MERRY CHRISTMAS

I hope you all had a wonderful time in the last two days.

I managed to finish all my cooking, baking, cleaning, cards, gift-wrapping on time. I had my daughter and her husband and their two daughters, and my son, his wife, daughter and son, plus Mom, my son-in-law’s uncle and wife, and a couple of good friends. We celebrated Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day in my apartment. It was a lot of fun and a lot of noise with four little ones. I was exhausted but it was great. Today we continued at my daughter's. Nothing beats family reunion.

We had a lot of wrapped boxes under my little Christmas tree, and then an incredible mess once the gifts were opened. Small or big Christmas trees are beautiful. I often wondered where the Christmas tree originated. My friend Paisley Kirkpatrick blogged about Christmas trees on the Writers at Play blog. Here is what she wrote:

Most scholars point to Germany as being the origin of the Christmas tree. The story from Germany comes from Queen Victoria. She often visited relatives in Germany and while there, she fell in love with Prince Albert. After they married, they moved back to England to raise their family. Prince Albert decorated a tree and ever since that time, the English, because of their love for their Queen, copied her Christmas customs including the Christmas tree and ornaments. This story took place in the 19th century around 1830.Another story about the origin of the Christmas tree says that late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope that spring would soon come.

A legend that has not been proved, is that Martin Luther is responsible for the origin of the Christmas tree. This story says that one Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through the snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of the snow-glistened trees. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up

a small fir tree and shared the story with his children. He decorated the Christmas tree with small candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ’s birth.


While you are eating delicious left-over and enjoying your Christmas tree for another week,

let’s have some fun with a contest:


Bring in the New Year with:
the NIGHT OWL ROMANCE NEW YEARS WEB HUNT.


Enter the Hunt for the chance to win Ebooks, Advanced Reading Copies, Print Books and other author goodies. The hunt runs Jan.1st – Feb. 1st, 2009.
Make sure to get your entry in soon. There are well over 30 items to win.

Go to http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/2009WebHunt.asp for contest details.

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Three

On the third day of Christmas, my true love opened big eyes and said to me:
You really did it????!!!!! I am so proud of you.

You ought to be.

Today, I met my future trainer and she did a fabulous job, giving me a sample of what WE (only me) are going to do, two times a week for three months. Yes, she did a great job. Every twitching muscle in my body can attest that she is a good trainer. God, my back hurts, my legs, my neck. The more she smiled, pleased with herself, the more I bit my lips not to scream and beg, can we stop. More precisely can I stop, please? You are killing me. I am tired, exhausted.

So yes, my true love had better be proud of me before I collapse on the carpet.

And then, I came home and cooked for two hours. My friend Paisley, if you read this post, do I have a recipe for you. Italian cannelloni. I made fifty crèpes from scratch, that is, from milk, flour and eggs. At the same time, I browned two pounds of ground meat. On Christmas Eve, I will stuff the crèpes with the meat and roll my cannelloni, then add tomato sauce and powder the whole pan, two pans, with parmesan cheese. Et voilà. My children and even the grandchildren love them. So, it is worth the work.


At 2: 00 pm I realized I was running late to pick-up two friends who wanted to visit my mother today. Somehow, I managed to get dressed, take my friends, drive to the assisted living building, and then relax for two hours while my friends entertained my mother.

My mother has congestive heart failure. You can't imagine her happiness when I gave her my first book, TO LOVE A HERO. She was the first person who read it, chapter by chapter while I wrote my first draft.









By five, I rushed home. This time, my true love drove me for a two hours marathon of last minute shopping, followed by a couple hours of babysitting two adorable toddlers, while daughter and son-in-law went out for dinner. In the picture, the two girls in red are my granddaughters.


It was a lovely day, honestly, a full day, during which I felt efficient and successful.




While driving in my daughter's neighborhood, I saw some gorgeous Christmas decorations. Floridian Christmas is very similar to what you have in the North, minus the snow.





Sorry, I didn't mean to tease you, but I can't change the temperature. Actually, I love the Florida weather, even when the temperature drops to sixty, and we, Floridians complain that it's getting chilly at night. Hmm...





Meanwhile, let’s have some fun with a contest:



Bring in the New Year with:




the NIGHT OWL ROMANCE NEW YEARS WEB HUNT.


Enter the Hunt for the chance to win Ebooks, Advanced Reading Copies, Print Books and other author goodies. The hunt runs Jan.1st – Feb. 1st, 2009.

Make sure to get your entry in soon. There are well over 30 items to win.Go to http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/2009WebHunt.asp for contest details.

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Two

On the second day of Christmas my true love said to me:

Let’s write our resolutions for next year.

No dear, I am not writing any resolutions this year.

I still have my last year list:

1- Gym: three times a week.

I went four times during the whole year.

But I had a good excuse. I was sick, really sick with one cold after another, complicated into bronchitis and then pneumonia.

Okay, first resolution was a fiasco.

2- Walk for half an hour every day. The weather is gorgeous in Florida.

Unfortunately, I was too tired to walk when I was sick. And when I finally recovered, I was still tired (I don’t know why) or too busy. Very busy, writing books, editing, revising,...

Second resolution was also a fiasco.

3- Sweet and desserts, only once a week. Eat fruits every day.

Oh well, when you are staying home with a cold, you need nourishing food such as chocolate, besides chocolate relaxes nervous people; in addition, puddings are excellent for sore throat and carbohydrates help you recover your strength.

Consequently, my third resolution was a fiasco too.

4- Lose five pounds.

How could I do that when I was sick? In fact, I put on a few pounds. More than a few. Ten to twelve pounds. I am so embarrassed I have lowered my voice to a whisper. I really don’t understand where these nasty pounds came from, but I don’t need glasses to see them on my hips, stomach, belly. And the scale doesn't lie.

Fourth resolution: absolute fiasco.

So what’s the use of writing resolutions?

This year I am acting my resolutions. Yes, acting, moving my butt and acting without taking the time to think and create an excuse for procrastination.

Action starts right away. Today.

I finished decorating my apartment.

No cooking or baking yet.

And no Chritmas cards written.

BUT...

I am very pleased with myself because today I went to the gym. I am not sure if it will count for the year 2008 or the year 2009. I exercised for an hour and then forced myself to knock on the manager’s door, talk to her and ask if a personal trainer could help me stay motivated.

There is no way to back up now. Tomorrow I am meeting with my personal trainer and she will set a special training plan for me. And today, my true love was very proud of me.

I hope I can keep going to the gym. I hope nothing will interfere with my plan and smother my newly acquired willpower for exercising.

Yes, I am acting my resolutions.

Maybe if I repeat my new mantra several times a day, it will help.

Meanwhile, let’s have some fun with a contest:

Bring in the New Year with:

the NIGHT OWL ROMANCE NEW YEARS WEB HUNT.

Enter the Hunt for the chance to win Ebooks, Advanced Reading Copies, Print Books and other author goodies. The hunt runs Jan.1st – Feb. 1st, 2009.

Make sure to get your entry in soon. There are well over 30 items to win.

Go to http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/2009WebHunt.asp for contest details.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

1-On the first day of Christmas, my true love said to me:

I wrote and sent all our Christmas cards, except those of your friends. Did you write them?

Hu…I haven’t started yet.


2-On the first day of Christmas, my true love shook his head and asked:

Are we done with the Christmas presents for the children and grandchildren?

For the grandchildren, yes, but I didn’t buy anything for their parents, or my mother either.


3-On the first day of Christmas, my true love lifted his eyebrows and said:

What about your Christmas meal? Is it already cooked?


Only one dish. I still have four more to cook and a lot of baking to plan, I said, feeling guiltier by the second.


4- On the first day of Christmas, my true love cleared his throat and gently said:


Don’t worry about the gifts, I will give the kids a check to buy their own gifts. With the bad economy, they will appreciate it more. Do you want me to order ready-made dinner for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

No way, dear.


5- On the first day of Christmas, my true love grumbled:


So what were you doing for the last week?


I was extremely busy, my love, editing my new book. (Averting my eyes here)

But don’t worry, I will start cooking tomorrow, then I will write my Christmas cards at night, then I will decorate the house later.



6- On the first day of Christmas, my true love kissed me:


I am sure everything will be wonderful, like last year and the year before.



My true love left the room and I started to plan an emergency to-do list.

If only we could have the Christmas fun without the stress. I am glad I have already set my Christmas tree, a very pretty, very classy, pre-lit 2ft tree.

















Two gorgeous Santa Clauses, one winking and one frowning, adorn my cocktail tables and credenza.


All my knickknacks have been removed and replaced by Christmas candleholders. Actually, this is a safety measure to protect my precious items from exploring little hands. My table is set with a Christmas tablecloth and a large golden candle as a centerpiece.

Red Christmassy towels hang in the bathrooms, while Santa Claus soap dispensers and bubble-blowers sitting on the bathrooms counters, add a fun touch.

All in all, I am not doing too bad. I may even be able to enjoy a stress-free holiday if I can follow my to-do list without delay.

Meanwhile, let’s have some fun with a contest:

Bring in the New Year with:
the NIGHT OWL ROMANCE NEW YEARS WEB HUNT.

Enter the Hunt for the chance to win Ebooks, Advanced Reading Copies, Print Books and other author goodies. The hunt runs Jan.1st – Feb. 1st, 2009. Make sure to get your entry in soon. There are well over 30 items to win.

Go to http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/2009WebHunt.asp
for contest details.

Recommended Read

I am doing a happy dance here. Imagine I just posted about the places that inspired me to write FRENCH PERIL and I received a wonderful review.

In addition, FRENCH PERIL is this month's recommended read at Night Owl!

http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/

Here is what Reviewer Tammy said as she awarded it a SCORE: 4.25/5

Mona Risk will pull you in with her amazing characters and in-depth twisting suspense. She takes armchair travel to whole new heights as her characters travel to their heart wrenching and spine tingling doom.

Cheryl met Count François a couple of years ago when he was visiting her professor. She was extremely attracted to him, but knew he would see no appeal in her. She was the academic sort while he liked a different kind of girl. Now she is on her way to his French chateau. She’s a graduate student and almost has her Ph.D. in Architecture. She has done a lot of research on his château’s chapel and is taking the place of her professor. Her professor was mysteriously poisoned and requested that she take his laptop and go in his stead. When she arrives at the château she meets a whole host of other students and servants. The château’s chapel needs to be reconstructed and a possible missing and expensive statue found. The count says the statue might have never existed, but others think it’s worth killing for. Cheryl’s life is in danger as she has both the laptop and knowledge gained from research and from her professor. The amount of possible suspects is growing.

Two years ago François didn’t really notice Cheryl, but now things have changed. He can hardly keep his eyes off her and wants to keep her safe. With the help of secret passageways and a volatile agreement to work together they sniff out whom is behind the attempts on her life. François states that everyone is a suspect and must be watched. He takes things slow and takes in the whole picture, while Cheryl is a bit more of a stumble onto trouble and spontaneous person. As the treasure hunt and mystery progress François and Cheryl find that they have much in common and a love that will get them through troubled times.

Mona Risk’s characters will enthrall you as they all dance to their own personal tunes.

By the end you will finely know who is after Cheryl and how a French Count can sweep an American girl offer her feet. I’m looking forward to more armchair travels with Mona Risk. Travel has never been this suspenseful nor this cheap!