A Character by Any Other Name by Laura Hunsaker

 Good Morning Readers! I have a book signing coming up next month, and wanted to share the whens and wheres. If you're in the Las Vegas area, I'll be at the Paseo Verde Library on May 17th. 

With that being said, I wanted to talk about character names. I was having a discussion on Facebook about how do authors name their characters. I mentioned that with my Time Travel romances, it's easier to choose names because I can pull up old censuses. When everyone is named William or Edward, it makes it easy. Finding a less commonly used name requires going into the census of which ever year you're using, and even then, you can still find some more unique names. In fact, did you know Tiffany (Tifanie) was first used in the 1200s? In fact there's a name for that example: The Tiffany Problem. It's where modern names sound out of place in Historical settings, but they are actually accurate. 

One thing I didn't see mentioned was are there any names authors stay away from? 

I do tend to steer clear of any trendy names. I love the fun names we are seeing in kids, but I don't love a thirty year old hero or heroine being named something that's trendy with the 5 year olds right now. I'm not saying that there aren't thirty year olds named Bryxxtonn, but I don't think it's super common among the men I know. 

I lean towards names like Kyle, Scott, Jason, Ryan...but not everyone is the same. What are some names you don't like seeing in books? And what are some names you've gotten from books that you love! Someone named their daughter after one of my characters and it was the most flattering thing I've ever heard! Have you ever done that? Let me know in the comments.

At my signing next month, I'll be selling paperbacks of the New York Empires series.

Hockey, Romance, werewolves...this series has it all!

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Look For the Magic by Laura Hunsaker

 In my free short story Amethyst Heat I wrote in a magical ring from the heroine’s aunt Gilly. She doesn't know that it's magic, of course. Not until something big happens. This ring sends our heroine back through time. When people ask writers how they get their ideas, which we do hear often, that's something that doesn't always have an easy answer. But with this story, I do have an easy answer!

I based the idea off of a ring my own aunt gave me when I was a child. While mine definitely hasn’t sent me through time, it does have a bit of its own magic.

See this ring?

My aunt gave it to me when I was seven. She passed away the next year, so while it was already special, that made it even more so. I wore this ring every day until I was ten when I lost it in the summer camp rec center pool. I searched so much for that ring, I had friends helping, camp counselors, and we didn't even catch a hint of the ring. In a crazy twist of fate, I found it 3 months later in the pool drain (that we'd already searched months ago!) when I was diving for (ha) rings.

I called it my lucky ring and wore it for years, even as beat up as it was from the pool filter incident, until I lost it on a choir trip in high school. We were going up to Utah for a couple of days, and I found it on the bus ride back. It was on the seat. I did not sit in the same seat as I had before. Seriously. Lucky ring, guys. So by this point I put it in my jewelry box so I wouldn’t lose it.

Amethyst Heat was the first thing I wrote (2009) and it's very super short, but even though my ring isn't an amethyst, it was the inspiration for the story.

Around 2016, the magic was still working, because I let my youngest wear it. She was three, and I never saw it again...until about two years later! My youngest found it on the ground in my room. We vacuum daily in my household. Daily. How is this ring just chilling on the ground for two years?! It’s once more in my jewelry box for safekeeping. Lucky ring is lucky.

Amethyst Heat is a very short story, about seven pages long, if that. And it's free!

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Add short story Amethyst Heat to your shelves on Goodreads



While out riding, Meg McMurray finds herself on unfamiliar lands. Gone are the long expanses of Oklahoma prairie, and in front of her are the wild Scottish Highlands. How did she come to be there, and did Aunt Gilly's amethyst ring have anything to do with it?

A sweet romance set in the Highlands of Scotland.

Free Book! Highland Eclipse by Laura Hunsaker

I hope my American friends enjoyed their Thanksgiving! We've had a day to recover, and with all the time spent with my family these past couple of weeks, I've realized I'm incredibly grateful to them for being in my life, and to all of you! Yes you all! You all have touched my life in some small way and I appreciate it a lot. I know that while Thanksgiving is an American holiday, one thing seems to be creeping it's way to a universal day: Black Friday. 

Some of my favorite German youtubers will be speaking fully in German and then bam. The phrase in English: Black Friday. This cracked me up and first, but after thinking I guess it makes sense. So I double checked some other non-English speaking youtubers, and yep, same thing. The term Black Friday but used in English. Since this seems to be a world-wide event now, I set one of my books for free this week. It will continue on until Cyber Monday for you all, so I hope you know that while Black Friday is slowly becoming universal, one thing always has been: gratitude. I am grateful for all you readers, writers, friends...and hopefully you can all have an enjoyable weekend and relax with a good book.

HIGHLAND ECLIPSE

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A member of an elite Time Ops team called the Eclipse Agents, Declan Wallace’s job is to jump through time. He maintains order in the timeline, he hunts down those who would time jump for their own purposes. But sometimes Fate intervenes.

After a lifetime of living with illness, Lady Fiona McClure is proving to herself that she is finally healthy in an attempt to swim across the loch. If she makes it, maybe then her overprotective father won’t treat her as a child anymore. When she is snatched and dragged ashore by a man who thought she was drowning, her heart races for reasons that have nothing to do with the swim and everything to do with the man standing before her.

With a mission to finish, Declan can’t allow distractions, and Lady Fiona is definitely a distraction. But he’s discovering that living for the next mission isn’t as exciting as it used to be. Staying in the past is forbidden, but Fiona McClure is his destiny.

When Words Turn On You by Laura Hunsaker

 Moist, and other words.

Words are beautiful. You can have a bunch of words and turn them into a lush and descriptive sentence. You can evoke a scent, a memory, an entire world with words alone! They can turn you on...

And they can turn on you...

I noticed the other day I had no other word to use at work than moist. Mmooiiiisstttt. I swear this word has texture and heft.

One coworker cringed,and the other said she doesn't get why everyone hates that word? It got me to thinking, I don’t really know either? Are there more words like moist that we don’t like? Is anything worse than moist? My teenagers tell me moist is the cringiest word. So I did what any well-adjusted adult would do. I asked Twitter.

These are all answers I got that were mentioned by two or more people:

Phlegm.

Spunk

Damp

crusty

oozing

spurt

Soggy

squelch

gushy

soppin

turgid

The number one word is so gross I won't actually post it, and it did actually have several mentions.

I noticed most of the words people don't like either have to do with being wet (heh moist), or both sound gross, and mean something gross (phlegm).

So share with me your cringeworthy words. Do you agree/disagree with the list I so scientifically compiled through my Twitter ;)

And I absolutely promise, I don't use the word moist at all in my books!

Check them out here on my website www.laurahunsaker.com

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Mackenzie Stewart is in Scotland for a much-needed vacation. During the castle tour, Mackenzie becomes completely enamored with a painting of one of the previous lairds. Two gentlemen come up behind her and, begging her pardon, they kidnap her, dragging her through time.

The men are sorcerers attempting to end a feud that has plagued their lands for years. Their patron has begun to dabble in the black arts, and between his irrational thirst for power, and his dark secret, the sorcerers are frightened. They believe Mackenzie can break the Stewart curse. They try to convince her to play along with their crazy scheme: marriage to the evil John Campbell.

Before Mackenzie can protest, her carriage is halted and the door thrown open. For a split-second she is arrested by the same beautiful piercing blue eyes that belonged in an oil painting.

Mackenzie then finds herself the victim of a second kidnapping...

Her new captor, however, does nothing but tempt her body and her temper. Believing her to in fact be the betrothed of his mortal enemy the Campbell, Connor MacRae originally sets out to capture his enemy’s betrothed. He never thought he would be so attracted to her that he’d want to keep her.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS…CELEBRATING FAITH, LIFE, CULTURE AND TRADITIONS FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT

By: Ashley Kath-Bilsky

The Holiday Season is here, which (for many of us) means a whirlwind of activity as we prepare to celebrate the holidays on a spiritual level as well as the family traditions we cherish that have been passed down from generation to generation. For me, at present, I don’t really feel as if I am in that whirlwind, but something more like suspended animation. I see so much that needs to be done to prepare for Christmas and New Year’s, but because I am recuperating from surgery, my busy schedule has been hampered.

Everything from decorating the house and setting up the Christmas tree, to baking cookies, mailing gifts, and even enjoying a nice mug of tea (or hot chocolate) as I focus on my writing has been put on hold. I do have some elves that have promised to help me get the tree and decorations in order, but right now they are preoccupied with ‘semester finals’.

Today is actually my first day back on the computer since my surgery last Wednesday, and that’s only because I suddenly remembered I have a blog to write. So, I hope you won’t mind if I use this time to re-post an article I wrote back in 2011, specifically about the Scots tradition of Hogmanay (or New Year’s) and how much it means to me and my family.

When it comes to welcoming the New Year, the actual date and customs practiced for celebrating the holiday often depend upon one’s heritage, culture and religion, as well as what calendar you follow. For most of the world, December 31st is New Year’s Eve – a day often spent in merriment as we bid farewell to the passing year and celebrate the dawning of a New Year with optimism and good wishes. The United States is comprised of so many people from diverse cultures, faiths, and traditions. We may not all celebrate the holiday of Christmas, but we all celebrate the beginning of a New Year. Since, as my friends know, I am extremely proud of my Scots ancestry, my family embraces the highland tradition of Hogmanay!

Meaning the “last day of the year”, Hogmanay is an old, much loved custom in the highlands of Scotland. It dates back to the celebration of the Winter Solstice among the Norse yet also encompasses Gaelic customs used at Samhein. Much of Scotland’s traditions and customs are often intertwined with those of the Norse. When one remembers many people of Scots heritage are descendants of Vikings who crossed the North Sea to invade Scotland, it is not surprising in the least to see Norse influence still in existance in the culture and traditions of Scotland.

The customs practiced at Hogmanay begin at dawn on New Year's Eve. After a small breakfast, Scottish homes are cleaned from top to bottom until spotless. Items are placed about to convey what you would like to have happen in the New Year, i.e., coins for prosperity and symbols for health, love, and protection.

When the clock strikes midnight, windows and doors are opened to welcome the New Year, and a feast is set for all to enjoy. And I mean "all". No one is turned away. And since it is a tradition for adults to go door-to-door singing or shouting Hogmanay, quite a crowd could be expected...which brings me to the Scots tradition of "first footing".

Basically, first-footing is the first person who crosses your threshold after midnight on New Year's Day. Traditionally, he or she should come bearing gifts such as: salt, shortbread (yum!), whisky, and a black bun (the dense, rich Scottish fruitcake). Another one of my favorites is the Clootie Dumpling, a dessert pudding made with flour, sugar, sultanas, currants, spices, and treacle.

The gifts are supposed to bring luck to the house and family in the New Year. Naturally, in return, food and drink are offered to your guests. It can become quite the Céilidh or party as everyone who wants to be the first-footer shows up and you have a house full of guests – and lots of delicious goodies. Oh, and if a tall, dark (preferably handsome) man is your first-footer, needless to say that brings the best luck of all! Makes you wonder if whomever invented this tradition was a romance writer, doesn’t it? On the other hand, should a fairhaired man show up on your doorstep, the luck may not be so good, as they are a reminder of the Viking invaders. Hmmm.

Of course, no gathering would be complete without everyone singing Auld Lang Syne, the traditional New Year's anthem written by the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns. And lest you think I jest about the level of merriment and partying for Hogmanay, the day after New Year's, January 2nd, is also a holiday in Scotland...no doubt a much appreciated day to recover from overindulgence.

Among the most popular traditions upheld today are the torchlight processions throughout the highlands. For example, in Edinburgh, you might see an assortment of Vikings and Scottish highlanders dragging a Viking warship as they lead a group of 15,000 people bearing individual flaming torches. Accompanied by pipers, they walk from historic Parliament Square on the Old Town's Royal Mile, down the Mound, along Princes Street and Waterloo Place, and up to the ancient Edinburgh meeting ground Calton Hill. Phew! Talk about a hike. Most cities, towns and villages in the highlands will all have a torchlight procession, which culminates with everyone igniting a roaring bonfire and usually features a grand fireworks display.

The bonfire itself has a long history and great importance at Hogmanay. It represents everything from the Sun and the driving away of evil spirits, to how light will always conquer the darkness, and the belief that the bonfire will secure happiness and luck in the New Year. The bigger the bonfire, the better the luck. In fact, great care has always been taken to ensure the bonfire would not go out. Since everyone in the towns and villages would each carry a torch to light the bonfire, certain sure that the tradition must be upheld by the entire community, it would be a terrible omen of bad luck should the bonfire go out before sunrise.

Although each country may have its own special New Year’s Eve customs according to its culture and heritage, at midnight with the tolling of church bells and the echoing from clock towers, music, merriment, and fireworks are held all over the world. From Sydney, Australia to Paris, France, from London, England to Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark, hundreds of thousands of people gather together in public settings to welcome the New Year.

One of the most famous gatherings takes place at Times Square in New York City. Each year, a Waterford crystal ball begins to make its slow descent at 11:59 pm. Far below its lofty height, people join in unison to count down the final moments until the New Year officially begins.

People have gathered in Times Square to celebrate New Year's Eve as far back as 1904, but it was not until 1907 that the New Year's Eve Ball first made its appearance from the top of a flagpole at One Times Square. Except for 1942 and 1943, Times Square and the New Year's Eve ball ceremony have never failed to mark the New Year.

Of course, not everyone celebrates New Years with crowds and noise, and the closest they get (or ever want to get) to festivities like Times Square is watching it on television. The truth is, there are many who prefer to embrace the peace and quiet of being by hearth and home. You may live alone and enjoy sitting by the fireside with a good book and a glass of wine. Or, you may prefer staying home, close to loved ones, where you can reflect, remember, and celebrate the dawning of a New Year as a nearby clock strikes twelve.

But whatever way you celebrate the New Year, I hope that 2014 brings you good health and happiness, peace and prosperity, and renewed faith in the hope and promise that tomorrow always brings. Thanks for stopping by, and I wish you all Bliadhna Mhath Úr or Happy New Year!

Slàinte! ~ AKB