Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Making Valentine’s Day Memorable

What makes Valentine’s Day special? There’s a simple answer: personal relationships and connections with others.

Valentine’s Day is a favorite holiday for me. In fact, the entire month of February makes me smile. One reason is because it’s the shortest winter month; another reason is because we are getting more daylight again. A third reason is that my older son Andrew was born in February and also married in February.

Point of fact, Andrew and his wife Anna were married on Valentine’s Day. It was a joyful wedding, loving and romantic. No big fancy affair, just the bride and groom, my husband and myself, the bride’s best friend, and a judge happy to officiate, followed by a wedding breakfast at a local hotel. Afterwards the bride and groom had to take a long drive so that my son could represent in court a couple accused of white collar crime.

Andy and Anna are still happily married and now have a lovely little daughter to help them celebrate their anniversary. This love story is one of many worldwide celebrated on the most romantic day of the year.

Love stories have always been an important part of history and literature. Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. Cleopatra and Julius Caesar (Cleopatra did get around). As Shakespeare said, “she was a woman of infinite variety.” Then there is the story of Napoleon and Josephine, another passionate love affair. In the Bible, we also find some of the world’s greatest and unforgettable love stories. What can be more romantic than the story of Ruth or Solomon and the Queen of Sheba? And there is the story of Esther which is celebrated on Purim.

A lot of the world’s most famous, classical love stories, of course, did not end happily: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Helen of Troy and Paris, Lancelot, Arthur and Guinevere (a legendary triangle). These are tragedies.

Some of the literary characters I consider unforgettable are those of the Bronte sisters: Heathcliff and Catherine, the tormented lovers in Emily’s Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester of Charlotte’s famous novel. Both romances are in the Gothic tradition. My tribute to that tradition, although one with a happier end is my novel DARK MOON RISING.

Thomas Hardy wrote a number of tragic love stories. For something lighter, I prefer Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy are memorable. I’ve read and reread that novel numerous times.

Love quite literally makes the world go round. My favorite Valentine’s Day gift to myself is purchasing a new romance novel. Candy makes me fat. Flowers wilt and die too soon. But a great romance can be read and reread and enjoyed.

 If you’re of a mind to read some romance to celebrate Valentine’s Day and enjoy short stories, consider my collection BEYOND THE BO TREE, a book that combines romance, mystery, fantasy and the paranormal. The first story in the collection is a free read:

For another free short story perfect for Valentine’s Day, check out “A St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” originally published in GUMSHOE REVIEW:

Here’s another free read suited to Valentine’s Day:

Can you think of any romantic stories or books you would recommend to fellow readers and/or writers?





8 comments:

  1. Happy anniversary to your son and his wife. I think Valentine's Day is special because it focuses on love - just plain love. We can love on any day, of course, but to have a special day for it just makes it that much more remarkable. Happy Valentine's Day! Janis, aka Susan

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  2. Jacquie, Valentine's Day is one of those sweet simple holidays that can leave us feeling cheered and relaxed. My husband and I usually eat chocolate, and get flowers. Hope you enjoy your holiday.

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    1. Definitely eating out with my husband today and indulging in chocolate cake for dessert.

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  3. You are so correct, Jacquie, personal relationships are what makes Valentine's (and any) Day special!
    Thanks for the lovely post.
    Good luck and God's blessings
    PamT

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  4. Pam,

    I hope this will be a special day for you.

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  5. Enjoyed the post, Jackie. Valentine's day is a great day for a wedding and an easy way to remember the date of an anniversary. I think you do a very good job with the topic of romance in your books. Just enough, but you don't overdo it.

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  6. Thank you, Gail. I am a romantic at heart. But as a writer and reader I'm not into long, detailed sex scenes. I like interesting characters that interact in a complex plot, and a bit of humor.

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