Topaz and Thanksgiving

November is my birth month so it’s always been special to me. This year, however, it also represents hope and renewal. October was an especially brutal month for me personally. I’m still dealing with the aftershocks, but now that November is here, I’m trying to move on.

A theme for our November blogs is parties, as in who would you most like to party with.  In my twenties and thirties, I was all about partying. God forbid we stayed in New Year’s Eve. Last year my birthday fell on Thanksgiving. Because it was a milestone birthday, I wanted to celebrate with the two people I love the most in the world, my husband and son, the only two people I need to make my party complete. My son lives near Las Vegas so my husband and I flew to Sin City for my Thanksgiving birthday. We had an amazing holiday dinner, but the best part was that the three of us were together. Family is what Thanksgiving is all about.

I used to fantasize about having an elegant family Christmas party where the women and girls were dressed in taffeta, silk, and satin, and the men and boys wore elegant suits. The table would be set with fine china and Waterford crystal and everyone behaved beautifully. Definitely a fantasy. If your families are anything like mine, we dress up for Christmas, but comfortably, and in most cases not in silk, satin, or taffeta. And what about Thanksgiving? Loose clothes are the order of the day.

Another theme this month is November’s birthstone, topaz or citrine. Since it’s also my birthstone, I love the gem in all its colors. I have a citrine ring, a pair of citrine earrings, a smoky topaz ring, smoky topaz earrings, a mystic topaz ring, a golden topaz ring which my grandfather gave me when I was a child, and a blue topaz ring.

Topaz comes in many colors which might surprise people. Here’s what I found on Wikipedia:

Pure topaz is colorless and transparent but is usually tinted by impurities; typical topaz is wine red, yellow, pale gray, reddish-orange, or blue brown. It can also be white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent/translucent.

Orange topaz, also known as precious topaz, is the traditional November birthstone, the symbol of friendship, and the state gemstone of the US state of Utah.

Imperial topaz is yellow, pink (rare, if natural) or pink-orange. Brazilian Imperial Topaz can often have a bright yellow to deep golden brown hue, sometimes even violet. Many brown or pale topazes are treated to make them bright yellow, gold, pink or violet colored. Some imperial topaz stones can fade on exposure to sunlight for an extended period of time. Blue topaz is the state gemstone of the US state of Texas. Naturally occurring blue topaz is quite rare. Typically, colorless, gray or pale yellow and blue material is heat treated and irradiated to produce a more desired darker blue.

Mystic topaz is colorless topaz which has been artificially coated giving it the desired rainbow effect.

Two gems are appropriate for November birthdays -Topaz and Citrine.

 

Citrine, the other birthstone for November is known as the "healing quartz". This golden gemstone is said to support vitality and health while encouraging and guiding hope, energy and warmth within the wearer. Citrine can be found in a variety of shades ranging from pastel yellow to dark brownish orange. It is one of the most affordable of gemstones and plentiful in nature. Citrine is found most frequently in Brazil, Bolivia, and Spain.

If you need a break from all the holiday eating, I recommend the delicious stories in Entice Me: Luscious Love Stories. I’m honored to be part of this anthology with so many talented authors.

My contribution is Capri Nights, a sensuous romance set on the bewitching Isle of Capri.

A San Francisco sous chef discovers she might have bitten off more than she can chew when a scrumptious Italian man stirs up a recipe for romance on the delicious Isle of Capri.

Sous chef Cat Connors has spent a lifetime feeling like a stale cracker on a plate of fancy hors d'oeuvres among her stepfamily. But when she travels from San Francisco to the sunny Isle of Capri, she’s determined to finally shed her dowdy image and spice up her life. She has big plans for her future as a chef. Those plans don’t include a yummy Italian with a mouth-watering body and a smile that melts her insides like gelato under the hot Capri sun.

When Alex Viteli retreats to his villa on Capri to escape the notoriety and legal troubles brought on by his family, the last thing he needs is a beautiful, tempting dish of a woman. Alex may be the scion of a wealthy Italian family, but that won’t matter if he can’t cook up a scheme to clear his father’s name and keep himself out of prison.

Though they fit together like strawberries and chocolate, Cat and Alex may not have time for more than a quick bite of romance. Cat’s future is in San Francisco. Alex can’t leave Italy. But the sultry Capri nights might tempt them both to savor just one more sweet taste of love.

http://www.amazon.com/Entice-Me-Luscious-Love-Stories-ebook/dp/B015YEHP9U/?tag=carmaraut-20

   

My Best Party Ever by Suz deMello

I'm a lucky person. People have remarked upon that regularly and I believe it. I was fortunate to be born into a middle-class, well-educated family full of creative, smart people and lots of fun times.

Sure, I encountered my share of lumps and bumps on the road of life, but for me, things have a way of working out.

And I've attended and thrown a lot of great parties. Unfortunately, due to my incredible age (ask me about the Inquisition!!) we didn't have picture-taking cell phones at most of them, and in quite a few, we were too ripped to find a camera, let alone take a picture.

And even now--few pix exist of our parties. See "too ripped", above. If I can remember to take a picture at a party, that means I'm not having enough fun. I'm not sufficiently engaged in the moment. And if I can find my phone--well, that shows that something's wrong).

But here's a couple of party pix:

This was in Matera, at the Women's Fiction Festival in,
I think, 2008. They throw the BEST parties! I'm in the middle.

My grand-niece's birthday party in 2014.
Someone actually had the presence of mind to
take a group photo! Wow. I'm in the front on the right.

But my best party ever was my 60th birthday party. (See, I told you I was old). At my request, it was a slumber party at my brother's home, a place perfectly suited to partying, especially a slumber party. Two rooms with huge sectional couches and great TVs. Extra bedrooms. Big kitchen where everyone congregates to drink my sister-in-law's infamous Evil Pink Brew--a lethal mixture of vodka, lemonade and Grenadine, meant to imitate Cosmos but on a grand and sloppy scale, and the EPB will make you grandly sloppy if you're not careful. I've learned to cut mine with plenty of 7-up.

Potter movies were playing on a continuous loop in one room, while something I can't remember was playing in the other (See, I told you it was a great party). Friends new and old, young and older came. It was great.

And no--no pix. Everyone was having too much fun.

Who Would You Invite? #November #RB4U @melissa_keir

Who Would You Invite??

Hello and welcome to everyone. It's Melissa Keir once again talking about romance books and life. This month our theme is the best party. I love planning parties. Attending them, not so much...but I adore picking out the food, planning who to invite and creating a wonderful setting for people to gather.

Just imagine, you are having a party and can invite anyone you want, living, dead, real or fantasy...Who Would You Invite?

I'm sure there are so many different answers out there. I'd love to spend another day with my family who passed on, but I think the best party to have would be if your own book characters came to life and attended the party. Can you just imagine?

Jake and Angela along with her daughter, Taylor. Of course, Jake's brother would show up. He does a lot of lurking in the book...determined to get back at Jake.

But it wouldn't be a party without Johnson and Debra...She's probably scoping out my house to see how much she can list it for. But if these two are coming to the party, make sure you hide the alcohol. We don't want them to fall off the wagon again.

Rob and Keira would certainly want to come. Hopefully, they won't cause a scene with their fights. With their marriage on the rocks, putting them together along with others is like adding fuel to a fire. Keira's certain to think Rob's flirting and then all H*ll will break loose!

Throw in Lissa and Alex as well as his ex-wife and Lissa's best friend...Chloe...Well, let's just say, my house isn't big enough to keep them apart and not fighting. Hopefully, Chloe has worked on her own marriage so she doesn't have to try to get Alex back.

As you can see, this party will be anything but ordinary. I'd love to sit back and watch the interactions. To make the party more interesting, throw in a few vampire hunters, shifters, and skin-walkers and you have a fabulous event. No one is going to be worried about the food with so many interesting people there!

Who would you invite to your party? What characters would you want to show up and how would they act? I'd love to hear your insights....

Melissa Keir writes small town romances that sizzle. She's also the local radio movie reviewer and owns her own publishing house. When not busy, she dreams of becoming a drag racer and living life on the beach. You can find out more about her and her books at her website or Amazon.

It's November already? Let's PARTY !!

Better late than never, isn't that what they say?

I am so sorry for almost missing my day blogging today.  The start to November has been a rough one.  First may i give my condolences to Fran Lee.  While I didn't know her, i feel for the friends and loved ones that did.  Any time we lose a member of our 'author team' we all feel the loss deeply!

Thanks again for being patient with me !

So again we are off to a new month and a new start.  November 2nd has come !

Our writing topics this month are:

Birthstone and Flower
Citrine (or Topaz) - healing quartz; support, vitality and health
Chrysanthemum(white chrysanthemum, absolute truth and fidelity; red, love)
OR Theme
Best party ever! Real or imagined, the party of your dreams and your guest list

I think the BEST PARTY EVER sounds pretty good to me, and fun :)

I've definitely given my share of parties with 4 kids in the house but those were always for someone else. I definitely like the planning process but it's way easier to plan for kids than adults.   No way would i be up for a surprise party either.  My hubby has inquired and i threatened him with his life :)

 My idea of the BEST PARTY EVER i think would be a book party.  But don't laugh.  Does it make me lame?

 I love being an author and i think it would be pretty cool to get big enough to go on a national book tour but to start out with a big party at my house.  

Attendees would definitely be all the family that could come and then all my author friends.  

I'm always jealous to hear about the book conventions and conferences everyone goes to throughout the year because i've wanted to go to one forever.  With 4 kids at home though, makes it kind of tough to go away by myself for that long.  Not sure the hubs would have the patience to handle the kids on his own for that long lol. 

Until then, i'll  live vicariously through others as i see them partying away on facebook :)

What's your idea of...

THE BEST PARTY EVER??

*********

Thanks for stopping by!