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We have lots of stuff to giveaway to you all and we are bringing our 30th birthday in style. =)
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Thursday, December 13, 2012
Guest Post & Giveaway w/ Anne Calhoun
Today we have Anne Calhoun here talking about Holiday Traditions and a little about her new novella Breath on Embers! And there is a chance to win a copy so make sure you check out the rafflecopter below! :)
Holiday Traditions. Discuss.
One of my favorite Christmas activities is making holiday cookies. My grandmother and my great-aunts loved to give and receive assortments of cookies as neighborly gifts. They traded recipes and little portions, discussed adaptations, planned which kind they would make next year. But when we moved away from Nova Scotia, every year my grandmother sent south a tin of the only kind of cookie that mattered: shortbread.
Not coincidentally, shortbread plays a role in my current release, BREATH ON EMBERS. The heroine, Thea Moretti is struggling with the holidays, not wanting to make cookies but in a situation where she has to, so she makes her Grammie’s shortbread…which is just like my Nana’s. Her shortbread was so good, light and flaky and sweet, decorated with homemade frosting and those little silver balls that crunched against your teeth when you bit into the cookie. You don’t roll out the dough. You pat it out, very gently, to keep it light and avoid the dreaded crunch. As she lived nearly 2000 miles away from us and we rarely saw her at Christmas, the box of shortbread that arrived was almost more treasured than the presents. She carefully wrapped the cookies in layers of waxed paper and often sent them in last year’s Quality Street candy tin, a reminder of the extended family we left behind when we left Canada.
My husband’s family made different cookies, melting moments and the like, so when we got married we had to make more cookies. (I know…the horror of making more cookies!) Our neighbors bring over bars and squares and pretzels dipped in white chocolate, which always brings back good memories of my grandmother and her sisters, talking recipes and reciting poetry.
We developed other traditions after our son was born. We almost never eat in the car, so our son charmingly thinks this is a Big Treat (low expectations = win). We get fast food and drive around to look at the lights, concentrating on the neighborhoods that go all out. Of course, we play Christmas music while we’re driving. My grandfather grew Christmas trees in Nova Scotia, so every year we had a baby tree of our own to decorate and keep in our bedrooms. This is another tradition we’ve continued for our son. There’s something magical about multi-colored lights on a child’s sleeping face (I might enjoy this one more than he does).
What are you favorite holiday traditions? Do you have a particular cookie recipe or tradition you follow every year? How about a must-listen Christmas album? Tell all, and one commentor will win a copy of BREATH ON EMBERS!
Where to find Anne:
Description
Christmas is the perfect time for Firefighter Ronan O’Rourke to take things to the next level with his sexually adventurous girlfriend. He knows she has feelings for him—and he’s sure of his feelings for her—but when Thea refuses his invitation to sample Christmas in New York City because what they share is nothing more than sheet-burning sex, Ronan sets out to change her mind.
Deep down Thea Moretti knows she cares for Ronan, but she can’t move past her grief over her late husband. Loud music and sex with Ronan are the only things she’s got that her feel alive, so she takes as much of both as she can get. She knows Ronan wants more, but during the darkest time of the year finding her way won’t be easy.
Ronan gambles everything and challenges Thea: one night of passion with him and another man. Can he prove to her that what they share isn’t just great sex but an emotional connection strong enough to last forever?
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6 comments:
We always make a bunch of cookies, but the type changes each year. Christmas music has to be on when decorating the tree!
modularmates(at)comcast(dot)net
for me it's always about ordering take out on christmas eve and watching movies
parisfan_ca@yahoo.com
My favorite holiday traditions are decorating Christmas tree, listening Christmas songs and spend time with my friends. Thanks for the giveaway.
My favorite Christmas Album is Merry Christmas... Have A Nice Life by Cyndi Lauper. Thanks for the giveaway.
e.balinski(at)att(dot)net
Cookies and snowmen are a must every year!!!
My favorite cookies are wanton kisses...they are so simple but are so Yummy!!!!
beejee77 at gmail dot com
Our favorite holiday tradition is to trim the tree while listening to Christmas music and noshing on sugar cokkies. Then we make popcorn and watch It's A Wonderful Life.
ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net