Fun Stuff
Category
February is Creative Romance Month
Cupid puts a lot of pressure on relationships. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, men start sweating, worried that their card, flowers, and box of candy will be found lacking. Women, on the other hand, worry that their significant others will 1) forget or 2) make a token gesture with no thought behind it.
There’s an easy way to put the fun back into your love life. Instead of focusing on Valentine’s Day, celebrate Creative Romance Month.
Yes, among the other occasions celebrated in February (National Weatherman’s Day, Toothache Day, Mardi Gras, Canned Food Month) comes a month-long celebration that focuses on finding clever, meaningful ways to make those we love feel special.
Need a few ideas to get started? Here are five creative ways to celebrate romance.
Write a love letter detailing all the things you appreciate about your significant other.
Read romantic passages aloud from your favorite romance novel.
Take the love language quiz together. Learn how to speak your partner’s love language (not yours!) to express your feelings in a way meaningful to them.
Create a special playlist of your songs on Spotify or Pandora. The songs can be funny or sentimental.
Dress up and capture some romantic selfies. Print a few to display in nice frames.
Still need help? This article lists 60 Impressive Ways to be Romantic.
Valentine's Day wasn't always a commercial holiday
There are two camps when it comes to Valentine’s Day — those who love Cupid and hearts and flowers and those who believe it is a commercial conspiracy created by the candy and card companies.
In reality, Valentine’s Day was a tradition long before candy hearts and greeting cards.
The origins of Valentine’s Day are a combination of myth and fact that track back to Christian (St. Valentine) and early Roman (Lupercalia) traditions.
Valentine greetings can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages, although written valentines didn’t appear until after 1400. The oldest valentine dates back to a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1415.
Cupid, often depicted as a arrow-toting cherub, is thought to be an interpretation of Eros, the Greek god of love.
Valentine’s Day, as we know it, is celebrated in the U.S. Canada, Mexico, UK, France, and Australia. By the mid-18th century, it became common to trade small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. Commercial greetings evolved around 1900.
I’m a fan of Valentine’s Day for the simple reason that it promotes romance, love, and passion. Here’s to Cupid and a Happy Valentine’s Day!
Let me tell you about BookBub
Who doesn’t love free or discounted books…especially from your favorite authors? BookBub is a free service that allows readers to follow their favorite authors in order to learn about deals and sales.
That is reason enough to sign up for BookBub’s daily newsletter, but there are many other perks for readers. Here are my top five favorite reasons to be a part of the BookBub author/reader community.
You can tailor your newsletter preferences. Specify your favorite retailers. Pick your favorite genres. Follow your favorite authors. That’s what will be included in YOUR BookBub newsletters.- BookBub not only notifies readers when their favorite authors have a sale–they also send out new release alerts. A free, fast, and convenient way to make sure you don’t miss a single release.
- Get recommendations from other readers and authors. Curious about a new-to-you author? BookBub allows readers and authors to review and recommend books they’ve read themselves.
- The BookBub Blog shares articles, lists, giveaways and other topics of interest to bookworms.
- Save money on ebooks…and audiobooks! Chirp is owned and operated by the people who started BookBub, but it focuses exclusively on audiobooks. Sign up and save up to 95% on audiobooks!
If you’re on BookBub, let’s connect. You can follow me here –> Jacki Delecki
January Reader Appreciation Giveaway
Brighten up wintertime with this pretty pink polka-dot duffel bag!
Perfect for your next weekend getaway or stowing workout gear for a visit to the gym.
CLICK HERE to enter.
Winner announced February 1st.
Escaping the winter blahs
Living in the Pacific Northwest has its perks and privileges, but the cold, gray, dreary winter months don’t fall into this category. I’ve escaped for a short while to the warm, sunny beaches of Puerto Rico where the water is blue, the drinks are refreshing, the fruit is fresh, and the smile never leaves my face.
I’ve even gotten some writing done.
Where is your favorite place to get away during the winter months?
