I've moved...over to my web site!

Hello, friends --

Up until recently, I've had a bit of a scattered approach to blogs and sites and Twitter, Facebook and...well, all that stuff. What changed? I took an online class in how to manage my "online presence" which advocated streamlining the various tools to cut down on maintenance. It was music to my ears!

So I updated my website to a WordPress blog platform, imported my aging WordPress blog, imported this blog, and now, voila!, they're all in one spot!

This will be my final post on this blog, but I'd love for you to join me over at my new home on the web:  LeahStJames. Hope to see you there from time to time!

Christmas Kindle Freebies ~ Our Gift to You!

  FREE KINDLE BOOKS

OUR GIFT TO YOU!

 New Kindle for Christmas? Load it with FREE books!

12 Authors ~ 12 Free Books
December 25 & 26

From romantic suspense, to contemporary, historical, erotica and even "kink"!

Click on the title for the buy link and check them out. I know I will!
(Can't go wrong for free, can you?)

Adrienne's Ghost

Leah St. James
Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novella

FBI agent and psychologist investigate the murder of an FBI recruit and come face to face with the victim's spirit.

Bound by Decency

Claire Ashgrove
Historical Romance

Her Druid Temptation

Trish F. Leger
Erotic Paranormal Romance

The Dream Jumper’s Promise 

Kim Hornsby
Romantic Suspense with Paranormal Elements
(Free for an additional day, through 12/27)

A broken promise has consequences...

 

 

 

 

 

The Good Daughter

Diana Layne

Payback is a bitch.

Journal of a Lycanthrophile

Fierce Dolan
Gay paranormal kink

When the kink most forbidden is the monster that satisfies.

Lady in the Mist

Alicia Dean (writing as Winter Frost)
Gothic Mystery Novella

A psychology student takes a job caring for a mentally unstable young man on a remote coastal island and becomes embroiled in a deadly mystery.

Last First Kiss
(Book 2 of La Fleur de Love series)

Lori Leger
Contemporary Fictional Romance

Her daughters wanted a daddy...She wanted her old life back...All he wanted was the three of them...

Miss Merry's Christmas

Callie Hutton
Regency Historical

The duke fired the annoying governess; his mother re-hired her as a companion. Now she's driving him crazy.

The Slayer's Wife

Tenaya Jayne
Paranormal

Best friends turn into deadly enemies for the love of one woman

Vows of Revenge

J. F. Ridgley
Ancient Rome Historical

After her patrician husband sells her to a fate worse than death, Aelia must learn that in Amalfi you live by your heart, not by Rome's laws.

The Caboose (last place) doesn't mean "worst" place!

Earlier this month, my friend and fellow author Vicki Landis invited me to be part of "The Next Big Thing" blog hop. Vicki is one of those multi-talented authors who writes not just fiction (with two novels and a bunch of short stories under her belt), but also non-fiction (including a book called "The Easy Little Diet Book: The Prep Course for Easy Weight Loss Success). As if that weren't enough, she's an artist!


In her blog, Vicki talked about being the last two (?) participants in this author event which has been making the rounds for awhile, and she appropriately named us the "caboose" because she and I are the apparently the final two who want to participate. I like that analogy. Like Vicki, I was often the last chosen for a team in those awful and awkward best/most-popular-kid-picks-teammates scenarios that play out in schoolyards across the country. Back then it was humiliating to be the last chosen, the caboose, but today I don't see it as a problem. Today, many (many) years later, I've learned that each of those experiences helps me as a writer to craft characters that have real-life experiences, and some fantasy moments as well.

My latest novella contains a bit of each.

What is the name of the book?
Christmas Dance


Where did the idea for this book come from?
My husband is one of those annoying people who can guess a plot of a movie or TV show usually within the first five minutes, so one of our favorite pastimes is coming up with story ideas. One of us will come up with a premise, then we'll hash it out for awhile, and some of them I write. This story was born years ago, when we lived in the Central Jersey suburbs, raising our two sons. We were active in a local church, and got to know a lot of couples whose kids were the same age. The seed of an idea germinated, what would happen if two of those couples, not married, became attracted.

What genre does this book fall under?
I call it mainstream women's fiction.


Which actors would you choose to play your characters?
Alexandra Anderson - Melissa Peterman, in her early days on Reba.
Ben Anderson - Alexander Skarsgard (okay, Ben isn't quite that hot, or tall, but this is my fantasy)
Sam Herrmann - Chris Pine of the new Star Trek series
Dani Herrmann - Alexis Bledel (she's a little tall for Dani, but I think of her as petite)

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
What happens when two married people take a look at the perfect lives they've created and decide it's not enough; what happens when those same two people catch the eye of a stranger, and like what they see?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book was recently published by independent publisher Edward Allen Publishing, LLC.

How long did it take you to write the first draft?
It took me about six months. I too have a full-time day job! 

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Hmm....I'm not sure I know of another book with a similar plot! 


What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?     
This is the story of "the other man" and "the other woman" told from their perspectives.  The story explores what happens after the happily-ever-after moment, when the characters settle into real life, with jobs and bills and children. Ultimately, I think it's a story of love and hope.

So that concludes this branch of The Next Best Thing blog hop. I hope everyone is having a joyous holiday season, and I wish you and yours a blessed 2013!

Happy reading!
Leah
 
Christmas Dance is available in eBook for Kindle, at Kobo and eBookPie

Author Tag...You're it!

Good friend and fellow author Alicia Dean has a brand-new web site up, and to celebrate its launch, several of us are playing author tag. (It's a game where we answer a couple quick questions about our current works, then tag five more authors, so on and so forth.) Check out Alicia's post here.

Here are my answers:

What is the working title of your book?
Escape to Sanctuary

Where did the idea for the book come from?
This is the second book in The Way series (Surrender to Sanctuary was the first) which explores a lifestyle choice (read: adult) practiced for spiritual reasons. My husband and I are fascinated by ancient cults and religions, and the idea was conceived as a blending of those two interests.

What genre does your book fall under?
I'd say mystery/suspense, with some romance thrown in. But there is a third book to the series, where the whole story will come full circle.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
That's tough, especially because I'm so out of who the big actors are. For David Owens, I'd have to go with Nick Wechsler who plays Jack Porter on ABC's Revenge. (Love that show!) For Anna Parker, probably Megan Fox comes the closest physically to the image in my head. I'm open to suggestions,though!

Now I need to tag five friends. This is even more difficult, because I'm blessed to have so many talented writing buddies, but here goes:

Denise Golinowski - fantasy and paranormal
Sofie Couch - YA paranormal and humor
Nara Malone - erotic romance
Tina Glasneck - suspense with romantic elements
Nancy Naigle - stories of small town and suspense

Me and Beyonce, BFFs 4Ever

So last night I received this notice in my e-mail. (See screen shot below.) It's from Twitter, telling me I have a new follower. I look, look again, then click it open.

What?! Beyonce Knowles, world-famous singer, actress, super-gorgeous, super-talented superstar, is following middle-aged, anonymous me on Twitter?!

My neurotic, naturally shy self immediately choked, laughed, then said, Oh please, get real!  But my author self, the Leah who is growing accustomed to putting herself out there to the world, experienced this rush of hopeful excitement that maybe, just maybe...

I opened the profile page and saw 60,000-plus followers. Respectable, although I would have expected in the millions for a woman of her stature. She's also following more than 30,000...  Hmmm, that Beyonce sure likes to follow people, I mused to myself.

I began to read a few of Beyonce's posts, all one-liner words of wisdom, the type of posts I don't have the desire to create or patience to read. But nothing about music or performing or....

So finally, in deference to cautious, neurotic Leah, I re-read Beyonce's description and noticed another twitter handle stuck at the end. I dug a little more and discovered the profile is owned by a young woman from somewhere halfway around the world who has several more twitter handles, including one for Marilyn Monroe!

After recovering from the slight twinge of annoyance that for some reason Marilyn wasn't following me too :-), I followed back.

Now, I admit I'm a relative newcomer to Twitter. My followers and followees number in the hundreds, not thousands. In fact, I generally describe myself as Twitter-challenged, and there's probably much I can learn from a person who has 60,000-plus followers, regardless of his/her identity. Still why a young woman, thousands of miles away, has created these faux identities of American icons is beyond my comprehension. Unless she's conducting some sort of psycho-social experiment ...or it's some kid sitting in his parents' basement in Encino, California, infecting the world's computers with the latest super-virus...or maybe it's really the government trolling for terrorists and I've just added myself to the terrorist watch list...

Happy tweeting, everyone!

Six Sentence Sunday ~ May 6

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! I'm happy to join a bunch of talented authors who share just six sentences of one of their stories.

I'm continuing with Surrender to Sanctuary, the story of FBI Agents David and Anna who go under cover in a BDSM club to solve a murder. Here, a mentor cautions David.

---

"If you show up looking like you'll deck the first man who glances in Anna's direction, you'll blow the cover. Once that happens, her safety, her survival, will be in jeopardy." 

Suspicious now, he asked, "Where are you going with this?" 

"Well, I see your feelings growing each time you're together." 

The quicksand tumbled in on David's head,and he gave a rough laugh. "Feelings?"

---

I hope you enjoyed these six, and I hope you'll get a chance to check out the other great excerpts from Six Sentence Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday ~ 4/29/12

Hello, all, and welcome to this week's Six Sentence Sunday! Another six this week from my romantic suspense Surrender to Sanctuary.

---

Wearing another of her sexy suits, her hair once again pinned up in that thing that made him want to take it down, moving with that athletic grace of hers, she stopped short when she spotted him. For a heartbeat he wondered if she was remembering those few moments they'd spent in each other's arms, as he was. And if the sleepless night had taught him anything, it was that he'd lay pretty much everything on the line to keep Anna Parker from harm, including going along with this crazy scheme of hers.

But ready? That was a different story. He'd never be ready for what they planned.

---

I hope you enjoyed these six, and I hope you'll get a chance to check out the other great excerpts from Six Sentence Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday ~ April 22

It's time again for Six Sentence Sunday! I've been away for a couple months, and I have to say, it's good to be back, joining all the authors who share weekly snippets of their work. My six will pick up right where I left off in Surrender to Sanctuary, with FBI Agents David and Anna discovering their mutual attraction.

Fire surged through Anna's chest, to her fingers and toes, low into her belly. She heard herself whimper right before the room started to spin, right before her legs lost their strength, and she tore her mouth from his to catch a breath, catch her wits. He stiffened, muttering a curse, and stepped back to tug her shirt down.


They stared at each other like prizefighters in the ring, their breathing labored, each trying to anticipate the other's move.

"Well," he finally said, "I believe I proved my point."

And it was only after he said good-bye, after admonishing her to get a good night's sleep, that she realized she hadn't even tried to stop him.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my six. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you have a chance to read all of the other wonderful authors at Six Sentence Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday ~ February 12

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Six Sentence Sunday for February 12th. You probably know the scoop, but just in case...the gist is to post six sentences (no more, no less) as a sample of a work, whether published, in progress, whatever. I'm continuing again with Surrender to Sanctuary, David and Anna's first kiss. Hope you enjoy!

---------------

David's lips were soft—searching, not demanding—and he dropped the pose to wrap both arms around her, pull her even closer, his hands on her back and lower, kneading flesh through the layer of clothing that felt suddenly itchy and coarse. She flushed again, her entire body thrumming with an aching heat, and opened her mouth to his.

His breathing hitched, and when he shifted once more, entwining their legs, and angled his head to take the kiss deeper, slower, her senses swelled and tumbled. She was tingling, head to toes, and enveloped in his scent of musk and laundry detergent. His hands were in her hair, his thumbs stroking along her jaw. She couldn’t breathe, and when she raised on her toes and linked her arms around his neck to press closer, he slid a hand under her shirt.

--------------------

Thanks for reading! Hope you get to check out all the amazing samples on Six Sentence Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday ~ February 5

Hello and welcome to the first Six Sentence Sunday of February! I've been posting bits and pieces of my 2010 release, Surrender to Sanctuary, excerpts that show the growing relationship between my hero (David) and heroine (Anna). Last week Anna thought David might kiss her. This week (a day or so later in story time) David is trying to convince Anna (in his very male way) not to put herself in danger, and...well, read on.

_______________

It was a minute before she could speak over the pounding of her heart. "You're trying to scare me, but it's not working. I'm not afraid of you, David."

"Yeah, well you should be." He groaned, a sound that came from somewhere deep inside, and his hands gentled, at her wrists, her face. "What the hell," he said under his breath just as his lips came down on hers.
________________

Thanks for stopping by to read my six for this week. Hope you enjoyed, and I hope you get a chance to check out all the other great posts at Six Sentence Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday ~ January 29

It's that time of the week again! It's Six Sentence Sunday when we share snippets (exactly six sentences) of a story. I've been posting bits and pieces of my romantic suspense Surrender to Sanctuary, which tells the story FBI agents Anna Parker and David Owens who are compelled into undercover roles in a BDSM club to stop a vicious killer.This week I'd like to post more about their growing attraction for each other.
______________________

Anna slipped inside, laid her palms against the smooth wood door panel, and waited. He hadn't yet moved from the other side. Her senses hummed, attuned to his, until she heard another sigh, then footsteps leading him across the hall to his own room.

She exhaled the breath she'd been holding and opened her eyes. Her heart was racing, caught in a spell that he'd woven only moments before when he let his gaze drift over her face to her mouth. As if he were going to kiss her.
_______________________

Thanks for stopping by and reading my six. Hope you enjoyed. Be sure to stop by all the other wonderful authors who are posting at Six Sentence Sunday

Six Sentence Sunday ~ January 22

Good morning and happy Six Sentence Sunday to all! If you're new to this game, it's where authors get to share six sentences from a story. The book/story doesn't have to be currently published, but the selection must be exactly six sentences.

I'd like to continue this week with romantic suspense Surrender to Sanctuary, which tells the story of FBI Agents Anna Parker and David Owens who go under cover in a BDSM club to solve a murder. This week's six takes a peek at their growing interest in each other. Hope you enjoy!

____________________

His eyes, so brilliantly blue in this late evening light, were laughing. Behind him, the sun was setting, and flowers planted around the yard--shades of purple and lavender, red and pink, white and yellow--were beginning to close, ready to rest for the night. Lights had come on around the perimeter of the pool and from under the surface, glowing white in the turquoise depths.

It was seductive--the peace of the surroundings, the ease of the company--and even though she knew she'd regret it, she took his bait. Nipping the meat off his fork, she sucked it between her lips. His mouth fell open, and a breath hissed between his teeth.

______________________

Please make sure you hop over to Six Sentence Sunday to check out some amazing authors!

Six Sentence Sunday ~ January 15

Welcome back to Six Sentence Sunday! This week I'm continuing with sections from my romantic suspense, Surrender to Sanctuary, which tells the story of FBI agents Anna Parker and David Owens who go under cover in an adult (BDSM) club to solve a murder.

Last week we saw David Owens taking a peek at Anna's physical attributes. This week, I'd like to share Anna's first good inspection of David. She's trying to be a professional, trying not to let his good looks get in the way of her focus on the case. But sometimes things are just easier said than done...

________________

Objectivity was difficult, though, when the man in question was as legendary for his conquests in the bedroom as he was for his successes in the field. Even so, she had to admit, a woman would have to be frozen, or dead, not to be attracted.

Tall and muscular, but not grotesquely so, he had the kind of body that would class up a tuxedo and a face that could have been sketched by the ad people on Madison Avenue.  Dark, nearly curly hair waved at his temples and curled just over the edge of his jacket, begging for some helpless woman to run her fingers through in a moment of sensual abandon.

It was a good look, she decided, one that fit the Casanova reputation, at least according to the women she’d overheard giggling in the ladies’ room a few months back. They’d claimed his eyes turned bluer when he was…in the act. 

___________________ 

Hope you all enjoyed my six this week! And I hope you have a chance to check out all the great samples at Six Sentence Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday ~ January 8

Good morning, all, and welcome to my first Six Sentence Sunday of 2012! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I took a few weeks off to do some blog hopping, but I'm excited to be sharing my stories with you once more.

This week's selection is from my 2010 release, Surrender to Sanctuary, which tells the story of FBI Agents Anna Parker and David Owens who go under cover in an adult club to solve a murder at the Jersey Shore. David is less than thrilled at being called into the case, and at the idea of having a partner, especially Anna Parker was known among the male population as all-business "Anna Arctica." This scene takes place only hours after they meet as they're boarding a plane from D.C. to Jersey. I hope you enjoy!

***

They were seated together, and after they stowed their bags overhead, he stepped aside so she could get to the window seat. She brushed past him, dragging the scent in her wake that reminded him of a cool glass of lemonade. He gave a quick swallow, tasting it in his mind, as he dropped into his seat and angled his knees toward the aisle for some leg room. She was still standing, fussing with her skirt. A single glance in that direction confirmed for him that Agent Parker did indeed have a tight ass.

______________________

As always, I hope you enjoyed these six! If you'd like to read more from Surrender to Sanctuary, click here.

Be sure to stop by Six Sentence Sunday for more samplings from some amazing authors!

New Year Blog Hop - Winners!

Congratulations to Miho Li, winner of my New Year Blog Hop! Milo will receive copies of Surrender to Sanctuary and Adrienne's Ghost. (Miho, I've sent you a separate e-mail. If you don't receive it, please contact me directly at leah(at)leahstjames(dot)com.)

Congratulations as well to our "hop's" grand prize winners...

The KINDLE FIRE was won by Lilaz (Malia Mallory's site)
The $80 Amazon Gift Card went to June (VK Syke's site)

Again I want to thank everyone for stopping by. I had a terrific time,  and I hope you did too!

New Year Blog Hop - My Favorite Memory

Hello and welcome to the 2012 New Year Blog Hop! I'm thrilled to be part of this group of authors and reviewers who are sharing favorite memories and traditions of ringing in the new year. I'll be giving away a copy of my 2010 release Surrender to Sanctuary, and a copy of my recently released e-book novella, Adrienne's Ghost (random drawing, one winner drawn). Please leave a comment (with your e-mail address) to enter.

 ***

I've never been one of those people who goes out partying on New Year's Eve. Maybe I spent too many years as a child watching the ball drop in Times Square...too many hours watching a million-plus people standing in the frigid cold while chaos reigned around them...and nary a restroom in sight! (I mean, what do those people do for hour after hour, and nowhere to take a potty break? The thought terrifies me! <grin>)

This tradition (of having no tradition) continued when I married my husband, and especially after our boys were born. We typically spent quiet evenings at home, with a bottle of champagne that we'd share after putting the kids to bed. As much as I enjoyed those evenings, in the back of my mind I longed for just a little excitement. Something fun to do...in close proximity to a bathroom!

I got my wish by the time the kids were in school. We had become close friends with some like-minded parents who invited us to gather at their house each year. Their home was warm and welcoming, decorated for Christmas with twinkling lights, scented candles and a stunning tree that reached the ceiling. While the parents played cards and chatted, the kids (about a half a dozen boys and one lone, very brave girl) would retreat to the family room and play video games. Food was delicious and plentiful, and the time passed quickly until the countdown to midnight began. Then we'd all gather in the living room, and when the ball (whose progress we'd monitor on the TV, of course!) dropped, we'd pop the champagne and toast each other.

After exchanging hugs all around, we'd go back to our activities (the kids to their video games, the adults to their cards), more food would be brought to the already groaning table, and eventually we'd head home, sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. At least that's what usually happened.

But one year, about seven or eight years ago, one of the boys, now in his mid-teens, had gone through an enormous growth spurt over the previous summer and fall. By New Year's Eve, he'd reached a height of six feet plus, and a weight of over 200 pounds, and decided to impress the gathered guests with newly discovered brawn. He'd been verbally sparring with our host earlier in the evening, claiming he could pin him (wrestling), a claim which our host laughed off. That wasn't odd; the two had spent a lot of time together in Boy Scouts, and our host had mentored this boy in several areas, so their relationship was close, and I often heard them in spirited discussions. I think that's what gave the boy the courage to do what he did.

It happened just at the stroke of midnight, as the assembled guests strained the limits of the living room, glasses raised in toast to the new year. This boy-man chose that exact moment of distraction to test his theory and launched himself onto our host's back. One of them must have shouted, because we turned as one toward the sound to see the boy-man draped over our host who, somehow, managed to remain upright with this weight on his back, while still holding a full glass of champagne (and never spilling a drop!). Time stopped for a split second while we (the bystanders) sucked in a collective gasp. Then my husband grabbed the host's glass, freeing his hands, and the two began grappling like two kids in a schoolyard.

Their bodies crashed to the floor and rolled toward the tree. We gasped again, and the hostess rushed to move furniture from their path of potential destruction. They struggled some more, grunting and straining, while the rest of us watched, transfixed, half horrified and half wondering just what consequences would befall this boy. Then our host, a man who'd been a star football player in high school, offense and defense, lifted this giant of a "boy" from him, dropped him to the floor, grabbed his arms behind his back, leaned his forearm (and all his weight) into the boy and said, "Now THAT'S how you pin someone."

We still talk about that night, laughing a bit but mostly thankful that no one got hurt, thankful there was no damage, to man, boy...or tree!. But I think it was awhile before our host turned his back on that kid again!

What is your favorite New Year memory? Leave a comment to be entered into my drawing. And check out all the blogs. The more comments you leave, the better your chances to win one of the grand prizes: a KINDLE FIRE and an Amazon gift card for $80!

Holiday Blog Hopping ~ And the Winners Are

Thanks so much to everyone for entering my contest for one of the ten copies of Adrienne's Ghost, a $25 Amazon gift certificate, and entry into the Blog Hop's grand prize of a Kindle Fire.

After a completely impartial and random selection process (implemented by my husband and son), I'm thrilled to announce the following readers have won a copy of Adrienne's Ghost.

Sharon
SandyG265
Shadow_Kohler
Jesse
Kathryn
Stephanie Abbott
Teressa Oliver
Heather Cox
Meghan Page
TheresJustLife

Sharon is also the winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Certificate!

I'm in the process of contacting winners individually, but if you see this first, please send me a note to leah(at)leahstjames(dot)com.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us on this blog hop. Congratulations to all our winners. I've had a great time, and I hope everyone else has as well.
Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Well, it's just after 7 a.m. on the East Coast of the U.S. My husband and I are up and about already, excited to start celebrating. Our "kids" (ages 27 and 23) are still fast asleep. We're making as much noise as we can to wake them "accidentally." So far no luck. :-)

We've been talking about favorites through this blog hop, and I couldn't let the event pass without sharing my favorite Christmas cartoon, and my favorite clip from that cartoon...



I'd love to hear what your favorites are.

Today is the last day of the Holiday Blog Hop, and the last day to enter the drawing for a copy of my paranormal romance novella Adrienne's Ghost (will be giving a total of 10). One of those 10 will win my "grand prize" of a $25 Amazon gift certificate, and all of my winners will be entered into the Holiday Blog Hop's contest for the super grand prize, a KINDLE FIRE!

If you'd rather not leave a comment, please send me an e-mail (leah@leahstjames.com) and let me know you'd like to enter.


Wishing you and yours a day blessed with joy, love and laughter.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Blog Hopping - Did you open any gifts yet?

If you celebrate Hanukkah, chances are you've opened at least one Hanukkah gift by now. But if you celebrate Christmas, you might be watching a growing pile of gifts under your tree, waiting for a chance to dig in. :-)

When I was growing up, we didn't open any gifts, not one, until Christmas morning. (Santa doesn't come until after midnight after all!) Typical children, my sister and I would wake our mother and grandmother around 5 or 6 a.m. (Actually, I remember waking Mom at 3 or 4 a.m. one year...she did send us back to bed.) I don't remember there being a lot of gift exchanging in school or at church or Girl Scouts, or anything like that, so we really did have to wait until Christmas morning for our new "stuff."

As I got older, though, things started to change. I was 19 when I met my husband and spent my first Christmas with his family. How shocked was I to find out I was dating a man whose family opened their gifts on Christmas Eve! Even worse was their custom to put all the opened gifts under the tree and wait until after New Year's Day to use any of them!

I'm sorry, but that's going too far...way too far! Why open them early and leave them sitting there for more than a week?! I didn't get it, and as soon as we married, that tradition changed. Not only do we (my husband and I and our kids) wait until Christmas morning to open our gifts, but we have no rules about waiting to use our new gifts. Once it's out of its wrapping, a gift is fair game. In fact, I opened two lovely gifts from co-workers this week, have already worn one and plan to wear the other one either today or tomorrow! Life is too short to waste it looking at your gifts! Am I right? :-)

What about your and your families? Are you gift watchers, content to savor what you received for awhile? Or are you like me, ready to dive in and put those gifts to immediate use?

Leave a comment to be entered into the drawing for a copy of my paranormal romance novella Adrienne's Ghost (I'll give out a total of 10). One of those 10 will win my "grand prize" of a $25 Amazon gift certificate, and all of my winners will be entered into the Holiday Blog Hop's contest for the super grand prize, a KINDLE FIRE!

If you'd rather not leave a comment, please send me an e-mail (leah@leahstjames.com) and let me know you'd like to enter.

Thanks for stopping by the Holiday Blog Hop!

Holiday Blog Hopping ... and Disappearing Days!

A terrible thing happened this morning when I got up. I looked at the calendar.

That's "terrible" because I saw the date and realized I'd done it again. I'd lost whole days, maybe weeks, into some vacuum of space time continuum, or something...whatever it is that makes time simply disappear!

Somehow in my brain, days pass, but not dates. I know that's probably a difficult distinction for many of you to grasp, but it's a common problem with me. I can't keep track of dates! (I remember dates, like birthdays, just not when they're "up" on the calendar!)

I blame a job I had about 20 years ago for this mental deficiency. I was working for one of the federal agencies, managing a program that recognized employees for length of service. They got small tokens (and I do mean small) for 10, 20, 30 years of service, etc., and it was my job to monitor those names and make sure the employees were duly recognized at the appropriate time. As a necessity, I was always working six months in advance.

Well, ever since then, dates are just a quasi-meaningless jumble in my head! I go to write a check, and my hand freezes on the date line. If it's December, I start to write June or July. (See? Six months ahead!)

Why do I bring this up now, while we're Holiday Hopping? Because I just realized it's December 19th! Less than a week from Christmas and I still have gifts to buy for about six people who are very special in my life. That's not enough time! Especially considering I don't have a clue what to get them. And several of them live hundreds of miles away! (I hate when I do this!)

I know I'm not the only person who waits until it's almost too late. How about you? Will you be scouring the pick-over shelves with me over the next few days, or do you have a stash of already wrapped gifts in some corner, ready to grab and distribute when needed? (You can tell me! I promise, I won't hold it against you! My own wonderful older sister falls into the latter category!)

Leave a comment to be entered into the drawing for a copy of Adrienne's Ghost (I'll give out a total of 10). One of those ten will win my "grand prize" of a $25 Amazon gift certificate, and all of my winners will be entered into the Holiday Blog Hop's contest for the super grand prize, a KINDLE FIRE!

If you'd rather not leave a comment, please send me an e-mail (leah@leahstjames.com) and let me know you'd like to enter.

Happy December 19th, everyone!