The History of St. Nick ~ Merry #Christmas #ChristmasEve Santa Claus

Saint Nicholas

The writer in me loves crafting posts about the origins of our holidays and the reasons we celebrate in certain ways or fear certain dates. Some of my most popular posts have been on the Origin of Halloween, Finding Easter's Date, The Number 13, and Origins of Superstitions.

While most people are familiar with the story of Jesus's birth in Bethlehem, many are unaware of how a 4th century Bishop influenced the legend of Santa Claus.

Saint Nicholas, or Nikolaos of Myra, was a bishop in an ancient town in Lycia--now Demre, in the Antalya Province of Turkey. One of his most well-known deeds involved giving unexpected gifts, one of which landed in a stocking.  In the story, Nicholas wanted to help three young girls, whose father had no money for their dowries.  At that point in history, such a fate would result in a life of prostitution. Not wanting to embarrass the poor father, Nicholas threw bags of gold coins through the windows.  In one version of the tale, the father laid in wait to discover who was doing this...and so instead of throwing the third bag through the window, Nicholas dropped it down the chimney, and it landed in a stocking hung to dry by the fire.

Sinterklaas rides
a white horse

The Dutch figure of Sinterklass is based upon Saint Nick, and he more resembles the white-bearded man in red we're all familiar with. In turn, our Santa Claus is derived from Sinterklass, and it's widely believed that he was introduced to North America around the time of the Revolutionary War, by inhabitants of New York City, which was once New Amsterdam, a Dutch colony.

Of course, many other sources have combined to shape both the modern-day image of Santa Claus and the various legends and traditions which have evolved (decorating trees, sleighs pulled by reindeer, winter feasts and festivals, etc.).  Those will be topics for another day and another blog!

The holidays can be such a busy time, and I'm hoping my blog readers who celebrate Christmas have some time to relax and enjoy the magic of the season.  And if you need a book to help you de-stress, check out one of my novels - each one is filled with romance, mystery, and suspense - something for everyone! Also perfect as a last-minute gift, since all you need to send someone a Kindle copy is an email address. Each one is less that the price of a card!

GULL HARBOR - A dangerous ghost and an ex-boyfriend await psychic medium Claire Linden in Cape Cod's Gull Harbor (a #1 Amazon and #1 Barnes + Noble Bestseller)

DANGEROUS CURRENTS - Book Store Recommended Read ~ One fateful night tore them apart...will they get a second chance before a killer strikes? 

THE HAUNTING OF HILLWOOD FARM RONE AWARD WINNER in Paranormal at InD'Tale Magazine and the BEST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE of 2018 at N.N. Light's Book Heaven Reviews!  This edge-of-your seat ghost mystery + romance is also available on audio!

HAUNTED SOULS - Steamy military romance mixed with spooky suspense - named one of the Top 3 Books of 2016 at Read Freely!

SILVER LAKE - A haunting, an old flame, and secrets from the past (a #1 Amazon Bestseller)

DIVINE FALL - Romance, Revenge, and a Rogue Fallen Angel (award-winning Young Adult - this one is suitable for ages 13+)

Treat yourself to hours of entertainment and relaxation!

The History of Saint Nick ~ Visit Winter Blogfest to Win #Giveaways #free #books #giftcards!

Happy Holidays!  We're having a wonderfully relaxing Christmas morning at my sister-and-brother-in-laws' house in Massachusetts, and we woke up to quite a snow storm!  We have power and food (too much food if the rest of the family can't get here!), so all is cozy and bright, thankfully.

St. Nicholas of Myra

My post on the History of St. Nick was selected as part of Long and Short Reviews' "Winter Blogfest", so if you have time, stop by!  All the posts are winter or holiday-themed, and every post offers a prize as well.  All you have to do to enter is comment over there!  My post offers a free e-book, either Silver Lake or Gull Harbor, both romance mixed with ghost stories, and both #1 Kindle Bestsellers!  Winner gets to choose, and the contests go on until December 29th, so visit when you have some downtime!  

Who Was St. Nick?  Read The History of St. Nick here!

Send an e #Book for #Christmas! #LastMinuteGifts #Ghosts #Romance

Christmas is fast approaching!  It can be so overwhelming getting ready for the holidays...traveling or hosting relatives, finding and wrapping gifts, buying and preparing food...all added to the usual hectic pace of life.  If you've forgotten someone, run out of time, or just want to send something special to someone, why not consider an ebook?  It's easy, thoughtful, and instantaneous!  All you need is the recipient's email address to send an immediate gift.  Many ebooks cost less than the price of a card, and provide hours of enjoyment...not to mention relaxation, as reading is a proven stress-reliever.  Most of my novels combine a romantic plot-line with a haunting mystery, with first chapters designed to grab the reader and not let go.  You can even sample first chapters on Amazon for free to make sure you're going to be "hooked"!    

A FB message I received from a local celebrity,
after she bought my novel at a book signing!

So...it's not too late, even if it's Christmas morning!  Even if someone slipped your mind, it's easy to say, "I picked out a few reads to send you, I just need your email address."  Done!  And don't forget to send one to yourself, for that amazing moment when everything settles down and you finally get to relax.  Then pour your favorite beverage, put your feet up, and experience the emotional roller coaster of falling in love, along with the spine-tingling suspense of a haunting mystery.

What happened to Brandy?
Five years later, a group of estranged friends reunites for
one last attempt to unravel the truth...

Both SILVER LAKE and GULL HARBOR combine the elements of a second-chance romance between first loves, a spooky ghost story, and a sultry summertime setting...a page-turning combination sure to please.  Both these books have been #1 Kindle Bestsellers on multiple occasions and have been Reader's Crown Finalists at the prestigious RomCon convention.

Like GULL HARBOR, my latest release, HAUNTED SOULS, is set on beautiful Cape Cod, and the haunting mystery in this steamy romance was inspired by the oldest wooden jailhouse in the country, which still stands along Rt. 6A in Barnstable Village.  Built in 1690, it's reputedly haunted.

Sending an ebook as a gift is easy on Amazon--you just click the books link (see the bolded titles above), go over to the silver "give as a gift" box on the right side of the page, and fill in your recipient's email address.  Then you can include a personal "Merry Christmas" note if you wish, and you're done!

Barnes and Nobel also has a similar "Buy as a Gift" option (to the right of the orange "Buy Now" button) if you need a Nook format!  Each book tab at the top of my blog has links for the different retailers under the book title.  (Silver Lake was acquired by Amazon's Encore imprint and is exclusive to Kindle now...all other titles available from B&N though!)

So treat the readers on your list--and yourself--to a love story this holiday season, and lose yourself in the passion, mystery, and suspense.  Happy Holidays!

A book, wine, and a cozy bed...These are a few of my favorite things!

Holiday Nut Mix ~ #recipes Homemade Gift idea #Christmas

I am not a crafty person.  I'm creative, in terms of dreaming up plot twists and developing characters, but the closest I usually get to designing gorgeous gifts or beautiful centerpieces is adding pictures I love with instructions I know I can't follow to my Pinterest boards.  I'm in awe of people who have that kind of talent.

But I *can* follow simple recipes, and a few years ago, my sister-in-law, who always hosts Christmas with a dazzling display of gourmet food and stunning displays, served a nut mix that I just couldn't get enough of.  And hey, it's nuts--a good for you food, packed with protein, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.  Even with the seasoning, it's a better choice than baked goods filled with refined flour and sugar.

So I asked her for the recipe, and now, around the holidays, I make huge batches to send to friends and family.  It's both spicy and sweet, and--warning--highly addictive.  I buy cute jars with chalkboard labels to package them in, and I send them out to the people I won't be able to see over the holidays and to the people I want to thank for making my life easier throughout the year.  Here's her recipe, in case you want to try it:

Love these cute
chalkboard jars!

2 1/2 cups of assorted unsalted nuts - I used cashews, almonds, walnuts, and pecans

2 T fresh coarsely chopped rosemary - luckily, I have a rosemary plant on my patio!

1/2 t cayenne pepper - use less or leave out if you're adverse to spicy

2 t dark brown sugar

2 t sea salt

1 T melted (unsalted) butter

Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Mix the remaining ingredients.  Toss the nuts with the mixture in a large bowl.

Yes, that easy!  Enjoy :)

And remember - reading is the ultimate stress-reliever, so if you need a good book to help de-stress during the holiday rush, try one of my romance/ghost mystery mixes...many of them have been #1 Kindle Bestsellers, and they offer hours of page-turning relaxation and entertainment.  Gull Harbor is everyone's favorite--arriving in Cape Cod, psychic medium Claire Linden is ready to try to rid her temporary home of a dangerous poltergeist...but she's stunned to find her ex-boyfriend, the man who once promised to love her forever, hiding out in the same small town.

A #1 Bestseller, a Top 10 Read at MyShelf Reviews, a Reader's Crown Finalist

Claire was such a popular character, she returns for a cameo in Haunted Souls, my most recent release...but the main characters have their own story that revolves around a soldier returning from combat to discover he has a son, and a desperate single mom trying to make things right as she confronts a haunting mystery.  

A #1 Bestseller, a Reader's Crown Finalist, an Amazon Encore selection

Silver Lake brings a group of former friends back together to try to solve the mystery of their friend's disappearance, after they begin to suspect she's trying to communicate from beyond the grave.  What really happened to Brandy?  (Read for free if you're a Kindle Unlimited member!)

And if you enjoy Young Adult novels and/or more traditional paranormal romance, try Divine Fall, a story about the world's last Nephilim...as an outcast from both worlds, he'll risk his life to seek his revenge...but will he risk hers?  Relive first love and lose yourself in supernatural secrets and suspense! (Only 99c on Kindle!)

Winner of the Reader's Choice Award in Young Adult and a Reader's Crown Finalist

Look for the "Give as
a Gift" button on the left!

If you have readers on your list, you can also send an e-book as a thoughtful holiday gift for less than a card!  Happy reading and happy holidays!

A #Free #Book of "Hacks" for the Holidays! #Recipes #Christmas #Lifehacks

Every year, my publisher offers a free recipe book, as a gift to our readers, filled with contributions from the authors of The Wild Rose Press.  We vote on different themes each year, and we've offered Garden Gourmet collections featuring easy meals and snacks, international recipes, cookies and cocktails, and healthy recipes in the past...these books are still available, for free, on our website!  This year, we did something a little different...our "recipes" for Garden Gourmet 2017 are actually "hacks" - shortcuts or tricks to make tasks more simple, whether they involve cooking, cleaning, or just life in general.

So grab you free ebook here: A Holiday of Hacks, and discover some new ways to save time and effort!  You can easily check out on our website via Amazon, and we offer downloads for Kindle (mobi), Nook (epub), and for your laptop (pdf).

Here are the previous years' recipe books as well...Enjoy!  Happy Holidays!


2016 Holiday Garden Gourmet ~ Comfort Foods

2015 Holiday Garden Gourmet ~ Cookies and Cocktails

2014 Holiday Garden Gourmet ~ Quick and Easy

2013 Holiday Garden Gourmet ~ International

Also, if you're looking for simple recipes for goodies that can serve as edible gifts, check out my go-to: Rosemary Nut Mix.  

De-stress w/ a new read for #Thanksgiving! #Ghosts #Romance #Books #Kindle

My happy place!

The holidays are upon us! Thanksgiving is almost here, and whether you're traveling or cooking, you need to find some time to relax during what can be a hectic month.  My favorite stress-reliever is reading, and right now I'm caught up in a page-turning Psychological Suspense that I can't put down...which is a bit of a problem, since I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the very first time, and my guests begin arriving tomorrow!  If you'd like an entertaining escape, try one of my #1 Kindle Bestsellers, full of steamy romance and spooky suspense.  Load up your Kindle or Nook now, and then while you're traveling, waiting in lines, or trying to carve out a few moments for yourself, you can transport yourself to Cape Cod's Gull Harbor, where a dangerous ghost and an ex-boyfriend await psychic medium Claire Linden.  Links and blurb below!  Happy Thanksgiving :)

GULL HARBOR
A #1 Kindle Bestseller

Kindle link

Nook link

Want to see the story board?  Check out the pictures I used for inspiration on Pinterest!

When Claire Linden’s job sends her to the sleepy town of Gull Harbor, she never expects to encounter her ex-boyfriend. As a medium, the prospect of tackling a haunted house is less daunting than seeing Max Baron again. Throughout their passionate college relationship, he promised to love her forever. Then, without explanation, he abandoned her on graduation day.

Max never intended to break Claire's heart—a cruel ultimatum forced him to disappear from her life. While he's shocked to find her in Gull Harbor, he isn't surprised by the bitter resentment she feels for him...or the fiery attraction that remains between them.

Claire is determined to rid her temporary home of its aggressive ghost, but Max soon realizes she's facing a danger beyond the paranormal. When Claire risks everything to help a desperate spirit, Max must race to save her—before another tragedy tears them apart forever.

Gull Harbor tends to be a quick read, since it's exciting and fast-paced.  If you enjoy it and need some more new reads, try #1 Kindle Bestseller SILVER LAKE (A haunting, an old flame, and secrets from the past...) or my latest release, HAUNTED SOULS (Claire Linden from Gull Harbor makes a guest appearance in this novel, voted one of the Top 3 Reads of 2016 at Read Free.ly!) 

A few quotes from editorial reviews of Haunted Souls