Spend Valentine's Day With Me and A Few Of My Friends

What are you doing on Valentine's Day?

Come chat with us on the Amber Quill Heat Readers loop on Valentine's Day. Authors will be giving away free ebooks, jewelry, an AQP gift certificate, candy, and more. Chatting, excerpts, recipes, and a whole lot of "heartfelt" fun awaits. Sign up now and get ready for more great events coming soon. Don't miss out!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amberheatreaders/

Neat Dragon Goodies

Getting ready for the fun party and book launch (Feb 19th) of my latest ebook, Open Season. I've got several goodies planned to give away and wanted to share a few of the neat things my promo bf is cooking up for me.

I will be giving away a very cool dragon button pin on the 19th here on my blog, along with a copy of my ebook Open Season to one lucky winner, and in Second Life, I'll be reading excerpts from Open Season and giving away "virtual" Open Season unisex tank tops, and a really cool red dragon tattoo layer your avatar can wear in SL.

Neat huh? I hope you can join me on the 19th. It's sure to be fun!

Happy Imbolc!

Brigit of the Fire

Gather round the hearth, my friends, for 'tis bitter cold outside. I will regale you with a story that has been passed down in my mother's family since the old ones gathered in a circle and lit the first bonfire or wove the first stalks of wheat.

In a hidden glen, in the east of Eire, the chosen came to tend a fire first lit long before they were born. They were young and old alike, married and single. And while the menfolk fought to defend the land from invaders, or hunted for food amid the frozen lakes and snowy woods, these women had a purpose as vital as their men.

They kept the power of fire constant. It was said that so long as the eternal flame burned bright, Ireland and her people would survive. It was a promise made to them by the goddess, Brigit of Fire. Without her flame, raw meat could not be cooked, and the village could fall prey to disease, the dark of night would not change to a harbinger of light and spring.

Around the home fire, the oral traditions of my people were alive and well, as the men told of their bravery in battle, or their journey, and songs were sung to honor the goddess of fire.

In time, this day, February 2, became known in Ireland as Brigit's Day and in Scotland as Bride's Day, (February 2 is also known as Candlemas or Imbolc). Dried sheaths of wheat and corn were woven into special crosses called Brigit's Cross. These would be made in honor of the goddess and hung in each house to ask Brigit for her protection from the cold, illness, and from hunger.

Brigit is a triple goddess, with three different aspects. She is patroness of poets and writers, a goddess of inspiration, learning, divination, witchcraft, and the arcane. She is also a goddess of smithcraft, and patroness for those who create any crafts. Her final aspect of is that of healer, as a goddess of healing, herbs, and medicine. She is also associated with animals and thermal springs.

Centuries later, another Brigit would keep the home fires burning. In Cill Dara, there lived a group of women, nuns they were. And they were lead by a woman who was wise beyond her years. She knew the old ways, and kept them despite pressure from the church. It was important for the people to keep the fires burning, and this new Brigit made sure they were always tended, lest their flame burn out and Ireland fall.

Today, she is honored as St. Brigit. Many believe she was the old goddess of fire born anew. But whatever you believe, she was a remarkable woman.

So on this day, when the snow coats the land and the wind howls with bitter force, know that the chosen still tend the fire for us all, and that the blessing of Brigit and of spring, await.

Faoi bhrat Bhride sinn!
May you be under Brigit's mantle!

I Haz Internet Withdrawal

There's nothing quite like recovering from surgery, stuck in bed and offline. You find yourself contemplating the oddest things. Like if the wallpaper trim in the corner of your bedroom is peeling and how much tug it would take to pull it all down.

Or when they take the gauze off your eyes, if the doctor and nurses will all have snouts. I admit, that one kinda worried me. See what happens if you go offline for too long! ————>>

The good news is I haven't seen a snout yet. The bad news is I have had the worst itchy feeling and because it's on the inside, I know rubbing or scratching around my eyes won't help make it go away.

On the plus side, I'm ready for Halloween. So what if I'm nine months too early. Not everyone can rock the goth look so well, and without make-up!

But the absolute worst is not being able to get on my computer and go online. Yes, I am sneaking on here now and will be in big trouble if I'm caught. I'm counting on ya'll not to tell on me. ;-)

Until next time,
Cass

Red Hot Dragon Love

Just got the cover for my upcoming ebook, Open Season and thought to share the news. My story is part of the DragonPax from Amber Heat/Amber Quill Press and slated to release on February 19, 2012. A very nice belated birthday gift to me. :)



I hope readers will enjoy the dark and dangerous tale of a submissive-in-training who falls in love with her very masterful dragon.