New Years: The Stupidest Holiday by L. A. Kelley

New Years is a stupid celebration 

Even as a child I never saw the point of staying up to midnight to see some dumb disco ball drop and then watch drunken revelers shouting “Happy New Year!” I’m mean, seriously. What’s the big deal? It isn’t even a candy holiday like Halloween, Christmas or Easter. Those were, at least, associated with special once-a-year treats. New Years had bupkis except if you lived in the South and were supposed to eat Hopping John which has absolutely no candy in it. Or drugs, which the name implies.

If you insist on being a reveler on New Years Eve, here are several oddball hangover cures to try on New Years Day. I’m not a drinker, so can’t confirm they work, but they’ll give the sober ones among us a belly laugh at your misery.

Drink pickle juice

It’s supposed to have lots of electrolytes or some junk like that to make the pounding headache go away. Yeah, right.

Rub slices of lemon under your armpits

A Puerto Rican cure, it’s touted to relieve dehydration, but honestly when was the last time you drank anything through your armpits?

Chug a Bull’s-eye

A Bull’s-eye is a concoction made from a raw egg broken into a glass of orange juice. Yum. After a night of heavy drinking I can imagine what your stomach will say to that one. It isn’t pretty. Speaking of not pretty, try a Prairie Oyster.

Prairie Oyster

If you’ve ever lived out West you’ll know a Prairie Oyster isn’t an oyster. Let’s just say, it’s the part of the bull that, well, makes it clear you ain’t gonna be milking this one. This Prairie Oyster is a cocktail and contains one raw egg (What is it with raw eggs?), Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. You probably won’t be sober after drinking this. You’ll probably just wish you were dead.

Activated Charcoal

It’s recommended you take it in pill form or you could stick your head in the fireplace and lick up the ashes. After the night you had, no one will try to stop you.

L. A. Kelley writes scify and fantasy adventures with humor, romance, and touch of sass. She prefers her candy shaken, not stirred.

 

 

Christmas/Holiday Traditions Around the World

Fun things about Christmas/Holiday traditions Around the World. Take for instance, the Land Down Under, because, well, someday I want to visit there, just probably not at Christmas. The English and Irish predominately settled Australia so it stands to reason their traditions reflect those countries. Here's a few of of their Christmas Traditions.
Aussie’s decorate their homes with ferns, palm leaves and evergreens along with blooming flowers of Christmas Bush and Christmas Bell Flower. It’s summer time in December down under, when most of the United States is looking forward to big flakes and blankets of snow for a white Christmas.
Carols by Candlelight is one of the popular events in Australia. People come together under the stars at night to light candles and sing Christmas carols. Seems to me, it’s not far from our own tradition of Christmas carolers. I just can’t imagine Christmas/holiday without snow, that’s why I live in Colorado. Hehe!
Christmas Day is when families and close friends gather from all over Australia for a holiday midday dinner. Some enjoy a traditional British Christmas dinner of roast turkey or ham and rich plum pudding doused in brandy and set on fire before it is brought to the table. Other families head for the backyard barbie to grill their Christmas dinner, maybe shrimp, in the sunshine or go to the beach and enjoy a picnic of cold turkey or ham and a salad. To the delight of children,  Father Christmas  in shorts may appear to greet children at the beach on Christmas/holiday! If you can’t have snow, that’s the way to celebrate Christmas.

Because I am of Swedish descent, let’s take a peek at Christmas Traditions in Sweden where in December the days are quite short, the nights long and the ground is usually snow covered. The Christmas/holiday season begins at church on the first Sunday of Advent, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Children use an Advent calendar to keep track of the first day of December until Christmas, just like some of ours do. Each morning, they open a flap in the calendar's Christmas scene to see the charming picture behind it. This year, I have a Victorian Advent calendar on my computer and enjoy a surprise behind each door daily.
The festivities in Sweden really begin with St. Lucia’s Day, December 13th, a celebration of the patron saint of light. A Christmas market held in the old medieval section of Stockholm is where you can find handmade toys, ornaments, and candy. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Some people write a special verse to accompany the gift and even seal the package with colorful sealing wax. I have enough trouble with scotch tape and wrapping paper, I can’t imagine what would happen with hot sealing wax. Not a pretty sight, I’m sure. A Christmas tree is selected by the whole family just a day or two before Christmas and decorated, while the delightful aroma of gingerbread cookies in the shape of hearts, stars, or other festive shapes waft through to house. Christmas Eve is when the main feast is eaten. Presents might be brought by Santa (Jultomten) or  by gnomes/elves  named Tomte or Nissar. Many families set out a sheaf of grain on a pole for hungry birds. My hubby and I always put out special treats for the wild birds in our Aspen grove on Christmas.

As for my family, we put up the tree, Christmas decorations inside and out, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Or try to. No it’s not a real tree, only because I’m allergic. <sigh> We watch Christmas movies throughout December and make candy such as Divinity, Fantasy Fudge and Beaver Dams. What are Beaver Dams, you ask. Well, take a package of butterscotch chips, melt them in a double boiler, stir in half-package of crispy Chow Mein Noodles and one half can of cocktail peanuts. Spoon the concoction onto foil in small mounds and let set. They look like beaver dams hence the name. YUMMY.

This year I’m going, to once again, try my hand at gingerbread cookies. Its become a Christmas Tradition of sorts, an make my family cringe. Why you ask?  I haven’t had a lot of luck in previous years getting a good tasting cookie. But last year, thanks to a great recipe, not only did they turn out, but it's become a beloved tradition now. Goes great with hot chocolate and marshmallows. LOL

 

Speaking of things that go good with hot chocolate. A heartwarming holiday tale, fits the bill!  I've got just the one for you  Meringue Snowflake Magic AND it's on sale #99cents.

What Christmas or holiday traditions do and your family observe during the month of December? I look forward to hearing from you. I'd love for you to tell me about your traditions in the comments! 

Stars Align: Some of the Best SciFi Romances of 2023 by Keri Kruspe

 

As the year draws to a close, I was curious to find out what some of the best SciFi romances that came out in 2023 (besides mine, of course!).

To do that, I did what any enterprising writer does these days, I asked ChatGPT. I was happy to get a small comprehensive list from it along with the common threads the genre offers its avid readers. It did state it couldn’t find anything from Amazon to include in the list. Pity. But I suppose we’ll muddle through without it.              

The other thing it outline was how the genre blossomed in 2023. With stories that not only weaved adventures in the vastness of space but included the depths of what the human heart goes through. While some SciFi romances seem to only dive into the erotic, (human meets alien and they immediately get busy in the bedroom…ho hum), others offer readers an escape from the mundane to the extraordinary. This year's selection of sci-fi romance books are not just narratives; they also offer deep emotional human experiences.

Before we dive into the list, let’s check out what these stories have in common.

Commonalities

Strong Female Protagonists: My favorite. No wussies here! Most of these novels feature a strong, complex female lead who is central to the narrative.

World-Building: Rich and detailed world-building is a crucial element. Its why we read these types of stories in the first place. Visualizing what this new galactic civilization looks like is one of the first things I do when I am creating a series. I ask myself, what does the galaxy/planet/civilization/aliens look like? How do they interact with humans? To keep things straight (like species/planets/cities/proper names), I have a “Writer’s Bible” handy for of all my series.

Political and Social Intrigue: The plots must involve political maneuvering or social issues for us to relate to the story. It also adds depth to the romantic adventure.

Romance Amidst Adversity: Those of us who read any type of romance know it’s the adversity in the story (along with Happy Ever After) that brings us back time and again. When these romantic elements are woven into an otherworldly theme, it can help boost the conflict between the protagonists.

Diversity and Inclusivity: You’ve got to admit there’s a plethora of diverse characters along with inclusive themes that reflect a broader spectrum of experiences and identities in this type of romance story. Also, some of the best science fiction themes have foundations in our every day lives (like the Terminator series - to AI or not to AI… that is the question…)

What Books did ChatGPT Come Up With?

ChatGPT told me that the titles it lists have been highly rated and mentioned across several online sources.  Let’s dive in and see what it came up with:

Powell’s Books:

A Day of Fallen Night and To Shape a Dragon’s Breath. Each feature strong female characters, political intrigue and rich world-building. Bookships & Bonedust offers a cozy fantasy with a touch of romance and humor, while Witch King and System Collapse both delve into epic fantasy with hyper-competent protagonists that deal with personal and geopolitical challenges.

Bestviewrevies:

These folks compile customer ratings that fit the criteria. They mention I Married a Naga and Choosing Theo: The Clecanian Series Book 1 among their top rated scifi romance novels. They also include Fated Blades: The Story of Two Women’s Survival Guides and Ensnared: An Alien Romance Trilogy. They cite each of these have strong narratives along with romantic elements.

Ereads.com:

Here they list Touched by an Alien, Shards of Honor, Grim, Claimed, and Born of Night as some of the best science fiction romance books. Unfortunately, it doesn’t specify that the books were from 2023 or not.

Some of My Favorites of 2023

Here’s where I confess I’m an avid reader. As my family can tell you, I’ve been one my whole life, so going back and remembering what I read this last year made me do a little research. While it was hard to choose, I finally came up with five that I really enjoyed.

Here goes!

Xiveri Mates (books 1-3) by Elizabeth Stephens

Possessed by the Alien King (6 books) by Krista Luna

Raider Warlords of the Vandor Series by Tana Stone

The Marauder Series by Athena Storm

The Kalquor Universe Series by Tracy St. John

Now that 2024 is right around the corner, I can’t wait to see what happens in this genre. As for me, I have a novella coming out on Valentines Day (Lok’s Love) as well as book one of a new series (Alien Legacy Brotherhood) coming out in April (just finished the first draft last month).

I’m proud of us who are passionate about the blend of science fiction with romance and love to share what we’ve read where we can. And, since it’s the season of giving, I’m offering you a FREE short story that I’ve included in my newsletter this month. Just click this Bookfunnel link and you’ll get A Spybots Christmas – available until the end of December.

In closing, just know how much I appreciate those of you who’ve read and commented on my articles in 2023. Fair warning… I plan on continuing my observations as we boldly go into 2024!

Until we meet again... I wish you all a joyful and romantic holiday season!

Looking ahead to 2024

 

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2024

Jessica E. Subject

I've mentioned in previous posts that I don't like to make resolutions, but I definitely have goals for the new year. While I finished writing two stories this year, only one of them has been published. Either way, the result is far less than the goals I set for myself. Why? I had a hard time adjusting to changes in my life. Just as I was getting used to my oldest child off at school, my dog (who was very much my shadow) became very ill and we had to have her put down. We knew it was coming, but it was still extremely hard for me. A few months later, we brought another dog into our home. And while she is an absolute joy, and my new shadow, she took a lot of time to adjust to living in a house. The first year of her life was spent in a barn, out in the wild, and then at the local shelter. And that emotional roller coaster of all those changes made it hard for me to focus on writing.

By the later half of this year, I was back in the game, able to focus again. I finished writing 4 United, submitted it, and had it release at the end of September. And last month, I finished and submitted another story, which is likely to release in February. I will share more information on that in my newsletter and on social media soon. 

I'm currently in the process of plotting/writing three stories. Two of them are stories that will be part of my Romance Tales from the Quadrants series, and the other is a story that has been stirring in my head and begging to be written. The third one isn't a romance though. It's a futuristic story about a mother's love for her family, but there is no happy ending. I don't know what I'll do with that story, but my goal is to write all three of them by the end of next year. *fingers crossed*

Do you have any goals for 2024? Or are you still focused on 2023 and getting through the holidays? Yeah, I'm still doing that, too. LOL

Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes to You for the New Year!