Calendars - fantastic facts

 

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The month of July always causes me to think about our calendar system. By the original Roman method this is 2778 A.U.C. (Ab urbe Condita = from the city's founding) The "Julian" calendar was Rome's first calendar reorganization and took place during the rule of Julius Caesar, in the year 45 B.C. The lunar/solar cycles don't mesh, because the moon goes from dark to full in 29.5 days and this does not match the observable solar year. At first, it is not a large problem, but as years advance, the discrepancy becomes a problem.  

This "Julian" notion was adopted from the Egyptians. Perhaps Caesar learned of this from his mistress, Cleopatra, who was highly educated and surrounded by a court that included mathematicians and astronomers, as well as the usual priests, historians and linguists. The result was a 12 month, 30 day system, with a day added to adjust the discrepancy between solar and lunar cycles. An extra day resulted in a 366 day leap year which occurred every four years. 

The next Western calendar was introduced by Papal Bull during the time of Pope Gregory in 1582, to better align with what the mathematicians reckoned was the sun's orbit around the earth. (They were taking more accurate calculations/observations, but still fitting it into the Church-approved Ptolemaic interpretation of our solar system.) This correction involved a ten day addition to the year. The Gregorian calendar was first adopted by the European Catholic countries.

European Protestants suspected a "Popish Plot" and did not adopt the new calendar until a century later. The English-speaking world only caved to astronomical reality regarding the calendar during mid-18th Century. By this time, Galileo's 1632 assertion that Earth revolved around the Sun was widely accepted. In 1752, England and her colonies finally adopted the Gregorian calendar, adding those ten days. This adjustment kept to the formula of "every four years, a leap year with an added day", but also eliminated leap years on Century years that are not divisible by 400. For instance, the year 2000 had a leap year, while 1900 and 1700 did not. 

I have read that George Washington, among others, refused the change on a personal level by retaining their original birthdate, out of synch with the new dispensation or not. This is personal, as he and "share" a birthday. I thought, when I first heard this story that his attitude was rather backwards. :)

It may be 2025 by our Julian/Gregorian Calendar reckoning, but it's rather different in other parts of the globe.

Jewish A.M. year = 5786 (A.M. is Anno Mundi, Latin) "year of the world's creation"

Islamic = 1447, which is the year of the Hegira of Mohammad, his escape from Medina to Mecca, along with his followers.

Chinese = 4728. The Chinese have an interlocking "lunisolar" type of reckoning, where the Sun determines the seasons and the Moon determines the month, using 29.5 days a month, with an Intercalary month inserted occasionally to keep the solar and the lunar in synch. They also have a zodiac of twelve. As we may know, 2025 is The Year of Wood Snake. 

 ~~Juliet Waldron

  

In an Era of Fake Alpha Males, Cowboys are Sexier Than Every, By Connie Vines #Sexy Cowboys, #Alpha Males, #Rodeo Romance

 Have you noticed? The times are a-changing.

In an Era of Fake Alpha Males, Cowboys are Sexier than Ever.

The cowboy fantasy isn't just about romance. When men in power are unserious and unworthy. Or when the media depicts all men as deadbeat dads with inflated egos, there's nothing hotter than a symbol of quiet strength, reliability, and competence.

Do you recall the classic 1999 country song by The Chicks? 

The song informs everyone that a rugged man sweeps a woman away to the freedom of the wide-open plains.

That fantasy --- the allure of a cowboy and the promise of escape -- has endured for generations. Woven into country songs, fashion, romance novels, movies, and all eras of pop culture alike. 

No matter how much the world may change.

The cowboy endures.

The era of the itinerant cowboys driving cattle herds through Texas lasted 25 years. However, the cowboy in our hearts has been around much longer.

The loner. The protector. Core values: Hard work, independence, courage, honor, and freedom. His word is a solemn vow, and... cowboys ride horses.

He'll love animals and probably have a dog or two. 

A cowboy's got to be tough to ride the land, but he might have a heart of gold beneath that rough 'n' tumble exterior. He's willing to tame the harsh elements around him to get what he wants.

There's a hint of a gentleman about a cowboy. He'll tip his hat and be respectful.

Every woman loves a cowboy.
(connie's Canva photo)

A cowboy's got to be willing to take on danger and have endurance. After all, he's got to keep on working, whether he's running a days-long cattle drive, barrel racing, or sticking to a rebellious steer's back on the PBR.

A Stetson, flannel, buckle, and denim look good pretty much any guy...whether or not he can dance.

There is a cowboy for every era.

Some may save a 1800s town from a tyrannical railroad baron, a working ranch hand, or a sensitive soul crooning a country tune. 

Do you reach for a Cowboy Romance?

If so, who's your favorite on-screen cowboy? Or your Favorite movie?

Mine:

Dances with Wolves (1990) and Quigley Down Under (1990).

Favorite Western actor: Sam Elliott (love his gravelly voice).

Best Cowboy song: Should've Been a Cowboy by Toby Keith.

My Favorite Cowboy Motto:  "Don't Corner Something Meaner Than You". 

I hope you enjoyed my post.

Please add your list of "Faves" in the comment area (my cowboy heroes love to please the ladies 😉🤠 🐴).

Please visit my links and follow my website and blog. 

My links: 

https://connievines-author.com

https://mizging.blogspot.com

https://books.apple.com/us/author/connie-vines/id624802082

barnesandnoble.com/s/connie%20vines

And, of course, at your favorite online book seller!

The tidy corner of my office 

My awards and some of my research materials.

Spending quality time at my PC at 1:00 AM

Happy Reading,

Connie

The agony of picking graphics for a book cover - by Vijaya Schartz

Find it at BWL Here
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An unruly Valkyrie on a flying tiger, a stern angel in love with the rules, and evil pounding at the gate… What could go wrong?

Riddled with survivor’s guilt after Ragnarök, Valka wanders the universe as a bounty hunter. But when hired by angels to recruit warriors for the final battle against evil, she welcomes a chance at redemption.

General Konrad Lagarde, First Mate of the angel ship Blue Phantom, strongly rejects Valka’s methods. A stickler for discipline, he also considers this fascinating woman hazardous to his sanity, as she could make him forget all the rules.

Evil from another universe has infiltrated a secret society of former dictators hungry for power. Having massacred all the angels in his former world, the evil one wants to do the same here. The angels of this universe face their greatest challenge yet… destroy the evil one and avenge their fallen brethren… or the bringer of darkness will enslave us all.

Picking the elements of this cover was easy as the sci-fi background was the same for the entire series, and I only had to choose a big cat fitting that story. But my current project CHI WARRIOR presents bigger challenges.

We authors have images in our heads when we write, and the book cover should reflect these images. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to make suggestions to my publisher’s (BWL Publishing) art department, as I’m the only one who knows the world I created. I fancy myself as an artist, but I’m not a professional cover designer. I understand my suggestions might be rejected if they do not fit the current trends or the marketing needs.

Sometimes, the cover artist will take inspiration from the image I suggested and find something similar but better suited to the project.

What are the colors of the created world? What is the mood? How does it make you feel? The challenge is to create an image to make the reader feel, “I want to discover this world, these characters, I want to spend time in this atmosphere, I want to read this story.”

But it also has to reflect the actual setting, story, and characters. You cannot manufacture a tantalizing cover image and not deliver the same flavor inside the pages.

As an added challenge, except for specific historical period novels with costumes, the BWL Publishing covers no longer portray the main characters. Actually, this is a good thing. It’s almost impossible for a writer to find the perfect picture of their hero or heroine in stock photos. And if by miracle you find it, you might soon find another book out there with the exact same picture on the cover. It happened to me once, and I found it frustrating. It also must be confusing for the readers who saw your cover once in passing and are looking for your book.

Looking for these images can also be time consuming, even with the fancy search words and filters. I spent many hours looking at thousands of images… and I am still not happy with what I found.

But I was reminded of deadlines. The art department needs my suggestions now, so I sent what caught my attention so far. I also suggested bright red Asian letters for the main title. I hope the talented Michelle Lee who supervises the cover art, will make something wonderful with it... she always does.

The book, CHI WARRIOR, Protectors series Book One, is scheduled to be released November 1st. Now, back to the finishing, editing, and rewrites… if my kitty cat lets me see the pages.

Happy Reading.

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
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Paranormal Sightings by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

 

www.bookswelove.com

Coming June 2026

Paranormal Sightings

In the past, my publisher, BWL Publishing, has brought out the Canadian Historical Brides Collection and the Canadian Historical Mystery Collection. There are twelve books in each Collection, each one set in a province or territory of Canada. Starting this year and continuing into 2026 and 2027, BWL Publishing is publishing the Paranormal Canadiana Collection.

I chose the Yukon for each Collection and wrote Romancing the Klondike for the first and Sleuthing the Klondike for the second. I am now researching and writing Haunting the Klondike for the third.

As far as I know, I have never seen a ghost. However, I did live in a haunted house, although without my knowledge. When my husband and I and my brother and sister-in-law first moved to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island we bought a house that had been converted into a duplex. My sister-in-law told me that she was continually seeing a man coming and going from their side. I saw no one on our side.

When I returned to Alberta to visit family and friends I described where our place was to a friend. She began asking questions about it and said that a friend of hers had lived in that house years earlier. She also asked me if I had seen the ghost who occasionally wandered through the house there. I said no, but my sister-in-law had.

My friend said a man had died in that house and her friend had seen his ghost often while living there. I wondered if that was the same man who my sister-in-law was seeing.

I’m not sure if the reason I did not encountered that ghost nor any other ghosts in my life is because I don’t believe in them or because I have been lucky. So I have nothing personal on which to base my novel. I will have to do it all by research.

However, if a ghost is reading this, this is not an invitation to come to me and tell me your story or start moving things around to prove you are real.

My Favourite Character by Victoria Chatham

 

AVAILABLE HERE

I was recently asked which is my favourite character out of all my books, and why. It was a thought-provoking question, one I couldn't answer immediately. It’s that classic dilemma: you shouldn’t favour one of your children over the others; you should love them all equally. Sometimes you might not like them, or they might not like you, but that love remains the solid foundation upon which you build.

But, the characters in my books are not my children. My heroes tend to be the strong, silent types—disciplined, no-nonsense men with a natural sense of duty. They can look after themselves, but they truly thrive when they have a lady in their lives. My heroines challenge what has traditionally been regarded as societal norms. I strongly believe that, in every era, there are individuals who stand out, and this is crucial for all of my heroines. I have no hesitation now in choosing Emmeline Deveraux, the heroine from my first Regency romance, His Dark Enchantress. 

With the Napoleonic Wars raging across Europe, they created the perfect environment for Emmeline’s secret life as a spy. Her equestrian skills developed from my passion for everything related to horses, but I also drew on records from Astley's Amphitheatre, which opened in 1768. Philip Astley is widely regarded as the father of the modern circus. He initially ran a riding school, but later, he and his wife Patty Jones performed trick riding shows. Their acts became more popular when Philip decided to combine his riding expertise with clowning.

Astley's Amphitheatre

Besides Emmeline being an excellent horsewoman, she could also drive a team of horses, for which I drew on the expertise of Mrs. Cynthia Haydon (1918-2012), who, with her husband Frank, bred, trained, and exhibited the naturally high-stepping Hackney Horse. Their Hurstwood Stud in Sussex, England, was renowned worldwide and many of their horses were exported, especially to the USA. The Hackney Horse is now regarded as a rare breed.

Mrs. Cynthia Haydon

 When I first envisioned Emmeline, she wasn't neat and tidy like a proper Regency lady would have been. Her long black hair was loose, she was barefoot, and astride a black horse. It was pouring with rain, and she was soaked to the skin. Her eyes were blue, and one reader mentioned she sounded like Elizabeth Taylor, which had never occurred to me. However, as a twelve-year-old, Elizabeth Taylor played Velvet Brown in the 1944 film ‘National Velvet’, so it might have been an instinctive rather than deliberate choice. Although Emmeline would have preferred to stay at her grandfather’s home in Devon, he sent her to London for the Season, ostensibly to find a husband, as was the custom.

In her rural surroundings, Emmeline was in control. In London, she worried that someone from her past might recognise her, risking her chances of a favourable marriage. It is when she is kidnapped that Emmeline’s true character reveals itself. Fearful but resolute, she fights with all her might for survival. Emmeline can be forceful, funny, loving, but most of all, a woman with a mind of her own. Dare I say a gal after my own heart?

Victoria Chatham

  AT BOOKS WE LOVE

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 MY WEBSITE

Images from the public domain.

 

Were you sober when you wrote this?

 

While promoting books, I get many questions. Some are funny: "Are you any of your characters?" The answer is no, the characters are all younger, smarter, and better looking than me.

The question that gave me pause was, "Were you sober when you wrote this book?"

Replaying that question caused so many thoughts to surface. I read that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote "Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde" while on a twenty-four-hour cocaine binge. Having read that book as a naive high school student, I wondered what crazy visions Stevenson must've had to dream up something so twisted and diabolical. As an adult I think, cocaine seemed a likely contributor.

William S. Burroughs was known for missing deadlines. It's rumored that his agent resorted to locking the author in a room and only supplying him with a bottle of booze after Burroughs passed another chapter under the door.

An upstart Nevada distillery uses a tagline: "Drink bourbon because no good story ever started after a kale salad." The reality of that ad might be balanced by a quote from Jimmy Breslin: "Don't trust a brilliant idea until it survives the hangover."

 I embrace this great quote from Ring Lardner, "No one, ever, wrote anything as well after even one drink as he would've done without it."

The answer to that original question; "I was stone cold sober". The questioner's reaction was to recoil. His unspoken follow-up question was probably, "You have thoughts like that when you're NOT drinking?"

Each of my mysteries is a collection of sometimes crazy sober thoughts, strung together by the dialogue between the fictional characters. Writing fiction allows me to release all those crazy thoughts that pop to mind, like when some idiot cuts you off in traffic.

Check my publisher's website for links to "A Bourbon to Die For" and all of my other books.

Authors — BWL Publishing

A haunting excerpt from Secrets of Lakeluster House, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

To purchase this novel, click HERE

 For those of you who like spooky stories, but not overly so, please enjoy this excerpt from my young adult novel. It's also a coming of age story for my protagonist.

Editorial Review by Renee Duke A YA novel that will definitely appeal to young teens who like scary stories, Secrets Of Lakeluster House successfully conveys the insecurity and emotional turmoil of its adolescent and preteen protagonists as they find courage they didn’t know they had.

An excerpt, the children are exploring a secret passage:

Sage stopped and raised her light; the hall appeared to curve. She couldn’t see Patrick anywhere. She was about to call out for her cousin. Something materialized in front of her, shifting hues of white and beige, transparent, yet slightly solid.

She froze, mute, unable to turn her head to see if Nate was there. Alarm rushed through her.

The woman in the long apron morphed out of the floating material. She turned her pleading eyes on Sage. “He no longer loved me,” she murmured. “We had plans.”

“Grandma Esther?” Sage thought she said the words aloud, or were they in her head? Had she really heard the woman speak?

The young man who resembled Huntley in a thinner version appeared beside the woman. “It was over, Essie,” he said with a British accent. "We had a bit of fun. Let’s remain friends.”

Sage’s stomach tightened into a fist. Why couldn’t she speak?

The man then stared right at Sage, his eyes black holes, which suddenly changed to ice blue. “Sage, you must go back.” His voice was so familiar. “You aren’t safe.”

He’d said her name! How was that possible? The woman nodded.

“He’s right. Leave us, dear. Be a good girl.” Then she pulled something from her apron pocket. The pistol.

Sage shuddered and nausea rose in her throat.

To purchase my books, visit my publisher's author page:

https://bwlpublishing.ca/lewis-diane-scott/

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with one naughty dachshund.

The Art of Diplomacy

 

Find my books here

I have lovely neighbours, and I'm not just talking about the ones who live next door but those in half a dozen of the houses and bungalows up and down the lane. Because we all live opposite fields that lead to woods and then on down to a wild beach, we often bump into each other when we're walking our dogs and stop to chat. And some of these meetings have led to close friendships over the years, friendships that always make room for new people when properties are sold. We're a mixed bunch too, with ages ranging from the thirties to the eighties, and yet that never seems to matter. Impromptu suppers, invitations for drinks in the late afternoon that go on until almost midnight, coffee at the end of a dog walk or just because. 

We help one another too. Parcels taken in, recycling bins put out, gardens watered, information about local tradesmen shared, family successes celebrated. And most valuable of all, the knowledge that if any of us need emergency help others will be there with a tow rope, buckets, mops, candles, strong arms, repairing skills and tools, hot tea, a meal, or just a comforting hand. 

Although this all sounds idyllic, it does, however, come at a cost because, inevitably, such a divergent mix of characters means an equally divergent mix of opinions. Left wing, right wing, the fence sitters, the easily offended, the intransigent. And who is what is sometimes surprising too. Age doesn't always equate with knowledge for example. And of course there are the talkers and the listeners, the questioners and the opinionated. One is a source of jokes and some of the few slightly risqué ones can lead to a very brief pause in the general flow of conversation! And yet everyone is kind. A difference of opinion is accepted without ever leading to argument. Not in what is probably the bravest way, such as 'let's agree to disagree on this one,' but by smiling and nodding and then encouraging the conversation to flow in a different direction.

The coward's way out? In this instance I don't think so. Having good neighbours is a two-way benefit that none of us want to destabilise, so we accept our differences, know that we are not there to judge, and save our arguments for those friends and family members whose robust rejoinders we can count upon.

One other thing. So far I've only discovered one reader amongst the lot, and coming from a family of readers and writers I find that shocking. I don't say so though. Not the right place for such an opinion! A wonderful source of characterisations though although if they ever turn up in one of my books they will be heavily disguised. 

In my book Miss Locatelli, Arabella, the main character, has to learn diplomacy the hard way. She gets there in the end but it takes a while! If you like sparky personalities who are not afraid of speaking their mind and getting into an argument, then she is the one for you.

 

 

 

Gardens in Bloom by Nancy M Bell

 

What is it about a garden? Sometimes it's like hockey and farming - There's always next year- but then sometimes it all comes together so wonderfully. Gardening and getting dirt under my fingernails goes back to when I was a kid and my grandfather would spend hours in the huge garden behind our house. I tagged along behind him and by osmosis learned so much with him having to speak a word. 

To this day I think of Grampa when I have my hands full of earth or my arms full of the autumn harvest. Just last night I spent an hour or so with my head and arms buried in a red current bushes and came home with stained hands, more than a few mosquito bites and an ice cream pail full of juicy currents. Today's job it to turn those currents into jelly.

Fruit and vegetables are always a joy but my real passion is flowers. Annuals, perennials, it's all good. Although I do have to say I have a secret love of the perennials, they show up every year like old friends come to stay for the summer. While I'm pulling out the never ending weeds I talk to the plants and I do believe it does make for more blooms and vigorous foliage. My husband thinks I'm just a bit wacky. Okay, more than a bit, but hey...life is too short to worry about what others think. Even one's husband LOL. 

This is my second spring and summer in the new house and it is taking a bit to get the gardens looking the way I would like, but one step at a time. It is coming along and there is a quiet satisfaction in starting from scratch again and then seeing the yard bloom with colour and hear the soft hum of bees in the hollyhocks and  other flowers.

I'm starting work on a new book set in an abandoned restaurant in my small town. It's going to be a time travel/romance/kinda historical. How's that for a confused genre? However, I do believe it will be fun to write. The working title it Jessie's Cafe and yes there really was a Jessie way back in the day. Stay tuned for more info as the work progresses.

I thought I would share some garden pictures to close. Happy gardening. Stay well, stay happy. Until next month...

Lavatera

Sweet Peas

Sweet William

Potato blossoms 

Another Year - Slow Writing #BWLAuthor #MFRWHooks #Another year #Slow Writing #Future Projects

 

Another year has passed. I'm now working on 89. Though my writing has slowed a bit, I released a series of short stories including an Mrs. Miller novella. I also set off the first book in a new murder series The Horror Writer's Demise due out I believe in October. At present I'm working on a romance story that involves a Phone Call and A voice From Her past. I have a second idea for another book concerning a phone call. I also plan to finally write the second book in a Regency series that began with Gemstones, This one called Silks. There will eventually be a third in this grouping. There will also be a second mystery. 

The past year plus was a slow one because of some health silliness. All better now. Having ideas is great but finding all the time is sometimes not all. The writing for me goes smoothly but the typing is slow. All my books are had-written for the first and often the second draft. Looking forward to the new stories to tell.