FEBRUARY -- The month that is more than Love!

Ah, the month of February! Not just the month of love with Valentine’s Day. And for us romance authors who appreciate the celebration, or maybe not, we certainly do write about l’amour in all its many facets.

February, the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, is not only the shortest month but named for an old Roman god or a festival of purification celebrated in ancient Rome. For whatever reason, we like to celebrate the month in many ways.

One reason is coming up tomorrow, in the United States especially and maybe other parts of the world—The Super Bowl! Ready to break out the chips, dip, wings and other assortments of libations and tasty treats.

This year, Mardi Gras also falls during February. The 12^th to be exact. What a busy week this will be with Valentine’s falling two days later.

Did you know February starts on the same day of the week as March and November in common years, and on the same day of the week as August in leap years? February ends on the same day of the week as October every year and on the same day of the week as January in common years only. In leap years, it is the only month that ends on the same weekday it begins. Interesting, huh?

Here are other important events/dates for February:

• Black History Month (United States and Canada)
• LGBT History Month (United Kingdom)
• National Bird-Feeding Month
• Parent Leadership Month
• St. Brigid’s Day/Imbolc: February 1, Ireland
• Groundhog Day: February 2, United States and Canada
• Candlemas: February 2
• 1917 Constitution of Mexico: February 5
• Waitangi Day in New Zealand: February 6
• Slovenian Cultural Holiday: February 8
• Mike Day internationally recognized focal point of month-long celebration Mikefest: February 8
• World Marriage Day: Every second Sunday of February
• National Foundation Day in Japan: February 11
• Abraham Lincoln’s birthday: February 12, United States
• Serbia’s National Day: February 15
• Flag Day of Canada: February 15
• Presidents Day (United States, third Monday)
• International Mother Language Day: February 21
• Independence Day in Saint Lucia: February 22
• George Washington’s birthday: February 22, United States (often coincides with President’s Day, see above)
• Flag Day of Mexico: February 24
• Independence Day in Estonia: February 24
• People Power Revolution (Philippines) February 25
• Liberation Day (Kuwait) February 26
• Dominican Republic Independence: February 27
• National Day of the Sun (in Argentina)
• National Wear Red Day (in the US and the UK)
• Family Day (Canada) (on the third Monday in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan)

There are probably lots more, but I think you get the idea—February has a lot of celebrations. The recognized symbols of the month are for the birth flower—the violet and the common primrose. The birthstone is the amethyst (one of my favorites because I love purple). It symbolizes piety, humility, spiritual wisdom and sincerity. The Zodiac signs are Aquarius (until February 19) and Pisces (February 20 from thereafter).

Hope you enjoyed all the trivia/l information I’ve bestowed upon you today. Since yesterday I had the release of my latest story, A Lusty Vampire’s Valentine, it’s kind of appropriate for the month’s continued enjoyment. A little blurb and shorty excerpt to enjoy. So until next month, go have a love-filled month and have fun!

Cynthia

BLURB:

Richard “Dick” Grewcock is a fledgling vampire, turned by choice on Halloween Night. He’s a computer geek, thirty-two years old, and thinks vampires are handsome, powerful, and have women falling over them—everything he’s not. Problem is, after he turns he doesn’t get any of those qualities. On Christmas he got the girlfriend of his wishes, and weeks later his new life takes a turn.

Valentine’s Day he meets with his maker and is made an offer he can’t refuse, but he has a date planned with his girlfriend.

Noelle St. Nicholas is Dick’s new girlfriend, and a little geeky too, they seem to be a perfect match. She plans a night her boyfriend won’t soon forget, but he tells her something she can’t forgive.

On his second adventure to find love, Dick Grewcock gets a Valentine surprise he won’t soon forget.

STORY EXCERPT:

“Dick, Dick, Dick, you’ve been a naughty boy, haven’t you? C’mon and calm down. We can fix this. First, you have to stop erasing her memory and be a true vamp. Tell her the truth. Be her master. Then, I want you to bring her to me and let me check her out. We can set this right.”

“You sure?”

“Positive, my boy. I’ll take care of you if you take care of me. Fix my computers and I’ll put Noelle back into working order.”

She’s not broken, like a car needing a tune-up. Geez! “Yes, sir. How about bringing her by tomorrow night?”

“Hmm, I can do that. But remember, don’t do anymore mind erasing. Resist, my dear Dick. Remember you can do it. Now if that’s it, I have another appointment.”

“Okay.” Dick stood and reached his hand over the desk to thank his sire.

Vlad stood and placed his cold mitt in Dick’s. “Ah, does my Dick feel better now?”

Huh? The question gave him pause. No, he didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Dick changed the subject. “So, Master Vlad when do you want me to start on the computers?”

“Tonight, of course.”

“Really? But, I need to quit my day job, and I’m busy tonight. I have a Valentine’s date with Noelle, remember?”

“Hmm, that’s right you did say today is Valentine’s. Well, I was counting on you. I need to move on this immediately. I hate down time in my businesses.”

“I can’t give Noelle a call first? I have reservations at a nice restaurant and can’t change my plans.”

Available at Secret Cravings Publishing: http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=36&products_id=517

Blog: http://romanticwordsbycynthia.blogspot.com
Website: http://cynthiaarsuaga.weebly.com 

Yay! Wait...what? CONTEST

I know this isn’t news to many of you, but I’m getting married this year. I am in love with my best friend. I have a beautiful future ahead of me. Sounds very exciting, right? I mean I get to get all dressed up, buy a pretty dress and have a great party with all my closest friends and family…how fun, right?! But, I bet you didn’t know there’s a side effect that comes to planning a wedding. It’s a nasty little gremlin that they don’t talk about in all those foo foo bridal magazines. Want to know what it is? Okay, I’ll tell you, but you might want to sit down for this one.

WORK.

I know!!! I didn’t know either! I mean, I knew…but, come on, how many different fonts can there be for invitations? Then there’s colors – which by the way I’ve already changed twice in four months, so yeah. I’ve gone from Tiffany Blue with Chocolate Brown to now Turquoise with white and silver accents. Why? Pfft…heck if I know. Because it looks pretty! LOL. There’s too much to decide. And now I’ve got two teenage daughters pestering me about what our song is going to be. A song? Crap! I knew that we should have a song, but picking just one song that holds so much meaning is kind of nerve wracking. What if after a year the song gets old and I can’t stand to listen to it? Or what if I find a song which I feel fits us better, but I’ve already committed to the other one? *sigh* I mean this is a lot of pressure!

Soooo…guess what?! I thought maybe all of you could be my unofficial bridesmaids and groomsmen. Sit back down! You can’t say no! You’re already here! LOL. And like with all bridesmaids and groomsmen, your title comes with responsibility. Therefore, I’ve devised a fun little contest for all of you which will in turn help ME gather a bunch of mushy and girlie love songs.

PRIZE:

1 - $10 Gift Card to Bookstrand, Inc.

HOW CAN YOU WIN:

1 – Read the blurb and excerpt on my upcoming release, Surrounded by Roses which is scheduled for release February 7^th, but is already available for pre-order!

2 – Leave me a comment below (remember to include your email) with a love song you think my fiancé and I should dance to at our wedding.

*This contest runs until February 7^th 11:59pm EST

My fiancé, Zac will come on the blog and choose a random winner on February 8^th!

BONUS PRIZE:

If you include in your comment the answer to the following question, you will also be eligible to win a free eBook copy of Surrounded by Roses.

QUESTION: What did my fiancé do in the Navy?  

HINT: Some may say he inspired the character of this book. *winks* 

After years of working on submarines and loving what he does, a training exercise goes horribly wrong. Suffering from the loss of his best friend, Trevor Purlington comes home to try and get past the demons which keep him awake at night.

Emily Dennis spends her days working as a nurse and her nights anticipating correspondence from her deployed submariner boyfriend. The last thing she expected was to find him at home waiting for her after a long shift at the clinic where she works. After being apart for so long, she is ecstatic to finally have him home.

Only Trevor comes home to Emily a different man, one who is starting to overshadow the man she once knew. Overwhelmed and confused, she refuses to give up on the man that she loves and vows to do whatever it takes to knock down his walls and bring back the Trevor she once knew.

DIRECT PURCHASE LINK: http://bookstrand.com/surrounded-by-roses  

ADULT EXCERPT  Trevor took in the sight of Emily’s body. Her frame was petite, and he liked the extra few pounds she always complained about not being able to get rid of. He could get lost in the landscape of her body. She had curves which put any other woman to shame. He loved his country and was willing to die for it, but he would take the valleys and peaks of Emily’s body over purple mountain majesty any day. His cock twitched while he teased the taut peaks of her nipples. He always loved the way her body responded to him as if on cue. She made him feel powerful, as though he were the puppet master and could pull her strings into doing exactly what he wanted. As much as he hated to, he pulled away from the glorious, little points. His desire to be inside her wet heat overrode any other need raging inside him. Tugging at the hem of his T-shirt, he pulled it over his head and threw it on the hallway floor. Emily’s delicate fingers trailed across his chest and slowly raked down his abdomen. Her touch was featherlight and nearly tickled. She took a step closer to him and brought her mouth down to his chest. Lips that were a million times softer than he remembered caressed his skin. Using her tongue as a guide, she trailed her mouth to and from each of his nipples. She nibbled tenderly on them while splaying her hand up and around his shoulders. He allowed her to continue her quest, knowing how much she enjoyed exploring his body. Far be it for him to deprive her of something she got such delight from. He would take his journey later, surveying and examining in close detail every square inch of her body. Reaching in between their two bodies, he unsnapped the button of his jeans. Even the small relief in pressure felt like heaven to his dick. He had spent most of the day semi-hard in anticipation of their reunion. The wait to see her again had been excruciating. Three long months submerged below eight hundred feet in the Gulf of Bahrain with limited communication had been trying for the both of them. That excitement mixed with sexual frustration culminated in one giant explosion of lust when he’d heard her outside and pulled her up against the door. His cock had gone from semi to rock hard in one second flat. Emily was still showering his skin in gentle kisses. Some of them were so soft he could barely feel them. She had a tenderness to her that sometimes made him want to shield her from the horrors of the world. He’d seen things in the service that would make even the bravest men shudder. Her softhearted nature was just one of the things he had grown to love about her, but that wasn’t what kept him awake at night. He missed her body, her touch, and the feel of her pussy gripping him so snug. He pulled his zipper down, relieving himself from the constricting denim. When he first tugged the sides down his hips, taking his briefs with them, he hissed out a breath of air when his cock jutted out and poked against the bare skin of her belly. She looked up at him, her expression hungry and desperate. This was always how they were. They didn’t need words when their bodies were involved. All they needed were their hands and mouths to connect. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him, her seductive tongue seeking his and stroking it the moment she found it. Both of them hurriedly pushed his jeans down his legs the rest of the way. Trevor shimmied the rest of the way out of his jeans, finally shoving them aside. He reached down and wrapped his arms around her ass, lifting her up and carrying her a few steps down the hall to her bedroom. He navigated through the dark room, and they fell to the bed, their lips still locked as they hungrily fed off of one another’s passion. Their relationship might be complicated by distance and a million other obstacles, but they were in sync when they were together like this. His urge to be inside her went deeper than mere lust. It was elemental. He needed it for sheer survival. Like an addict who had gone months without a fix, he needed the high that only she could provide. A realization smacked him upside the head and nearly knocked the wind out of his hard-on. He didn’t bring a condom with him, and the ones he picked up were in his bag in the living room. He pulled away from the kiss, pissed off for having to stop for even a second. “Shit. I’ll be right back.” “No, check the nightstand.” Getting up and off of her, he fumbled in the dark for the drawer handle. He opened it and found a box of condoms. It was still sealed and had never been opened. He tore at the side and pulled one out before throwing the package on the floor. With his teeth he bit off the corner of the foil package and pulled the condom out. He was about to place it on the head of his cock when Emily stopped him. Quicker than he had time to react she sat up and swirled her tongue around the tip. She teased him for several seconds, circling around and sliding up the base until finally she closed her luscious lips over the head and sank her head down on him.