Happy New Year!

They say that time flies on the wings of angels...

But too often we try to hold onto time by chaining it to our fears and hopes. We tend to try to control it, fearing where it will take us. But fear of a thing makes us unhappy. It traps us in our own worries and doubts. I think that we must let our fears and doubts go, and release our chains.  We can fear time, or we can allow it to take us places we have never flown. Places where we have never dreamed of going. Let our minds fly...let our souls soar...and let our fears go.

This New Year will be my first without my daughter. But I can feel her in everything I do. I can see her in everything I love. I can hear her in the wind...the calls of birds...the sound of waves. She will never be forgotten.

So I am writing again. I am hoping again.  I am letting my fears go. I am holding my head high. I pray that my friends and fans may all experience the new year with a sense of hope and charity in their hearts, and a will to move forward with energy and care for the world.

God bless you all...May the chains of fear be broken, and the wings of love fly you wherever you wish to be.

Fran Lee

http://www.franleeromance.com   

Bring on the Balance

The new year has been on my mind; the actual number 2-0-1-5. Something about it resonates with me so I performed the tiniest bit of research.

 The year 2015 is an 8 Universal Year in Numerology. The number 8 is considered the number of money and power, which is true, to some extent. However, the essence of the 8, first and foremost, is balance. (Like all symbols, including letters and numbers, its shape tells you much about its nature -- the 8 stays upright only when it is in balance.)…

www.numerology.com

There was a very interesting article regarding how global economics, political unrest, worldwide social intolerance and other vitally important issues may begin to be brought into balance this year - powerful, positive and thought provoking stuff. 

Balance to me means calm, peace, contentment. Pretty darn fine things to hope for and to work towards!!

Happy New Year!

Tessie

www.tessiebradford.com

Facebook: tessie.bradford.1

2015 Here We Come!

I can't wait to kiss 2014 goodbye and start 2015. 2014 was one of the hardest years of my life and I am so happy to see to go. I am so grateful I didn't know what lay ahead at the beginning of 2014. This was a year that could only be taken one day at a time.

I've said it here many times, but the loss of my sister and being responsible for her care, in a situation that couldn't be softened was hard. I came away feeling traumatized, like I'd been held hostage by something horrible that wouldn't allow us to come up for air. During the crisis, it was easy for me to jump in and cope. Several months later, I'm feeling the weight of what we went through. I can't shut down or turn away because my younger brother, is terminally ill also. He's not living with me, but in the next months my parents are going to need my help. I'm trying to spend as much time with him as possible. It's a weird limbo to be in. I have to let David go, but we're not ready to say goodbye.

Throughout 2014, I wrote like a fiend, yet I didn't release a single new title. 2014 was all about reinvention and improvement. I took back the copyrights to seven books and left two publishers behind. It was difficult but had to be done.

The good news is I have several new publishers and at least six new titles coming soon.

A friend who is an astrologer has christened 2015 "The Year of Remembering." I'm not sure what that means, but I'm ready for a change of pace a new set of challenges.

I wish everyone a wonderful year ahead. May the hard things get easier and may 2015, be a kinder year to all of us.

XXOO Kat

Merry Christmas...Happy New Year!

Have a marvelous New Year holiday!

See you next Saturday!

Fran Lee

Http://www.franleeromance.com

Merry Christmas!!

Have a safe, loving, wonderful holiday!!!



Tessie
www.tessiebradford.com
Facebook: tessie.bradford.1

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

This Christmas week, I want to share some of my favorite Christmas lore with you. Much of this is already familiar, but I love thinking about it this time of year.

Did you know the custom of ornately decorating Christmas trees is fairly new? It was an old German custom that really took off in Victorian times when Queen Victoria married the German Prince Albert and starting decorating Christmas trees for him.

The first Victorian Christmas trees were fairly simple. Candles, glass balls, and tinsel prevailed. Back then, tinsel was a luxury reserved only for families who could afford to decorate with and dispose of precious metal. Later, foil-wrapped nuts, candied fruits, small toys and angel or star shaped cookies crept onto the trees. Soon after that Victorian ladies were creating highly embellished tasseled and beaded needlepoint ornaments for their family Christmas trees.

Do you know why we kiss under the mistletoe? I’m sure you do, but I’ll risk repeating myself. It’s a legend connected to an old Scandinavian myth. The beautiful hero-god Balder was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe. His mother the Norse Goddess Frigga was so distraught, she wept over the mistletoe until it bloomed with white berries in the heart of winter, a miracle. Her love and compassion brought Balder back to life. In gratitude for this miracle, she promised to kiss and bless all who stood under the mistletoe.

Did you know the original Saint Nicholas was a wealthy, Turkish, only child orphaned by the plague in 300 AD? He became a priest at the very young age of seventeen and began to give his wealth away to the poor, especially children. He was rumored to surprise people by tossing bags of gold coins down the chimney or lobbing coins through open windows hoping they would fall in the stocking hung in front of the fireplace to dry… Sound familiar?

He later became a Catholic Bishop and also a saint. This is why some early artwork depicts Saint Nicholas dressed in flowing Papal robes and miter. He was also strongly associated with the Catholic Church and when the Protestant Reformation came to England “Saint Nic” went underground. A new “Gift-Giver” and Father Christmas figure arose, but this Gift-Giver wore a suit of breeches and tunic not unlike the long beloved “Green-Man” of Celtic mythology.

The familiar name “Santa Claus” is actually an American corruption of the Dutch name for Father Christmas, which was “Sinterklaas”.

This season, no matter what faith you are, and regardless of how you may or may not celebrate the winter holidays, be conscious of the fact we are passing through history together and adding to the richness of the human story. The harshness of winter is a wonderful time to share our love and light with each other.

Merry Christmas and happy winter holidays to all.

XXOO Kat

Cerise sings #Santa, Cutie with these writer/reader lyrics!

I can’t sing worth a plug nickel. So I do it in private in my office when no one can hear me bray.

One song I love is this one where a woman asks The Man With the Bag for a few items she would love to hold dear.

What I hold dear are my readers, others novels and my hope to write more of my own works next year.

Hope you love my lyrics.

And happy holidays to all of you!

Best,

Cerise

(And for those of you who’d like to read Cerise’s bestselling Santa, Cutie, here are the cover and buy links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/ssT5GL.
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-santacutie-652955-166.html

Cerise’s Santa, Cutie song:

Santa cutie, slip a million novels ‘neath the tree for me;

I’m a fast reader, honest, Santa cutie.

So hurry down my chimney tonight.

Santa cutie, I need no new convertible, true. Mine’s blue.

I'll write romances for you; Santa cutie.

So hurry down my chimney tonight.

Think of all my readers in bliss;

Think of all my men who’ve earned hot chicks to kiss;

Next year I’ll write just as much, if you check off my Christmas list.

Santa cutie, I’ve really no need for yacht. Next to that, not a lot.

Been hard-working all year; Santa cutie.

So hurry down my chimney tonight.

Santa honey, one little thing I really do need...

The deed…to a swell Paris pad, Santa baby.

So hurry down my chimney tonight.

Santa cutie, fill my stocking with first class air and new specs;

To complement my research on sex, Santa cutie,

and hurry down my chimney tonight.

Come and trim my Christmas tree…with wide Mac screen and a stirred martini;

I honestly believe in you.

Let's see if you believe in me.

Santa, cutie, I love you all year round.

That statement is sound.

Santa cutie,

So hurry down my chimney tonight!

Tonight!

Hurry down my chimney tonight!

* * *

P.S. My view from my apartment in Paris this past October. Love it.

Visit me at http://www.cerisedeland.com and my blog (with views of her recent research trip to Paris! http://cerisedeland.blogspot.com