**See Giveway information below**
Instead of talking about traditions on New Year's day, I thought I'd share this short history of New Year’s Day and those pesky resolutions.
The date of the "new year" varies from society to
society. For instance, the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, is celebrated in the
fall, while the Chinese New Year begins on the second new
moon after winter solstice (late January to mid-February). Until 1753, England
and its colonies rang in the new year on March 25, which coincided with a
Christian holiday called Lady Day (the Feast of the Annunciation). They made
the switch to January 1 when they converted from the Julian calendar to the
Gregorian. Simple as that!
If you're making any difficult new year's resolutions this year, take heart:
people have been struggling with them ever since the early Babylonians started
the tradition. (Their most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm
equipment, in case you were wondering.) LOL! I don't borrow much from people, but earlier this year I borrowed a pole tree saw and returned it. Keeping it too long meant I actually had to use it! What’s the most unusual or the last thing you’ve borrowed and did you
return it?
2012 was a fantastic year for me and surpassed my wildest dreams. After a 4-year dry spell where I didn't think I'd ever sell another book or get an agent, I sold my second novel, WICKED PARADISE. I then went on to sell my debut YA novel, VIGILANTE NIGHTS, and obtained agent representation. WICKED PARADISE will always have a special place in my heart, as will 2012.
WICKED PARADISE Blurb:
As the most powerful sorceress from medieval times, Morgan of the Druids has magic desired by both good and evil. Desperate to save a future post-apocalyptic world from total destruction, sorcerers send Morgan through time to an island prison to kill WindWraith, the long-imprisoned Fomorian demon. When Morgan arrives, she learns that WindWraith plans to possess her body to enable its escape, for she contains the perfect mix of magic and a bond to the fiercest Druid-assassin of the 21st century. A bond as lethal as it is desirable to the dangerous man intruding upon Morgan’s dreams.
After a deadly squall tosses Druid-assassin Ryan O'Rourke into the Pacific Ocean, he washes ashore on an unchartered island brimming with magic. Ryan's determined to find a way to return to Earth's wasteland to battle the resurrected Fomorians plaguing the dwindling human race. When he stumbles across the enchantress who tantalizes his dreams to the point of madness, his plans turn upside down. For she stirs in him a hunger that puts his life's purpose at risk.
Morgan has no choice but to kill the Fomorian before it kills her. But Ryan has other plans for the demon…and without Morgan’s magic, there’s no escape from the island. Now Morgan and Ryan must decide between love and duty in a perilous race against the evil that could destroy Earth.
After a deadly squall tosses Druid-assassin Ryan O'Rourke into the Pacific Ocean, he washes ashore on an unchartered island brimming with magic. Ryan's determined to find a way to return to Earth's wasteland to battle the resurrected Fomorians plaguing the dwindling human race. When he stumbles across the enchantress who tantalizes his dreams to the point of madness, his plans turn upside down. For she stirs in him a hunger that puts his life's purpose at risk.
Morgan has no choice but to kill the Fomorian before it kills her. But Ryan has other plans for the demon…and without Morgan’s magic, there’s no escape from the island. Now Morgan and Ryan must decide between love and duty in a perilous race against the evil that could destroy Earth.
(Be sure to visit them all)
Giveaways!
Grand Prizes:
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $300 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, eBooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover
flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more! (This prize is closed to non-US recipients due to high shipping costs).
Wait...there's more!
WICKED PARADISE is on a Review Tour now through January 11.
I’m giving away another $25 gift card to Amazon or B&N and eBook copies of
my romantic suspense novel, CHASING SHADOWS to random commenters. See details
here: WICKED
PARADISE Review Tour.
Check back on my blog or on Goodreads
between January 15 – February 15 for details on how you can win an AUTOGRAPHED print
copy of WICKED PARADISE through my Goodreads giveaway.
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