7 Ways To Be Your Own Valentine

 

We made it to February! It's been 11 months since COVID Lockdowns started. How are you doing? Do you feel there is now an end in sight? I can't seem to get back to writing, but I know it will happen. In the meantime, I count my present blessings. Chris brings Walter and Eugene over every weekday so Melanie can work from home. I get to watch them grow. Jim sends pictures of him and Ella and we talk every few days.  I am still getting auditions and an agent is looking at Lord Byron's Daughter.   Happy Valentine's Day I know a lot of us are going to be spending Valentine's Day solo. I've had a lot of practice at this and I have a few suggestions. This is a good time to be your own soul mate.  Make or buy yourself a card. Inside write the things you love best about yourself. (Look at you. You are beautiful inside and out. And you have a great smile and an even better laugh. Keep going. There is so much to admire about you.) Plan a special meal. You can make it or order out. Personally, I am thinking my favorite Thai restaurant. And if you want company, plan to Skype or Zoom with a friend while you eat it. Chocolate. The joy of buying your own is getting exactly what you want.  Indulge in a get-ready time worthy of a good romance novel. Soak in a scented tub. Play music. light candles. If you enjoy dressing up, now's the time. Make yourself beautiful for you. What's an activity that gives you joy that you can do in lockdown? I love jigsaw puzzles and reading. Buy yourself a gift. I went overboard on that this year. I bought three new books. I am thinking of buying some flowers too.    I hope you indulge yourself in some wonderful way because you are so worth it. Here are a few book suggestions.

Looking for a new book to read? If You have Kindle Unlimited, these are all free to you. https://storyoriginapp.com/to/bUKchm5 If you want to buy one, I think they are all under 4. You can see from the samples below how different the genres are. I've read and loved The heart Collector. I put Monica Bolt's Why This is Wrong and Louise Lennox's Memories of Mistletoe on my TBR list. Because I already bought my Valentine's Books.     The books I gifted my self with are All the Colors of the Night by Jayne Ann Krentz Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins and the third book in The Magic in Manhattan series Wonderstruck by Allie Therin. What are you reading?

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Onward in 2021

  Apparently, Los Angeles is Ground Zero right now for COVID, Among other things, all film production shut down. 

Lots of fun things coming up. Books to read. Puzzles to do. Movies to watch. Plenty of good home stuff.  I just listened to a Podcast from Shelf Love with Jennifer Crusie. I don't usually listen to podcasts, but I loved this one. Pure delight. 

https://shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/season-2/episode-75/075-jennifer-crusie-nothing-but-good-times-ahead/

In the last couple of weeks  my favorite 5-star reads were:

The left Handed Booksellers of London 

How to Catch A Queen

and reread Georgette Heyer's The Masqueraders.

Next up for me will be Belle Ami's Blue Coat trilogy beginning with The Rendevous in Paris

Jayne Ann Krentz's All The Colors of the Night

and Elizabeth Acevedo's With The Fire On High

What are you reading? I love recommendations.

I wish each of you a safe, healthy, and creative 2021. I plan to get some writing done, submit some finished work, and possibly self publish some of my children's books as my beloved Guardian Angel Publishing closed up shop - a sideways victim of COVID. 

I also plan to read lots of books.  Right now, that's my comfort zone. What's yours?

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TwasThe Night Before Christmas A Parody For Book Lovers

 

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,

Each creature was reading. Yes, even the mouse.

In a nest made of cotton that used to line pills,

he read Mouseman Saves Christmas and shivered with thrills.

 Miss Padpaws turned pages of  Elf off A Shelf 

And purred as she read it aloud to herself.

Bad Dog, on the hearth, was devouring a book.

He'd chewed up five chapters and turned them to gook.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

reading books, with the covers pulled over their heads.

Mamá in her headset heard Time and Forever.

I chortled o'er Hogfather. That Pratchett's so clever.

Not one of us heard jingle bells on the roof.

No prancing and pawing of each tiny hoof.

Santa slid down the chimney and only Bad Dog, 

looked up and woofed softly at the man on the log.

 

"Good Bad Dog," said Santa, and opened his pack.

He pulled out a bushel of books from his sack.

Picture books, YA, some Midgrades for Simon,

Thrillers, romances and even Neil Gaiman.

Geronimo Stilton, he gave to the mouse.

A copy of Archie, he left for the louse

He patted Miss Padpaws and handed her Cats.

For Bad Dog, a cake book that tasted like Brats

 He filled every stocking with poems and prose.

Then ate all the cookies; brushed crumbs from his clothes.

 

On Prancer! On Dancer!"  Their bells jingled bright.

"Happy reading to all and to all a good night".

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Snow 2020 MULTI-AUTHOR Audiobook Giveaway

Affirming there is still joy in the season. Mandy M. Roth, a "NY Times & USA Today bestselling author" hosts an annual audiobook giveaway event that I'm participating in this year. I've giving ten more audiobooks  Findaway-Voices/Authors-Direct giveaway codes for IRISH MAGIC available to the FIRST 10 FOLKS who email me (you don't need a specific e-reader to enjoy the download and the Authors Direct instructions are easy to follow). I am giving away 10 more Audible codes each for TIME AND FOREVER and  MAYBE THIS TIME

Happy holidays everybody and check out the hashtag #snowaudio2020 on Facebook and Twittermfor even more wonderful audiobooks in all genres.

For my audiobook codes contact me through my website telling me which book(s) you want.

https://susanbjames.com/contact/

If you decide to request a book by leaving a comment on this blog instead of using the above link, please leave your name and email address in the comment, So far I have had two comments on this post with no email addresses. The others received codes. I have a few more to give. Stay safe my friends. Counting your blessing helps with the joy. Today I am thankful for my comfortable bed, hot running water, my car,  my son hanging my Christmas lights, making cookies with my grandson, and so much more.

 

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