Do You Ever Go Novembering? by Alicia Street

I do. Novembering is what I call indulging in the deep nostalgia that takes over my brain in November. To me, it's a month for remembering. The summer is truly gone, and with Thanksgiving approaching and the Christmas holidays right around the corner, I can’t help but go back to thoughts of years past.

                                                                               Image courtesy of Creative Commons Soerfm-Larsso

I love to take walks in the crisp autumn air and remember all the things I’m grateful to have lived and experienced. All the people who’ve touched my life and the things I’ve been lucky enough to do. A few years back, my mom passed away just before Thanksgiving, so memories of her warmth always fill me when I see the leaves turning gold. And I can’t seem to stop myself from collecting the prettiest autumn leaves and pressing them into the pages of a book—a yearly ritual my mom and I began when I was seven years old.  

I was one of four children and both my parents came from large families, so the fall and winter holidays meant our house was often filled with cousins and aunts and uncles and neighbors and the excitement of food and crafts and festivities. Novembering is also that special feeling I get from returning to familiar rituals—like making cranberry sauce from fresh berries or sticking cloves in oranges to make pomanders or finding my Grandmother’s big serving platter for the turkey—the kinds of things that I've shared with family and friends year after year. 

I can’t help the childlike giddiness that fills me with precious memories whenever November rolls around. By the time I get through the month and Thanksgiving arrives, I’ve catalogued a whole life’s worth of thankfulness.

Do you ever go Novembering?

Alicia Street is a USA TODAY bestselling author and a Daphne du Maurier award-winner. She spent many years as a dancer, choreographer and teacher and is a compulsive reader of every genre. She loves watching old black-and-white movies and inventing new recipes for soups. Alicia often writes in collaboration with her husband, Roy, and is grateful to have the kind of marriage that proves romance novel love really exists.

You can connect with Alicia at her website or visit her on Facebook or Twitter. Her sweet romance novel, TOMBOY BRIDE, is on sale for just $0.99. Find it on Kindle or Nook. 

A Q&A with the Sweet Christmas Kisses Authors

The release of Sweet Christmas Kisses is tomorrow! To celebrate, this week will be devoted to getting to know the books and characters in this set! The authors of Sweet Christmas Kisses have joined us today to share what got them excited to write their story.

Every comment this week on our blog will earn an entry into a book prize package (see below), winner to be announced on Saturday! Comment every day to increase your chances of winning!

First up is Donna Fasano, author of An Almost Perfect Christmas. Hello Donna! What got you excited to write An Almost Perfect Christmas?

Donna: "Hello! The first character from An Almost Perfect Christmas to come to me was 8-year-old Izzie. She started chattering to me (as little girls often do) about how she wants her daddy to have Christmas all year long. I simply HAD to write her story."

Thank you so much, Donna, for sharing your story.


Next up is Ginny Baird, author of Mistletoe in Maine. Welcome, Ginny! Tell us a little about the inspiration behind Mistletoe in Maine.

Ginny: "Thank you! I'd spent some time on vacation with my husband in Maine, and really fell in love with its beauty. So many stories set in Maine take place on its rugged coast, but I was excited to write about a lesser known area... its isolated northwestern corner. It made the perfect romantic backdrop for a holiday tale, complete with skiing, dog sledding, horse-drawn sleigh riding, and of course lots, and lots of snow!"

Thank you, Ginny! That seems like a wonderfully romantic setting for a holiday story.

Helen Scott Taylor, author of The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby, joins us now. Welcome, Helen!  What led to the creation of this story?

Helen: "Hello everybody! Sean Fabian, the hero of The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby, is a hotshot army surgeon who operated on a child in one of the other Army Doctor books. A tall, blond, blue-eyed heartthrob, I knew the moment he stepped into the series he must have his own book."

I'm sure readers are glad you gave Sean his own book! Thank you for sharing!

The next author to join us today is Beate Böker, author of Stormy Times. Hello there, Beate! What can you tell us about your story inspiration?

Beate: "Hello! After a very exhausting trade fair in NYC, my fiancee and I took three days off to drive to Long Island. It was so beautiful and so serene that I fell for the area and immediately decided to set a book there!"

Thank you, Beate, for sharing that experience with us!


I would now like to welcome Melinda Curtis, author of The Christmas Promise. Thank you for being here today! Why did you write The Christmas Promise?

Melinda: "Hi! My friend Kim went to Ecuador to create an organic chocolate snack. Kim encountered bugs, downpours, and snakes-- nirvana for a comedy writer. A fish-out-of-water story was born!"

It sounds like your friend is having quite the experience! Thank you for sharing with us.


The next Sweet Christmas Kisses author to join us is Aileen Fish, author of Christmas in White Oak. Hello, Aileen, tell us a little bit of the story behind your story.

Aileen: "Hello! This was my first book in my Small Town Sweethearts series where a main character had a child, so I was eager to put the feeling of a family Christmas into a story. I love huge family gatherings, especially at Christmas!"

Thank you Aileen, Christmas is a wonderful time of year for family to come together. 


Mona Risk, author of Her Christmas Cruise, joins us now to tell what her inspiration was.

Mona: "Hello all! Vacationing on a cruise is heaven for me. I relax and watch the people around. Honeymooners in love, retired couples enjoying their free time, elders fulfilling a bucket list. Many love stories start in the romantic atmosphere provided by a cruise. Her Christmas Cruise was written during a Mediterranean cruise."

That sounds like fun! Thank you for sharing your inspiration with all of us!


Let's welcome Magdalena Scott, author of Small Town Christmas! Hello, Magdalena.  It's a pleasure to have you here. Can you tell us the story behind Small Town Christmas?

Magdalena: "The pleasure is all mine! The plot started as a brainstorming session when I was training my replacement at the day job. We both had a “goose bumps” moment when I suggested the final scene. I dedicated Small Town Christmas to her."

I'm sure that was a great honor to her! Thank you for sharing Magdalena!

Last, but certainly not least, let's welcome Kristin Wallace, author of By Christmas! Thank you for joining us Kristin, what was the motivation behind By Christmas?

Kristin: "The heroine of my book (Noelle Robinson) had a minor role in my first book. She was a jilted bride. I loved the idea of giving “poor little Noelle” a happily ever after. Adding the element of the Christmas holiday and her having to run the town’s festivities just made the story all the more fun."

By Christmas sounds like a wonderful holiday story! Thank you, Kristin, for sharing!


I would like to thank the authors of Sweet Christmas Kisses for joining us today and sharing such fabulous backstory! It's always interesting to see the inspiration behind the stories we read. Come back tomorrow for more fun with Sweet Christmas Kisses!

*****

Sweet Christmas Kisses, a bundle of PG-rated romance novels and novellas from USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors.

Sweet Christmas Kisses takes you from small-town USA to England, Scotland, and even Ecuador; from the beach to snow-capped mountains, and to the wild--sometimes magical--west. The Sweet Christmas Kisses bundle will bring you laughter, tears, and always joy, for more than 1600 pages. Foreword by New York Times bestselling author, Brenda Novak.

~Available Now~

Amazon | BN | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play

Every comment this week on our blog will earn an entry into a book prize package shown here, winner to be announced on Saturday! Comment every day to increase your chances of winning!

Prize pack contains: 2 autographed sweet romances from friends of SRR (The Promise of Rain by Rula Sinara, Mountains Apart by Carol Ross), a book bag from Rula Sinara, an Alaskan key chain from Carol Ross, a purse-size first aid kit from Roz Denny Fox, a heart-shaped stress ball, a Sweet & Heartwarming bracelet, a bee set of salt & pepper shakers, sweet wooden embellishments (hello, darling, cute, friends, sunshine, lovely).

 

DIY: The Addiction Continues by Aileen Fish

I am beginning to think the endorphins cause by all the manual labor, mixed with the pleasure of seeing the finished result, has me addicted to DIY projects. The truth might be that these projects are the result of an aging mobile home. Either way, in between heat waves I've been making progress.

Our deck is a sad sack made with plywood, rather than nice redwood decking. It was painted white when we moved in four years ago, and had reached the point where hosing it off wasn't getting it clean anymore. The budget is only slightly less sad after the bathroom remodel, so when I saw Valspar Porch Paint in Lowe's a few weeks ago I decided that was the answer, for now.

This is the sorry state of the deck top three years ago before I threw down some rugs and cleared off some junk.

I chose a grayish-taupe, Weathered Oak, I think they called it. It covered in one coat and a gallon did the whole deck surface! You can see toward the front of the photo how I really need to replace the plywood. Overall I love the look, but it made the lattice and railing look very tired.

From the front, the lattice and railing didn't look too bad but the steps were in a sad state, and when you're the deck, you can see how the rails weren't getting clean anymore.

Lowe's had a booklet of paint colors for the porch paint...yeah, they saw me coming, LOL! I chose a slightly darker coordinating color, Covered Bridge or something like that, and went to town. And I very quickly began to wonder where Huck Finn was when I needed him! I think a sprayer is the way to go for lattice, as the paint brush left drips on the back side of where I would be working, and by the time I finished a section and went to the back, the drips were drying. Let's just say this isn't my best finish.


Still, compared to what it was, I am so pleased. I do need to pot some plants if the heat wave doesn't kill them, and get the BBQ back into its spot, but it looks so much better even with things out of place.

The next project is laminated flooring in the hall and kitchen. Since the weather outlook shows no end to 100+ degree weather, I will be working early in the day. And you can bet I will have picture to share!

Aileen Fish used to spend all her time on the computer either writing, formatting, or making book covers, until she got bitten by the DIY bug. Her latest release, Chasing Lord Mystery, has been hovering in the top 50 of Amazon's historical short stories and Regency best seller lists. She hopes to have a new release in August. You can stay on top of her book news at her website, http://aileenfish.com

Butterflies...

Yesterday, with the delight of social media communication, I had a conversation with a wonderful childhood friend who now lives over 3,000 miles away.  Like so many of us, with the long awaited arrival of spring weather, she was thinking of gardening.  She was contemplating planting a “Butterfly Bush” near her house.  At first, she was excited about the idea of attracting colorful butterflies to her yard. But she changed her mind.

     “Of course, first you have to deal with all the caterpillars,” her mate had commented.

     “Ugh!” said my friend. “No way.  No caterpillars. No Butterfly Bush.”

And that was that.

This got me to thinking.  So many things in life that are enjoyable and rewarding begin with “caterpillars.”

                                      

In my writing, it’s MANY drafts of a story, creeping and crawling through the editing process.  This can be both difficult and sometimes disheartening.  But it’s a necessary part of the process, if the story is to “emerge” (hopefully) in its full glory when it’s done.

In my kitchen, sometimes it’s the messy clutter on the counter as the ingredients are tossed and measured and chopped and blended, hurricane style.  The final creation can be quite wonderful, but you could have a lot of doubt about that if you saw the kitchen in progress.

In my garden, it’s dealing with the mulching, the fertilizing, the planting, the weeding. It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of dirt on the way to the blossoming of the flowers and ripening of the vegetables.

In the gym… well, I don’t really think I have to explain what the “caterpillars” are.  I am no athlete. I grunt and groan a lot. But I’m loving the effects and strengthening that develops from the efforts.

I think it’s easy in life to make decisions NOT to deal with the caterpillars.  But then we don’t have the butterflies.  I have to remember this when I plan my day.  It’s worth it.  And I’m still hoping my friend will plant her Butterfly Bush.

What are the “caterpillars” you have to deal with on the way to your “butterfly” goals? 

 

Christine Bush is the award winning author of many books and novellas of sweet romance and light mystery. She also writes Middle Grade Fiction. When she isn’t writing, she can be found working with clients as a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, or teaching Psychology at a local college.  She lives with her family and two crazy cats in northeastern Pennsylvania, and loves to hear from readers and aspiring writers.

Her latest book “Cindy’s Prince” can be found at  http://www.amazon.com/Cindys-Prince-Christine-Bush-ebook/dp/B00IFSRVJ2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1393781746&sr=1-1&keywords=christine+bush+cindy%27s+prince

 

www.ChristineBush.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Bush-Author/213919128638762

http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Bush/e/B001KHSLRG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1392688497&sr=1-2-ent