Winners & The Naughty After Dark Blog Hop

Hi Everyone!

I’m sure you’re all here for the winners of yesterday’s drawing and to see who the grand prize winner might be!

Here’s the important stuff...the winners of yesterday’s drawings are: marybelle ~ you have won a copy of my latest release and I will be sending it to you shortly; mbourn ~ you have won the $10 gift certificate and I’ll be emailing you to get your choice of place. And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for...the announcement of the grand prize winner...KaylanDavis1986 come on down! You’ve won the $25 gift certificate of your choice and the entire Santa’s Elves collection. I’ll be emailing you shortly with the list!

First, I want to thank all of you for participating in the Valentine’s Day Blog Hop promoted by The Blog Hop Spot and I don’t know about you but I had such a fun time that I’m doing another one starting today. I’ll give you the particulars of that one at the bottom of today’s blog post.

Now, I know you might think I'm crazy but on to my next blog hop. This one is the Naughty After Dark Blog Hop and I’ve listed the entire group for you to visit. Each one is giving something special away and you’ll have to check with each of them for their rules. Here’s the list:





For me, I’ll be giving away an ebook a day and at the end, another $25 gift certificate. This blog hop runs from today, February 15, through next Wednesday, February 22. I’ll be posting daily with what needs to be done in order to get into my prize drawings. Again, it will be easy and will always include a comment.

Today for instance, all I want you to do is to pick one of the people on this list, go to their blog and tell me about it. That’s it...just a comment on who you visited...and what you saw. I’ll be awarding tomorrow’s prize again around noon...don’t forget I’m in Vienna, Austria...and your middle of the day is my night!

I’d also like to thank these two ladies for sponsoring another great blog hop! Please stop by and show them some love!

Nikki at http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com/ and

Natasha Blackthorne at http://natashablackthorneblog.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

Lynn

The Day of Love

Today is the last day of the Valentine Day Blog Hop promoted by The Blog Hop Spot and I’d like to welcome you all! Please go to their event page for all the details at Valentine Blog Hop Event Page and see the wonderful group of authors that are promoting there. There are two-hundred and sixty three authors, that’s right you heard it, 263 authors who want to give things away to you! Glad you could stop by! Click on some or click on all, with each you’re guaranteed to find great authors with fabulous giveaways.

Just a reminder to leave a comment to be included in my drawing. Unfortunately, I’ve had to have comments on moderation so they don’t show up right away but will be there with a reply from me on the next day at the latest. Today’s comments didn’t arrive in my mailbox until after 12 am Pacific time and while that means I see them right away being in Vienna, you won’t see them until the next day. You can still also send me an email and I’ll reply to that as well.

Here’s the important stuff...the winners of yesterday’s drawings are: winners of yesterday’s drawings are: Shannon and Renald ~ you both have won a copy of my latest release and I will be sending it to you shortly; Jennifer L. ~ you have won the $10 gift certificate and I’ll be emailing you to get your choice of place. Everyone who makes a comment will be entered into the grand prize drawing which will be announced on Wednesday, February 15th.

Today, I want to talk about great romantic moments. It’s Valentine’s Day and who hasn’t had at least one in their lives. I am lucky as I have a man who believe in romance and what makes a moment romantic. I won’t bore anyone with my own details but can say that when my husband said he wanted to run away with me to live in Vienna so we could be alone again, it won my heart.

Now who can forget these very romantic lines? Each and every one of them turned a woman’s heart toward the man who said it. From the moment each was uttered, the girl belonged only to that guy. Here are some of my favorites.

Kyle Reese to Sarah Conner in The Terminator: I came across time for you, Sarah.

Jerry Maguire to Dorothy Boyd: You complete me.

William Thacker to Anna Scott: You can stay forever.

Now, it is your turn...please tell what your favorite lines are from either books or movies...can’t wait to see who you all pick! See you all tomorrow!

Don’t forget...tomorrow is the grand prize drawing!

Lynn

Our Second Day

Yeah, never say I was one to not think of great titles...LOL! I was just lazy today but there’s nothing lazy with announcing winners from yesterday. Please go to the website for all the details at Valentine Blog Hop Event Page. and see the wonderful group of authors that are promoting there. There are two-hundred and sixty three authors, that’s right you heard it, 263 authors who want to give things away to you! Glad you could stop by! Click on some or click on all, with each you’re guaranteed to find great authors with fabulous giveaways.


Valentine Day Blog Hop

 First, let me commend the one commenter that emailed me to say that my comment function on this blog wasn’t working. For that, I am truly sorry. Many of you actually tracked me down via Twitter or looking through this blog and sent me personal emails. I’m glad you made it. The problem’s all fixed now and all you need to do is to click on the number after the word ‘Comment’ at the top of the blog. I know it’s odd to have the comments at the top but I didn’t realize that when I started using this template. I will be getting a whole new blog soon and can’t wait.

Also, remember, to be in the grand prize drawing, you must comment on this blog. Just passing by and reading it won’t get you anything but a good read in the blog-o-sphere. Commenting will and the more the merrier as well as increasing your chances for a win.

Now...on to the important stuff...the winners of yesterday’s drawings are: Kimbre15 ~ you have won a copy of my latest release and I will be sending it to you shortly; books4me ~ you have won the $10 gift certificate and I’ll be emailing you to get your choice of place.

Today, I’d like to talk about great love stories. Yesterday, I talked about why we even have a Valentine’s Day and why it even came into the public eye. I’m going to list out my favorite ten couples of all time. And I’ll be like David Letterman and give them to you in reverse order. I think some of you will be surprised as not all of them come from books but rather movies. That's what happen when a good love story comes to the screen.

10 ~ Del & Tiger from Sword Dancer by Jennifer Roberson ~ This is a wonderful fantasy book about two people from opposite sides of their world and how coming together is for the good of not only themselves but the rest of their world.

09 ~ Julius & Cleopatra ~ Most people fall in love with the Mark Anthony and Cleo story but not me. How these two manipulated each other in and out of the bedroom is something to behold. Their story is timeless in oh so many ways.

08 ~ Scarlett & Rhett from Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell ~ Who can have a list without these two? I know, I know...it doesn’t end happily but the story telling is so good that just for a moment, you forget that.

07 ~ Heather & Brandon from The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss~ This was the first true romance that I ever read and I was smitten. Need I say more?

06 ~ The Warriors of Spider by W. Michael Gear ~ This book is set in the far future. It has a Native American like culture, a group intent to destroy it and a man kidnapping a woman...what more can a girl ask for?

05 ~ Frank & Rachel ~ The Bodyguard ~ This is one of the best love stories around and today my personal tribute to Whitney Houston, may she RIP after her tumultous life.

04 ~ Lucy & Jack ~ While You Were Sleeping ~ This movie is so endearing and who can resist the leaning dialogue with all sexes trying on the shoes.

03 ~ Will & Anna ~ Notting Hill ~ OMG! This is one of my favorites of all time. It has some great lines and is hot!

02 ~ Martini & Kitty ~ If you haven’t read any of Gini Koch’s Alien series, all I can say is...what are you waiting for? The pairing of these two is a tango worth reading.

01 ~ Kyle & Sarah ~ The Terminator ~ Yeah, this is my all-time most romantic pairing ever. What girl can’t resist this: ‘I came across time for you, Sarah.’ My heart still flutters every time I hear it, say it or read it. I did name my youngest Kyle in honor of this movie. Yes, it did help that the name was part of my husband’s family history and we both got what we wanted. LOL!

Now, it is your turn...what are your ten most romantic couples?

See you all tomorrow!

Lynn

Today It Starts

Hi Everyone!

Valentine Day Blog Hop

 Today is the first day of the Valentine Day Blog Hop promoted by The Blog Hop Spot and I’d like to welcome you all! Please go to their event page for all the details at Valentine Blog Hop Event Page. and see the wonderful group of authors that are promoting there. There are two-hundred and sixty three authors, that’s right you heard it, 263 authors who want to give things away to you! Glad you could stop by! Click on some or click on all, with each you’re guaranteed to find great authors with fabulous giveaways.

For my contribution to the gift giving, I will be giving away a $10 gift certificate to Amazon OR ARe and one copy of my latest ebook, A Lover for Rachel, each and every day from February 11 through February 14 from the group of commentors. Wait – there’s more! Everyone will be entered into a Grand Prize drawing for a $25 Amazon or ARe gift card and a copy of the entire Santa’s Elves collection in ebook. The Grand Prize drawing will take place February 15. How’s that for a fantastic Valentine’s gift?

Today, I’d love to look at the Valentine’s Day itself and its origins. While most of you might think they aren’t romantic, I would beg to differ. Valentine Day started in 496 A.D. by Pope Gelasius I in honor of the many church martyrs named Saint Valentine. Pop Paul VI deleted it off the official Roman Calendar of saints in 1969, so it has no affiliation with church at all.

We have Geoffrey Chaucer in the Middle Ages to thank for associating the day with romantic love. Chaucer wrote in Parlement of Foules in 1382 and combined Valentine’s Day with love. Here are those famous lines:

For this was on seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

Roughly translated that means, “For this was Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.” Isn’t old English grand? LOL! Chaucer wrote this poem to honor the 1st anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. They married when they were just fifteen years old.

A “High Court of Love” was established in Valentine’s Day in 1400 in the romantic city of Paris. That particular court dealt only with issues that involved love such as contracts, betrayals and violence against women. The judges were selected by women on the basis of a poetry reading.

Even the Bard himself mentions Valentine’s Day in the play Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5. It goes something like this:

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,

All in the morning betime,

And I a maid at your window,

To be your Valentine.

Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,

And dupp'd the chamber-door;

Let in the maid, that out a maid

Never departed more.

—William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5

Modern day Valentine’s more than likely started in Victorian England where paper Valentines became so popular that they were assembled in factories. Leigh Eric Schmidt reinvented Valentines for England in the 1840s while Ester Howland did the same in the US in 1847. The second half of the 20th century found the practice of just exchanging cards was changing to include all sorts of gifts such as roses and chocolates, many packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s the diamond industry began to take notice and prompted many to make it an occasion for giving jewelry. In 2010, there were an estimated 15 million e-valentines sent to Valentine’s all over the world.

Can one get any more romantic than that?

Please continue on with the blog hop at Valentine Blog Hop Event Page and hope to see you back here tomorrow!

Lynn

Valentine Day Blog Hop

Hi everyone!

Valentine’s will soon be on us and I decided I wanted to do something different for the holiday this time. All I can say is...wow...this is very, very different from what I normally do. I decided to join a Valentine’s Day Blog Hop. The contest starts on February 11, 2012 and ends February 14, 2012 at midnight. You can find all the details on this page http://thebloghopspot.com/event-page  and while you’d there, you might as well gander at all the awesome prizes that are offered.

Did you notice just how many are participating? There are over 230 authors giving things away during this great contest. This is awesome and chances are good for winning. Scan the list and you’ll find me at 206. I was slow getting into the game...LOL! The bad thing is what it doesn’t say and that’s what my prizes are for the duration of the four days.

For my portion of this contest, I will be giving away daily 1 - $10 Amazon or ARe gift certificate and 1 ebook of the readers choice. At the end of the four days, my grand prize will be a $25 Amazon or ARe gift certificate and all of the Santa’s Elves series of ebooks, which is 7 books so far. All prizes will be chosen from those who stop by and comment on this blog during the contest days. All prize drawings are random and all winners will be announced on this blog immediately after the drawing or no later than the day after the drawing was held. Any prizes not picked up within 5 days will be forfeited.

We’ll have a lot of fun during those four days as I will bring you all up-to-date with what is happening in my life. I really promise not to bore you with anything mundane. I’ll be sharing things from Vienna, how my latest books are coming along, excerpts and more. I will also be tweeting all this information so if you haven’t followed me on Twitter, now’s the time to do it.

Can’t wait to see you all hear! Catch you all for the contest!

Lynn