Category Archives: Holidays

February 21, 2011 · 9:12 AM

Happy Presidents’ Day!

Image via Wikipedia

It’s Presidents’ Day here in the US, and for many, it’s a holiday that includes snow, skiing, and driving. There are a few US flags flying though, so I thought I’d dig up a few fun facts about the Presidents we honor today.

While Presidents’ Day honors all Presidents, it was selected because it falls near both George Washington’s (our first President) and Abraham Lincoln’s (our sixteenth President) birthdays. These two men are more than historical figures, they are part of the American lexicon. Their faces are on our money: Washington on the $1 and the quarter, Lincoln on the $5 and the penny; so we see them every day. But that’s only the beginning…

How many towns or cities are named Lincoln? 42, plus 25 close matches like Lincoln Park, MI (chacha.com)

How many cities are named Washington? As of the 2000 census, over 40 have Washington in the name (chacha.com). There’s 21 named Mount Vernon, including Washington’s home. (www.kgbanswers.com)

Image via Wikipedia

What about counties? 31 for Washington and 27 for Lincoln. Jefferson, Jackson, and Madison also have over 20 counties named for them. (wikipedia.org)

Washington also has a state named after him, as well as the District of Columbia.

I won’t even attempt to count the number of streets named after these men – the number must be in the thousands.

Other presidents also adorn our money…Grant is on the $50, Jackson on the $20, and Jefferson on the $2. Jefferson is also on the nickel, Eisenhower on the dime, Kennedy on the half dollar. And all the Presidents will be on the dollar coin eventually – the US Mint is producing coins with each President’s image in order of their service at a rate of 4 coins a year, I believe.

What other Presidents touch your lives? I used to live near a street named Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona, and believe it or not, Lincoln was my cousin…many many times removed!

Happy President’s Day!

Meet an Author Monday

Whether your a reader or a writer, there’s a lot of great information and fun on the Hop. Check it out!

Click here for the Author hop

3 Comments

Filed under Holidays

Tagged as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, history, holiday, President of the United States, presidents, presidents day, skiiing, Washington's Birthday

February 14, 2011 · 8:59 AM

Public or Private Displays of Affection?

Tree decorated for Valentine's Day in San Dieg...

Image via Wikipedia

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The day of love and romance means different things to different people. To some it’s all flourish with big bouquets and huge heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. To others, it’s a special note or hidden lingerie waiting to be revealed in private. Which leads me to today’s question:

What’s more romantic, public or private displays of affection?

Nothing is more public than the surprise proposal during a big game or on a game show…or in the middle of a dinner party, but is that romantic. I know I’m not the only one who cringes when I see one of those proposals – first I feel for the woman …talk about pressure! (I’ll use the traditional couple for discussion sake – you know any combination of ask-er and ask-ee is possible.) But then I wonder if the guy knows whether she’ll say yes or not…getting denied on national television would be the ultimate rejection. The end is almost always happy, but talk about stress!

On the other hand, a public proposal means the guy is putting all his cards on the table. He’s saying “Look, I love this woman, and I want the whole world to know it.” He’s now accountable to EVERYONE, promising us as much as his wife that he’s hers. Now that’s commitment.

The quiet, private proposal doesn’t have that kind of pressure attached to it…or does it? The surreptitious sliding of a velvet box across the table in a noisy restaurant or the spontaneous dropping to one knee has it’s own risks. The “you’re joking, right?” answer has a better chance of making an appearance…but so does the “Oh yes!” followed by more demonstrative affirmation. Is that more romantic?

So what do you think? Is footsie under the table more romantic than a make-out session on the subway? A song dedication on the radio or a special CD slipped into your bag? “Marry me” shouted in front of the cameras or whispered in a darkened room?

In any case, I wish you love and romance today!

Share the Love Giveaways

Once Upon a Twilight is hosting a blog hop that includes a TON of prizes, all relating to books and love. There’s over twenty prizes being offered on their site alone, including an autographed copy of Whirlwind. The giveaway runs through the 16th, so check it out! I’m also one of the many guest blogger at http://www.onceuponatwilight.com during the hop, so there’s lots of love to go around.

LAST DAY TO ENTER

Meet an Author Monday

Click here for the Author hop

4 Comments

Filed under giveaway, Holidays

Tagged as book giveaway, contest, Holidays, Relationships, Robin DeJarnett, romance, romance novel, romantic suspense, Valentine's Day

February 12, 2011 · 3:53 PM

Time’s Running Out

GUYS: VALENTINE’S DAY IS MONDAY. Shop now or you’ll be stuck in line at the market on Monday with a tired clump of $50 roses and a lame card. (Okay,you too, Girls!)

GIRLS: VALENTINE’S DAY IS MONDAY…the last day of the Lookin’ for Love Web Hunt! (Yes, guys can enter too! :-))

Whether you’re planning a romantic dinner or a quiet night at home, who wouldn’t like to win a whole library of sexy ebooks? Click on the banner to go to the entry form and the list of authors who have conversations hearts hidden somewhere on their websites. Fill in the saying on each one, and you’re entered! There’s a ton of other prizes too, so if you love to read romance, take a look around and find those hearts!

Latest Winner of Whirlwind: Megan Q

Congrats to Megan Q, the winner of an autographed copy of Whirlwind for her comments over on Coffee Time Romance last Monday. Your book is on its way!

Did you miss that opportunity? Check out Once Upon A Twilight on Monday for another chance. An autographed copy of Whirlwind is just one of the great prizes during the Books With Love Hop, February 14-16. Watch for my guest post, coming soon.

Image via Wikipedia

Till then, I think I have some shopping to do…

3 Comments

Filed under giveaway, Holidays

Tagged as free book, giveaway, Lookin' for Love, Robin DeJarnett, romance novel, Valentine's Day, web hunt

February 1, 2011 · 8:43 AM

Let the Giveaways Begin!

Can you believe it’s February already? Valentine’s Day is a couple weeks away, but romance is already in the air. Roses and candy fill the store shelves, and even here on the internet we’ve broken out the conversation hearts.

Speaking of which…there’s one special candy heart somewhere on my website. Find it, and you can enter to win enough romance to fill your bookshelf in the Lookin’ For Love Web Hunt.

To participate in the web hunt, all you have to do is:

Visit each of the Omnific author’s websites listed below between February 1-14, 2011
Find the “hidden” candy hearts (one per author website with a different saying at each site)
Match the sayings on the candy hearts to the correct author using this form by February 14, 2011

When you correctly identify all of the candy heart sayings, your form will be entered into a random drawing for prizes. Grand prize is the entire eBook collection of Omnific Publishing’s titles then in publication! The runner up will win eBook editions of five Omnific Publishing titles of his or her choice. Ten additional winners will each win an eBook of A Valentine Anthology.

AUTHOR WEBSITES:
Robin DeJarnett
Jennifer DeLucy
Nicki Elson
Jennifer Lane
Jessica McQuinn
Carol Oates
Susan Kaye Quinn
Lisa Sanchez
Sandra Wright

For more information, see the CONTEST RULES

If you don’t want to wait, during its anniversary celebration, Omnific Publishing is offering a special:

More giveaways are coming, so get ready to add all kinds of romance to your (reading) life!

Giveaways Galore!

Image via Wikipedia

I can’t believe it’s only three days until the Whirlwind/12.21.12 Release Party! The food is ordered, the invitations given out, and the festivities planned. I’m excited, happy, and a little nervous. What if no one shows up? What if EVERYONE shows up? AAAAAAAHHHH!

Nervousness aside, I really wish everyone could come. So many devoted fans live all around the globe – I want to find a way to include everyone in the celebration. I’ll definitely be tweeting when I can during the day on Thursday, and hopefully be able to post a couple photos from the party. The online snacks will have to be virtual , but I’ll be posting a great fondue recipe and buttercream frosting recipe, if you’d like to indulge at home.

I also have an electronic copy of Whirlwind to give away. Join me on Twitter on Thursday, January 27th, and watch for the #Whirlwind122112Party hashtag. Join in the fun by posting your favorite quotes from Whirlwind, favorite dessert recipe, or just by saying hi, but be sure to add #Whirlwind122112Party to your tweet. I’ll be drawing one random name from tweeters on the 27th (midnight to midnight Pacific time) to win a free ecopy of Whirlwind.

Tweet #Whirlwind122112Party For The Win!

Lookin’ for Love Giveaway

But wait, there’s MORE! How would you like to win Omnific Publishing’s entire electronic inventory (including Whirlwind, of course)? Look for the conversation hearts on participating authors’ pages and enter what you find on them here between February 1 and Valentine’s Day (2/14). There’s a bunch of prizes up for grabs, including the entire Omnific library!

My heart will be going up sometime between now and January 31st somewhere on my website, but you’ll have to search for it! Good luck!

Valentine’s Day Books with LOVE Hop

Yes, one more chance to win! As announced last week, on February 14-16 Once Upon A Twilight and Good Choice Reading are hosting a blog hop celebrating–surprise–books all about LOVE. I’m teaming up with Yara at Once Upon A Twilight to giveaway a signed paperback edition of Whirlwind to one lucky winner. I’ll also be guest blogging about love, but you’ll hear more about that soon.

There’s a ton of book bloggers participating in the hop (59 as of this posting), and a load of loot to win. Be sure and check it out on Valentine’s Day.

**Note – if you are a book blogger, you still have a little time to sign up for the blog hop. Click on the image on the right for more info.

Meet an Author Monday Blog hop

Be sure and tune in next week to find out where we, the authors on the Meet an Author Hop, do this thing we call writing. If you have a copy of Green Eggs and Ham, you might want to pull it out. Do I write on a train? In the rain? In a box? With a fox? What’s your guess?

Click here for the Author hop

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Come join the hop.