UPDATE: The winners are Sheryl Stark and Theresa Piper!
*~*~*

Does this picture stress you out? The Christmas tree branches beside the notes that will fill up a New Year’s resolutions list…?

My professional background, before I became a writer, was as a project/program manager. So, lists, plans, goals are kind of in my DNA. I know, I’m one of those people. A “To Do lister”, a planner. Not that having a plan guarantees I’ll follow it. Still, I love this time of year. The decorations are coming down. My “mind map” for the coming year’s work and personal goals is starting to take shape. For years, I ran online workshops, teaching other writers how to construct a mind map and a project plan to get them where they wanted to be. I kind of miss teaching, but a couple of years ago, I decided to pull back from online teaching. I wanted more “me” time.

However, I still do the planning—even if my plans go awry. Having a vision of what I want to achieve keeps me moving forward. Yes, my plans are less aggressive now. They allow for lots of downtime. This year will have even more, since we’re in the midst of the pandemic and this household has moved toward supporting the kids’ education from home. There won’t be any travel plans that include overnighters anywhere. If we can’t go somewhere that’s within a couple hours’ drive, and where we can keep isolated from other people, we’re not doing it. Yes, safety is part of this year’s plan. It wasn’t anywhere in last year’s goals but we adjusted rapidly. To me, that’s how plans roll. There has to be room for adjusting to unexpected events.

So, if the thought of planning your New Year’s goals doesn’t make you break out in hives, when do you begin? Have you been jotting down notes already? Do you have home improvement plans? Online classes you want to take? Places you want to visit (which I hope include safety measures!)? Work goals you want to strive to achieve?

Share a few of the things you have on your list or in your mind for a chance to win your choice of one of my downloadable stories! I will choose two winners!

I’ve been up since O-dark-thirty! Had to beat the kids out of bed to get ready for the big day! Presents have been opened, and everyone was thrilled with their gifts. Watching the youngest kid open her gifts was so much fun! She’s still into Cabbage Patch dolls and Barbies, and her face lit up with every gift. I got her a fancy karaoke microphone. Her mom gave me a “you’re so dead” look before telling the wee one how cool the present was. (I love this part of being a grandma!)

My dd has already started preparations for our meal. We’ll have it early so one of her daughters can spend the rest of the day with her dad’s family, so we’re having a very early meal. A Christmas tradition we began three years ago (because, after Thanksgiving, we get pretty sick of turkey and ham), is to serve an international meal. So far, we’ve done Mexican, Senagalese, and today, we’ll have a German meal, complete with jaeger schnitzel, brats, sauerkraut, etc. And of course, lots of German cookies for snacking while we watch Wonder Woman 1984!

Here’s hoping you are enjoying your day, too.
I wish you all the merriest of Christmases!

Merry Christmas Puzzle!

When you have some time for yourself, enjoy the puzzle version of the ornament! My Christmas gift to you!

UPDATE: The winners are…Elaine and Laura!
*~*~*

Come to Refuge Bay. Where trouble is brewing in a young girl’s heart this holiday season…

Dear Reader: There’s something special about Christmas.

Yet, it’s also worrisome, and daunting, in a weird way,. There’s so much hype about the happiness, that, especially for a young girl, newly adopted, who’s not quite sure about her place in the world or in her new family, it brings all those emotions to the forefront in a jumbled up, messy way.

Messy Christmases. We all know about those. Right? 🙂

When I wrote A Refuge Bay Christmas #1: Their Daughter’s First Christmas, Trasher’s voice and heart, came to me, loud and clear. (Trasher is the name of the young girl—there’s a whole story there.)  As did the voices of her 2 gay dads, Nathan and Og. They notice something’s definitely off with their new, young daughter, the one who came from a background of abuse, and whom they’re crazily committed to. They all live together in an old century home in Refuge Bay, just off the Chesapeake Bay.

The whole story simply came, and early readers are really enjoying it.

Here’s the blurb!

A Refuge Bay Christmas #1: Their Daughter’s First Christmas

An Orphan. Two Gay Dads. Her First Real Christmas. And It’s scary…

When Nathan and Og fell in love, little did they realize their union would culminate in an adoption: that of the six-year old runaway child they found at Hope House. Now her first Christmas is fast approaching, and everything is hard for the orphan who’s never had a real family. She’s still dealing with ghosts of the past, and she’s trying to do it alone. How can Nathan, Og, and the whole gang at Hope House, show her everything Christmas can be, in a forever family? Most importantly, how can they make sure that the Refuge Bay community’s unparalleled Christmas magic will work its special miracle…on her?

Early reviews:

“A great read. This reads like a warm fuzzy blanket or an awesome Hallmark Christmas movie!” – Goodreads Reviewer

“I don’t know what it is about this series, or these people but I am totally hooked!”– Goodreads Reviewer

Please note, this book can be read as a standalone, though readers will enjoy the additional details provided by the main series.

If you’re in the mood for real heart with a dollop of sass, some fun, and two men (as well as a whole community of people) that deeply love a newly rescued, feisty orphan who’s used to solving her own problems, you’re invited to enter their world this Christmas season, as well as that of the century home they live and love in, Hope House.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3aFy80f
Other Retailers: https://books2read.com/u/4EP82z

~Susan Saxx~~

Contest

For you today? An Early Christmas Gift: Here’s a Christmas Giveaway for TWO lucky commenters!
For a chance to win an e-book copy of Nathan Unwrapped, the first book in the series, let me know in the comments below:   What is your favorite Christmas story trope? I literally can’t wait to hear what you have to say, because I’m crazy about the holidays too! :))

***For ANOTHER chance to win, follow the fabulous Silver Daggers blog tour for this book here: https://www.silverdaggertours.com/sdsxx-tours/a-refuge-bay-christmas-book-tour-and-giveaway.

And…Merry Christmas!

About the Author

Susan Saxx is a top 2 Amazon bestseller with her m/f small town military romance series, Real Men. She has a passion for the small towns of North America, and sets her compelling stories in the north country (Jack’s Bay), mountain country (Terrence Point, Dawson Ridges, Golden) and Chesapeake Bay area (Refuge Bay), replete with quirky yet big-hearted neighbours always willing to lend a hand–and an opinion, whether requested or not. Susan has also started writing m/m romance and has garnered excellent reviews with her first book in the genre, Nathan Unwrapped.

Susan also loves Christmas. Enjoy the many holiday books in her series! Check them all out at Amazon and her site: www.susansaxx.com.

Learn more about Susan, her newsletters and her books at www.susansaxx.com.

Hi Delilah Fans!

The holiday season is always a time for raw nerves and overwrought emotions. I for one am susceptible to depression, that kind of misery that makes you want to never leave your bedroom. Maybe it’s natural that when the days are their shortest, our energy levels will sink as well. The weather is cold (for most of us), the nights last forever, and our culture’s coping skills involve spending money we can’t afford.

Over the years, I’ve found relatively inexpensive ways to celebrate the season without going to great expense. One year I solicited donations from a few friends to purchase and have delivered a new range for a neighbor with six kids and no functional oven. Other years I baked cookies and candies to share with neighbors and friends. I always try to send out Christmas cards with a short note updating friends about my past year.

This year, besides a joyful week with all three adult kids at home, cookies for neighbors, Zooming with siblings and their kids, and a nice meal for my 97-year old mom, what I’m giving you are some free stories to snuggle up with. Some are naughtier than others, but among them, I hope you find something that makes your day a little brighter. Here’s the line-up:

 

Holiday Journey: Follow the chance encounter of two travelers stranded in an airport just before Christmas. The attraction is instantaneous but even though he’s willing, she’s wary. Novelette Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/675289, set your own price.

Christmas Hideaway:  Caryn hadn’t expected a snowstorm when she hid away in a remote cabin to lick her wounds. She also hadn’t expected an overbearing park ranger to confront her. But the snow kept falling and the temperature kept dropping, trapping her at his cabin. What could possibly go wrong? Novella Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/685194, set your own price.

A Taste of Love: Senna and Teutonius, both enslaved Celts serving their Roman masters at a remote encampment in occupied Britain, manage to exchange warm greetings amid holiday duties. Short Story Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/759904.

His Only Love: An enslaved Greek, hopelessly in love with the Roman commander, finds a moment of pleasure with a slave of his own before facing the wrath of his beloved. [Explicit gay sex, BDSM.] Novelette Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/759899.

A Gift for Jarrod: A young man enters a training academy for submissives, anxious to understand his unusual desires. His Christmas couldn’t be more wonderfully unexpected. [Explicit BDSM] Novella  Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/383857.

AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Lizzie Ashworth

I know we all have the holiday on our brains! We finally arranged the presents under the tree! It’s so pretty, and the kids can barely stand the wait. I can barely stand the wait!! Anyway, if you need something else to think about, play to win prizes here!

Open Contests

Enter while there’s still time!

1. Ho! Ho! Ho! — Christmas Puzzle Contest! — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Anna M. Taylor: Do You Believe In Ghosts? (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Diana Cosby: My Favorite Inspiration from Nature Photos of 2020 (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win a pretty mug!
4. Flea Market Finds and Christmas Puzzle Contest! — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. One Mean Christmas Puzzle Contest! — Win an Amazon gift card!

I rabbited away from work today. Completely.

If you recall me talking about it, I broke my left pinky in a fall in September. I wore a splint for six weeks and thought that would be that. However, my middle, ring, and pinky fingers still have limited motion, even after physical therapy. So, today, my dd and I headed to the city for a CT scan of my hand. Hopefully, they’ll figure out why I still have swelling and a limited range of motion. It’s not causing me any big problems. I never typed with my ring and pinky fingers anyway. Still, it’s a pain and I’d like the swelling to go away.

After the appointment at the hospital, we masked up to hit a flea market. I mean, if we’re already out, why not? At least, so long as we’re taking the proper precautions (masking, social distancing, buckets of hand sanitizer). We returned home in the afternoon, and I just didn’t feel like looking at my computer. Not at all. I checked my phone a few times, but there are days when you just want to blow everything off, and this was one of them.

Tomorrow, I’ll be where I’m supposed to be—back at my desk. Although, I might kick off early to watch some cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie because…’tis the season and all.  🙂

With all that has been happening this year, I think everyone can use a little holiday cheer. If you’re interested in what it’s like to experience Christmas in the bayou (a.k.a., Louisiana) or missed my last week’s post, check out Papa Noël: Who Dat? Find out if you’re on the naughty or nice list and meet the gators.

Over my many years and dozens of Christmas parties, I’ve seen (and participated in) countless traditions. However, the one that I’ve heard and read about the most is one that I have never seen in practice—that is, kissing under the mistletoe. A couple of years ago was the first time I saw mistletoe in person. Well, kinda. See, I’d seen it before, but I didn’t know what it was. Turns out, there was plenty that I did not know about mistletoe. This was brought to the forefront when I began writing my short story “Valentine Mistletoe“ (published In Holiday Heartbreaker’s Cupid’s Bow Anthology), which is a holiday story with a twist. Since this is the season, I thought it would be fun to post some mistletoe trivia facts, and there’s no better place to start than the beginning…

• The name “mistletoe” originates from the combination of two Anglo Saxon words—mistle and tan. The word mistle means a stick or a twig, while the word tan means—hold onto your socks—dung. That’s correct. Dung, as in poop, manure, excrement, caca. So, literally, mistletoe means poop on a stick. Now, that image doesn’t make me feel all warm and romantic, much less like kissing. Let’s move on, although, what I have to say next isn’t that much better.
• Mistletoe is a flowering (or angiosperm) and parasitic plant. It is unable to live on its own and requires attaching itself, via a haustorium, to a host tree or shrub to feed off (extract carbon, nutrients, and water) in order for survival. For this reason, it does not grow on the ground and cannot be grown in a planter. Technically speaking, mistletoe can attach itself to any tree, however, it most commonly grows on apple, oak, and willow trees. I guess, one could say mistletoe has a preference.
• Being parasitic makes mistletoe highly resilient because it does not have to compete with other rooted plants in soil for water or other necessary nutrients. This is also an adaptive quality, as mistletoe originated in the tropics, a place where, in general, the soil is filled with microorganisms but is poor in nutrition. Additionally, few birds eat mistletoe due to the color of the berries. Actually, most animals shy away from eating the berries as they can be poisonous in large amounts.
• More than 1,500 species of mistletoe exist. However, what most people are likely familiar with is the European mistletoe known as Viscum album.
• Another fact about mistletoe is that it has a gender. Yes, there are male and female mistletoes. Female mistletoe is what most people hang in their homes, as this is the one that has berries. Now, if I was less of a person and really tacky, I would point out the irony that the female mistletoe has balls and the male mistletoe does not. 🙂
• Finally, mistletoe won’t kickstart the allergies since it has no discernible scent. I know, someone is going to tell me they know someone who is allergic to it—you know, because there always is that one person. Actually, that probably would make for a comedic scene breaking into a fit of sneezing beneath the mistletoe instead of becoming all starry-eyed or transforming into a blithering ball of awkwardness…

So, why would anyone from a kissing tradition under parasitic, poisonous poop on a stick? Read the rest of this entry »