or not, we’re hosting Christmas dinner. You may be all agog wondering why we’d do something so insane. Well, I’ll tell you. Both of us want to hibernate. After the past six months of not having a permanent book on which to hand our hats we don’t want to budge. Not even an inch. For a few months at least. So we’ll hole up in our new nest and let people come to us. The kitties will be happy to not have their humans disappear for at least one day a week, too. We’ll celebrate Festivus for the Rest of Us tomorrow by searching for the dishes, unearthing the flatware, and unpacking the pots and pans. What are you up to this weekend? A mad scramble? Or a relaxing few days with a hot beverage and a good book? My, doesn’t that sound delightful? Cheers!
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Tomorrow at 12:28 pm Atlantic Time we will celebrate the Winter Solstice. Time to light the ole Yule log, fill the house with freshly cut evergreen boughs, and heat some glog to sip by the fire.
Once we survive the shortest day of the year, less than eight hours of daylight, we’ll turn the corner toward longer days and the coming spring. Alas, that spring is a long way off and we’ll have many weeks of cold and snow still to endure. At least we’ll have more daylight hours to gaze upon the frozen slush. Oh joy. Oh bliss. “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” Dame Edith Sitwell “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” Hal Borland Cheers! Today is National Bake Cookies Day. Seems to me we just celebrated cookie day. *scrolls back through previous posts and discovers it was Homemade Cookie Day*
Not that I’m complaining, mind you. One can never have too many cookies. Unless one eats too many and one feels ill afterward. Glad that’s never happened to me. Certainly never the still-warm cookies that require taste testing. This is prime baking season in my house. My fruitcake was baked a month ago and has been “fed” with whisky every Wednesday since. Why Wednesday? Why not? I’ve baked these chocolate chip cookies twice in the past month. I’ve also baked a test recipe for America’s Test Kitchens, and a batch of Pecan Fingers. Yesterday I baked Swedish Christmas Cookies and a second batch of Pecan Fingers. I predict there’ll be at least one more batch of Pecan Fingers before the end of the year. They’re hubby’s favourite. I don’t often veer from the tried and true cookie recipes. They’re part of what makes this season so special. A real tree in the corner, a turkey in the oven, and a plate of sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, and Pecan Fingers all combine to make the season bright. <grin> Do you have foods that scream “Christmas” to you? Cheers! Book launch day! Love and Turmoil is available for purchase! At The Wild Rose Press, Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.  Is any day more fabulous than this? Aside from giving birth, of course. And getting married. That was a fabulous day. Also when our kids graduated from high school and university. More fabulous days. But after all that, seeing my book out in the real world is pretty darn special. Knowing that other people are going to meet the characters and hopefully enjoy their antics is thrilling. But also a little nerve-wracking. Like sending your kid off on the first day of school and hoping they make friends. The characters in my books are very real to me and hold a special place in my heart and I want other people to like them as much as I do. Or hate them as much as I do if the character in question is a bad guy/gal. I still think about the characters in my previous books and wonder how they’re doing.
I can’t wait for you to meet Arabella and Sam and discover how they met, why they’re attracted to each other, and witness the troubles they face. Boy oh boy, they face some tough times. <insert maniacal laugh> I’m guest blogging at Night Owl Reviews today and sharing an old family recipe for the most delicious cookies. Stop by to grab the recipe and whip up a batch. Your friends and family will think you’re more brilliant than usual! Here’s the last excerpt I’ll be sharing for Love and Turmoil (NOW RELEASED!!!) “Please stay a bit longer. This will take but a minute, and then we will find somewhere to be alone.” He touched her cheek. “You haven’t eaten your supper.” He rested his hand on her waist and pulled her close. “I could survive feasting on you.” He kissed her neck, his warm breath heating her entire body. She leaned into him, turned her head, and captured his lips. He was indeed hungry, and she gave him all she could, teasing his lips with her tongue, biting his lower lip before sucking it into her mouth. She grasped his shoulders and pressed closer, wanting to absorb him into her skin. He trailed his kiss along her jaw and nipped her earlobe. “Yes?” She nodded before resting her head on his chest. She’d been seconds away from pushing him to the ground and mounting him like a horse. Here’s the story premise, aka the blurb, aka the back-cover copy: Six months after burying her wastrel husband, Lady Arabella Woodbridge has resigned herself to a lonely life in the countryside with only her two adopted nieces for company. Being a young, respectable widow is – frustrating. Then the charming and wickedly handsome Samuel Payn takes up residence in the neighboring manor house. Retired explorer and occasional pirate Samuel Payn is on a two-fold mission – retrieve buried loot, and locate the father who abandoned his mother to a life of poverty. But a gang of murderous villains is also after the buried treasure. And someone is threatening to tear apart the lovely widow’s family. Will Sam’s single-minded determination to uncover his true identity threaten Arabella’s happiness - and his life? Cheers! National Ice Cream Day? Really? In the middle of December? This should be Wool Sock Day, or Hot Cocoa Day, or Cold Nose Day (she says whilst secretly celebrating all of those). Needless to say I won’t be taking part in any celebrations honouring the freezing of cream. Now, if this were July 13th I’d be all over this holiday. While I love ice cream of pretty much any flavour, I do have my favourites – maple walnut, coffee, and anything containing chocolate. When I was a kid we had a cottage in Malagash and on the looooong drive there (two hours but I was a kid so it was forever) we’d pass an ice cream stand. Everyone, including the dog, got a scoop of ice cream though my parents usually got milkshakes. A special treat for me would be a scoop of liquorice ice cream. I love love love black liquorice (the red stuff is an abomination) and finding it in ice cream form was like a gift from the god of liquorice. If there isn’t a god of liquorice there needs to be one. My recollection was that the liquorice ice cream was a dark khaki in colour. Not the most appealing to look at, but man, it was yummy. The few times a year they were out of liquorice I’d get orange pineapple. Since I’ve started making my own ice cream I’ve stuck to the basics like vanilla or chocolate. When I make coffee ice cream I add a shot of coffee liqueur to the mixture. It makes for a delicious soft ice cream. The alcohol prevents the cream from freezing completely so the ice cream is easier to scoop, and thus easier to eat. What is your favourite ice cream flavour? Here’s another excerpt from the fast approaching launch (THIS FRIDAY!!) of my next book, Love and Turmoil. “My understanding of the custom is that engagements are sealed with a kiss.” “You surely aren’t suggesting—” Oh, gracious. “I am.” He put his other hand on her shoulder and slowly, slowly skimmed along to her neck, brushing escaped wisps of hair out of the way. “I couldn’t possibly.” She tingled. Everywhere. She licked her lips. “You can.” He pulled her closer still until there was no space between them. Her breasts touched his chest, her knees touched his knees, and her tummy touched his—heavens. He did want to kiss her. “Mr. Payn—” “Sam.” “Sam, I’m not—” His lips touched hers, briefly. Too briefly. With a sigh she returned the kiss. She felt his smile, her stomach did a little flip, and her lips curved in an answering smile. She’d never smiled whilst in the middle of a kiss before. He trailed his lips along her jaw and nipped lightly at her earlobe. “Oh yes, I’ll enjoy this engagement.” Here’s the gist of the story: Six months after burying her wastrel husband, Lady Arabella Woodbridge has resigned herself to a lonely life in the countryside with only her two adopted nieces for company. Being a young, respectable widow is – frustrating. Then the charming and wickedly handsome Samuel Payn takes up residence in the neighboring manor house. Retired explorer and occasional pirate Samuel Payn is on a two-fold mission – retrieve buried loot, and locate the father who abandoned his mother to a life of poverty. But a gang of murderous villains is also after the buried treasure. And someone is threatening to tear apart the lovely widow’s family. Will Sam’s single-minded determination to uncover his true identity threaten Arabella’s happiness - and his life? Cheers!  According to a list of weird and wacky holidays and celebrations, today is National Noodle Ring Day. Um…I need a bit more information. Is it the case that we’re celebrating ring-shaped noodles? Is the creation of ring-shaped noodles so noteworthy we need to devote a day in celebration? I think someone is pulling our collective leg. I certainly won’t be running out to purchase a can of the famous chef’s ring-noodles-in-sauce to serve at my banquet. I mailed my Christmas cards today. The list of friends and relations getting an actual paper card in the actual mail is shrinking as we move more and more recipients to the email version. I think that’s sad in a way. Receiving an email card just isn’t quiet as satisfying as a paper card. And you can’t prop an email card on the mantelpiece, or stick it in a decorative card holder (ours is a wreath topped by a snowman), or suspend it along with its fellows on sewing thread around doors and windows. But with the price of postage increasing, and the relative ease of sending an e-card, using technology to spread cheer and holiday wishes makes sense. We’ll also save a few trees. Except that will mean less work for the foresters and pulp mill operators and the greeting card manufacturers. A conundrum. Do you send greeting cards? Paper, or via the Internet, or a mix of the two? Here’s an excerpt from the upcoming release (THIS FRIDAY!!!) of my next book, Love and Turmoil. You can pre-order now if you'd like to be one of the first to get your cute little hands on this fun story. Arabella and Sam are discussing a way to protect her family. “We’ll be affianced for a few hours at most. There can be no talk of—of—love. Or any other nonsense. Please, don’t mention this in front of the girls.” She licked her parched lips. “Not until I’ve had a chance to explain—” “Arabella.” He clasped her hand, enveloping it in his calloused grip. “I was speaking in jest.” “Oh—I see. Forgive me.” “There is nothing to forgive.” “Thank you.” She suspected she could lose herself in his eyes if she allowed it. Deep blue with silver flecks. Just like the ocean on a summer day. She focused on his hand as it held hers, large, tanned, strong. A man’s hand attached to a man’s body, with all its man parts. Here’s what the story is about: Six months after burying her wastrel husband, Lady Arabella Woodbridge has resigned herself to a lonely life in the countryside with only her two adopted nieces for company. Being a young, respectable widow is – frustrating. Then the charming and wickedly handsome Samuel Payn takes up residence in the neighboring manor house. Retired explorer and occasional pirate Samuel Payn is on a two-fold mission – retrieve buried loot, and locate the father who abandoned his mother to a life of poverty. But a gang of murderous villains is also after the buried treasure. And someone is threatening to tear apart the lovely widow’s family. Will Sam’s single-minded determination to uncover his true identity threaten Arabella’s happiness - and his life? Cheers!  |