The Christmas elves party at the red barn.

Greetings everyone, Lindy Lou here!  I'm so excited. This year the elves are having a party in the red barn and we're dancing to our favourite songs.  

Hywela Lyn, who kindly gave me a lift here in her starship (well there were so many elves on the sleigh it was a bit cramped, you see) anyway,  Hywela  Lyn wanted me  to go with "A Spaceman Came Travelling'' which would have been very appropriate, but we finally decided on another one of her favourites "Driving Home For Christmas" Now for me, that means going back to the North Pole and celebrating with all the othe elves, but for her, this song always makes her think of driving to Wales to visit her family, who she misses very much the rest of the year. 

Whatever, it's a great song to dance to, with your favourite elf!

Last year's Christmas tree

What's that? Oh, Hywela Lyn says I've hogged her blog for long enough and can she have a few words now? OK, over to you, Hywela Lyn.

Christmas Traditions
You know, Lindy Lou, Christmas time is my favourite time of the year, it's so magical. I love the twinkly lights, the decorations and the carols, and how everyone seems so much happier and kinder, at this time,somehow. I don't like Christmas to start too early though.  We don't usually put up our decorations until about the middle of December and then I go all out with fairy lights and holly, and evergreen garlands indoors, and outside we decorate the house with icycle lights, coloured lights along the fence, little illuminated  'snowflake' trees and a model Santa and his reindeer also made out of fairy lights. 

Christmas tree farm

Over the years my husband and I have established a few customs. There is the annual pilgramage to Wales, of course, to deliver  and collect my family's Christmas gifts, and as soon as we get back we go to the local Christmas tree farm, where Santa is waiting at the gate to greet us,  to choose our Christmas tree. I love decorating the tree, it takes hours, and I like to buy a new decoration every year. Most years it's an angel, but this year it was a little Breyer horse all decked out in Christmas finery.

Choccy's new jumper

Then there are so many Christmas Fayres, including the Blue Cross, which is a local animal rehoming centre, where we got our little terrier Choccy from. It's a lovely day out, with stalls selling pet supplies, as well as Christmas gifts and decorations, and everyone there remembers Choccy and makes a big fuss of him. This year he dived straight into the 'Lucky Dip' box and came out with a squeeky chicken! I fell in love with a pretty red doggy Christmas jumper and had to buy it for him! 

Me at the garden Centre

We also visit the local  garden centre which always has a
lovely display of  Christmas decorations, woodland animals, gifts, and seasonal plants. 

Garden Centre Animals

Garden Centre goodies

 And - this year, for the first time, we are going to visit a local Stately Home, just before Christmas, where they're holding a 'Light Festival' which promises to be quite spectacular with Christmas lights in the grounds, and a display of illuminated animals in the house itself, so that's something I'm looking forward to. 


Are there any special events or things you and your family like doing every Christmas? Let me know in the comments.  On the 11th December I'll draw one name to win a download of the second book in the Destiny Trilogy 'Children Of  The Mist.' It can be read as a stand alone and I thought it was appropriate because it takes place on the snowy planet Niflheim, and we all think of snow at Christmas, don't we!

Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone!

BELOVED ENEMY -  Book 3 in the Destiny Trilogy (

can be read as a 'stand alone')

Cat Kincaid is obsessed with killing the man she believes is responsible for the torture and death of her sister, but when she eventually catches up with him, survival becomes a greater priority than revenge.

Kerry Marchant, haunted by memories, regret, and self-blame, shields himself from the pain of the past by committing himself totally to the starship, Destiny, of which he is part owner. However, the beautiful, red-haired woman who reminds him of his lost love, and who he suspects is working for a corrupt regime, represents a possible threat not only to the ship, but to his heart.

Marooned on an inhospitable planet, they need to work together to stay alive, fighting not only unknown assailants, but their growing attraction. But how can they learn to trust each other when he has vowed never to get close to a woman again, and she made a solemn pledge to destroy him?


Available on AMAZON

Don't forget to visit the other elves taking part in this Blog Hop - just follow the links below and leave a comment to be in the running for one of the great prizes on offer.

December 4

Holland Rae - https://hollandrae.com/

Susanne Matthews - https://mhsusannematthews.wordpress.com/

Sorchia DuBois - www.sorchiadubois.com

Mariah Lynne - 

December 5

Tena Stetler - http://www.tenastetler.com/category/my-say-what-blog/

Maureen Bonatch - http://www.maureenbonatch.com/blog/

Peggy Jaeger - https://peggyjaeger.com/

Barbara Burke - https://barbaraburkeauthor.wordpress.com/

December 6

Kelly Kalmanson – http://kkweil.blogspot.com

M.S. Spencer - http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com

Hywela Lyn - https://hywelalyn.blogspot.com

Reggi Allder - https://reggiallder.blogspot.com/

December 7

Denyse Bridger - http://www.fantasypages.ca

Clair de Lune - https://clairdelunebooks.co.uk/ 

Karen Blake-Hall - https://kaydenclaremont.wordpress.com/ 

Casi McLean - http://casimclean.com/a-christmas-to-remember/

December 8

Darlene Fredette - http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com

Daryl Devore - http://daryldevore.blogspot.ca

Gini Rifkin - http://ginirifkin.blogspot.com

Linda Carroll-Bradd - http://blog.lindacarroll-bradd.com

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Springtastic blog tour - Spring Procrastination!

Welcome to the Springtastic Blog Tour. A group of 'Highway Cafe' Authors have got together to bring you a reading extravaganza with prizes to be won Yep, I knew that would get your attention. Several authors are giving individual prizes and there is also a grand prize of a basketful of Ebooks to be won - including mine, which is my fantasy novella, Dancing with Fate.  More details at the end of this post.

Now, I hear you ask - where does the spring procrastination come in?

Well, I don't have to tell you what spring means, do I? daffodils and bluebells,

little lambs in the fields, and there's that strange bright light in the sky - the sun is out.  


My horses are pleased to have their rugs off at last, needing lots of brushing to get all that winter hair off and of course I want to spend as much time with them as I can -

and meanwhile my little dog is raring to go on longer 'walkies'...








...and I  have a whole lot of new seedlings that need planting if we're to have any flowers in the garden this summer!

All this means I am very behind in writing my next novel - hence the

'procrastination'! *Sigh* it's not that I don't want to write - I do, but there are just so many things that demand my time in spring. Can anyone tell me how to get another eight hours into the day?


Anyway, what you really want to know is how to win a basket of books, don't you!

http://transcanadaromancewriters.blogspot.ca/2017/04/spring-tastic-tour.html

The Easter Bunny lost some eggs during his delivery, and he needs your help to find them! Today, April, 25th, and 26th, visit the participating Highway Cafe members’ sites to find the missing eggs. There are some hidden on this blog. when you find them, just leave a comment to let me know, then visit the Highway Cafe Blog Site: http://transcanadaromancewriters.blogspot.ca/2017/04/spring-tastic-tour.html  to find the other members taking part and visit their blogs too. When you've finished egg hunting, go back to the Highway Cafe Blog site and leave a comment listing the blogs where you found the eggs and commented.

I'm also 'full of the joys' of spring because the third book in the 'Destiny' Trilogy' is nominated for the RONE Awards in the SF/Fantasy category. I've already mentioned this in a previous post but in case you haven't come across this book before, although it's the third book in the series, each book is intended to be read as a 'stand alone', although of course I hope if you read one, you'll enjoy meeting up with some of the characters in the other two. Here's the blurb:

Blurb:

Cat Kincaid is obsessed with killing the man she believes is responsible for the torture and death of her sister, but when she eventually catches up with him, survival becomes a greater priority than revenge.

Kerry Marchant, haunted by memories, regret and self-blame, shields himself from the pain of the past by committing himself totally to the starship, Destiny, of which he is part owner. However, the beautiful, red haired woman who reminds him of his lost love, and who he suspects is working for a corrupt regime, represents a possible threat not only to the ship, but to his heart.

Marooned on an inhospitable planet, they need to work together to stay alive, fighting not only unknown assailants, but their growing attraction. But how can they learn to trust each other when he has vowed never to get close to a woman again, and she made a solemn pledge to destroy him?

PURCHASE AT AMAZON:

 https://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Enemy-Destiny-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B01BBCBYCS

AND...Be sure to visit The Highway Cafe’s blog for the list of other participants in the Spring ‘Tastic Tour, as well as enter our grand prize giveaway of a Spring ‘Tastic Basket of FIFTEEN eBooks!

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join 

Highway Cafe Christmas Blog tour

Hi, Merry Christmas - and welcome to the Highway Cafe Christmas Blog Hop!                                                                                                         
(Well, I know it's not actually Christmas yet, but Santa has us reciting those words so often it's become something of a habit!) And actually Christmas is just around the corner and for Santa's elves it's a very, very, very busy time! Oh, I'm Lindy Lou by the way, and my job here at the North pole is putting the manes and tales on rocking horses and brushing them until they're really silky and shiny. I love my job because I've always loved horses and even though these aren't real, you never know if a bit of magical elven dust might bring them to life!

I always have the Nutcracker Suite playing in the background as I work - it's so Christmassy and gets me in the mood! Of course it's hungry work, so I have the occasional snack of Christmas fruit cake, washed down with Christmas mead to keep me going. The time flies and before I know it, it's Christmas and Santa is chuckling away, encouraging us to get all the toys loaded on his sleigh.

Oh, Santa doesn't get to be the only one delivering gifts either.  We're all 'Secret Santas' and have a gift for one of the other elves.  This year my gift is a sack of special carrots and apples for the reindeer, and a big box of chocolates and cookies for Taleisin Elafir, who does such a good job of caring for the reindeer.  I'd also like to give her a free copy of 'Dancing With Fate' if she'd care to take a moment from feeding the reindeer, to pop in and say hello.

I thought you might like a couple of Christmas decorating ideas.  In my little cottage at the North Pole, I love, love, love decorating for Christmas.  Here's one of my windows, and I cover the sill with white artificial snow (cotton wool will do) and throw on a little sparkle.  Next I get all my Christmas woodland animals, some little model houses and Christmas  dolls, angels and a Post Box I was given a few years ago.  I trim the window with coloured fairy lights and edge the display with gold tinsel and some clear fairy lights. In between I dot some pine cones, which I sprayed with with splashes of white paint to look like they're edged with snow. Of course any Christmassy ornaments can be used, they don't have to be the same as mine, just let your imagination run riot!

Another thing I like to do is create a 'teddy bear grotto.  I have a collection of tiny teddy bear figures. I keep them in a glass fronted curio cabinet with a deep display shelf underneath.  At Christmas I cover this shelf with a large sheet of white card and sprinkle it with that sparkly fake snow stuff you can buy in packets. I place a piece of white tinsel all around to keep the 'snow' in place. Then I just place some of my little teddies in the snow and let them play. Again, you could use any small Christmas figures and any alcove or spare bookshelf, It would also work well for a nativity scene.

Just a couple of easy decorating ideas, I'm sure you'll find lots more - and some recipes - on the other elves Blogs so be sure to visit them all. They're listed at the bottom of this page.

Oh - and before you go I'm offering a free copy of either Starquest or my fantasy novella  Dancing With Fate to a randomly drawn commenter on this page. Good Luck!

BELOVED ENEMY (Book3 of the Destiny Trilogy)

What if you had sworn to kill the man responsible for the death of your sister but found yourself falling in love with him instead?

BLURB

Cat Kincaid is obsessed with killing the man she believes is responsible for the torture and death of her sister, but when she eventually catches up with him, survival becomes a greater priority than revenge.

Kerry Marchant, haunted by memories, regret, and self-blame, shields himself from the pain of the past by committing himself totally to the starship, Destiny, of which he is part owner. However, the beautiful, red-haired woman who reminds him of his lost love, and who he suspects is working for a corrupt regime, represents a possible threat not only to the ship, but to his heart.

Marooned on an inhospitable planet, they need to work together to stay alive, fighting not only unknown assailants, but their growing attraction. But how can they learn to trust each other when he has vowed never to get close to a woman again, and she made a solemn pledge to destroy him?

Purchase from Amazon HERE

Join my fellow elves on the follwing blogs taking

 part in this tour: Pinky Twinkleton, Serendipity Sparkles, Candy Cane, Twinkle Bright, Bob, Puddle, Sugarplum Silverfluff, Granny VanElfington, Goth, Sparkle, Annie, Lindy Lou, Taleisin Elafir, Krafty Kelly, Frangelica Tinselbaubles, and Kandy Kane.

findingthewritewords.blogspot.com
http://www.tenastetler.com/my-blog/ 
https://barbaraburkeauthor.wordpress.com/ 
www.writerknapsack.com 
http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com/ 
http://www.maureenbonatch.com/blog/ 
http://nancyfraser.ca/wordpress/holiday-blog-hop/
http://www.sorchiadubois.com/ 
http://www.carolhenry.org/ 
http://www.fantasypages.ca 
www.hywelalyn.blogspot.com 
http://casimclean.com/casis-christmas-…cal-mystery-tour/ 
https://kaydenclaremont.wordpress.com/ 
http://mariahlynneauthor.blogspot.com/ 
http://kkweil.blogspot.com 
http://www.clairdelunebooks.co.uk/ 

http://blog.lindacarroll-bradd.com  (participating on Dec 6 only) 

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join Every new subscriber will get a FREEdownload of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)