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.

A lesson of love

I had the incredible luck and pleasure of visiting a penguins reservation in Chile during my South American Cruise. We walked for about an hour and braved the crisp cold and drizzling rain to reach the arid cliff where a large population of penguins gathers during the summer of the southern hemisphere. Honestly, it was worth getting chilly and wet.

The penguins are the most gentle birds (or animals) I have ever seen. They snuggle, hug and smooch like human lovers.

That same night, the ship projected the movie, The March of the Penguins. It is a wonderful love story. I am not the emotional type but I cried when I saw the love of the penguin couples for each other and for their babies.

The father walks seventy-five miles to bring food for his mate while she broods. When he comes back exhausted, he stands very close to the mother. As soon as the chick is hatched out of the egg, the father gathers him under his belly to keep him warm.

Now it’s the mother’s turn to walk seventy-five miles to bring food for the father and their offspring. Some never make it. Some come back to see the egg rolling away or the chick dead. Their desperation is as strong as the humans’.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Today I will leave you with a Short Synopsis of

TO LOVE A HERO:

Admired by men and adored by women, Major General Sergei is a true hero in his country. The widowed Sergei has pledged to clean his country of the pollution left by the Chernobyl disaster.

BUT… When a lovely American chemist stumbles straight into his arms, Sergei has more on his mind than nuclear pollution and patriotic duty.

Raised in boarding schools, Dr. Cecile Lornier buried her loneliness under long hours of study and work. On the rebound of a broken engagement, Cecile is determined to excel in her first international contract, the refurbishment of an environmental laboratory in Belarus.

BUT… In Belarus, a Russian country dominated by male chauvinism and intrigues, Cecile finds more chemistry than she bargains for. Nestled in Sergei’s arms, she soon learns that chemicals are not the only things that generate heat.

Can she betray Sergei’s trust to save his career? Would her love cost him everything he values?

FRENCH PERIL is available at Cerridwen Press. You can buy it through this link:
http://www.cerridwenpress.com/RecentRelease.asp
or just click on the book cover pictures on the left of this blog
or through my website http://www.monarisk.com/

TO LOVE A HERO http://www.cerridwenpress.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419913686