New Year's Superstitions

Happy New Year, Cozies! The champagne glasses are sink-side. Firecrackers have been burnt to crisps. Now what? What are some of your New Year's Day superstitions?

It all, of course, starts with the kiss at midnight. Aside from the parties and pyrotechnics, kissing loved ones is probably one of the most traditional new year superstitions. So traditional, in fact, that it comes from ancient Roman times and the festival of Saturnalia, which honored Janus - the god of gates/doors to beginnings and endings. This also leads back to another supersition because the Romans also believed that the first person to enter your house on New Year's should have a good demeanor so your family would be blessed with good fortune throughout the calendar year.

In modern day, this is called "First Footing." The first person to enter your house on New Year's, according to Snopes.com, "will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking, and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt." Hm...may I request Matthew MacFayden? :)

A new year superstition respected in my childhood home every year was eating one's black-eyed peas. This is a widespread southern tradition which attracts financial fortune. Other things that people eat for luck on New Year's is pork, lentil soup, and - believe it or not - sauerkraut. It is a popular belief that eating chicken or turkey is bad luck on New Year's.

Make sure to stock up the cupboards before the new year. It sets the tone for your pantry for the rest of the year. Paying off the bills is also a great way to start the year, if you can. Keeping your garbage in-house until January 2nd is a great idea, too. Snopes.com adds, "Some people soften this rule by saying it's okay to remove things from the home on New Year's Day provided something else has been brought in first."

If working on New Year's, make sure to do something good or successful involving your job. Don't work too hard, however, or else this too will set the tone for the rest of the year. Many people make it a point to spend time with their children or families on New Year's instead of working because they believe they'll do this every day of the year.

Make lots of loud noise on New Year's because the devil and evil spirits are repelled by it. At midnight, be sure to open doors to let the old year out!

No-no's on New Year's Day....

- laundry

- lend money or other precious items

- pay off loans

- break things

- cry

One more note from Snopes: "If the wind blows from the south, there will be fine weather and prosperous times in the year ahead. If it comes from the north, it will be a year of bad weather. The wind blowing from the east brings famine and calamites. Strangest of all, if the wind blows from the west, the year will witness plentiful supplies of milk and fish but will also see the death of a very important person. If there's no wind at all, a joyful and prosperous year may be expected by all."

Here's hoping for wind from the south or no wind at all - and, of course, a Happy New Year's Day to everyone! If you have New Year's superstitions I didn't mention here, shout 'em out!

Zodiac Predictions for 2011...

The stars have spoken. I don't live my life by the zodiac, but I've always loved idea of the celestial and reading up on the zodiac's mythological roots. I look forward to new year horoscopes. Here's this year's Taurus predictions....

Your legendary tenacity and patience is truly about to pay off in spades this year Taurus. After a long and arduous 12 years, your luck is returning with a fabulous vengeance. Jupiter, the planet of large-scale fortune enters your sturdy stars this June for an extended stint taking you right into 2012 in excellent standing. Never has it felt so easy to let go of comfort zones and move into unknown territory with such confidence and gusto. Even the most cautious and conservative of bulls can easily see that the rewards far outweigh the risk this year. Push the envelope, raise the bar and go for the biggest stakes your loyal heart can fathom.

You're a florid channel of original ideas this spring when six planets line up in your unconscious sector of dreams and inspiration right around your birthday. Ready yourself for what becomes a turbo-charged imagination to keep you up at night with more genius schemes than there is time to humanly handle. Your brain will feel like a non-stop idea factory that refuses to rest, so you'll need extra time in nature or at the gym to remain relatively grounded.

Unexpected social encounters and fabulous new friendships flourish throughout the year with special highlights occurring in March and April when Mars powers up your friendship sector. May and June are stellar months for dating and mating with all around good times to be had in general compliments of Venus in Taurus. You've got your mind on your money and your money on your mind all summer with Venus and Mars emphasizing your financial sector. Make your money in June and July while the getting is good and save the leisure rewards for August when you can kick back guilt-free.
I love the idea-factory potential. Sounds like some great career predictions for The Bull this year! Readers, if you're curious to see what's on your astrological calendar for 2011, visit Yahoo Shine.... I found the porcelain zodiac figurine at right at Royal Copenhagen. Isn't it cute?

More new year fun to be had this weekend!

Chatting at LRC!

Hi Cozies! I'm just popping in to announce that I am chatting all day with other romance authors from The Wild Rose Press at LoveRomancesCafe! Join us for cyber lattes, excerpts and Q&A! Hope to see you there!

And good news - the one day sale at AudioLark has been extended through today! Get the Ridges of Wayback, Texas trilogy in audio for only $3.49 each!

One Day Sale: Audio Books!

Don't have your copy of the Wayback Ridge Trilogy! No problem! Today is the perfect opportunity to get the entire collection. For one day only, you can get Blackest Heart (1st Place Novella), Bluest Heart, and Bet It On My Heart (LASR Book of the Week) for just $3.49 at AudioLark!

And this week at The Roses of Prose, vote for our new Friday Rose!

A Beachy Christmas

CHRISTMAS TRIVIA

There is an island called Christmas located in the Indian Ocean.

In Denmark, people put hot porridge outside for the pixies on Christmas Eve.

Franklin Pierce was the first president to decorate the White House Christmas tree.

The first gingerbread house came from Germany, but the first gingerbread man was from the court of Elizabeth I (who liked visitors to present cute gingerbread likenesses of themselves).

Dicken' A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843, the year Christmas cards were first made.

It's a Wonderful Life has been played more than any other Christmas movie. (Though I believe, thanks to those all-day Christmas marathons, that A Christmas Story is not far behind.)

The Montgomery-Ward department store created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Tom Smith invented the Christmas cracker.

"White Christmas" is the bestselling Christmas song ever, but digitally Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" takes the crown.

Rudolph was left out of Twas the Night Before Christmas because the poem was first published in 1823, while Rudolph first appeared in a booklet in 1939.

Pope Julius I decided that December 25 would be the date for Christmas.

Traditional Ukrainians hang spider web's on their Christmas trees for good luck.

Donner is Rudolph's father.

Tim Burton wrote The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Hocus Pocus was the name of of the rabbit in the magic hat in Frosty the Snowman.

The largest Santa sand-person was created on Orissa Beach (left).







CHRISTMAS QUOTES

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.- Peg Bracken

If Christmas isn't found in your heart, you won't find it under a tree.
- Charlotte Carpenter

Christmas, in its final essence, is for grown people who have forgotten what children know. Christmas is for whoever is old enough to have denied the unquenchable spirit of man.- Margaret Cousins

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white'.- Bing Crosby

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.- Charles Dickens

And my favorite....
Do give books - religious or otherwise - for Christmas. They're never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.- Lenore Hershey

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE GULF COAST!!!

2010 Reading List

I had the pleasure to read many awesome books in 2010. In a lot of ways, I think it was a notable year for several favorite authors and I had the pleasure of discovering a number of new authors for my auto-buy list. Here's a list of my favorite 2010 titles:

BEST CONTEMPORARY/ROMANTIC SUSPENSE - Hands-down, the SEALs trilogy. I'd really like to know where Stephanie Tyler's military heroes have been all my life. Hold on Tight was Chris's book and the final installment in Tyler's first trilogy. I read it in a day and a half...and I'm slow. Chris's character completely rocked his purple cover. Just look at that! Do I really need to say more? Sorry, I have to. Mostly because I felt that Chris's character was remarkable. He exemplified the wounded hero without losing his an ounce of his alpha-ness. I unfortunately have not read any of Tyler's new Shadow Force books, but if her SEALs trilogy is any indication, I will not be disappointed.

BEST PARANORMAL - It comes down to a mind-blowing tie. This is the first time my favorite paranormal authors have not shifted year-to-year, and of course those are the outstanding likes of J.R. Ward and Larissa Ione.

With Ward's Lover Mine, she continues the awesomeness that is the Black Dagger Brotherhood while telling the love story of my favorite character, John Matthew. This might have been my favorite book of the year because it lived up to its highly-anticipated hype and set the bar extremely high for the next book in the series.

Ione delivers! It's a phrase fans of the Demonica series have said from day one. Sin Undone is the final book in the Demonica series and talk about living up to the hype! I really didn't think Sin's book would like up to Wraith's, but I was so, so wrong. It had all the ingredients I've come to love about Ione's dark paranormals and more. I cannot wait until her next series launch in 2011.

BEST HISTORICAL - I read more historical romance in 2010 than anything else and two stand out more than any other. Both the authors are new to me and I was thrilled to add them to my auto-buy list.

The first is by established historical author Rosemary Rogers. Scoundrel's Honor explores the intriguing streets of St. Petersburg while delving into the life of the Beggar Czar, Russia's most notorious criminal. The hero reminds me of a historical Roarke. And it's rare that I love both the hero and heroine in equal measure.

The second is by author Veronica Wolff and is the first book in her Clan MacAlpin series. I've never fallen in love with a Highlander romance faster than I fell for Devil's Highlander. The story is textured richly and the characters are delightful. The hero, Cormac, is to die for - the epitome of both the alpha and Highlander hero. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Devil's Own, in March.

BEST GENRE-DEFYING NOVEL - Zoe Archer's Blades of the Rose series is historical. But it also has deep roots in the paranormal. And romance. And adventure. Suffice it to say, these books are in a league of their own. Zoe Archer gets five stars for originality alone. The first book in the Blades of the Rose, Warrior, which launched in September, was absolutely outstanding. It would seem impossible to combine so many different sub-genres without one overwhelming another. That's what makes Warrior so unique. The historical frontier of Mongolia proved to be exciting new terrain for romance. And the romance - ooh la la! Absolutely nothing was lost there. The characters are as lovable as can be. The hero struck me as particularly three-dimensional. The elements of paranormal and adventure wove the plot together and the ending was so satisfying I immediately wanted to dive into the second Blades of the Rose title, Scoundrel.

Other 2010 notables include Alexandra Hawkins's Lords of Vice series, which will be continuing with its third installment in 2011. I also discovered the guilty pleasure that is Christine Wells's suspenseful historical. Ann Agguire's butt-kicking, sci-fi heroine, Sirantha Jax, became a must-read. And Cynthia Eden delighted fans by crossing over into romantic suspense.

Readers, it's your turn! What were your favorite titles of 2010?

A Year in Review...

We're getting to the end of the year. Only a couple of weeks until 2011. It's natural for us all to consider our yearly achievements as December comes to a close. Since I did something similar last year, here's a list of the exciting things that happened in my writing life and here on The Cozy Page:

January's Cowboy Lovin' - This time last year I was brainstorming how to get all my favorite western romance writers together in one place to have the ultimate western romance extravaganza! Friends and readers came to The Cozy Page in numbers to participate in cowboy-themed giveaways, see their favorite western guest authors, and join in the cowboy round robin. It started 2010 with a bang here at the ol' blog and I loved seeing all the western romance supporters coming together to celebrate the sub-genre. In fact, I'm thinking about doing something similar in Spring 2011. Stay tuned ;)

Back-to-Back Releases and Goodbye to the Ridges - In early January while we were throwing down with Cowboy Lovin', I marked the launch of the second book in my Wayback Ridge trilogy, Bluest Heart, which to date is the bestselling book in the trilogy. Two months later, in March, I had a parting of the ways with all those entertaining Ridge family characters when the final book in the trilogy, Bet It On My Heart, was published by The Wild Rose Press. That same week, it was voted Book of the Week by readers at Long & Short Reviews. This release was the most bittersweet I've experienced. I worked on the three Wayback Ridge novellas for nearly two years and didn't want to say goodbye. The occassion, however, was an especially sweet one not just because Blackest Heart, Bluest Heart, and Bet It On My Heart are my most successful titles to date or because Bet It On My Heart was one of the last titles published under TWRP's much-loved Wayback, TX series. I became the only author with three books in the multi-authored series, and I'm still thrilled that the editors at TWRP thought these works worthy of such an honor.

Best Book of 2009 Nomination - In February, I learned that my historical romance, Forever Amore, was nominated for Best Book of 2009 by the reviewers of Long & Short Reviews. I do believe the hero and heroine, Charles and Lucille, are still beaming with pride - as, of course, am I!

3rd Paranormal Romance Completion - March and April weren't easy months. Among other things, my beloved laptop, Keats, died in an electrical surge and I was without a computer for several weeks. For a writer, there is nothing worse than not having the proper technological channel for creative venting. As it happened, I was in the midst of my third paranormal romance - all of which I thought had been fried on the hard drive with other works in progress. I was devastated until a saintly computer specialist (who shall be receiving a Christmas card this year from these grateful peeps) recovered the files. Meanwhile, my parents gave me a desktop that had belonged to my sister on which I completed the third paranormal. It came out to be a whopping 107,000 words - my longest manuscript since completing Forever Amore's first draft in December 2004, which came in at 140,000 (later revised and published at 75,000). This also marked the mid-way point for a five-part series I officially began work on in November 2008.

Literary Representation - In early May, six years of searching for an agent as passionate about my work as I am came to a close. Many thanks and heartfelt wishes go out to Joyce Holland and the D4EO Literary Agency!

The Ridges Go Audio - When I learned that TWRP would be selecting several titles to be published in audio book format, I had no idea that the Wayback Ridge trilogy would be among them. In July, I received the news that the Ridges were going to be strutting their stuff in the audio-verse! It was such a pleasure to work with AudioLark and the Ridges again. The audio book collection launched in September, becoming my first foray into audible and capping off my first publication triad - paperback, ebook, and audio!

Sweethearts of the West - In October, I was invited to become a part of a new western romance grog called Sweethearts of the West along with several authors from The Wild Rose Press and Harlequin/Silhouette. I blog with the Sweethearts once a month, usually around the 3rd, and I'm having a lot of fun discussing my favorite subject - cowboys and western romance - in more detail.

Social Networking Surprises - My author profile on Facebook reached 500 friends this winter! Similarly, I also reached 300 Twitter followers and may even reach 400 before the New Year. Thank you to those who have connected with me via social networking. I promise to be just as, if not more so, interesting in the new year ;)

As for non-writing related notables, I watched oil wash onshore at my local beaches in May and my favorite college football team is going to a national championship for the first time in 50+ years. On a more private note, I experienced a lot of things I never thought I would have to go through and learned quite a bit about myself and others along the way. It's been a turbulent and remarkable year in equal measure and I'm looking to the new year with much anticipation!

Merry Christmas, Cozies!

Writers' Holiday Wish List

It's that time again: wish list time! Whether you've been naughty or nice this year, here are a few goodies you'll more likely than not find on writers/readers' Christmas list:


The NOOK. This e-reader has jumped bookstore chains and is now available not just from its creators at Barnes & Noble but at Books-a-Millions across the southeast as well! The fun thing about the Nook is its accessories, in my opinion. You can color code it and even truck it around in its own custom satchel. A fun gift for those who don't already have a Kindle, a Sony, or a Nook of their own yet. I hear it's definitely worth the big bucks....


LAPDESK. For every writer especially, a lapdesk is definitely a plus. It makes your workspace that much more portable. Also when laptops are balanced on the sheets of the bed or even your lap, the air vent is blocked, causing the laptop to overwork and even overheat. Usually lapdesks come with built-in wrist support and these days several even come with their own lights (usually LED) and an adjustable base.


BOOKENDS. Barnes and Noble this year in particular has some really great bookends. Rodin's Thinker and Shakespeare made of black stone are some of my favorites. The hub loves the chess pieces. There's something for everyone - children to adult and quirky to intellectual. If the readers and writers in your life are anything like me, they have books lying all over the place. Structure and organization are always a plus.



GIFT CARDS. Some say that giving gift cards to people you know and love is taboo. But for me, there's nothing better - especially if the gift cards can be used online. They give me the freedom to buy whatever's on my to-read list - which, by the way, takes up a good chunk of my Chrstimas wish list. Online gift cards are awesome because they allow readers to purchase ebooks instead of paperbacks at lower prices as well as avoiding shipping costs altogether. (Note: if your writer friend likes to jam while working on his/her latest WIP, an iTunes gift card works wonders too!)



LEATHERBOUND CLASSICS. Nothing makes me geek out more than the words "collector's edition." Especially when it comes to names like Jane Austen and William Shakespeare. My personal favorite leatherbound classic available now at Barnes & Noble? Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. There's also a three-in-one set called The Supernatural Collection which includes Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, and Gregory MacGuire's Wicked and Son of a Witch. Also? The Fantasy Collection (H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and Douglas Adams' The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). Are you geeking out yet? No, just me? Okay, moving right along....



2011 PLANNER. Purse-sized works best, in my experience. Writers, especially those on multiple deadlines, need to have their ducks in a row, whether those ducks be marketing, editorial, writing, plotting, networking, etc. Usually when buying planners, I look for those that leave plenty of space to note details. This works especially well for guest apperances on the web as well as agent/editors' email or physical addresses. A contact resource in the front or back of the planner works well, too. Also a planner that notes holidays and special occassions is a plus. When I'm sunk deep in plotting or writing, I all-too-easily lose track of things like that.



BOOKLIGHT. Night writers love this little gadget because nothing is better than reading a chapter before bed...and by the time we come to bed, the lights are already out. A booklight works well for travel, as well. Just be careful when picking one out. I've had three that didn't last long because they were cheap. The batteries have fallen out. The lightbulbs themselves have gone mysteriously missing. Durable is best because they'll probably end up chucked in a purse or travel case at some point.



SUBSCRIPTIONS. This works for both writers and readers as well, whether they're into romance or not. A subscription to Writer's or Reader's Digest every year is something I know a lot of book lovers had to give up during the recession and, chances are, they probably never got it back. Nothing says love more than a year's free subscription to a Digest or, for romance fans, Romantic Times.


The TRUSTY NOTEBOOK. For most writers, it all goes back to the handy-dandy notebook. I'm always in need of a good brainstorm/plotting/random ideas notebook. Like the planner, the best notebooks are portable for purses. And, like the booklight, the best ones are durable. My spirals go through a LOT by the time they're full-up. They could practically tell their own story - and it wouldn't reflect very well on my TLC skills....


So there you have it! Cozies, I'd love to hear what's on your bookish or writing-related wish list this holiday season!

Facebook Hurrah & New Friday Rose

Hey Cozies! Great news - I'm only 9 followers away from 500 friends on Facebook! Yay, I'm excited! Thank you to all my current friends on Facebook - it's been a pleasure networking with you all.

My new mailing list is now open to subscribers. Just find the pink button on the right sidebar and fill out the short-and-sweet form to join!

For those who didn't catch it, my latest Sweethearts of the West post can be found here where I discuss my idea of what the spirit of a western Christmas is as well as my favorite Christmas re-reads and tunes!

Also The Roses of Prose are looking for our new Friday Rose! Here's more details on how you become the newest member of our group blog:

We're seeking another flower for our garden. Here are our guidelines:

- A female writer of non-erotic fiction that is geared toward women
- All reading levels, starting at Young Adult
- At least one contracted or published work - self-published works are acceptable
- A genuine interest in promoting reading and literacy
- A genuine interest in mentoring other writers

If you are interested, we'd love to hear from you! Please send us a blurb of about 200 words telling us about yourself, what you write, and why you love it to rosesofprose@gmail.com.

We will choose 10 blurbs that we feel best fit The Roses of Prose, and we will post one each day during the weeks of December 13-19 and 20-26.

The week after, we'll let our readers vote for their favorite rose, and the winner will be announced January 1.

The Influence of Fairy Tales

Over the holiday weekend, my family went to see Tangled in theaters. One word came to mind when Disney's latest fairy tale came to a close - adorable. Tangled is the story of Rapunzel, which pulled in an unexpected $49 million opening at the box office, a record for Disney fairy tales and second only to Toy Story 2 for all other Disney animations.

One of the reasons I wanted to see Tangled most (besides thieving hero, Flynn Rider, who is based on Errol Flynn) is because this is probably the last Disney fairy tale we will see for some time. According to studio reports, to prevent alienating young male viewers who are more interested in action and superheroes, there are no plans to continue making fairy tales and musicals. While it's understandable that little boys would much rather see Spidey on screen and there are only so many of these classic fairy tales to spin fresh onscreen without being redundant, I'll certainly miss the animated HEA's. It's a sentimental thing, I guess. The first movie my parents took me to see in theaters was The Little Mermaid. Who can beat that? And the first story I wrote as a child was heavily influenced by Cinderella.

Is there a romance writer out there who hasn't been influenced in some way by fairy tales? The great thing about the genre, for me, is that they are stories with familiar themes as well as hope and morals, but they also have a dark side filled with monsters and ghouls, the mythical and the physical. Whether it's the voodoo man in The Princess and the Frog or the witch, Maleficent, in Sleeping Beauty, there is always some kind of dark or misguided villain. My favorite is Jafar from Aladdin. And how about lovable secondary characters and sidekicks? Disney fairy tales have them in spades. Tangled serves as an excellent example - Rapunzel's constant companion is in fact a chameleon named Pascal who serves as somewhat of a big brother. Flynn's reluctant ally is the noble and doggish steed, Maximus. The pub thugs offered up a lot of laughs and a helpful hand. Even villainous mother figure Gothel has a couple of roguish sidekicks. A lot of the themes and story elements in romance can certainly be indenfied with fairy tales - whether they were brought to us by Disney or the brothers Grimm.

So who else will miss Disney's fairy tales? Any other writers influenced by them? And I'd love to hear faves! Beauty and the Beast is still #1 on my list. What bookish girl didn't relate to Belle? Screw roses. I'll take the library any day :)