Flipping Bookworm

Since I'm writing about America during the American Revolution, and Christmas is close, I delved into the traditions following one of our famous heroes, George Washington. The turn of the tide for the Patriots: General, and future first president, George Washington, spent a freezing Christmas crossing the frozen Delaware River in 1776. His rebel forces fought the Battle of Trenton in New Jersey, which led to a string of victories. The holiday was forgotten amidst the chaos of battle. The famous painting of this event wasn't produced until 1851. Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze In happier times, at his Virginia estate called Mount Vernon--a great place to visit if you have the chance--Christmas was a popular holiday. Mount Vernon, VA Washington spent a typical Christmas season foxhunting on his estate with friends and family, visiting his grist mill, and attending services at the Pohick Church. Food and alcoholic drinks, especially rum punch, were in abundance...

Dangerous Sanctuary  by J. Q. Rose Cozy Mystery Pastor Christine Hobbs never imagined she would be caring for a flock  that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer. Find more mysteries by J.Q. Rose at BWL Publishing Hello and welcome to the BWL Insiders Blog. Touring the Candy Company in St. Augustine, Florida, with J.Q. Rose Traveling is actually a working holiday for me because, as a writer, I am always studying the people and places where we go. I may catch a name or an idea for a character or a unique setting for my next novel. Snippets of dialogue form in my head as I listen to the regional dialects. But of course, I love seeing new places and all the experiences that go along with that. I'm sharing a place I fell in love with in St. Augustine, Florida,  the oldest European continuously occupied city in the USA. Please join me for an armchair travel tour of the Whetstone Candy Co. in beautiful downSt. Augustine. The story of the establishment of this chocolat...

Warm your holidays up with some chills! Sing with me, everyone! Huzzah! The holidays are nearly over! No more fruitcakes (no, no, not the food...that ONE uncle. Yeah, you know which one I'm talking about). Say goodbye to the wrasslin' wranglers of the store aisles, the ones who give soccer players a run for their money. So long to false smiles when you open a box of tighty-whities (I killed the snickers when I threatened to model them). And no more uncomfortable hugs. Especially uncomfortable hugs. I think I'm the only one who has a problem knowing when to hug. Hugging protocol isn't in my armory. In my family, if you accidentally touch someone, the knee-jerk reaction is to jump like an Olympic kangaroo. Yet, there's my wife's family, the huggin'-est family around. No problem with that, as I love 'em all, truly I do. I think it's nice, actually. So I studied and watched them. Maybe it's an Oklahoma thing, I naively thought....

To find out more about Storm's Christmas and other books by Nancy please click on the cover. Christmas festivities change over the years. When we're young things are so simple. We always put the tree up on December 20th as that was my birthday. Mom and Dad never wanted to put the tree up earlier than that as we always had a real tree and they worried that it would dry out. We had these really cool bubble lights that were all different colors but got really hot when you left them on too long. There was a fluffy white angel on top. One Christmas Eve when we were still outside in the driveway just getting out of the car Wendy and I got a huge surprise. There, coming down the Cooney’s driveway, who were our next door neighbors, was Santa Claus! We both screamed and then bolted for the back door. If Santa came while were still up and awake he wouldn’t leave us anything. We tore through the back door into the kitchen and down the back hall to the bedroom. With our wet snow boots...

I wrote this story many years ago. At that time my children were young and I was into reading stories to them. They always asked me to write them a story and so I did.   The Urn of Fate Pedro tossed a stone down the hill and sighed. He felt a tugging at his woolen scarf and turned to stroke Blanca, his pet merino sheep. “Si, Blanca, soon it will be time to go down but I must think now. Jaime’s coming for a few days. Can you imagine, he’s to be my special friend until next Christmas?” Pedro put his arm around Blanca and she settled beside him. Christmas hadn’t been good this year. Pedro frowned as he remembered how excited he’d been when his grandmother, Abuela, had picked up the Urn of Fate and started to draw names. Pedro had held his breath. Last year, Tio Carlos had been his special friend. Tio Carlos had given him Blanca and had taught him many things about being a shepherd. This year, Abuela had drawn Jaime’s name to be Pedro’s special friend. Pedro wondered what Jaime would g...

Darkness Descends,  Book 2 of the award-winning Twisted Climb series I live in rural Ontario, Canada, near the town of Alliston (population approximately 20,000). The town is about 15 minutes from home and is my typical shopping destination. Alliston is well known for its potatoes (vying for Canada's top spot vs Prince Edward Island), and the enormous Honda production facility, which encompasses 45 acres and employs 4,000 people.  Though it has grown by 25% since the 2011 Census, the town is still small enough to maintain that 'country charm' sought after by city dwellers. But what Alliston is most famous for is not pototatoes or Honda vehicles. Alliston is the birth-place of the renowned scientist, physician and painter, Sir Frederick Banting. Sir Frederick Banting, 1891 - 1941 Few people know the diverse traits of the man famous for co-discovering the insulin treatment for diabetes. Born in Alliston, Ontario in 1891, Banting was the youngest of five children. He attended ...

A Visit to the Grandparents by Adolph Tidemand 1859 Everyone undergoes life-changing events. Some are happy, others sad. Becoming a grandparent is, without doubt, a uniquely exciting and enriching experience. Research suggests that grandchildren find exceptional emotional and mental benefits in their relationships with grandparents. A bond of genetically-disposed acceptance and trust is formed between the two. Kids who grow up with emotional closeness with grandparents are less likely to become depressed as adults, one study shows. This well-being extends into the teenage years. Children find grandparents to be a major source of support during family disruptions. They are taken as role models and mentors for younger generations. Sometimes they're playmates for their grandchildren. They are important in teaching values, introducing ethnic heritage and passing on family traditions. For grandparents, the presence of grandchildren provide tangible health and emotional benefits. Caring ...