The Day The World Turns Green!

Celtic Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine down upon your face.

And the rain fall soft upon your fields

Until we meet again

May God hold you in the hollow of his hand

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

The day everyone is Irish! So what is it that makes everyone want to be Irish? 

SOME FACTS ABOUT ST. PATRICK DAY'S

The Legend has it that St Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Some believe it was really pagans he drove from Ireland.  It is also claimed that he had a way with words, and used the three leaves of the Shamrock to explain the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. St. Patrick's Day commemorates the death of St. Patrick who died back in 461 AD. The first celebration of St. Patrick's day was in 1737—surprisingly in Boston!

Leprechauns come from Irish mythology and are thought to be a type of male fairies that inhabit Ireland. Magical creatures, lovers of mischief, who covet a pot of gold. 

My Irish Guy!

As for the Shamrocks, Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

Personally, I love the Irish! I married one! Love Ireland. I took an Irish pen name, Colleen Connally. Just rolls off the tongue. Fun to say! My husband came up with it. 

So if you are looking for a nice romantic read on this St. Patrick's Day, may I suggest my books under Colleen Connally. Seductive Secrets is a free ebook. Broken Legacy is my newest release!

AMAZON   BARNES AND NOBLE

AMAZON    BARNES AND NOBLE

"May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours. That stay with you all the year long."

"Erin Go Bragh." (Ireland Forever)

National Women's History Month

March is National Women's History Month! History is littered with great women who influenced history. Susan B. Anthony, Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks. I mention only a few.

I write historical fiction/romance. Writing romance, there is a certain amount of fantasy within the pages. Romance novels are meant to be an escape from reality for a brief moment in time. But the women I create within my pages are inspired.

I love history. I believe that the best in us surfaces in the most trying of times. Deeds of bravery are not always written to be remembered. The effects of the deeds are felt. I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about. I have written about her before...

AMAZON   BARNES AND NOBLE   KOBO

Irena Sendler. This truly remarkable woman risked her life saving 2,500 children from the Nazi's during WWII. Her story is amazing and without question...inspiring. Yet her story wasn't known for many decades. She inspired my heroine in Broken Legacy. Broken Legacy is set in a different time and place—the French Revolution.

Yet there is a common denominator. An insurmountable evil. In WWII the Nazi killed millions without conscience. They struck fear into the hearts of everyone. To defy the Nazis meant certain death if caught. Matter of fact, Irena was caught and sentenced to death. She escaped, but the threat remained until the Nazis were defeated.

The French Revolution inflected the same terror—The Reign of Terror. Thousands of innocent people were killed. We have all seen movies of this time where the condemned were carted to the guillotine. If you study the French Revolution, you will find there were more terrors than just the guillotine that were faced. Moreover, the French Revolution may have begun as a rebellion against the aristocrats, but during the Reign of Terror no one was safe. It only took a rumor to have one arrested, which meant almost certain death.

My heroine, Eloise, faces many dangers in Broken Legacy to do what she believed was right. I truly believe there were people just like my heroine, Eloise, throughout history. Taking a line from Broken Legacy—

 He had lived in the Terror for only a brief time, but well understood the sheer fear the threat of the Terror’s justice caused. These brave souls demonstrated truer courage than any soldier he had ever encountered, each deciding that doing the right thing was easier to live with than doing nothing.

It's not only Broken Legacy that was inspired by a brave woman. Winds of Betrayal Series was inspired by the brave men and women that sacrificed themselves for the American cause. Yes...the many brave women of the American Revolution. Abgail Adams, Lydia Darragh, Betsy Ross, Rebecca Motte, Emily Geiger, Grace and Rachel Martin, Martha Washington... The list is long.

This month read up on some of the great women of the past! If you like, pick up a copy of Broken Legacy...or maybe start my American Revolution series Winds of Betrayal... Enjoy!

EMBRACE OF THE ENEMY, BOOK TWO  WINDS OF BETRAYAL SERIES

WINTER WONDERLAND

Perspective. Life is about perspective. How do we look at the events in our lives? This was my life last week. Nemo slammed hard. We were without electricity for four and a half days. I thought that was bad until someone I know started talking about her experience with Sandy last year. She had me beat—nine and a half days.

AMAZON US  AMAZON UK   BARNES AND NOBLE   KOBO

I write historical romance. I love history. I find it fascinating how people lived in the past. One of the aspects of writing is using one's imagination to conjure up a believable tale of the past. I feel sometimes I'm transported back in time when I'm engrossed in one of my books. I'll give you an example.

Writing Broken Legacy was difficult for me. The Reign of Terror was a real event. So many thousands of innocent people lost their lives facing Madame Guillotine. I literally had to thrust my hero and heroine into the midst of this madness. For a moment in time, I found myself contemplating what it must have been like to face the threat of the guillotine. I have to admit the more I researched the French Revolution the more fascinated I became. Did you know that most victims of the guillotine faced their deaths with a quiet dignity? I think I would have been fighting and screaming going up the steps.

AMAZON US       AMAZON UK

Writing the Winds of Betrayal series, I dove into learning about spy networks during the American Revolution. Again, I was completely mesmerized by the circumstances of the war and the consequences brave men and women faced. Studying history gives one a better perception of the sacrifices made for us to be where we are today.

Moreover, in all my historical books my heroes and heroines accomplish all their feats without benefit of electricity! I have come to the conclusion I would never have survived. I need my electricity. I want my electricity. I confess I am a wimp. I have never been so miserable as I was last weekend. But hubbie, my doggies and I survived.

So am I amazed at the Winter Wonderland surrounding me? Can I for an instant appreciate the beauty of what it looks like when an ice bomb has gone off? I suppose I can if I was in the comfort of a warm house with internet, food, and hot water. Oh, did I tell you that we are expecting another snow storm tonight?

Busy week this week so I hope I don't lose electricity again. First Broken Legacy, Book Two Secret Lives Series was released on Valentine's Day. Don't forget that Seductive Secrets, Book One Secret Lives Series, is a free ebook!

Also this week, the newly published, The Cry For Freedom, Book One Winds of Betrayal, will be free February 20-22! Kindle Freebie! Get your copy and let me know what you think! Coming soon, Embrace of the Enemy, Book Two Winds of Betrayal, will be released. Also, I'm still hosting the book give away celebrating the release of Broken Legacy. Check it out on Colleen Connally's blog!

HOW LONG DO YOU WANT TO BE LOVED?

How long do you want to be loved? Is forever enough? Sound familiar. It should. It comes from Lullaby by the Dixie Chicks. I'm listening to the song as I'm writing this blog. The lyrics keep echoing in my head. What a hauntingly beautiful song!

We do want forever and when we love and are loved...it is forever. Love is a legacy. I was thinking what we leave behind—what we have given to this world. I was thinking of my grandmothers...my dad and I smiled. Their passing left a void, but it is filled with memories. Some memories fade in time; others magnify. I was fortunate to have been closed to both my grandmothers. Both gave taught me invaluable lessons, not by their words, but actions.

My grandmothers came from different worlds. One came from money and privilege; the other...not so much. If I credited one person for my writing it would have to be my Grandmother Dotson, the one with not so much money. I would sit for hours listening to her talk of her youth. She encouraged my imagination. She grew up the youngest of seven and she was the only girl. I can still picture her talking to me, her house, her room...even her smell. For some reason, we had a special connection. The greatest gift I ever received came from my Grandmother Dotson.

I am a middle child. No different than most middle children. In front of me, I had a beautiful sister who could do no wrong. Behind me, my brother, who got to go with my father everywhere because he was male. I was so envious. I felt that I kinda got lost in the mix. Grandmother Dotson made me feel special. She lived about an hour away. Every Saturday, my mom and I would go visit her. Most times no one else would go, but I wouldn't have missed it. Then one Saturday in December...just after I turned eleven, we went to visit only to find my grandmother collapsed on the floor. It was so strange and surreal. Even before Mother opened the door, I knew. I knew and already ran to the neighbors. My grandmother had passed away. Sadness enveloped me. It was only two weeks before Christmas.

Christmas wasn't the same that year until after everyone had opened their presents. Then away from all the others, my mother gave a small package, beautifully wrapped. Opening it, it was a watch. My grandmother, who didn't have a dime to spare, had bought it for me. My sister had wanted a particular watch for Christmas that my grandmother knew my parents were going to give to her. My grandmother wanted me to have one. I may have only been a simple Timex watch, but I loved it. I still have it to this day. The band long gone. Worn. Broken. But its one of my most precious items I own.

There are several times of love. Passionate love. Tender love. Motherly love. Compassionate love. Love.

My grandmother has been gone for over forty years, but I have always felt she was with me. She has never left. A love that crosses time...a love that is forever.

This is my post before Valentine's Day.

I have a book giveaway going on.

Amazon US    Amazon UK  Barnes and Noble

Seductive Secrets is a FREE ebook! Would you like a free paperback?  

Do you want a chance to win a signed copy of Seductive Secrets? I have some copies I’m giving away for the next few weeks. Not only Seductive Secrets, but a copy more of my books. In the Whispers of a Legend series under my other pen name Carrie James Haynes, Part Four- Time of the Nuxvenom or one of the Tides of Charleston Series, Another Night Falls. It will be your choice. But you have to comment to win!

Congratulations to last week's winners Vanessa, Renee, and Jessica! I’ll be giving away books until Broken Legacy is released!

You can comment anywhere I’m at socially…here,  Jerri Hines, Romance Author, Castle in the Air, Colleen Connally Blog, Novel Works, Whispers of a Legend Saga, or on twitter at @jhines340   @carriejhaynes  @colleenconnally or any of my Facebook pages.