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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!
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?
Last chance to enter my December Giveaway
Win 1 of 5 digital copies of A CODE OF JOY!
Winner announced January 1st.
Good luck and thanks for your interest in my books!
Congratulations to the November winner: Becky Brown
Holiday whodunits
The holidays, especially Christmas, have served as a backdrop for the romantic suspense genre for decades. While Christmas and criminals seem an unlikely combination, many writers have successfully blended the two to create fast-paced thrillers and mysteries that have you sitting on the edge of Santa’s lap: Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark, Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie, Hard Christmas by Barbara D’Amato.
Several of my romantic suspense stories feature mistletoe and mayhem. Which one is your favorite?
Mission: Impossible to Wed (The Impossible Mission Series, Book 5)
A Marine’s Christmas Wedding (The Grayce Walters Series, Book 5)
A Christmas Code (The Code Breakers Series, Book 2)
A Holiday Code for Love (The Code Breakers Series, Book 7)
A Code of Joy (The Code Breakers, Book 10)
For romantic suspense authors, the love, peace, joy and comfort of the holidays offer a sharp and vivid contrast to the terror, danger and peril of mysteries and thrillers. When everything you love most is at risk, it becomes that much more precious when saved by a clever hero and/or heroine.
What is your favorite holiday romantic suspense film or book?
