VALENTINE’S DAY CHOCOLATE GIVEAWAY

 

Feb 1st-14th

Goodies Given Away Every Day Totalling Over $150

https://ellenmint.blog/valentines-day-countdown-giveaway/

Cupid‘s brought you a magical box of chocolates. Every day, the heart-shaped box reveals a new treat. Take a bite to discover both what flavor is lurking inside the tempting chocolate shell and a new giveaway.

Each day, return to the site to click on the box of chocolates and discover another fantastic prize. Be swept away this holiday season by gripping romance, pampering treats, cozy gifts, and an amazing offer hidden inside the box of chocolates.

The giveaway is sponsored by these wonderful authors:

Ellen Mint • AE Lister • Tanith Davenport • N.J. Adel • Jordyn Kross • Aurora Russell • Kara Kendrick • Megan Slayer • January Bain • Jennifer Wilck • Sue London • Seelie Kay • Angela Addams • Kerry Blaisdell

My theme song for this year

 It's hopefully going to be an interesting year, so which song or songs would I use as a theme?

My first thought on reading this was "definitely not Aerosmith", purely because the concert in July that I've been looking forward to for a year has just been cancelled because of covid. Typical that it should happen just as things over here are starting to open up again.

So instead I'm going to take a writing angle.

I'm currently working on edits for my new novella Hyperventilating, which is the first in my new series "Rock My World". So the first song I'd use for this year would be "Hyperventilating" by Peppercorn - it charted low but I've always thought it was a classic.

And I'm also working on the next in the series, which has the working title The Start of Something - so I would also use "The Start of Something" by the Stone Gods. 

Why yes, I do name a lot of books after the songs that inspired them.

So what would be your theme song for the year?

Best book or movie from 2021

 The original topic included TV shows, but I've deliberately ignored that one as I don't watch TV series that often. Books and movies, on the other hand... absolutely.

Of course, the tricky part is in remembering which ones actually came out in 2021 and which I just got round to in that time. I had to check a few release dates before posting.

In terms of books, my favourite two were "The Storyteller" by Dave Grohl and "The Man Who Died Twice" by Richard Osman. I love autobiographies and Dave Grohl has proved to be a great writer, being able to evoke passion in his stories while always holding the reader's attention (which is definitely not the case for some of the autobiographies I read last year). As for Richard Osman, I loved his first book and the sequel definitely didn't disappoint. He creates great characters in his elderly crimefighters and I wanted them to win from the first page.

Films? Probably "The Matrix Resurrections" and "Black Widow". I'm not going to include the newest Spider-Man film because I didn't really like the direction that went in, although many would disagree. However, I love Florence Pugh and would watch anything she was in. As for "The Matrix Resurrections", while I'm hoping they don't turn it into a new trilogy - I think it's better as a stand-alone - I enjoyed every minute.

So what were your favourites of 2021?

What inventive ways do you have to keep warm?

 This one is particularly appropriate at the moment. Here in the UK there is panic about energy bills rising by up to 50% and it's also extremely cold, meaning that if we don't want to turn the heating up full blast all the time, we have to come up with ways to keep warm.

And by that I mean realistic ways to keep warm. Two energy companies have already been attacked in the press after they sent their customers socks in the post and suggested they eat porridge and leave the oven door open. A little tone deaf, I think.

One of the suggestions they made, however, was something I've incorporated by accident. I have a fluffy blanket on my couch which I wrap myself up in of an evening - nicely warming to start with - but I discovered that when I have this blanket across my knees, the cats can't resist it. They're not lap cats most of the time, but they will sit on it and pretend I'm not underneath it.

And cats are warm.

Couple that with an oversize fleece I've picked up for emergencies, and that should keep me going through the winter.

So what inventive ways do you have to keep warm?

Books I want to read in 2022

 One of my longstanding new year's resolutions is to read one new book every month (along with watching one new film and trying one new food). Last year I managed 40 books and have set a Goodreads challenge at 35 for this year. However, I discover new books I want to try all the time, so I don't have a full list yet.

I'm in the middle of "Bright Lights, Prairie Dust" by Karen Grassle (Ma Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie) and "Murder Isn't Easy" by Carla Valentine (about the science behind Agatha Christie's crime novels). I'm also working my way through Kate Andersen Brower's nonfiction books about the US presidency - a little niche I admit, but I'm enjoying them so far.

As for future plans, I have Richard Osman's as-yet-untitled new novel on pre-order for this year and am planning to read some shifter and menage stories, as I'm thinking about trying my hand at writing some and need some inspiration. I've also downloaded a sample of Xio Axelrod's "The Girl With Stars In Her Eyes" after it was recommended to me as a worthy successor to "Daisy Jones and the Six", which I read last year and loved (and as I'm currently working on a series about rock stars, it's quite appropriate).

So what do you have on your reading list for this year?

My goals for 2022

 I think a lot of us made plans for 2021 in the hope that things would be different and were slightly disappointed. I certainly was, and with Omicron I'm not sure how different 2022 is going to be yet. I'm still not convinced I'll get to go on holiday. However...

My writing goals? I've just signed a three-book contract for a new series called Rock My World, and the first in the series, Hyperventilating, is due out in June. So I'll be working on edits for that in January and also on finishing the second in the series this year.

I'm also working on a standalone piece called When I Look In The Mirror, and we'll see how that goes.

For personal goals, I want to finally go abroad again (in February with any luck) and finish seeing all of Shakespeare's plays in theatres. I have several tickets, so fingers crossed things don't shut down again.

So what are your goals for 2022?