The Vernal Equinox and Spring Celebrations...

Alphons Mucha - Spring

With the heralding of spring, the approach of summer, and warmer weather (well, for those of us in the northern hemisphere anyway,) “spring fever” is a common malady. Some battle pollen, while others look with horror upon the emergence of roaches, spiders and other creepy crawly hatchlings and would just as soon the pests stay frozen. Still, most of us happily embrace this time of year, much as they did in the past.

Our European ancestors greeted the vernal equinox with gratitude. Like the Autumn Equinox, the Vernal or Northward Equinox is one of two days a year when the day and night are equal in length. This day marks the end of a long, cold, and at times, very cruel winter, and the beginning of new life, spring.

During the vernal equinox, festivals and holidays take place all over the world. In many parts of Asia this day also marks the New Year.

Before Christianity took hold, the Scandinavian people celebrated Dísablόt, meaning the “sacrificial holiday,” which they held in honor of female deities or the “dísir” and the beautiful shield maidens, the Valkyries. Dísablόt celebrates the “fertility” of spring and summer which enhances the fall harvest.

The Fallen Stars - Trailer Reveal....

I am happy to take part in the trailer reveal for Stephanie Keyes' second book, The Fallen Stars.

Read on for more information about the trailer and the book!

The Trailer

Stephanie Keyes on Vimeo.

Cover Reveal for "Need" by Stephanie Lawton

I am so excited to take part in the Cover Reveal for author Stephanie Lawton's newest novel... Need!

Release date: May 17, 2013

Synopsis:

Isaac Laroche is cursed. All he wants to do is hide out and feel sorry for himself. Never mind that he got caught sleeping with his seventeen-year-old piano student, or that he abandoned her when the truth was exposed.

Isaac’s feisty high school sweetheart has different plans. Heather Swann has returned to their hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to regroup after breaking up with her troll of a fiancé. She’s restless and looking for a diversion, but she bites off more than she can chew when she sets her sights on rehabilitating Isaac with her unorthodox sexual, mental, and physical plans.

The two quickly reconnect, but their happiness is threatened by family secrets, old vendettas and the death of a beloved father-figure.

Can Heather handle Isaac’s baggage, or will her own come back to haunt them both?

George Washington and an Incredible Vision at Valley Forge...

Replica of George Washington's camp at Valley Forge by Rdsmith4

As you can imagine, there are a ton of stories out there surrounding the birth of our nation, some based on fact and some now relegated to the corners of legend. Not surprising many of those legends involve George Washington, the presiding authority of the Continental Army. I found several that intrigued me while writing my ghostly paranormal romance,  "Spirit of the Revolution..."

Here's my favorite...

The annals of history say the winter of 1777-78 was uncommonly cold. Historical documents tell us that Washington’s troops were sick, starving, and freezing to death. Morale among the dispirited troops had fallen to its lowest point. Disease took the lives of over two thousand good men. More than half of what was left of his army had every intention of going home once their terms of service ended. Whispers abounded that a disheartened General Washington toyed with the idea of surrender.

George Washington by Peale 177

During this tumultuous time, our beloved first president had an encounter with the paranormal, or so the story goes. You see, we find printed in the National Tribune of 1880--a century after the fact--a story concerning this encounter. According to the alleged witness, (one Anthony Sherman,) George Washington had an unexpected visitor. This beautiful, ethereal spirit—some say angel—appeared before him, startling him half out of his wits. After several attempts to inquire as to her purpose, she pointed east, and said, “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” She then showed him in vision several episodes of conflict involving his beloved country.

There are those who interpret these conflicts as America’s triumph over England, the Civil War, and then scenes from World War I and II. In the last conflict all nations were arrayed against America

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Very cool...right?

Reconnaissance Book Two of Paradise Reclaimed...Cover Reveal!

I am so excited to participate in the cover reveal for the fabulous Aubrie Dionne!

Blurb:

Nova Williams has lost her one shot at Lieutenant hood and at love. Lieutenant Crophaven has promoted her rival, Andromeda, all because her lifemate, Sirius, sacrificed their mission to win back Andromeda’s love. While sneaking out to prove Andromeda is a fake, Nova finds an alien ship hovering over their colony. Lieutenant Crophaven assigns her to a reconnaissance mission, giving her a second chance to redeem herself. Sirius must fly her and a research team to the vessel to decide if they are a threat. Thrown together with the lifemate that betrayed her, she battles with her own jealousy while her team battles for their lives. Can she forgive Sirius in order to save her team and warn her colony?

The Restless Spirits of Ringwood Manor – New Jersey

Not only is Ringwood Manor historically interesting, it is also the home of several restless spirits. Or so they say...

Ringwood Manor by Mwanner

Built in 1762, this beautiful Manor served as the primary supply center, strategic headquarters, and transportation hub for the Continental Army under General George Washington. Robert Erskine, Washington’s geographer/surveyor, took up residence here while taking charge of Washington’s defense mapping center. After the war General Erskine stayed on and ran the local ironworks. When he died, they buried him on the property, and his ghost is sometimes seen perched atop his grave and staring off toward the pond. (And speaking of that pond, according to various reports, two French soldiers who died for the American cause frequent the area while speaking French. So if you happen to speak French, and happen by the right place at the right time, do tell us what they're talking about...please.) Other legends tell us that Erskine’s ghost wanders the grounds with a lantern.

Over time, the house passed through many different owners and two of those owners, Martin Ryerson and Abram Hewitt, made extensive renovations. Hewett’s wife is credited for giving the manor its present grandeur. More about her in a minute.

As one wanders throughout the house, one might hear the sounds of footsteps, or witness a heavy object falling to the ground. Some say they have heard the disquieting sounds of someone crying. A door, firmly shut, will sometimes open of its own accord and reveal a messy bed that no one has slept in.

A spiritual medium visited the manor once and said that all the people traipsing through and invading the home during tours had a tendency to upset a female entity residing there. This distressed woman is most likely the spirit of Mrs. Hewitt. Perhaps she isn't the sociable type or maybe she would rather issue the invitations herself. The home is hers, after all.

A chill is experienced by some on the second floor hallway at the top of the stairs and next to the door of the children’s room. Whispers abound that the ghost of a housemaid haunts this floor. Someone beat her to death, or so the story goes. There are a few other entities tied to this house that are said to have worked for Mrs. Hewitt. They don’t seem to like her much, but then again, she doesn't like them either. Perhaps it’s all their squabbling that makes one feel clammy and out of sorts when they visit the house.

Not the most hair raising of phantom residents, but interesting nonetheless, after all, they have “dead people in the backyard.”

Oh, and lest we forget, the eyes of George Washington will follow you around the room. It’s only a painting though. Just keep telling yourself that— it’s only a painting.

So anyone out there have a ghost story of your own? If not, would you like to?

Major John Clark...Spies...and “Spirit of the Revolution”

In my novel, “Spirit of the Revolution,” Colonel Daniel Morgan assigned Mathias McGregor, and his small team of valiant Rangers, to assist Major John Clark with his intelligence operations during the siege of our nation’s capital in Pennsylvania.

Referred to as the Philadelphia Campaign, General Sir William Howe captured the city and then occupied it from September 1777 through June of 1778. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to anyone that while quartered at Valley Forge during the winter months of those years, General George Washington craved reliable intelligence from Philadelphia in order to plan his summer campaign. 

In response to this great need, General George Washington assigned Major John Clark, suffering from a serious shoulder injury, to oversee intelligence operations against the British. The major immediately established a proficient group of informants and couriers to make up his spy ring. Together, they succeeded in sending over thirty reports to Washington, informing him of British activities. He even set up an operation wherein Clark offered to give Howe information concerning Patriot activities. Posing as a Quaker Loyalist under an assumed name, Howe bought into the charade. Washington seized the opportunity and fabricated a number of false reports concerning the Continental Army, their strength and planned deployments, thus aiding and furthering the American cause.

A year, later still suffering from his injury and not having seen his family in over a year, Clark asked Washington for his release. Grateful for his service, Washington put him in contact with Henry Laurens, the man assigned to audit Army expenses. Clark never released the names of his couriers or informants, and they sank into respectable obscurity. In later years, John Clark served as governor of Georgia, as a state representative, a U.S. Indian agent, and “Keeper of the Public Forests,” under President Andrew Jackson.

In the novel, my handsome, intrepid hero, Mathias McGregor, alongside his equally valiant companions, conducted covert surveillance and peripheral reconnaissance missions for Major John Clark. They also formed a portion of the courier system outside of Philadelphia. One such mission cost these men their lives. But in “Spiritof the Revolution,” their mission doesn't end there...