Happy St. Patrick's Day by Roseanne Dowell

Who was St. Patrick?

St. Patrick was a Christian missionary and bishop of Ireland. He was born int he fourth century to a wealthy family. He was kidnapped at age sixteen and taken to Ireland where he was held as a slave. Patrick worked as a shepherd for six years before he made his escape. He went home and later became a priest, returning to northern Ireland where he evangelized the pagan Irish. St. Patrick is Ireland's most prominent saint. He died on March 17th. 

It seems everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. People across the world celebrate the day.

Legend has it that people wear green to make themselves invisible to leprechauns, who would pinch anyone they could see. 

Others think it's because St Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. 

  March 17th is a national holiday in Ireland, but people of all countries celebrate. Many parades are held in honor of St. Patrick. Two of the largest are in  New York and Sydney in the southern hemisphere. Thousands of people turn out in Chicago to see the Chicago River turned green as part of a tradition started in 1962, as well as the Vilnele River in Lithuania. 

In London, a St Patrick's Day Festival begins on March 13 in Trafalgar Square. A colorful parade with performers from sports clubs, dance schools and community organisations leaves from Piccadilly at midday and ends up in Trafalgar Square.

Some countries show their support by turning buildings green for the day, including the London Eye and HMS Belfast in London, Trinity College in Dublin, the Pyramids and the Sphinx in Egypt, Sydney Opera House in Australia, Burj Al Arab in Dubai and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

Many traditional foods are served on St. Patrick's Day. We eat corned beef and cabbage, but Irish Stew, Boxty Pancakes, Smoked Trout with Guinness, Jameson Whiskey Irish Ribs, and Barmbarck (traditional Irish sweetened bread) are also served. 

Oh, and don't forget the Guinness.  

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone. 

Harassing phone calls from a killer terrify journalist, Susan Weston after her first big byline. 
Detective David Morgan investigates the calls and the fact Susan’s bracelet was found at the murder

scene. Sparks fly between them in more ways than one. To make matters worse, someone is leaving roses in front of Susan’s door. Is she being stalked by a killer?

Available from Amazon

Books We Love's Tantalizing Talent ~ Author Vijaya Schartz

Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything and could never refuse a challenge. She likes action and exotic settings, in life and on the page. She traveled the world and claims she must be a time traveler, since she writes with the same ease about the far past, the present, and the far future. With over twenty-five titles published, Vijaya Schartz writes action adventure laced with sensuality and suspense, in exotic, medieval, or futuristic settings. Her books collected many five star reviews and literary awards. She makes you believe you actually lived these extraordinary adventures among her characters. Her stories have been compared to Indiana Jones with sizzling romance, and she takes that as a compliment anytime. She writes to entertain.

She writes what she likes to read, and she has eclectic tastes. Never a boring moment in her books. She also enjoys the research, whether it's medieval history or space exploration. She likes to mix genres, so her medieval romances are sprinkled with fantasy, action and adventure. Her most recent series, Curse of the Lost Isle, features a family of immortal ladies, related to Morgan the Fae, struggling to survive and find love in a society that condemns magic and burns witches.

Find Vijaya and her books at Books We Love:
http://bookswelove.net/authors/schartz-vijaya/

BELOVED  CRUSADER

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Medieval - Curse of the Lost Isle - Book 6 (standalone)

1096 AD - To redeem a Pagan curse, Palatina the Fae braves the Christian world to embark on an expedition to free the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem from the Turks. Pierre de Belfort, Christian Knight of Lorraine, swore never to let a woman rule his life, and doesn't believe in love. Thrown together into the turmoil of the First Crusade, on a sacred journey to a land of fables, they must learn to trust each other. For in this war, the true enemy is not human... and discovery could mean burning at the stake.

"... a vivid look at what life could have been for Pagans and Christians alike. Palatina and Pierre are so lifelike, one could expect them to step out of the page, chain mail jingling and swords flashing." 5 stars (exceptional - crowned heart for excellence) Ind'Tale Magazine

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ASLEEP  IN  SCOTTSDALE
Contemporary romance with suspense and intrigue

When Talia runs over billionaire Kyle Dormant with her bicycle in the dog park, she considers their meeting a happy accident. He believes it is destiny, but her physician's mind rebels at such notions. Their budding romance comes to a grinding halt when Kyle won’t wake up from deep sleep... with no medical explanation. Baffled and deeply concerned, Talia digs into his recent past for a plausible cause. Instead, she uncovers dark family secrets. Convinced Kyle's condition was induced, and someone wants him dead, she is anxious to save him, but the closer she gets to the sordid truth… and a possible cure, the greater the risk to both their lives.

"Ms. Schartz has brought us another entertaining story and also has crossed genres with this new modern romantic tale... The plot twists and Kyle is in danger. As Talia races to figure out how to save Kyle, she also faces danger... has a knack for describing fast paced situations and gives us interesting dialogue and relationships, as well. She never leaves the reader wanting!" Amazon reviewer

ALIEN LOCKDOWN

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Action Sci-fi romance 

The year is 3033, and deep in the bowels of the underground galactic prison, something has gone terribly wrong. Rhonda Alendresis never wanted this prison job. When the civilians vanish and an earthquake damages the nuclear reactor, she must go down to repair it with Captain Perfect himself, Cole Riggeur, who always plays by the rules and never trusted a woman in his life. But deep in the underground penitentiary, the most wicked convicts in the Galaxy are loose, and a treacherous shape-shifter plans his revenge. Disconnected from the Garrison, against impossible odds, Cole and Rhonda now face their greatest challenge... trusting each other in order to survive.

"...suspenseful, gripping saga of survival, betrayal, and hope...the resourcefulness and courage that occurs when a person refuses to admit defeat and die." 5 Angels - Fallen Angel Reviews

LIST  OF  TITLES  BY  VIJAYA  SCHARTZ  from  Books We Love:

Science Fiction with romantic elements:

CRUSADER - Archangel Book 1
CHECKMATE - Archangel Book 2

ANAZ-VOOHRI - Ancient Enemy Book 1
RELICS - Ancient Enemy Book 2
KICKING BOTS - Ancient Enemy Book 3

ALIEN LOCKDOWN
SNATCHED

Contemporary Romance:

ASHES FOR THE ELEPHANT GOD
ASLEEP IN SCOTTSDALE

Medieval series: Curse of the Lost Isle

PRINCESS OF BRETAGNE - Book 1
PAGAN QUEEN - Book 2
SEDUCING SIGEFROI - Book 3
LADY OF LUXEMBOURG - Book 4

Also: CURSE OF THE LOST ISLE BOXED SET (Books 1 through 4 in one download)

CHATELAINE OF FOREZ - Book 5
BELOVED CRUSADER - Book 6
DAMSEL OF THE HAWK - Book 7 (late spring 2016)

The Golden Year of 1966

By the time you read this blog I'll be on the high seas. Why? Well because my husband and I are lucky enough to be celebrating our Golden Wedding anniversary on 26 March, and we've decided to do it in style by cruising in the Western Mediterranean. We are even going to have a gondola ride in Venice...an absolute must for a writer of contemporary romance as I'm sure you'll agree.

Those 50 years seem to have flown by and yet I can remember the beginning as if it were yesterday. Our only travel then was in a small car on mostly secondary roads as there were few highways in the UK in those far distant days. We were married for years before we flew in an aeroplane and a lot more time went by before we boarded our first cruise ship, but how times have changed since then. Now, thanks to work as well as holidays and trips to see friends, we have visited more than 40 countries and are still travelling, and I can hardly believe it. Growing up I never expected to travel anywhere outside the UK and my parents never did.

Readers know that many of the places I visit feature in my books and that is particularly the case with Cabin Fever. The story follows another cruise we took, this time from Auckland in New Zealand to Sydney in Australia. It's written from the perspective of the crew instead of the passengers. Did I just make it up? Not quite. I talked to some of the crew members to ensure I got my facts straight before I returned home and wrote about it, and in doing so I was able to relive the cruise all over again, always a bonus.

I have no idea which, if any, of the places we visit in March will feature in future books. It could be Dubrovnik, or Venice, or Malta, or a host of other places, or perhaps none at all. It depends entirely on whether something triggers an idea for a story. One thing is for sure though, celebrating or not, I will be looking for that trigger. It's my default mode.

Something else is going to happen in March as well. A weekend in an hotel with two of my cousins and their spouses, all of whom were also married 50 years ago in 1966. It must have been a very expensive year for the family!  We all know how lucky we are to still be together and to have our health, and we are going to drink to it, and to the future, because hopefully we still have a few golden years left. Maybe that should be my next book. The story of 3 marriages. On the other hand...maybe not!

My next book, Remembering Rose, which will be published in June, a few months after my anniversary cruise, is about a marriage though. Well two marriages actually, which, although there is more than a century between them, are inextricably linked together. In this story the only travel involved is time travel, something which, looking back over the past fifty years, I seem to have done just by living.

Sheila's books can be found at:

Books We Love

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

Kobo

She also has a website and can be found on facebook