#an amish holiday novel

[doodlesink]

Thanksgiving Blessing by Marta Perry -- Book Review

Happy Halloween! Thanksgiving Blessing by Marta Perry takes us back to Promise Glen.  Stop by to learn more about the 3rd An Amish Holiday Novel.  Happy Reading!

https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2023/10/thanksgiving-blessing-by-marta-perry.html

[sayhowdycountrycritters]

Was being a gay man in the Amish community a problem?

Are there alot of gay Amish men?

Will you share your coming out story?

The answer to these questions could be rather lengthy and involved, but I’ll try to be concise.

Firstly, I was not raised in a conservative Old Order Amish community. My faith background is Mennonite (Swiss Brethren) & Pentecostal. I do have Amish ancestry as well. But in any of those churches, being homosexual would be an issue. It is taboo, and I have seen in the Amish community, you either leave or stay “ in the closet “ in a kind of “don’t ask , don’t tell” situation.

I have never met any openly gay Amish folk, but do know several gay ex-Amish men and a couple of gay Mennonites. It is my understanding that only the most modern/less conservative Mennonite Church is “gay affirming”. I worked with and still do business with Old Order Amish businesses and as a heteronormative gay man, have never had an issue. Only when asked about my wife or children, does it get a bit awkward for a moment, but Amish bachelors or unmarried women are not unheard of.

My “coming out” was rather tumultuous and traumatic. My life was my family, my church, and school. I do know that I had an attraction to men from an early age of about 5 yrs. of age. I always thought that one day I would meet the girl I was supposed to marry, it would be like getting hit with a lightning bolt, and I would finally feel the way I was supposed to feel sexually toward women.

When I was either 21 or 22 , I was working myself through college, but living at home. A guy I worked with had just gotten out of the Navy, and he invited me to go out. I thought ‘Oh boy, I bet he wants to go out and pick up girls’! But he came out to me , I told him I had thoughts about sex with men , and he pretty much showed me about gay life and sex.

I lived at home closeted for a couple of years, ( I was the baby in the family and last one to leave home), and had lots of guilt. One day my snooping stepmother found a novel in my room about “coming out”. ( my mother had died when I was 15) . She and my dad confronted me , I admitted that I thought I was gay, there was lots of yelling and crying , and I was basically kicked out, and physically kicked by my stepmother.

Anyway, I was away from my family for about a year, but my sister called and said they wanted me home for the holidays. So I went home and we reconciled with that “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation.

My husband thinks I have some PTSD from my coming out situation and I suppose that’s true as it is for many gay youth from my generation.

I would like to say that I have never lost my faith in Jesus Christ, and consider myself His follower. I had a most wonderful mother for fifteen years and she taught me about Him. About love, patience, empathy, forgiveness, and non-violence.

Sorry, once again I am not brief!

[brookston]

Holidays 1.6

Holidays

Apple Tree Day

Armed Forces Day (Iraq)

Blessing of the Waters (Greece, Turkey)

Carnaval Blancos Negros, Day 3: The Day of the Whites (Colombia)

Carnival season begins (until Shrove Tuesday)

Children’s Day (Uruguay)

Cuddle Up Day

Daruma Ichi (Takasaki City, Japan)

Dezome-shiki (Tokyo, Japan)

Flying V Day

Four Freedoms Day

Greek Cross Day

Haxey Hood (Traditional Old English race, pushing a leather tub to a local pub)

Hornschlittenrennen (Horn Runners Race; Germany)

I Am A Mentor Day

International Day of Astrology

International Jewish and Proud Day

Insurrection USA Day

Kayin New Year (Myanmar)

Maroon Festival (Jamaica)

Missionary Childhood Day

National Davis Day

National Samantha Day

National Share a DAG Day

National Smith Day

National Standard Poodle Day

National Take a Poet to Lunch Day

National Take Down the Christmas Tree Day

National Technology Day

Nurse Day (Mexico)

Parents and Parents-in-Law Day (India)

Pathet Lao Day (Laos)

Phi Day

Schoolhouse Rock Day

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Day (Abeldane Empire)

Sherlock Holmes Day [also 5.22]

Shorinzan Daruma-Ichi (Shorinzan, Japan)

Surb Tsnund (Armenian Christmas)

Swap Day

Take a Poet to Lunch Day

Wassailing the Apple Trees (UK)

Wheel of Fortune Day

World Day of War Orphans

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bean Day (New Orleans)

Dry Bean Day

King Cake Day

King of the Bean (a.k.a. National Bean Day)

National Shortbread Day

Walker’s Shortbread Day

1st Saturday in January

Great Fruitcake Toss (Manitou Springs, Colorado) [1st Saturday]

National Bacon Day [1st Saturday]

National Rib Day [1st Saturday]

National Play Outside Day [1st Saturday of Every Month]

Straw Bear Day [Saturday before Plough Monday]

Independence & Related Days

New Mexico Statehood Day (#47; 1912)

Feast Days

Aleksandra Ekster (Artology)

André Bessette (Roman Catholic Church)

Baldassare Verazzi (Artology)

British Comedy Quotes Day (Pastafarian)

Charles E. Pont (Artology)

Charles of Sezze (Christian; Saint)

Christmas (Original Date) (a.k.a. ...

Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church, Amish)

Coptic Christmas (Egypt)

Día De Reyes (Kings Day; Mexico)

Heilige Drei Könige (Liechtenstein)

Kolmekuninga Päev (Belgium, Estonia)

Little Christmas (Ireland)

Old Christmas

Reyes Magos (Spain)

Sure Tsnund (Armenia)

Sveta Tri Kralja (Croatia)

Christmas Eve (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine)

Day of Kore Underground (Pagan)

Epiphany (a.k.a. ...

Befana Day (Italy)

Nollaig na mBan (Ireland)

Þrettándinn (Iceland)

Race of the Three Kings (San Pablo, Peru)

Theophany (Eastern Christian Church)

Three King's Day (Florida, US Virgin Islands)

Three Wise Men Day

Trettondagen (Sweden)

Epiphic (The Season of Bad Noise, Devoted to the Indefinable; Church of the SubGenius)

Extra Cuddles Day (Pastafarian)

Gustave Doré (Artology)

Haley Hood (England)

José Campeche (Artology)

Nalujuk Night (Inuit)

Pinky (Muppetism)

Romulus (Positivist; Saint)

Taos Pueblo Deer or Buffalo Dance (Native American)

Tursi (Slavic pagan fertility rite of Jar-tur, the bull) 

Twelfth Day (a.k.a. Twelfthtide)

Twelve Holy Days #12 (Pisces, the feet; Esoteric Christianity)

William McGonagall Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [4 of 37]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Day (because Christmas decorations come down this day. It's a sad day for all.)

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [3 of 57]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [5 of 30]

Premieres

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Animated Disney Film; 1950)

Agent Carter (TV Series; 2015)

The Body Machine (Science Rock Cartoon; 1979)

Casanova Cat (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1951)

Come Fly with Me, by Frank Sinatra (Album; 1958)

The Danny Kaye Show (Radio Series; 1945)

Don Quixote de la Mancha (Novel; 1605)

Frampton Comes Alive!, by Peter Frampton (Live Album; 1976)

Hare We Go (WB MM Cartoon; 1951)

Hell’s Fire (MGM Cartoon; 1934)

High School DXD (Anime TV Series; 2012)

Inspector Morse (UK TV Series; 1987)

County Fair (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

Land of the Lost Jewels Noveltoons Cartoon; 1950)

Little Earthquakes, by Tori Amos (Album; 1992)

Luvcast U.S.A. (Animated TV Film; 1973)

My Hero, Zero (Schoolhouse Rock! Cartoon; 1973)

Pill Peddlers (Heckle & Heckle Cartoon; 1953)

Pluto’s Heart Throb (Disney Cartoon; 1950)

Polly Wants a Doctor (Phantasies Cartoon; 1944)

The Revenant (Film; 2015)

Schoolhouse Rock (Animated TV Series; 1973)

Shape of You, by Ed Sheehan (Song; 2017)

SWAT Kats: A Special Report (Hanna-Barbera TV Cartoon Special; 1995)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Film; 2012)

Wheel of Fortune (TV Game Show; 1975)

Today’s Name Days

Erminold (Austria)

Bogdan, Bogdana, Bogomil, Bogomila, Iordan, Iordanka, Teodosii, Yordan, Yordanka (Bulgaria)

Baltazar, Gašpar, Melkior (Croatia)

Tri králové (Czech Republic)

Aabel, Aabi, Aabo, Aap, Aapo (Estonia)

Harri (Finland)

Balthazar, Gaspard, Mélaine, Melchior, Tiffany (France)

Raimund (Germany)

Fani, Fotika, Fotine, Fotini, Fotis, Jordan, Ourania, Peristera, Photini, Photis, Theofania, Theofanis, Theopoula (Greece)

Boldizsár (Hungary)

Baldassarre Gaspare, Melchiorre Raffaello, Rafaelo (Italy)

Arnita, Spulga (Latvia)

Arūnas, Arūnė, Baltazaras, Kasparas, Merkelis (Lithuania)

Åslaug, Aslaug (Norway)

Andrzej, Balcer, Baltazar, Bolemir, Epifania, Kacper, Kasper, Melchior (Poland)

Evgenia, Klavdia (Russia)

Antónia (Slovakia)

Baltasar, Epifanía, Gaspar, Melchor (Spain)

Baltsar, Kasper, Melker (Sweden)

Cheyanne, Cheyenne, Howell, Hoyle, Kahlil, Khalil, Melchior, Rowan, Talullah, Tiffani, Tiffanie, Tiffany (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 6 of 2024; 360 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 1 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 12 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Jia-Zi), Day 25 (Ji-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 25 Teveth 5784

Islamic: 24 Jumada II 1445

J Cal: 6 White; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 24 December 2023

Moon: 26%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 6 Moses (1st Month) [Romulus]

Runic Half Month: Eihwaz or Eoh (Yew Tree) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 17 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 16 of 31)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 1.6

Holidays

Apple Tree Day

Armed Forces Day (Iraq)

Blessing of the Waters (Greece, Turkey)

Carnaval Blancos Negros, Day 3: The Day of the Whites (Colombia)

Carnival season begins (until Shrove Tuesday)

Children’s Day (Uruguay)

Cuddle Up Day

Daruma Ichi (Takasaki City, Japan)

Dezome-shiki (Tokyo, Japan)

Flying V Day

Four Freedoms Day

Greek Cross Day

Haxey Hood (Traditional Old English race, pushing a leather tub to a local pub)

Hornschlittenrennen (Horn Runners Race; Germany)

I Am A Mentor Day

International Day of Astrology

International Jewish and Proud Day

Insurrection USA Day

Kayin New Year (Myanmar)

Maroon Festival (Jamaica)

Missionary Childhood Day

National Davis Day

National Samantha Day

National Share a DAG Day

National Smith Day

National Standard Poodle Day

National Take a Poet to Lunch Day

National Take Down the Christmas Tree Day

National Technology Day

Nurse Day (Mexico)

Parents and Parents-in-Law Day (India)

Pathet Lao Day (Laos)

Phi Day

Schoolhouse Rock Day

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Day (Abeldane Empire)

Sherlock Holmes Day [also 5.22]

Shorinzan Daruma-Ichi (Shorinzan, Japan)

Surb Tsnund (Armenian Christmas)

Swap Day

Take a Poet to Lunch Day

Wassailing the Apple Trees (UK)

Wheel of Fortune Day

World Day of War Orphans

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bean Day (New Orleans)

Dry Bean Day

King Cake Day

King of the Bean (a.k.a. National Bean Day)

National Shortbread Day

Walker’s Shortbread Day

1st Saturday in January

Great Fruitcake Toss (Manitou Springs, Colorado) [1st Saturday]

National Bacon Day [1st Saturday]

National Rib Day [1st Saturday]

National Play Outside Day [1st Saturday of Every Month]

Straw Bear Day [Saturday before Plough Monday]

Independence & Related Days

New Mexico Statehood Day (#47; 1912)

Feast Days

Aleksandra Ekster (Artology)

André Bessette (Roman Catholic Church)

Baldassare Verazzi (Artology)

British Comedy Quotes Day (Pastafarian)

Charles E. Pont (Artology)

Charles of Sezze (Christian; Saint)

Christmas (Original Date) (a.k.a. ...

Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church, Amish)

Coptic Christmas (Egypt)

Día De Reyes (Kings Day; Mexico)

Heilige Drei Könige (Liechtenstein)

Kolmekuninga Päev (Belgium, Estonia)

Little Christmas (Ireland)

Old Christmas

Reyes Magos (Spain)

Sure Tsnund (Armenia)

Sveta Tri Kralja (Croatia)

Christmas Eve (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine)

Day of Kore Underground (Pagan)

Epiphany (a.k.a. ...

Befana Day (Italy)

Nollaig na mBan (Ireland)

Þrettándinn (Iceland)

Race of the Three Kings (San Pablo, Peru)

Theophany (Eastern Christian Church)

Three King's Day (Florida, US Virgin Islands)

Three Wise Men Day

Trettondagen (Sweden)

Epiphic (The Season of Bad Noise, Devoted to the Indefinable; Church of the SubGenius)

Extra Cuddles Day (Pastafarian)

Gustave Doré (Artology)

Haley Hood (England)

José Campeche (Artology)

Nalujuk Night (Inuit)

Pinky (Muppetism)

Romulus (Positivist; Saint)

Taos Pueblo Deer or Buffalo Dance (Native American)

Tursi (Slavic pagan fertility rite of Jar-tur, the bull) 

Twelfth Day (a.k.a. Twelfthtide)

Twelve Holy Days #12 (Pisces, the feet; Esoteric Christianity)

William McGonagall Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [4 of 37]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Day (because Christmas decorations come down this day. It's a sad day for all.)

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [3 of 57]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [5 of 30]

Premieres

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Animated Disney Film; 1950)

Agent Carter (TV Series; 2015)

The Body Machine (Science Rock Cartoon; 1979)

Casanova Cat (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1951)

Come Fly with Me, by Frank Sinatra (Album; 1958)

The Danny Kaye Show (Radio Series; 1945)

Don Quixote de la Mancha (Novel; 1605)

Frampton Comes Alive!, by Peter Frampton (Live Album; 1976)

Hare We Go (WB MM Cartoon; 1951)

Hell’s Fire (MGM Cartoon; 1934)

High School DXD (Anime TV Series; 2012)

Inspector Morse (UK TV Series; 1987)

County Fair (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

Land of the Lost Jewels Noveltoons Cartoon; 1950)

Little Earthquakes, by Tori Amos (Album; 1992)

Luvcast U.S.A. (Animated TV Film; 1973)

My Hero, Zero (Schoolhouse Rock! Cartoon; 1973)

Pill Peddlers (Heckle & Heckle Cartoon; 1953)

Pluto’s Heart Throb (Disney Cartoon; 1950)

Polly Wants a Doctor (Phantasies Cartoon; 1944)

The Revenant (Film; 2015)

Schoolhouse Rock (Animated TV Series; 1973)

Shape of You, by Ed Sheehan (Song; 2017)

SWAT Kats: A Special Report (Hanna-Barbera TV Cartoon Special; 1995)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Film; 2012)

Wheel of Fortune (TV Game Show; 1975)

Today’s Name Days

Erminold (Austria)

Bogdan, Bogdana, Bogomil, Bogomila, Iordan, Iordanka, Teodosii, Yordan, Yordanka (Bulgaria)

Baltazar, Gašpar, Melkior (Croatia)

Tri králové (Czech Republic)

Aabel, Aabi, Aabo, Aap, Aapo (Estonia)

Harri (Finland)

Balthazar, Gaspard, Mélaine, Melchior, Tiffany (France)

Raimund (Germany)

Fani, Fotika, Fotine, Fotini, Fotis, Jordan, Ourania, Peristera, Photini, Photis, Theofania, Theofanis, Theopoula (Greece)

Boldizsár (Hungary)

Baldassarre Gaspare, Melchiorre Raffaello, Rafaelo (Italy)

Arnita, Spulga (Latvia)

Arūnas, Arūnė, Baltazaras, Kasparas, Merkelis (Lithuania)

Åslaug, Aslaug (Norway)

Andrzej, Balcer, Baltazar, Bolemir, Epifania, Kacper, Kasper, Melchior (Poland)

Evgenia, Klavdia (Russia)

Antónia (Slovakia)

Baltasar, Epifanía, Gaspar, Melchor (Spain)

Baltsar, Kasper, Melker (Sweden)

Cheyanne, Cheyenne, Howell, Hoyle, Kahlil, Khalil, Melchior, Rowan, Talullah, Tiffani, Tiffanie, Tiffany (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 6 of 2024; 360 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 1 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 12 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Jia-Zi), Day 25 (Ji-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 25 Teveth 5784

Islamic: 24 Jumada II 1445

J Cal: 6 White; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 24 December 2023

Moon: 26%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 6 Moses (1st Month) [Romulus]

Runic Half Month: Eihwaz or Eoh (Yew Tree) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 17 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 16 of 31)

[millefeuille07]

I recently finished reading The Little Amish Matchmaker by Linda Byler. Below is the description from Amazon:

Simon can't stop thinking about the pretty Amish teacher at the local one-room school. But he's ignored the sparks between them because he's so shy. So Simon's little brother, Isaac, takes matters into his own hands. He's determined to give his brother the best Christmas present ever—a date with his favorite teacher. Amish novelist Byler brings her tender humor and skillful observation of family relationships to this holiday story. "I love Isaac's self-confidence and scheming as he prods his reluctant older brother," she smiles knowingly about the characters she's created. Byler takes her reader straight into the Amish world as Isaac is both charmed and annoyed by his too talkative, but quite bright, Mam. He can barely tolerate his little nieces and nephews, who substantially outnumber the grown-ups when the whole family gets together. And he loves his humble circumspect Dat, although he isn't always pleased by how well Isaac sweeps the forebay in the barn. As anticipation for the Christmas program at the schoolhouse builds, Isaac cares for troubled Ruthie who stutters miserably when she practices her poem. And he wonders how much he'll have to help his brother Sim act on his growing affection for Teacher Catherine!

I really enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend it. This was my first time reading a book by Linda Byler, who is actually Amish! I’ve read plenty of Amish fiction before but never a book actually written by an Amish person who is so familiar with the community. Byler’s writing style was a bit simplified, but it was easy to ignore that since I was getting such an authentic and genuine glimpse into the Amish community. This is a great Christmastime read - make sure to read it this holiday season! :)

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

SARAH RAMOS, CARLO MARKS AND MARILU HENNER STAR IN ‘A KISMET CHRISTMAS’ A NEW, ORIGINAL MOVIE PREMIERING OCTOBER 23, ON HALLMARK CHANNEL

Part of the Network’s Beloved Annual “Countdown to Christmas” Programming Event

STUDIO CITY, CA – October 5, 2022 – Sarah Ramos (“Parenthood”), Carlo Marks (“Chesapeake Shores”) and Marilu Henner (“Taxi”) star in “A Kismet Christmas,” a new, original movie premiering Sunday, October 23 (8:00 p.m. ET/PT), on Hallmark Channel, as part of the network’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming event – your home for the holiday.

Best-selling children’s author Sarah Collins (Ramos) has a family legend: if you sleep with one of her Gramma Mia’s Kismet cookies under your pillow on Christmas Eve, you’ll dream of your true love. But when Sarah tried it years ago and then confessed her love to Travis (Marks), the boy living next door, she ended up with a broken heart. Now Sarah’s back in town, and in a surprising twist, Jasmine (Rubi Tupper, “An Amish Sin”), the winner of the Christmas contest and Sarah's #1 fan, turns out to be Travis’s young daughter. When Sarah sees Travis again, the same feelings bubble up but this time, she’s determined to keep them to herself. But this proves tough as they reconnect and rebuild their relationship. Gramma Mia (Henner), upon realizing the power of the Kismet cookie, has refused to make them since Sarah’s heartbreak. With the urging of some old friends, Sarah makes a fresh batch to see if the magic of the cookies is still there and if they can help open some hearts to love just in time for Christmas.

“A Kismet Christmas” is from Cookie Road Productions Ltd. Jamie Lake, Allen Lewis, Beth Grossbard and Lisa Demberg are executive producers. Charles Cooper serves as producer. Mark Jean directed from a script by Betsy Morris, based on the novel The First Love Cookie Club by Lori Wilde.

[jimothystu]

Thank you for the tags @donttelltheelff, @alekmanoah, and @introvertedperson16! <3

Favourite Colour: Purple and green

Currently reading: A Harlequin romance novel called The Amish Outcast's Holiday Return by Lacy Williams (just gonna put this out there: if you read fanfics you should def try romance novels bc they're basically all the classic romance tropes lol)

Last song: I don't remember. The last thing I played on my Spotify was white noise lol. Some country song, I think. Maybe Glad You Exist by Dan + Shay? Maybe Can't Help Myself by Dean Brody and The Reklaws? Maybe She Likes it by Russell Dickerson? One of those I think

Last Series: I'm watching several series atm: When Calls the Heart, M*A*S*H, Star Trek TOS, and Grace and Frankie

Last Movie: Uhhh, I do not remember. I don't watch a lot of movies tbh. Probably a holiday movie?

Sweet, Savoury, or Spicy: Sweet and savoury, just not spicy

Currently working on: So many things... School, editing a romance novel I wrote, writing two other romance novels plus a fantasy novel, getting back into the habit of doing yoga/physiotherapy exercises when I first get up, eating healthier, reading more... Just, life, y'all

Imma tag @make-me-imagine, @lam-ila, @space-helen, and @bodacious-bichette

[thedurvin]

Attempt at writing a crossover between all the popular romance novel genres:

Reese Hallquin is a struggling novelist in the big city whose mother dies and leaves her a cottage in her hometown, an idyllic New England beach town famed for its lighthouse and its year-round Christmas market. She returns to town only planning on finalizing the sale of the cottage, but when she is unable to find a hotel room she stays at the cottage and is overcome by fond memories of the holiday season, making it all the more shocking for her when she learns that the local Christmas tree farm has been shut down and the land sold to an international real estate firm. Her mother’s ghost warns her that the sale of the farm will mark the end of the town and explains that the real-estate millionaire is just doing it because he’s lonely and hates Christmas, so for the good of the town Mary-Sue (Reese’s full name) must seduce him! However, she is already trapped in a love triangle of her own...

Romance interests:

Jax, the douchey real estate millionaire that’s buying up Christmas tree farms because he hates Christmas because it was always his dead fiance’s favorite time of year

Joseph Eifer, the strapping Amish widower that used to run the Christmas tree farm until Jax shut it down; in addition, he has three young daughters that each has a secret berry patch on the farm that when they bring them together and make preserves it’s the best anyone has ever had. His wife was killed by a werewolf, so he aggressively hates monsters and is in touch with a secret underground society of monster-hunters

Ricardo Wolfe, former cowboy and also former cop, now working as a helicopter pilot for Jax’s surveying division. Also he’s a werewolf, and since he knows about Eifer’s work with the monster-hunters he feels no sympathy for their plight.

Ricardo’s good friend from a previous adventure, Boudicea “Darkwood” Ripperton, Baron of Blackacre: Victorian female Byronic vampire masquerading as a series of male heirs to claim ownership of her family’s fortune to keep it from falling into the hands of another branch of the family (spoiler: it turns out that line of the family includes the Hallquins, allowing Reese to save the town)

Rafe Bonnet, Laird of Emerald Hill: feral and immortal shirtless Highlander and killer of vampires, there to destroy his former lover Lord Ripperton for cutting down the forests of Emerald Hill to build Blackacre Hall. Also he was Reese’s mother’s former lover before she married Reese’s dad

I guess maybe there’s a sexy gangster with aggressive feelings of loyalty too?

[gimmeromance]

Ask from a user who wants to remain anonymous:

(anonymous, thanks!)

I. am. so. tired. of so many romance novels reusing the same jobs/careers over and over. Can you recommend a romance where at least one of the leads has a unique job?

It absolutely can be frustrating to read the same careers over and over and over again. I mean there are actual categories featuring billionaires (businessmen), Sports Players, Policeman/Fireman, Law Enforcement, Military, Doctors/Medical Personnel, Celebrities, Politicians, Musicians, teachers/educators, thief/mafia/criminals, and lawyers. We’re also expanding this to take out things like assistants, governesses, students, authors, courtesan/prostitute/brothel owner, chefs, food service, milliners (historical only), ship captain (historical), gambling hell/casino owners (historical), servants (historical), bakers, pirates, royalty/nobility, cowboys, farmers, and ranchers.  So here’s some romances where one or more leads has a “unique” career.

Also for the sake of our sanity, we’re limiting this to Contemporary and Historical and not YA. LOL

Contemporary

The Agent by Nancy Herkness - M/F, Open Door, Billionaire Romance, Romantic Suspense (she owns a hair salon and runs a safe haven for battered women) (trigger warning: stalking, trigger warning: domestic abuse)

Always for You by Tawdra Kandle - M/F, Open Door, Friends to Lovers, Small Town Romance, Office Romance (they’re both veterinarians)

The Brown Sisters Series by Talia Hibbert - M/F, Open Door, Interracial Romance, Plus-Sized Heroine Book One: Get a Life, Chloe Brown - Disabled Romance (she’s a website developer, he’s an apartment manager) (trigger warning: domestic abuse, trigger warning: ableism) Book Two: Take a Hint, Dani Brown - Bisexual Romance, Muslim Hero, Pagan Heroine (he’s a security guard) (trigger warning: family death) (positive mental illness portrayal) Book Three: Act Your Age, Eve Brown - Autistic Leads (he’s a bed & breakfast owner) (trigger warning: anxiety, trigger warning: ableism)

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Susie Tate - M/F, Closed Door, Medical Romance, Age Gap, Teacher/Student (she’s a stripper)

On Pointe by Shelly Ellis - M/F, Open Door, Office Romance (she runs the ballet studio, he teaches hip hop dance there)

A Spoonful of Spice by Liwen Y. Ho - M/F, No Sex, Office Romance (they both work in IT)

Vic’s Tasty Treat by Christina Rose Andrews - M/F, Open Door, Holiday Romance, Interracial Romance, Older Woman/Younger Man (she’s an app developer)

Dirty Sweet Wild by Julie Kriss - M/F, Open Door, Billionaire Romance, Disabled Romance (she’s a stripper) (positive mental illness portrayal)

Knowing His Secret by KC Falls - M/F, Open Door, Billionaire Romance (she’s a summer theater director)

Her Fake Island Wedding by Caitlyn Lynch - M/F, Open Door, Vacation Romance, Fake Relationship (she’s a marine biologist, he's a dive instructor)

Loving Maddie from A to Z by Kelly Jamieson - M/M/F, Open Door, Friends to Lovers, BDSM (one of the men is a photojournalist)

A Very English Christmas by Keira Andrews - M/M, Open Door, Holiday Romance, Amish Romance (they construct handmade furniture)

Constant Craving by Tamara Lush - M/F, Open Door, Second Chance Romance, Interracial Romance, Billionaire Romance (she’s a newspaper editor)

Royal Baby Maker by Nora Flite - M/F, Open Door, Royalty Romance (she’s a dog walker)

Deep Blue by Kristy McCaffrey - M/F, Open Door (she’s a marine biologist, he’s an underwater filmmaker)

Unwrapping Jade by Melanie Shawn - M/F, Open Door, Second Chance Romance (he started a business training service dogs for veterans with PTSD) (trigger warning: miscarriage)

Second to None by Nancy Herkness - M/F, Open Door, Billionaire Romance, Second Chance Romance (she runs an animal shelter)

Manhunt by Ann Voss Peterson - M/F, Open Door, Romantic Suspense (she’s an accountant)

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade - M/F, Open Door, Plus-Sized Heroine, Neurodivergent Characters, Dyslexia Representation (she’s an environmental scientist/soil tester) (trigger warning: ableism, trigger warning: fatphobia)

Accepting Fate by Deanna Chase - M/F, Open Door, Soulmates (she works in an art gallery)

One Shade of Gray by Monica Corwin - M/F, Open Door, Age Gap, Kind of Paranormal (she’s a theater producer) (positive mental illness portrayal)

Just Another Silly Love Song by Rich Amooi - M/F, Open Door, Romantic Comedy, Middle-Aged Romance, Enemies to Lovers (they are rival radio show hosts forced to work together)

Historical

Heiress in Red Silk by Madeline Hunter - M/F, Open Door, Regency Romance (he’s an inventor)

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham - M/F, Open Door, Regency Romance (he’s an architect) (trigger warning: lots of them)

A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor - M/F, Open Door, Regency Romance (she owns a linen shop, he runs a charity that refinishes and constructs furniture) (trigger warning: bigamy) (in pre-release: comes out 6/29/2021)

The Pirate and I by Katharine Ashe - M/F, Open Door, Regency Romance, Romantic Suspense (she’s a perfumer, he’s a book seller/binder/appraiser) (trigger warning: child abuse, trigger warning: petnapping)

Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter - M/F, Open Door, Regency Romance (she’s a historical private investigator) (trigger warning: domestic abuse)

Come Home to Me - M/F, Open Door, Time Travel Romance, Western Romance (he’s a wagon train guide)

The Mesmerist by Pam McCutcheon - M/F, Open Door, Time Travel Romance, Victorian Romance (he’s a hypnotist/mesmerist)

The Embroidered Spoon by Jayne Davis - M/F,  No Sex, Historical Romance, Regency Romance, (He’s a Wool Factory owner)

*These suggestions are not endorsements. Please read the description and the reviews to decide whether you want to read the books!

[heamarvel]

Introducing the Harlequin Hoopla!

We here at Marvel HEA HQ believe in love - obviously - and we adore celebrating it. In order to help the Marvel fandoms (all of them) do just that, we’ve created a prompt fest for the month of February to celebrate that love is love is love. 

Harlequin has been a brand synonymous with love stories for over 50 years, so we decided to take a little inspiration from them for this fest. For those who aren’t familiar, Harlequin publishes books in separate lines - and each line has specific things about it. They have a line of all suspenseful stories, one of all stories set in Amish country, one where all the books are over 300+ pages, etc. 

So, we’re going to have 4 “Lines” - separate prompt categories - for you to choose from as you create. Each line has a daily prompt and you can mix/match cards as much as you’d like. 

SuperRomance: Any rating, fics need to be longer than 3k, mood boards must have 8 images and original art must be complete.

Presents: Any length, size or completion status, but must be rated M or E

Romance: Any length, size or completion status, but MUST be fluff focused and be rated G or T

Suspense: Any length, size or completion status, any rating. These are all action or supernatural prompts. 

Rules: 

Basically, none. We ask that you post your prompt on or after the day it corresponds to (in your time zone is fine). The collection will open late on Jan 31 (EST) to start posting Feb 1 prompts. We ask a minimum fill of 500 words per prompt, with the exception of the SuperRomance prompts, which are to be a minimum of 3k or longer. You can start anytime.

Anyone who completes 5 or more prompts will get a participation badge and specific instructions on posting will be released closer to Jan 31. The event will run with 4 prompts for each day of February (and yes! that means that this is a Leap Year!)

Any Marvel ship is welcome - and poly ships are encouraged! - as well as any Marvel universe (MCU, 616, 3490, AoS, Daredevil, etc.) but remember that a Harlequin novel has to end with a Happily Ever After between the main protagonists! We also ask that the main rules from our Holiday Movie Challenge be respected: no underage sex, no romantic or sexual relationship of any kind between an underage person and an adult, and no glorification of N*zis if you write HTP or darker stories. Usual boundaries for age participation applies: 16+ for SFW content and 18+ for NSFW content - ages of consent and such vary so much from country to country, so we thank you for your understanding as we err on the sides of caution. 

Below you will find images containing the prompts for each category, as well as the prompts written out so that those who use dictation have access to them.

Links to our FAQ and other information can be found here!

Happy Creating!

SuperRomance (3k or longer, any rating)

First Date

Soulmates

Sheriff and Single Parent With Miscreant Kid

Friends to Lovers

Set in Space

Need to get married for an inheritance

Saved from a bad marriage

Accidental Pregnancy

Time travel

Highlander AU

Wrong food order

Lost pet

Jock & Nerd 

Valentine’s Day

Ancient Rome or Greece

Secret identity 

 War of the Roses

Hollywood Star

Modern Royalty 

Lead Ballerina & Major Donor

Rival scientists

Set in 19th century 

Fairytale re-telling

Reality TV

Artist & Model

Rival restaurant owners

Journalist

New neighbors

Opposing Counsel in a Court Case

Presents (Any length, rating M or E)

Friends to Lovers

Actor on a Western Set and “real cowboy”

Billionaire and mechanic

Both main characters in the military 

Secret baby

Enemies to lovers

Set in 1920s

Single parents who are enemies on the PTA

Soulmates

Political Marriage

 Wrong number

 Accidental poly  

Balcony Sex

Valentine’s Day

Lingerie

There’s only one bed

Bathtub

Threeway/Fourway (not established relationship)

Regency AU

Amnesia

Kink negotiations

First time

Married sex

Masquerade Ball 

Doctor/nurse

Broken bed

Hiding from kids

Model/Photographer

Secret Identity

Romance (Any length, but fluff focused, and closed door sex - rating is G or T)

Secret baby

Snow Angels

First Date

Meet at an animal shelter

1890s American West

 Wrong number

Enemies to lovers

Roommates

Only one bed

Caught in bad weather

First Anniversary 

Sentinel/Guide

High school sweethearts

Valentine’s Day

Pen pals

Boss & Secretary 

 Masquerade ball

 Library AU

 Soulmates

 Best Friends to Lovers

Hired date to a wedding

The Notting Hill set-up: “I spilled something on you, want to get cleaned up in my apartment?”

Set in Tudor England

Coffee Shop Meet Cute

Teacher / Parent

Holiday Celebration

Chef & Food Critic 

KidFic 

Home decorating

Suspense (supernatural/action, any rating)

A/B/O

Mob AU

Transformation

Virgin sacrifice

Shifters

Clans at War

Pirates

Body swap

Dragons

Wing!Fic

Star Athlete

Merpeople

Secret identity

Valentine’s Day

 Secret Service & President

 The Christmas Truce

 Ghost hunting

 Vampires

 Witness Protection

 Soulmarks

Tentacles

On the run

Demigods

Wizards

Race car driver

Time travel

Con artist and mark 

Rodeo

Fantasy AU

Disclaimer: We are in no way associated with Harlequin and are not being paid by anyone associated with the brand. We also would like to reiterate here that our Hallmark event has had its name changed as a result of the actions they took to pull a same-sex ad on Dec 14th, 2019. It is now known as the Holiday Movie Challenge. Thanks for your understanding!

[marjaystuff]

Elise Cooper Interviews Amanda Flower

Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower brings to life the wonderful characters she has created.  This story opens during the Thanksgiving holiday, but it seems that some are not going to be very thankful.  The main character is having boyfriend issues, and someone dies during the festivities. 

Those working at Swissmen Sweets, the main character Bailey, her Amish grandmother Clara, and their cousin Charlotte, are front and center in the plot.  But also, is the secondary character Margot Rawlings. Margot is the community organizer and this year she has decided to put on a community Thanksgiving dinner between the Amish and the English.  But the bossy Margot is thrown a curve ball when her mother Zara decides to attend.  Zara is considered a harsh critic of the Amish community. She was the first woman judge in Holmes County and has made her feelings about the Amish well-known.  Being rude, outspoken, and always showing disappointment in Margot she is not only an overbearing mother, but also someone who unfairly sentenced the Amish.   

After picking her up at the airport, Margot gets a surprise when she is accompanied by her much younger boyfriend Blaze Smith who will soon become Zara’s fiancé.  Unfortunately, after the announcement at the dinner, Blaze suffers an allergic reaction to peanuts and dies on the spot.  

As Bailey puts on her amateur sleuth hat, she must also deal with her long-distance boyfriend Aiden.  He now works for the Ohio Bureau of Investigation and was sent to help in the murder inquiry. They are struggling to make time for each other and to see where the relationship is going. 

This is a solid whodunit with a great mystery.  The plot twists will keep the reader guessing.  Besides the suspense this cozy story will also put a smile on people’s faces with the humor, secondary characters, and of course the pets.

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Amanda Flower: I wanted to write a novel set around Thanksgiving.  I never had written that holiday in a story before.  The story begins with Thanksgiving, a holiday the Amish and English could celebrate in a community dinner. I also wanted to focus on the character Margot because she is in both series I write for.  She is always getting someone to do something they do not want to do. I explained in this book how she became the person she is today including her backstory. 

EC:  Bailey makes Buckeye’s candy?

AF:  In the fall they are a very popular candy, especially around football season. Buckeyes are a confection made from a peanut butter fudge partially dipped in chocolate to leave a circle of peanut butter visible. Buckeyes are like peanut butter balls.  Originally named after the state tree of Ohio. This is where the college team got its name. 

EC:  How would you describe Margot’ mother, Zara?

AF:  Very driven and accomplished. She was a judge when not a lot of women were judges.  In fact, it is still rare in rural Ohio. She is not afraid to step on other people to get what she wants.  She is used to getting her way. She enjoys power which included the Amish coming to court in front of her. She liked to create fear in them.  Zara is a perfectionist who could be harsh, obsessive, blunt, and not kind, yet elegant. 

EC:  What about the relationship between Margot and her mom Zara?

AF: She was a tough mom on Margot. She saw Margot as the antithesis of what she did since Margot got married and had children. Basically, Margot has led a simple life in Amish country. Zara has viewed Margot as regressing.

EC:  You had Charlotte leaving the Amish?

AF:  By and large people born Amish stay Amish, approximately 70%.  But people do leave so I wanted to include that in my stories. She was the best candidate since she is with Bailey all the time and idolizes her.  Charlotte considers Bailey like a big sister.  Because she is so curious, she felt stifled by being Amish. In the second book she left the Conservative Amish community and joined Bailey’s grandmother’s parish, but now has left that as well.

EC:  Aiden and Bailey’s relationship?

AF:  All I will say now is that people will get the payoff in the next book.

EC:  In this book you point out that the Amish are human beings who have their faults?

AF:  Yes.  Women cannot hold leadership positions, only one man (the bishop) can make decisions for the whole community.  They can choose to leave but at what cost since they will be shunned or looked down upon. There will always be tension.  Also, even though they are pacifists and are non-violent, they are people who can have the full range of emotions. Some of them do have anger and are violent.  Either it does not happen very often, or we do not hear about it happening because Amish are a closed community. In my previous “Matchmaker book,” Marriage Can Be Mischief, there was spousal abuse. They are basically a community of people.

EC: Next book?

AF: The next book comes out December 27th, an Amish “Matchmaker Book,” Honeymoons Can Be Hazardous.  Lois and Millie are the amateur detective team that are solving a murder. Lois’ last ex-husband, Gerome, comes to Amish country with a new wife who will be murdered.  Lois is a suspect and it is set during Valentine’s Day. The next Bailey book is Blueberry Blunder and is out this time next year.  Bailey is building her candy factory. She fired a shady contractor, and he is found dead.  Bailey is the main suspect. Charlotte’s family will be involved. Readers will see the repercussions of her leaving, especially with her parents.

THANK YOU!!

[doodlesink]

An Amish Husband for Tillie by Amy Lillard--Book Review

Happy Thursday! An Amish Husband for Tillie by Amy Lillard has a pregnant Tillie returning home for the holidays.  See what I thought about the 4th novel in Amish of Pontotoc series.  Happy Reading!

https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2020/11/an-amish-husband-for-tillie-book.html

[esoehh]

An Amish Baby for Christmas (Indiana Amish Brides Book 8) by Vannetta Chapman

Book Description:

Holiday blessings aren’t always easy…

With a baby on the way… can this struggling widow save her home? In danger of losing her farm after her husband’s death, Abigail Yutzy needs help—even if she can’t afford it. At her bishop's insistence, property manager Thomas Albrecht pitches in to aid the pregnant widow. With his troubled past and her shattered heart, their arrangement must stay business only. But their uneasy holiday alliance might just heal both their hearts…

 About the Author:  Vannetta Chapman

Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She is the author of over twenty novels, including the Pebble Creek Amish series, Shipshewana Amish Mystery Series, and Plain and Simple Miracle series. Vannetta is a Carol award winner, a Christy finalist, and she also received more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She currently writes Christian suspense, Amish romance, and Amish mystery. She was a teacher for 15 years and resides in the Texas hill country. For more information, visit her at: 

webpage -- www.VannettaChapman.com 

blog -- http://vannettachapman.com/blog

facebook -- www.facebook.com/VannettaChapmanBooks

pinterest -- http://pinterest.com/vannettachapman

instagram -- https://instagram.com/vannettachapman

twitter -- https://twitter.com/VannettaChapman

 My Thoughts:  Absolutely Loved It!

Abigail Yutzy definitely needs help. She's a young pregnant widow who lives on a large farm that she cannot maintain on her own.  Yet when the bishop sends Thomas Albrecht, a property manager, to help Abigail, she flatly refuses his help. However, what Abigail doesn't know is that Thomas is not one to give up on helping someone in need.  As Abigail finally sees the reality of her situation, she and Thomas end up agreeing to a business arrangement which will help Abigail. Thus begins the story of Abigail and Thomas: a business arrangement that is all business and nothing more. Or so they think.

I absolutely loved this story! Once I began reading it, I could not put it down. It was sweet, funny, and  inspirational. It also tugged at my heartstrings as I saw that Abigail and Thomas both carried some baggage from their backgrounds and how they were eventually able to overcome the effects of their past.  I especially enjoyed the banter between Abigail and Thomas. It added so much to the story and to helping me get to know them. It also contributed greatly to the development of their relationship and was just pure enjoyment to read. 

An Amish Baby for Christmas, the 8th book in the Indiana Amish Brides series, is an absolute joy. The plot moves at just the right pace. It includes wonderful characters, a great combination of highs and lows, and a message of encouragement and faith along with some inspirational nuggets of wisdom. Author Vannetta Chapman has woven together a beautiful, wonderful story of healing, faith and love and one that you will thoroughly enjoy.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All comments and opinions are strictly my own.

[brookston]

Holidays 1.6

Holidays

Apple Tree Day

Armed Forces Day (Iraq)

Blessing of the Waters (Greece, Turkey)

Carnival season begins (until Shrove Tuesday)

Children’s Day (Uruguay)

Cuddle Up Day

Daruma Ichi (Takasaki City, Japan)

Dezome-shiki (Tokyo, Japan)

Flying V Day

Four Freedoms Day

Full Moon [1st of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Buck Moon (Southern Hemisphere)

Cold Moon (Cherokee)

Cooking Moon (Choctaw)

Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day (Sri Lanka)

Frost Exploding Moon (Traditional)

Hay Moon (Southern Hemisphere)

Holiday Moon (Chinese)

Ice Moon (Neo-Pagan)

Mead Moon (Southern Hemisphere)

Old Moon (North American)

Quiet Moon (Celtic)

Severe Moon (Traditional)

Thunder Moon (South African)

Winter Moon (Colonial American)

Wolf Moon (English, Native American, Traditional, Wiccan)

Greek Cross Day

Haxey Hood (Traditional Old English race, pushing a leather tub to a local pub)

Hornschlittenrennen (Horn Runners Race; Germany)

I Am A Mentor Day

International Jewish and Proud Day

Insurrection USA Day

Kayin New Year (Myanmar)

Maroon Festival (Jamaica)

Missionary Childhood Day

National Samantha Day

National Smith Day

National Standard Poodle Day

National Take Down the Christmas Tree Day

National Technology Day

Parents and Parents-in-Law Day (India)

Pathet Lao Day (Laos)

Phi Day

Schoolhouse Rock Day

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Day (Abeldane Empire)

Sherlock Holmes Day [also 5.22]

Shorinzan Daruma-Ichi (Shorinzan, Japan)

Surb Tsnund (Armenian Christmas)

Swap Day

Take a Poet to Lunch Day

Wassailing the Apple Trees (UK)

Wheel of Fortune Day

World Day for War Orphans

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bean Day (New Orleans)

Dry Bean Day

King Cake Day

King of the Bean (a.k.a. Bean Day)

National Shortbread Day

1st Friday in January

Gals Night Out [1st Friday]

Thermopolis Day (Wyoming) [1st Friday]

Independence Days

New Mexico Statehood Day (#47; 1912)

Feast Days

André Bessette (Roman Catholic Church)

British Comedy Quotes Day (Pastafarian)

Christmas (Original Date) (a.k.a. ...

Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church, Amish)

Coptic Christmas (Egypt)

Little Christmas (Ireland)

Old Christmas

Sure Tsnund (Armenia)

Christmas Eve (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine)

Epiphany (a.k.a. ...

Befana Day (Italy)

Epiphic (The Season of Bad Noise, Devoted to the Indefinable; Church of the SubGenius)

Little Christmas

Nollaig na mBan (Ireland)

Þrettándinn (Iceland)

Race of the Three Kings (San Pablo, Peru)

Theophany (Eastern Christian Church)

Three King's Day (Florida, US Virgin Islands)

Three Wise Men Day

Trettondagen (Sweden)

Tursi (Slavic pagan fertility rite of Jar-tur, the bull) 

Twelfth Day (a.k.a. Twelfthtide)

Twelve Holy Days #12 (Pisces, the feet; Esoteric Christianity)

Extra Cuddles Day (Pastafarian)

Haley Hood (England)

Pinky (Muppetism)

Romulus (Positivist; Saint)

Taos Pueblo Deer or Buffalo Dance (Native American)

William McGonagall Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [4 of 37]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Day (because Christmas decorations come down this day. It's a sad day for all.)

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [3 of 57]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [5 of 30]

Premieres

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Animated Disney Film; 1950)

Agent Carter (TV Series; 2015)

Come Fly with Me, by Frank Sinatra (Album; 1958)

Don Quixote de la Mancha (Novel; 1605)

Frampton Comes Alive!, by Peter Frampton (Live Album; 1976)

Inspector Morse (UK TV Series; 1987)

Little Earthquakes, by Tori Amos (Album; 1992)

Pluto’s Heart Throb (Disney Cartoon; 1950)

The Revenant (Film; 2015)

Schoolhouse Rock (Animated TV Series; 1973)

Shape of You, by Ed Sheehan (Song; 2017)

Wheel of Fortune (TV Game Show; 1975)

Today’s Name Days

Erminold (Austria)

Bogdan, Bogdana, Bogomil, Bogomila, Iordan, Iordanka, Teodosii, Yordan, Yordanka (Bulgaria)

Baltazar, Gašpar, Melkior (Croatia)

Tri králové (Czech Republic)

Aabel, Aabi, Aabo, Aap, Aapo (Estonia)

Harri (Finland)

Balthazar, Gaspard, Mélaine, Melchior, Tiffany (France)

Raimund (Germany)

Fani, Fotika, Fotine, Fotini, Fotis, Jordan, Ourania, Peristera, Photini, Photis, Theofania, Theofanis, Theopoula (Greece)

Boldizsár (Hungary)

Baldassarre Gaspare, Melchiorre Raffaello, Rafaelo (Italy)

Arnita, Spulga (Latvia)

Arūnas, Arūnė, Baltazaras, Kasparas, Merkelis (Lithuania)

Åslaug, Aslaug (Norway)

Andrzej, Balcer, Baltazar, Bolemir, Epifania, Kacper, Kasper, Melchior (Poland)

Evgenia, Klavdia (Russia)

Antónia (Slovakia)

Baltasar, Epifanía, Gaspar, Melchor (Spain)

Baltsar, Kasper, Melker (Sweden)

Cheyanne, Cheyenne, Howell, Hoyle, Kahlil, Khalil, Melchior, Rowan, Talullah, Tiffani, Tiffanie, Tiffany (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 6 of 2023; 359 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 52 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 13 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Dōngyuè), Day 15 (Jia-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 13 Teveth 5783

Islamic: 13 Jumada II 1444

J Cal: 6 Aer; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 24 December 2022

Moon: 100%: Full Moon

Positivist: 6 Moses (1st Month) [Romulus]

Runic Half Month: Eihwaz (Yew) [Day 13 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 17 of 90)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 16 of 30)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 1.6

Holidays

Apple Tree Day

Armed Forces Day (Iraq)

Blessing of the Waters (Greece, Turkey)

Carnival season begins (until Shrove Tuesday)

Children’s Day (Uruguay)

Cuddle Up Day

Daruma Ichi (Takasaki City, Japan)

Dezome-shiki (Tokyo, Japan)

Flying V Day

Four Freedoms Day

Full Moon [1st of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Buck Moon (Southern Hemisphere)

Cold Moon (Cherokee)

Cooking Moon (Choctaw)

Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day (Sri Lanka)

Frost Exploding Moon (Traditional)

Hay Moon (Southern Hemisphere)

Holiday Moon (Chinese)

Ice Moon (Neo-Pagan)

Mead Moon (Southern Hemisphere)

Old Moon (North American)

Quiet Moon (Celtic)

Severe Moon (Traditional)

Thunder Moon (South African)

Winter Moon (Colonial American)

Wolf Moon (English, Native American, Traditional, Wiccan)

Greek Cross Day

Haxey Hood (Traditional Old English race, pushing a leather tub to a local pub)

Hornschlittenrennen (Horn Runners Race; Germany)

I Am A Mentor Day

International Jewish and Proud Day

Insurrection USA Day

Kayin New Year (Myanmar)

Maroon Festival (Jamaica)

Missionary Childhood Day

National Samantha Day

National Smith Day

National Standard Poodle Day

National Take Down the Christmas Tree Day

National Technology Day

Parents and Parents-in-Law Day (India)

Pathet Lao Day (Laos)

Phi Day

Schoolhouse Rock Day

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Day (Abeldane Empire)

Sherlock Holmes Day [also 5.22]

Shorinzan Daruma-Ichi (Shorinzan, Japan)

Surb Tsnund (Armenian Christmas)

Swap Day

Take a Poet to Lunch Day

Wassailing the Apple Trees (UK)

Wheel of Fortune Day

World Day for War Orphans

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bean Day (New Orleans)

Dry Bean Day

King Cake Day

King of the Bean (a.k.a. Bean Day)

National Shortbread Day

1st Friday in January

Gals Night Out [1st Friday]

Thermopolis Day (Wyoming) [1st Friday]

Independence Days

New Mexico Statehood Day (#47; 1912)

Feast Days

André Bessette (Roman Catholic Church)

British Comedy Quotes Day (Pastafarian)

Christmas (Original Date) (a.k.a. ...

Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church, Amish)

Coptic Christmas (Egypt)

Little Christmas (Ireland)

Old Christmas

Sure Tsnund (Armenia)

Christmas Eve (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine)

Epiphany (a.k.a. ...

Befana Day (Italy)

Epiphic (The Season of Bad Noise, Devoted to the Indefinable; Church of the SubGenius)

Little Christmas

Nollaig na mBan (Ireland)

Þrettándinn (Iceland)

Race of the Three Kings (San Pablo, Peru)

Theophany (Eastern Christian Church)

Three King's Day (Florida, US Virgin Islands)

Three Wise Men Day

Trettondagen (Sweden)

Tursi (Slavic pagan fertility rite of Jar-tur, the bull) 

Twelfth Day (a.k.a. Twelfthtide)

Twelve Holy Days #12 (Pisces, the feet; Esoteric Christianity)

Extra Cuddles Day (Pastafarian)

Haley Hood (England)

Pinky (Muppetism)

Romulus (Positivist; Saint)

Taos Pueblo Deer or Buffalo Dance (Native American)

William McGonagall Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [4 of 37]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Day (because Christmas decorations come down this day. It's a sad day for all.)

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [3 of 57]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [5 of 30]

Premieres

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Animated Disney Film; 1950)

Agent Carter (TV Series; 2015)

Come Fly with Me, by Frank Sinatra (Album; 1958)

Don Quixote de la Mancha (Novel; 1605)

Frampton Comes Alive!, by Peter Frampton (Live Album; 1976)

Inspector Morse (UK TV Series; 1987)

Little Earthquakes, by Tori Amos (Album; 1992)

Pluto’s Heart Throb (Disney Cartoon; 1950)

The Revenant (Film; 2015)

Schoolhouse Rock (Animated TV Series; 1973)

Shape of You, by Ed Sheehan (Song; 2017)

Wheel of Fortune (TV Game Show; 1975)

Today’s Name Days

Erminold (Austria)

Bogdan, Bogdana, Bogomil, Bogomila, Iordan, Iordanka, Teodosii, Yordan, Yordanka (Bulgaria)

Baltazar, Gašpar, Melkior (Croatia)

Tri králové (Czech Republic)

Aabel, Aabi, Aabo, Aap, Aapo (Estonia)

Harri (Finland)

Balthazar, Gaspard, Mélaine, Melchior, Tiffany (France)

Raimund (Germany)

Fani, Fotika, Fotine, Fotini, Fotis, Jordan, Ourania, Peristera, Photini, Photis, Theofania, Theofanis, Theopoula (Greece)

Boldizsár (Hungary)

Baldassarre Gaspare, Melchiorre Raffaello, Rafaelo (Italy)

Arnita, Spulga (Latvia)

Arūnas, Arūnė, Baltazaras, Kasparas, Merkelis (Lithuania)

Åslaug, Aslaug (Norway)

Andrzej, Balcer, Baltazar, Bolemir, Epifania, Kacper, Kasper, Melchior (Poland)

Evgenia, Klavdia (Russia)

Antónia (Slovakia)

Baltasar, Epifanía, Gaspar, Melchor (Spain)

Baltsar, Kasper, Melker (Sweden)

Cheyanne, Cheyenne, Howell, Hoyle, Kahlil, Khalil, Melchior, Rowan, Talullah, Tiffani, Tiffanie, Tiffany (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 6 of 2023; 359 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 52 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 13 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Dōngyuè), Day 15 (Jia-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 13 Teveth 5783

Islamic: 13 Jumada II 1444

J Cal: 6 Aer; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 24 December 2022

Moon: 100%: Full Moon

Positivist: 6 Moses (1st Month) [Romulus]

Runic Half Month: Eihwaz (Yew) [Day 13 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 17 of 90)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 16 of 30)

[actionbookz-blog]

Get '#1 Bundle of Fun' on OFFER for a Limited Time Only!

Here: https://www.bookzio.com/1-bundle-of-fun/

TWO funny Mina Kitchen mysteries for the price of ONE? BOGO!2 COZY COMEDY 5-STAR MYSTERIES! KITCHEN ADDICTION: Amazon “Vine Voice” 5-star review ** CHRISTMAS BIZARRE: “Reader’s Favorite” 5-star review! If you’re looking for funny novels for women, packed with humor, chatty animals (in the guise of pets) — and recipes — look no further. Lund’s cozy mystery series – Books 1 & 2 – are hilarious light hearted mysteries that blend delightful characters and great dialogue with a dash of thrillers and suspense. These cozy comedy capers whip up frothy fiction that’s sure to amuse Kindle readers. They also deliver a virtual tourist romp through Lancaster City and its surroundings.BONUS!Chock full of delightful surprises, both mysteries finish with a bonus section of free recipes, vetted by Lund’s chef husband, for your culinary pleasure!KITCHEN ADDICTION! Meet Mina Kitchen, a forty-something single who likes to cook — and cook and cook. In fact, her zest for whipping up trays of canapés is dwarfed only by her weird luck and mountain-lion size tabby cat, Vinnie. That, and her godmom’s tendency for blackmailing new members into joining St. Bart’s. Okay, maybe Mina’s Swiffer-addicted neighbor, Vito, is a bit weird, too. As if all that wasn’t enough, Mina’s a Jersey girl transplanted in the midst of the Amish-flavored countryside of Lancaster, PA.Things get really complicated when she learns that her neighbor Vito is in a witness protection program, and her dry cleaner deals in prescription samples. Throw in a few mysterious flaming feces flingers and a fuse box labeled in Arabic, and you have a recipe for catering disorders. CHRISTMAS BIZARREWhat do Santa’s Sidekick, a dead lawyer and a geriatric vampire have in common? Meet Mina Kitchen — a forty-something single who finds trouble quicker than she can whip up a batch of breakfast breads. Plural. Her catering disorder runs neck-and-neck with her weird luck, and her cat’s weirder tendency toward gnawing elf gear. Okay, and getting kidnapped a couple of times in one week is a little strange, too. Her next door neighbor Vito’s past as ex-leader of the Moils, the Jewish-Polish Family from Bumville, New Jersey, comes to light and throws a dollop of dilemmas into an already simmering plot. Top it all off with a counterfeiting ring, a county-wide dearth of holiday wrapping tape, and a mass of pets running loose at the local mall, and what do you have? A recipe for disaster that Mina whips to a froth. ??? “Christmas Bizarre (Mina Kitchen Mystery 2) is a hilarious sequel to Kitchen Addiction!””It kept me laughing all the way through and brought to mind Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum stories. Ms. Lund has a bit of a winner on her hands here… Very well written, excellent, quite lovable characters and some very witty lines made this into a book that I would read again…bring on the sequel!??? Double the fun with Bundle #1! “I absolutely fell in love with Kitchen Addiction! The characters are interesting (and all have their own flaws). I never knew what was coming around the next page in the story. I couldn’t wait to finish the book so that I knew the who’s and why’s while never wanting the story to end. I can’t wait for the author to publish another novel!”“Loved the book [Christmas Bizarre]. I actually read it over 2 dreary days. Cannot wait for the next one. Lizz Lund is my favorite writer.” ??? Lund’s first 2 novels of the Mina Kitchen series combine for delightful reads – and treats!Recipes are included at the end of each novel, courtesy of Lund’s husband, Chef Andrew Mark.Scroll up NOW and click the “buy now with 1 click” button! Or read it for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Free and Bargain-Priced Action Books Daily