Archive for the 'Holidays' Category

October 3, 2016 | Holidays

Photo by Boaz Yiftach

September 5, 2016 | Holidays

May 30, 2016 | Holidays

KISS ME, I’M IRISH!

March 16, 2016 | Author Friend Promo, Holidays

by Sharon Ledwith

Actually, I’m one-quarter Irish thanks to my maternal grandmother, Grandma Foster, but that never stopped me from celebrating St. Patrick’s Day! So, sit down, take a load off, and pour yourself a pint of green ale. Aye, here’s to Saint Paddy, banisher of snakes, and founder of monasteries and churches! Now, while you’re waiting for your corn beef and cabbage dinner to boil, have a gander at these six amazing places to visit if you ever get a chance to venture over to the Emerald Isle, suggested to me by our own Dominique Eastwick.

Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland

Renowned for its polygonal columns of layered basalt, is the only World Heritage site in Northern Ireland. Resulting from a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago, this is the focal point of a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has attracted visitors for centuries.

Newgrange

Constructed over 5,000 years ago (about 3,200 B.C.), making it older than Stonehenge in England and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Newgrange was built during the Neolithic or New Stone Age by a farming community that prospered on the rich lands of the Boyne Valley. Archaeologists classified Newgrange as a passage tomb, however Newgrange is now recognized to be much more than a passage tomb. Ancient Temple is a more fitting classification, a place of astrological, spiritual, religious and ceremonial importance, much as present day cathedrals are places of prestige and worship where dignitaries my be laid to rest.

Kilmainham Gaol Prison in Dublin

Built in 1792, it is Ireland’s most famous disused prison. It held throughout the years many famous Nationalists and Republicans in members of the Society of United Irishmen (1798), Young Irelanders (c1840s), Fenians and Land agitators, Parnell, Davitt. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed here. The prison was closed in 1924. This building gives a good insight into the history of Irish Republicanism.

Dublin Castle

(doing Kilmainhaim Gaol first helps with the history) Originally built in the 13th century on a site previously settled by the Vikings it functioned as a military fortress, a prison, treasury, courts of law and the seat of English Administration in Ireland for 700 years. Rebuilt in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, Dublin Castle is now used for important State receptions and Presidential Inaugurations.

Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s top Visitor attractions and are a designated UNESCO Geo Park.

The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O’Brien’s Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South.

The Cliffs of Moher take their name from a ruined promontory fort “Mothar” which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower.

And I saved the best for last…

Guinness Storehouse

The best view of the city and Ireland’s number one visitor attraction. Go figure! The home of the world famous GUINNESS® brand, this historical building is central to Dublin’s and Ireland’s heritage, and has been continually updated to create a blend of fascinating industrial tradition with a contemporary edge. Oh yeah, and you’re also invited to pour your own perfect pint. Cheers!

Now, before you go check on your corn beef and cabbage, please raise your frosty glass high to toast Saint Patrick and Ireland with me: May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night.

Slainte!
Sharon

Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, available through Mirror World Publishing, and is represented by Walden House (Books & Stuff) for her teen psychic series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.

Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter, Google+, and Goodreads. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books.

December 30, 2015 | Holidays

HAPPY NEW YEAR

To Everyone All Around the World

from Studs, Sloane, and all the Taylors

December 23, 2015 | Holidays

A very Merry Christmas

Along with
Pleasant memories from holidays past.

Sloane and the entire Taylor family

Filling Appetizers Work as Super Easy Dinners

December 21, 2015 | Author Friend Promo, Cooking, Holidays

New Year’s Eve is a short time away. My friends are in party mode and have assigned me the appetizers. Not an easy task considering my small stash of finger food recipes. I called on two author friends to help me out. You’ll love their recipes and their books. Both are a perfect way to kick off the New Year. First up is sexy Sara Daniel followed by sex kitten Emilia Mancini. The kitchen is all yours, ladies.

These are so easy I commissioned my nine-year-old to make them when she wanted to cook dinner for the family to give me a break. (Yes, she can be absolutely adorable when she wants to be, and yes, I still supervised the chopping and the oven.) These roll-ups also make a wonderful appetizer for holiday parties.

Ham and Broccoli Roll-Ups
2 cups chopped broccoli
2 tbsp. parsley flakes
2 tbsp. margarine/butter softened
1 ½ cups shredded Colby-jack/cheddar cheese
2 cups ham chopped
2 (8-roll) cans crescent dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook and drain broccoli.

In a large mixing bowl, combine parsley and margarine. Add cheese, broccoli and ham. Mix. Set aside.

Grease a round pizza pan. (A rectangle cookie sheet works too.) Separate the crescent roll dough into the pre-cut triangles. Arrange triangles around the outer edge of the pan, points hanging over the outside of the pan, bases overlapping. If you have more rolls than the pan will hold, you can use the remaining rolls to make a small inside circle as shown in the picture.

Spoon ham filling evenly over the bases of the triangles. Fold points of triangles over the filling and tuck under the bases toward the center of the pan.

Bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Here is a little Wicaan Haus teaser from my latest release.

Psychic Lies

What if you could read minds during sex? What if the government wanted to exploit you for your ability?

Fiona Vetter has spent her life hiding her sexual mind-reading power, pretending to have normal, safe powers like the rest of her family. When her charade results in the death of an innocent woman, her life of lies unravels. With nowhere else to turn, she retreats to the Wiccan Haus.

To expose her as an enemy of his government, Armando Verdad follows Fiona to the Wiccan Haus. Her beauty dazzles him, her personality seduces him, and her web of lies intrigues him. But with his career and the safety of his countrymen on the line, only the truth matters.

The harder Fiona tries to keep Armando away, the more she falls for him. When enemies come searching for her, she is forced to trust him to protect her life and her psychic lies, but nothing can protect her heart.

Amazon – All Romance eBooks – Google Play – iTunes – Kobo

Sara Daniel writes what she loves to read—irresistible romance, from sweet to erotic and everything in between. She battles a serious NASCAR addiction, was once a landlord of two uninvited squirrels, and loses her car keys several times a day.

Learn more about Sara on her website and blog. Subscribe to Sara’s newsletter.

Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Emilia Mancini is here with a delicious appetizer that is quick and easy. And it works great with chicken or pork.

Super Easy BBQ Chicken from Emilia Mancini

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (Hey, this still counts as homemade!)
¼ cup white vinegar
1tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ cup brown sugar
1tsp. minced garlic
½ small onion diced

Mix BBQ sauce, vinegar, pepper flakes, brown sugar, garlic and small onion in medium sized bowl. Place meat in slow cooker. Pour BBQ sauce mixture over meat. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Done!

To serve slice the chicken an inch or so thick. Lay the slices in a pretty bowl or curved plate and ladle a little sauce on the side.

Here’s a short tease from my latest erotica to heat up your holiday. Enjoy!

It took Kyle one look to realize he wanted to seduce his best friend’s mother. And one kiss to realize he didn’t have to.

It was lust at first sight for Kyle when he met his roommate Justin’s mother Kate. Kyle, a college transfer, was too far from home to visit on short school breaks, so Justin took him to Minneapolis where his mother was serving up a family meal for Thanksgiving.

One look left Kyle with a healthy obsession for Kate which grew with each visit. When he landed an internship in Minneapolis, he moved in with Kate for the summer, and got in touch with his voyeuristic side. It wasn’t until one late evening and a few too many glasses of wine that Kyle began to suspect his attraction wasn’t one-sided.

When he dared to push the issue, he found Kate more than willing to succumb to his seduction.

BUY LINKS
Amazon – Barnes & Noble

Emilia Mancini is the naughtier side to author Marci Boudreaux. Emilia stays hidden in the shadows like a nefarious side kick, slipping out only when the stories Marci wants to share are a little too grown up to be called sweet romance.

Seducing Kate is Emilia’s second release and, at least for the moment, her crowning glory.

Be sure to check out the Pinterest board for Seducing Kate.

Visit Emilia on her website. Stay connected on Twitter and Facebook.

November 25, 2015 | Holidays

The Entire Taylor Family

Wishes You and Yours

A Happy Thanksgiving

Sharing

November 23, 2015 | Author Friend Promo, Holidays

Books, bliss, food, friendship–whatever you choose to share, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving.

HL Carpenter is the pen name of a Florida-based mother/daughter duo who writes from their studio in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories, is unreal but not untrue. They write sweet, clean fiction suitable for your entire family. When they’re not writing, the Carpenters enjoy exploring the Land of What-If and practicing the fine art of Curiosity. Learn more about HL Carpenter and their multi-genre books on their website where you’ll also find gift reads and the latest Carpenter Country news. Be sure to check out their Amazon Author Page.

Stay connected on Pinterest, Linkedin, and Google+.

Rosh Hashanah 10-2016

September 14, 2015 | Holidays

Photo by Boaz Yiftach