Friday, August 23, 2013

A few OTHER laws of nature...

Forget Newton and Galileo. Here are a few of the real laws of nature:
1. Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands are fully coated with grease, your nose itches and you need to pee.

2. Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, or screw dropped, rolls to the least accessible corner.

3. Law of Probability- The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of what you are currently doing.

4. Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.

5. Supermarket Law - As soon as you get in the smallest line, the cashier calls for help.

6. Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now

7. Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the phone rings.

8. Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

9. Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

10. Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

11. Law of the Theater.- At any event, the people whose seats are farthest from the aisle, always arrive last. They are the ones who leave their seats several times for food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance. The folks in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies and stay to the bitter end of the performance. (I can say this because I’m an ‘aisle seat’ kinda person.)

12. The Coffee Law - As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your spouse will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

13. Murphy's Law of Lockers - If there are only 2 people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

14. Law of Physical Surfaces - The chances of an open-faced jam sandwich landing face down on a floor, are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet or rug.

15. Law of Logical Argument- Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about

16. Law of Physical Appearance - If the clothes fit, they're ugly.

17. Law of Public Speaking - A closed mouth gathers no feet.

18. Law of Commercial Marketing -As soon as you find a product that you really like, they stop making it.

19. Doctors' Law- If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better.. But don't make an appointment, and you'll stay sick.

A friend emailed these "laws" to me. Got any you'd like to add? ;-) 

Saturday, August 17, 2013

No kilts? What?

A warrior’s wardrobe


By Juli D. Revezzo


If you’ve read romance and historical romance for any length of time you’ll undoubtedly run across a few clichés. Sometimes, they’re so expected you just know what you’re going to get. The happy ending, the vampire falling in love with the drip of a girl. There’s also the thing about Braveheart. Every other historical novel set anywhere in or near Scotland seems to have a guy in a kilt. So much so, fans of the genre have a joke about it (what does a Scot wear under his kilt?)


Well, I’m a stickler for accuracy, and so in researching my debut paranormal romance novel, PASSION’S SACRED DANCE, which features Irish Celts, I went looking for their mode of dress.  I found to my surprise that, according to the historical sources, the ancient Celts didn’t wear kilts. Traditionally the men wore tunics—called a leine—and thews, which are basically just trousers. Even the Scots didn’t adopt the Kilt until the 1590s according to one source I read and the Celts adopted it even later than that. Yep, sorry, ladies. Historically, the Kilt wasn’t part of a Celt’s wardrobe.

It seems to make sense. I mean, who wants to run around a battlefield in a skirt? Something that could easily get snagged in your chariot’s wheels?  

On the other hand, there was this separate group among the continental Celts (that is, those that stayed on the Continent of Europe) called the Gaesatae. These men had a distinct ritual dress for their war preparations. The Gaesatae would shed all their clothes and march into battle stark naked. Yep. Not. A. Stitch between them and the sky.

Can you imagine seeing your enemy walk out on the battlefield with a little more than just a flag flying? >;) Interesting image, huh? One must be quite bold to do that.

Unfortunately, the weather at the time PASSION’S SACRED DANCE takes place was a bit too cold for such attire. However, my heroine Stacy does get an eyeful of the hero Aaron from time to time. Would you like a peek?

Excerpt:

She drummed her fingers on her desk. On the other hand, could she afford not to see it? Sheer curiosity if nothing else would kill her. “Do you know why he brought the diary to your attention, and not to mine directly?”
Aaron shrugged. “I guess because I teach his son.”
He waved a hand. “Stick fighting, you know. Martial arts.”
Made sense. “Still…” she sat back in the chair and crossed her arms, “I don’t know.”
“As you wish.” He tapped the letter. “He can give it to the university. I’m sure they’ll be interested.”
She picked up the note and hugged the stationery protectively. “No, no. I’ll go.”
Her gaze went to his, and butterflies dashed around in her stomach. A vision flashed before her of how his eyes might look glazed over in passion. “Maybe we should go.” She cleared her throat, stood and moved to the filing cabinet, changed her mind and went to the
desk again.
The fabled diary! She was beside herself with excitement. She’d have the diary. What a month this was turning out to be. “When can we meet him?”
Aaron came forward and ran a finger over the calendar’s slots. “How about tomorrow morning?”
“Yes.” She nodded emphatically. “Perfect. Nineish?”
“Tomorrow it is.” He nodded and turned toward the door.
The thrill of this discovery overwhelmed her. An urge to kiss him in thanks struck her hard in the chest.
“Aaron?”
He met her gaze, waiting.
Her brain screamed, halt! She wanted to touch him at least. Her fingers twitched. She stepped back.
She just couldn’t. “I’ll see you at nine.”
He turned away with a knowing glint in his eyes.
She was such a fool.
****
Stacy Macken would be the death of him, Aaron thought, as he tugged off his boots and jeans. They’d parted a good hour ago, but he still couldn’t get rid of the sensation of having her close or the sheer need to kiss her.
Didn’t she realize how crazy she was driving him?
A cold shower was definitely in order.
Aaron closed the bathroom door behind him, twisted the white porcelain shower knob marked “C”.
As the water burst from the faucet, he heard it—the soft melody of his ringtone. Sighing, he turned the water off and sprinted into his bedroom, snatching his phone from the bedside table. The display shone bright with a name that darkened his mood. Laurco Çubiry.
Aaron frowned. What the blazes does he need?

What’s going on here and what does an Irishman wear under his kilt? I really can’t say. You’ll have to look into it yourself! I do know what some of them wear into battle though—and in the shower. ;)

Blurb:

Battling mounting debt, Stacy Macken is determined not to lose her historic art gallery. When Aaron Fielding appears and offers to help, she fights to keep the attraction sizzling between them from clouding her judgment. He may be her savior in disguise--but can she trust him?

Aaron intrigues her with tales of the Tuatha dé Danann, sworn warriors who protect humanity from the monsters seeking their destruction. If Aaron can prove what he claims, she would give up anything to help--even the gallery he claims is sacred ground. But with her property set to stage the next epic battle, she needs answers. An old family diary will confirm the ancient legend is true, if only they can find it in time.

If the battle is lost, the enemy will take control of Earth for the next five hundred years. Stacy and Aaron's budding love might only complicate things.

If you’d like to check Passion’s Sacred Dance out, it’s available at Amazon: http://amzn.to/18Tw0K6

About Juli D. Revezzo:

Juli D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics and has a soft spot for classic the “Goths” of the 19th century. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly. She also has an article and book review or two out there. But her heart lies in the storytelling. She is a member of Independent Authors Network and Magic Appreciation Tour. Passion’s Sacred Dance is her first paranormal romance novel.

You can find out more about her at her homepage: http://julidrevezzo.com/
On twitter: @julidrevezzo

*notes: The women wore dresses, and long tunics, as well as the unisex cloak.
Works cited: The Celts by Nora Chadwick
Celtic Dress of the 16th Century: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~wew/celt-clothing/


Friday, August 16, 2013

Do you believe in magic?

Magical, Mystical Moon Gates
By Marilyn Baron
Maeve’s Web site theme is Magical Romance Sifting Through Time, so I thought her readers might enjoy reading about my new release, a romantic thriller/historical from The Wild Rose Press, Under the Moon Gate, because it traces two romances in contemporary and WW II Bermuda.
Have you ever seen a Moon Gate? If you’ve been to Bermuda, chances are you’ve come across one, or walked under one. When I visited Bermuda for the first time, I fell in love with moon gates, which is why a moon gate is featured on the cover of my new novel.  The words Moon Gate are also featured in the title of the book and moon gates are an integral theme throughout the story. A lot of action takes place in the shadow of the moon gate.
Moon Gates are a very special tradition in Bermuda. As a matter of fact, they are a national symbol.  Moon Gates are circular, ornamental arches, used as an entrance or gateway to a garden, built of Bermuda stone. Legend has it that people, especially young lovers and honeymooners, who step through a Moon Gate, are blessed with good luck.
According to the jeweler, Astwood Dickinson, where I bought my gold moon gate pendant, from their Bermuda collection, to celebrate the launch of my new book, it is said that when a newly married couple “steps through a moon gate,” arm in arm, they are completing the circle of life. This is supposed to bring lifelong prosperity and happiness.

According to Astwood Dickinson, the Moon Gate is considered mystical because it is believed that the design and the legend of the Moon Gate originally came to Bermuda from the Orient. The first plan for a Moon Gate in Bermuda was brought from a Chinese garden in 1860 by a local sea captain (and a sea captain is also featured in my book). The Bermuda Moon Gate is slightly different from the original Chinese design, as it is often left free-standing or attached to low wall. 


No one is exactly sure when or how, but the first Moon Gate in Bermuda is believed to have been built when the former gardener of the Duke of Westminster in the United Kingdom was employed to design the formal gardens for the British shipping organization Furness Withy.  That was in the 1920s and it was the first of the Bermuda Moon Gates in hotel properties. Today, the same design—with an enlarged keystone at the top—decorates the entrance to many Bermuda gardens, homes, patios and pool areas.
Some of Bermuda’s most famous moon gates go nowhere, but the legend of their magical powers remains. So if you should see a mystical, magical Moon Gate while you are in Bermuda –step through it and make a wish.  
I saw my first Moon Gate at the Marriott Castle Harbour Hotel (now closed) in Bermuda, one of the settings mentioned in Under the Moon Gate.
Excerpt from Under the Moon Gate:
Patience yanked open the thick Bermuda cedar door, ready to brush off the unwanted visitor. Instead, she experienced a shock of recognition when she stared at the man standing before her. Taking a step back, she examined him cautiously. With long black hair, pulled back by a stark white tie, stunning blue eyes, and a fabulous face that managed to look both sensitive and sensuous, he could easily pass for a dangerous pirate.

Perhaps she was daydreaming or hallucinating. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night—or any night in the past month—and she had been reading a romance with a lusty pirate hero on the cover. Probably she still had pirates on the brain. Although the man at her door was in desperate need of a shave, he intrigued her. Her “pirate” was a
tall, imposing presence in tight-fitting but ragged khakis, with muscles bulging out of a snug, sweatstained white T-shirt.

Good Lord! was the first coherent thought that pierced her brain. She might have said it out loud had she been capable of speech. Her grandmother had said someone would come for her, but certainly she didn’t mean so soon and definitely not this brash pirate
person. And what was he doing at her door, unannounced and unwelcome, on a Sunday afternoon, disturbing her peace and leaving her speechless? One look at this man and she was about to toss all thoughts of proper behavior out the window.

If you would like to read Under the Moon Gate, (Kindle or print version) click this link
The prequel to Under the Moon Gate, Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story is now out on Amazon (and is scheduled for wide release on Sept. 11) at http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Bermuda-Love-Story-ebook/dp/B00D0RABAY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369698181&sr=1-1&keywords=Destiny%3A+A+Bermuda+Love+Story
Both books are set in Bermuda. Both are historicals. Here are the blurbs:

UNDER THE MOON GATE

Dashing sea captain Nathaniel Morgan sails into the life of prim and proper Bermuda heiress Patience Whitestone and threatens to expose her family secrets at any cost. The two are immediately at odds when Nathaniel moors his vessel in front of her estate and refuses to leave until he finds the cache of Swiss gold he’s convinced was buried somewhere on the property during World War II. Can Patience save herself and her family’s reputation when she finds herself reluctantly drawn to this determined “pirate”? Or will someone from the past make good on his threat to destroy them both? Their fate is inextricably linked to Nazi plots and to the beautiful moon gates of Bermuda in this compelling tale of love and intrigue.
DESTINY: A BERMUDA LOVE STORY
Prequel to UNDER THE MOON GATE
The relationship of star-crossed lovers Elizabeth Sutton and Edward Morgan founders off the coast of Bermuda with the shipwreck of the Sea Venture in the seventeenth century. Edward is seduced by the captain’s daughter and trapped into an unhappy marriage, but he and his new wife continue the voyage to Virginia to rescue the starving Jamestown Colony. Elizabeth, still in England and pregnant with Edward’s child, receives Edward’s letters telling of the shipwreck but knows nothing of his marriage. When her child is old enough, Elizabeth follows Edward as far as Bermuda. Will he return and will the lovers be reunited, or will their eternally entwined souls search forever to fulfill their destiny?

You can read more about Marilyn’s books and stories at www.marilynbaron.com.