10 Friday Jun 2011
Posted in Autumn Jorodn, Lilly Gayle, Slightly Tarnished, The Wild Rose Press
Today, I’ll be talking with multi-published author, Autumn Jordon. So stop by her blog http://autumnjordonsnotes.blogspot.com/ if you have time and read about the struggles I encountered while trying to get Slightly Tarnished published.
03 Friday Jun 2011
Posted in Blog chain, romance, Slightly Tarnished
It’s RELEASE DAY! Yes, today is the official release of my first published historical, Slightly Tarnished. My fabulous editor was Allison Byers and my talented cover artist was Angela Anderson. Thanks so much ladies for making me look good! The buy link for the book is http://www.wildrosepress.us/maincatalog/ Slightly Tarnished is on the opening page!Lyla Dune : http://lyladune.com/blog.html
Carol Strickland : http://carolastrickland.blogspot.com/
Amy Corwin : http://amycorwin.blogspot.com/
Lilly Gayle : http://www.lillygayleromance.blogspot.com
Rebekkah Niles : http://juturnafaerthing.blogspot.com/
Laura Browning : http://www.laurabrowningbooks.blogspot.com/
Andris Bear : http://andrisbear.wordpress.com/
Marcia Colette : http://marciacolette.wordpress.com/
Nancy Badger : http://www.nancylennea-inlove.blogspot.com
Sarah Mäkelä : http://blog.sarahmakela.com
After parking, we walked through tree lined paths toward the palace.
My son-in-law had to work, so my daughter played tour guide. Isn’t she beautiful?
When we cleared the trees, we came upon a small village. The village is to the left of the photo. The steps on the right led to the new castle and gardens.
Atop of a hill to the left, there was a spiral path leading to a pagoda-type gazebo.
So, we climbed to the top and posed for pictures.
And enjoyed the view… |
| Gold leaf statue of Zeus in a Chariot atop the New Castle.
We left the pagoda and headed toward the New Castle.   The New Castle is shaped in a semi-circle and inside the circle lies the gardens. The outside walls are overlaid with colored stone,seashells, and gold leaf. Inside, part of the castle has been converted into a cafe and gift shop. The rest of the New Castle is not open to the public. But the outside is breathtaking!
     Inside the semi-circle we found a beautiful garden, statues, and fountain.
        From the gardens, we followed a trail (and our tour guide) to the Old Castle.
 To get to the Old Castle, we passed under a rock arch and followed a path.
  Our tour guide led us into the Old Castle via the grotto.  Entering the grotto was like stepping down into a cellar…
But inside the grotto is a fountain house designed to look like an undersea cavern. The paths inside the grotto are narrow and a dozen hidden fountains. When the Margrave and his wife entertained, the felt compelled to invite many people they didn’t like. Close friends and confidants knew where the fountains were located and where to stand inside the grotto. Others did not, and so the Margrave would sit in a box above the crowd and when they entered, he would turn on the fountains, spraying those not on the path. The wet people went home. His friends stayed.
 The Margrave’s box is above the crest.Below are other pictures from inside the grotto and fountain house:
    exited the grotto using these stairs. Upon leaving the grotto, we toured outside the Old Castle.  Courtyard of the Old Castle. Women’s rooms are to the right. Men’s are to the left. Ballroom is straight ahead.
 Outside Kitchen door of the Old Castle. Backside of house.
     Rear gardens.    Monument to the Lady Margrave’s dog. Apparently, the dog’s German name translates: Crazy Dog. Greek style amphitheater. The inside of the castle was beautiful, but we were unable to take pictures. In fact, the only time I’ve ever seen anything more elegant than the castle and gardens at the Hermitage was on our last visit to Germany in 2008 when we visited Neuschwanstien, Hohenschwangau and Linderhoff.
   When the tour was over, we left the Hermitage.
  After leaving the Hermitage, we went to the mall in Beyreuthbanana splits. My husband had lasagna ice cream and I had spaghetti ice cream. With lasagna ice cream, the “noodles” are made with flatten strips of ice cream covered in colorful berry “sauce” and sprinkled with white chocolate for the Parmesan. The spaghetti ice cream used ice cream shaped like noodles and covered in a strawberry sauce and sprinkled with white chocolate.
Once we left the mall, we drove back through Beyreuth on the way back to my daughter’s house.   And passed a monastery near Eschenbach.  We stayed in that last night because we had to get up at 3:30 in the morning in order to get to Nuremberg and catch our 6:30 flight. The next morning was cold and dreary and my daughter was just as sad as her dad and I were…
  But she and her husband are coming home for a visit in July and I can wait to see them again. My youngest daughter is also excited. Lauren didn’t get to go with us to Germany this trip and she really misses her sister. Also, Lauren’s birthday is the week before Jennifer and Mike’s visit and Lauren graduates from UNC’s radiation therapy school the week after they leave. So, it looks like July will be just as busy as June. And I’m lovin’ it! |
27 Friday May 2011
Posted in Germany, Lilly Gayle, Nicolas Cage, Season of the Witch, The Wild Rose Press, vacation
After our trip to Amsterdam and the long bus ride home, we were exhausted. And my poor son-in-law had to return to work, even though Monday was an official German holiday. The Easter holiday in Germany runs from Good Friday through Monday. So, most every business in Germany was closed. And we were all tired, so we hung out at my daughter’s house in Amsterdam.
My daughter lives in Eschenbach and it’s a beautiful town. We visited once before in August 2008. So when lunch time rolled around, my husband and I offered to walk up down to buy lunch.
There’s a Turkish Imbiss (fast food stand) on the other side of town that doesn’t close for German holidays.
So, we started off on our journey hoping we wouldn’t get lost.
We walked through my daughter’s neighborhood, and crossed the bridge. Our youngest daughter was able to go with us when we visited Germany in 2008 and we had taken a picture of her on the bridge crossing the creek when we were there before. It made me miss her and wish she’d been able to come with us this trip.
We saw the tunnel running under the street and new we were still on the right path.
After passing through the tunnel, it was uphill all the way, but such a beautiful walk.
Eschenbach, like so many German towns is a mixture of new and old, with some buildings dating back to medieval times.
But as we walked, we took in the scenery, wondering if the people of Eschenbach marvelled at the beauty of their town as we were doing. Or, did they take it for granted because they saw it every day?
We finally reached the top of the hill and crossed the street to the Imbiss.
And with the help of my daughter’s notes, we were even able to order our food in German. Which greatly relieved the Turks who own the Babylon grill as they did not speak English. And the food there is amazing.
My husband and I ordered the doners: grilled lamb, goat cheese, a yogurt and cucumber dressing called tzatziki, on grilled flat bread. My daughter had the schnitzel with potato salad. Schnitzel is is a batter fried pork chop and if you’ve never had German potato salad, I highly recommend it. Yum!
We then place our food boxes in the cloth sack my daughter provided and started back toward my daughter’s house on the other side of town. The walk home was just as enjoyable, even toting the food sacks.
20 Friday May 2011
Posted in Amsterdam, historical romance, Holland
Over Easter, my husband and I travelled to Germany to visit my daughter and her soldier husband. Previous blogs recap days one through three of our trip.
Day one we visited Nuremberg. Day two we went to Beyreuth. Day three was our misadventures in Pilsen Czech and our wonderful mountain hike. Then after the hike, we drove onto post and boarded a bus to Holland. It was a long, uncomfortable bus ride, but there were some interesting sites along the way.
Like this windmill at a rest area on the autobaun.
Our first stop in Holland was the tulip festival in Keukenhof.
We toured the festival with my daughter, her husband and some wonderful firiends of theirs. (Military people are incredibly friendly!)
The flowers were amazing.
It is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands. Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the 16h and 17th centuries.
The river Amstel terminates in the city center and connects to hundreds of canals. Amsterdam is connected to the North Sea through the long North Sea Canal and is a popular cruise ship destination.
Beauitful buildings and architecture dating back to the 12th century surround the city. And because land is at a premium in Amsterdam, homes are built upward, with gabled roofs and pullies used to hoist furniture in and out of the buildings.
There are no doublewides in Amsterdam. No trailers or trailer parks. But there are houseboats that look like doublewides. These houseboats line the city canals on either side, one on top of the other. But unlike doublewides and trailerparks, it costs hudreds of thousands of dollars a year to live in a houseboat in Amsterdam.
After the canal tour, we headed to our hotel for a much needed nap. The views from the hotel were amazing.
Of course, there were rules we had to follow at the hotel. But it wasn’t a problem. :-) 
There was music and food, and so very much to see. 
We even walked through the famous redlight district. Of course, it was Easter morning so the red lights were turned off, but you can see the light under the massage parlor sign. And we saw a lot of other oddities on that side of town.
13 Friday May 2011
I’m taking a break from my vacation posts today to welcome fellow TWRP author Jennifer Coffeen.
Welcome, Jennifer!
Friday the 13th has long been a day of superstition, legends, and curses. No one is quite sure where the fear of this particular day began, but many attribute it to the evil surrounding number 13 combined with Friday, considered the unluckiest day as far back as the Middle Ages. Wherever the superstition comes from, nothing beats a good scare to add spice and intrigue to your writings.
My novel “Priceless Deception”, due out this summer on August 14th, is centered around the heroine’s search for the cursed French Blue diamond. The French Blue diamond has touched many famous people and events through history, though most people know it by its more modern name, the Hope Diamond.
The curse of the French Blue diamond began in 1642 by a Frenchman named Jean Baptiste Tavernier. The legend states that Tavernier plucked the enormous blue diamond from the forehead or eye of an idol during his travels in India. After returning to France and selling the diamond to King Louie XIV, Tavernier continued his travels to Russia where he was reportedly ripped to pieces by wild dogs as punishment for removing the stone. The diamond was later recut and passed down to Louie XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. Both were executed by the guillotine during the French Revolution and many believe it was the diamond’s curse that caused such a violent end. After that the French Blue was stolen and remained lost until 1812, when it mysterious appeared for sale in London. There are rumors it was purchased by King George IV, and several paintings portray him wearing a very large blue stone in a pendant.
The French Blue eventually resurfaced in America in the hands of Henry Philip Hope where it got its name the Hope Diamond. The curse soon struck again, as the once wealthy Hope family went completely bankrupt after taking possession of the diamond.
In 1910 Pierre Cartier sold the diamond to Evalyn Walsh McLean who proclaimed it her good luck charm. According to some close to Evalyn, the wealthy woman was obsessed with the Hope diamond, refusing to take it off even for a goiter operation. Sadly, it not the good luck she wished for, and Evalyn’s family had their own share of tragedy. Her first born died in a car crash, her daughter committed suicide and her husband went insane and was confined to a mental institution. Many saw this as the long fingers of the diamond’s curse, but Evalyn stubbornly wore the diamond until she died. It was sold in 1941 to settle debts from her estate and purchased by Harry Winston. Winston wanted nothing to do with the diamond’s curse and later, some say for mysterious reasons, offered to donate the diamond to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.
Are you a believer yet? Though I wouldn’t diagnose myself with any phobias, you won’t catch me walking beneath any ladders today!
Jennifer Coffeen is a fellow TWRP author and if you can’t wait until until summer for the release of Priceless Deception, she has a hot release that’s available now. http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4449
Here’s a blurb and excerpt from Jennifer’s April release, Lover’s Gamble.
Sophie Hartlend likes to play with fire.
The reckless and beautiful Miss Sophie has spent her young life doing whatever she pleases without much consequence—except for that one night when passions went too far with the maddeningly handsome Lord Rayburn.
Months after their encounter, Sophie’s newfound infatuation with gambling has landed her in trouble, threatening her precious independence. Lord Rayburn gallantly offers to help, but he insists the wild Miss Sophie do things his way. Once again they find themselves in a battle of wills, attracted but with opposing views.
Will Sophie relent when she discovers she must lay down all her cards in order to win Lord Rayburn’s heart?
(Pages 58) Spicy
Word Count 15000
Excerpt:
Hugh shook his head, forcing his vision to clear. It couldn’t be. He simply had to be mistaken… But no, when he looked again there was no doubt. It was none other than Miss Sophie Hartlend, chattering away like she’d been gambling in Newbury House for years.
What the hell does she think she’s doing? It’s nearly two in the morning, and not a chaperone in sight! He had to admit she looked as stunning as he remembered her, like a long-worshipped Grecian goddess, her long hair curled artfully around her high cheekbones. He had a sudden vision of releasing that cascade of hair from its heavy pins, watching it flow down her naked back in waves.
With a sharp pang Hugh remembered the feel of it through his fingers as he kissed her that hot August night—nearly a year ago now, but a night he’d never forgotten. He’d fallen in love during that single night of passion and, stupidly, assumed she felt the same way. The next day he laid his pride at her feet, making an utter fool of himself over a woman.
Hugh’s hand tightened into a fist. After that day he’d never seen her again, until now. And suddenly here she was, in the most inappropriately low-cut gown he’d ever seen, gambling like a common bit of muslin.
And apparently quite bad at it, too.
You can find Jennfer at: http://www.jenniferanncoffeen.com/ and on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Ann-Coffeen/119223098153686
and check out her book trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYpv1MQGJU4
Thanks for sharing a bit of mystery and history with us today. And stay away from ladders. lol!
08 Sunday May 2011
Posted in Czech, Eschenbach, Germany, Pilsen, vacation
 |
| The tower at Grafenwoehr |
Grafenwoehr is a beautiful town known for it’s American military installations and training areas. It’s also the post where Elvis was briefly stationed during the Korean War. And during WWII, Hitler used to watch his troops from the tower at Graf.
After fueling up, we headed to The Czech Republic.
I’ve heard Prague in The Czech Republic is beautiful. My daughter has been twice and loves it. The Saint Charles Bridge with it’s statues of the saints is reportedly amazing, as are the restaurants and unique shops. But we didn’t have time to make the 4 hour drive to Prague, as we were scheduled to catch a bus from Graf to Amsterdam at 9:00 that night. So, my daughter and her husband decided to take us to Pilsen, Czech, just across the German border and only an hour and a half drive.
My husband and I wanted to see as much of the world as possible. And my daughter tried to accomodate us. She even had brochures from Pilsen, advertising brewery tours and great restaurants. But, the trip to Czech came with a warning. Americans and/or anyone with foreign tags should only park in a secure parking garage or gated hotel parking lot. Czech has a high rate of automobile thefts and car-stripping and as a soldier, my son-in-law did not want to take the chance of getting stranded in another country. But the Pilsen brochure said there was a parking garage near the brewery. So, off to Czech we went.
As we drove away from Germany, the landscape became more flat and the mountains gave way to low, rolling hills. Then, just across the Czech border, we stopped at a truck stop to use the restroom and buy some water.
The bathroom at the Czech truck stop was free, as opposed to the German rest areas and truck stops. On the autobahn in Germany, it costs about .50 Euro cents to use the restrooms, but you get a .50 Euro cent voucher to use toward any purchase inside the store. But the bathrooms are immaculate! When you flush, an arm comes down, sprays disinfectant, the toilet seat rotates 360 degrees , and a sponge inside the arm cleans the seats. Color me impressed. It was worth paying to pee!
In Czech, there were no fancy toilets and the bathrooms weren’t all that clean. Kind of like in American truck stops. But what really got me was when we left the truck stop and drove by the underpass. Parked just beneath the bridge was a Sprinter van with two prostitutes on either side. Even before we looped around to get back on the autobahn, both ladies had customers. And one of them was pregnant!
Call me naive, but that’s the first time I’d ever seen anything like it. I still find it disturbing. And once we got into Pilsen, the strange didn’t stop. There were quite a few strange stores, including one that sold fire-fighting supplies. Whether one had to be a firefighter or not was unclear, but I found it odd.
There were also random shacks sprouting up in various locations around the railroad tracks.
And the buildings downtown were painted loud, unmatching colors.
There were new and old buildings, just like in Germany, but in Czech, the beautiful old architecture was blighted by giant billboards plastered on the sides of those glorious old buildings. And to top it off, we couldn’t park because the only secure garage was closed for construction and the hotel parking areas were for guests only. So, the only time I got out of the car while in The Czech Republic was to use the restroom at the truck stop. Pilsen is by no means Prague. Next time, it’s Prague or I’ll skip the trip to Czech altogether.
But, the day wasn’t a total loss. After our misguided adventures across the Czech border, we went back to my daughter’s house, changed clothes, grabbed their two dogs, and drove about four miles or so to Roucher Klum, the small mountain visible from the upstairs window of my daughter’s house.
We parked at the bottom of the mountain in a parking area outside a small rest area/snack bar. Then we followed the long winding trail up the mountain.
I love the trees in Germany. I don’t know what kind of pines they are, but they’re tall, majestic, and beautiful.
About mid way up the mountain, was the remains of an ancient fortress.
 |
| deep gully near the old fortress. |
Views along the trail were spectacularly beautiful.
Toward the top, the trail became rocky and more difficult to navigate.
Until we reached the tower. |
| My son in law’s camera has an awesome zoom. |
 |
| We spotted a lizard along the trail. |
And along a narrow ledge, I met a local woman going up. I don’t speak German, but I’d been getting my daughter to teach me a few words and phrases in German. Things like please (bitte) and thank you (dankeschön.) I’d also asked my daughter how to say excuse me. The German word is entschuldigen, which translates apology or apologize. My daughter taught me to pronounce it as “en-choot-ee-gun.” I remembered the pronunciation because it sounded sort of like, “I shoot a gun.”
Apparently, the German woman understood English a lot better than I speak German. Her eyes bulged and her jaw dropped. Then she moved quickly away as if she feared I’d push her over the edge.
06 Friday May 2011
Posted in Bayreuth Germany, Beer, Catacombs, Germany, Lilly Gayle, Margravial Opera House, The Wild Rose Press, WWII
Well, I think I’m finally over my jet-lag enough to blog about my second day in Germany.
On Thursday, after my son-in-law left for work, my daughter took her dad and me to her favorite city. Bayreuth (pronounced: Bye-roit.)
It’s a beautiful little city in Bavaria Germany nestled in a valley beside the Red Main River. We parked in the parking deck and walked over the street to the mall before crossing over another bridge to enter the city center.
Bayreuth, like many towns in Germany, has a walking district. But it was hard for me to distinguish the walking districts from the driving districts. Both the sidewalks and roads had similar paving stones and even in the driving districts, there was often more foot and bicycle traffic than cars.
It was a beautiful afternoon, and the streets were packed with people out enjoying the unseasonably warm weather.
Across from the cafes, children and pets played in the fountains.
After lunch, we walkd through the city enjoying the scenery. Bayreuth is a gorgeous city.
Quaint shops and ancient architecture.
Our next stop was a visit to the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth. In Germany, a margrave was a medieval nobleman with military responsibilities. He originally functioned as the military governor. And the entrance to the opera house was beautiful . 
But the inside was gorgeous.
And a painted ceiling.
And from there, we toured the catacombs under the city.The origin of the catacombs date back to medieval times. They were probably used as a prison and/or escape route during the 30-year war (1618-1648.)
But even before the brewery was built over the catacombs, German royalty used the cool cellars for brewing beer. In the 1700’s Friedrich II, later dubbed Friedrich the Great, became a master brewer.
As a young man, Friedrich II served in his father’s army. But he disapproved of his father’s harsh rule so at one point, he and two military buddies decided to run away and take refuge in England with Friedrich ‘s uncle, King George II. One of Frederick’s friends escaped, the other was executed, and Friedrich spent months in the catacombs as a prisoner brewing beer. He became a master brewer but after his release, he never brewed again.
Also in the catacombs, at some point around Friedrich II’s time, a foreign worker was buried alive inside the walls of the catacombs. His foot prints are still visible in the cement.
During WWII, the people of Bayreuth felt safe from the Allied bombings. It wasn’t until the end of the war on April 5, 8, and 11, 1945 that Bayreuth was bombed. Afterward, many of the city’s inhabitants fled to the catacombs, taking as many possessions as they could carry with them.
Children stayed together and an old farmer ventured out to gather fresh milk while a French prisoner of war heated it on his gas stove.
There was even a small hospital in the catacombs and according to our guide, at least one major surgery was performed in the cold, dank recesses of the catacombs.
And once the war ended, the women cleared away the rubble and debris and began rebuilding the city. Since their men had either died during the war or were being held as prisoners, the women and what few old men remained began rebuilding the city. The women were later called Rubble Women.I was fascinated by the history of the catacombs and although most of the tour was in Germany, our tour guide spoke fluent English and provided us with an English program guide.
In fact, most everyone we encountered spoke some English, and I did my best to learn German. And after the tour, we got to choose one of the great beers still brewed at the Bayreuth brewery. Then we headed back to my daughter’s car and the short ride back to her house.
Day 3 was good Friday and I’ll share my adventures in the Czech Republic and my sad attempt at speaking Deutsch (German) while hiking in my next post.
Stay tuned!
01 Sunday May 2011
Posted in cemetaries, Germany, Lilly Gayle, OUT OF THE DARKNESS, romance, The Wild Rose Press, travel, vampires
My husband and I recently vacationed in Germany with a side trip to Amsterdam. We went to visit my daughter and her husband who’s stationed in Germany. We left on a Tuesday afternoon, flying Jet Blue out of RDU to JFK.
Flying over New York was not what I expected. For one thing, I thought to see tall buildings and crowded streets. I didn’t expect to see oceanfront property. Yes, I know New York is a coastal state and that Long Island and Manhattan are, well, islands. But the expanse of sand took me by surprise. So did the empty beaches. It was 80 degrees when we flew over. NC beaches are packed when the temps reach that high. But I could barely see anyone on these beaches. And the sand looked almost concrete. Is it paved like a sidewalk? I don’t know. But the view from the air was incredible.
Once we reached JFK, we rushed to our next gate to wait for our connecting flight on Swiss Air that would takes us to Zurich where we’d change planes again. Our experiences on both Jet Blue and Swiss air were great. Planes left on time. The flight attendants were friendly. And the view of New York at night was awe inspiring.
It was an overnight flight and I awoke in time to see Paris. Or not. The plane had dropped below its 37,000 feet cruising altitude but we were still too high to see much of anything. And it was cloudy. But I got a glimpse of the Swiss Alps as we entered Switzerland. Seeing the tops of those jagged, snow-capped mountains jutting high above the clouds was a sight I’ll never forget. It reminded me of that movie, Alive. Alive is based on the book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors and details the events surrounding the Uruaguay rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains in 1972. A fellow writer posted this blog after hearing one of the survivors of the crash speak at a lecture. http://tonianderson.blogspot.com/2011/03/complaining-is-optional.html It will give you cold chills and make you think.
From Zurich, we caught a connecting flight to Nuremberg where my daughter picked us up. I’m in the process of writing the sequel to Out of the Darkness, my paranormal vampire romance. There’s a scene in the book set in a cemetary in Nuremberg. And so, my daughter took us to the cemetary so I could take some pictures. She thought it was creepy, but I love old cemetaries.
I find them incredibly peaceful and beautiful, not like modern cemetaries with the plastic grave markers or flat foot markers. I love the artistry of old grave yards. And there are always beautfiul statues. 
And in Germany, there are many gorgeous old churches, some that date back to mideival times.
This particular cemetary had some new graves and some from WWII and older. My daughter said some victims of the plague were buried in mass graves on the church grounds. We did see some family graves and I wasn’t sure if they were headstones to mark the family plot, or if they were indeed, mass family graves.
This grave, for instance, had no other markers near it. And nothing that looked like additional plots. So, I can only guess about the Sebald family and how/when they died and were buried.
Visiting cemetaries may seem a bit macabre, but luckily for me, my husband enjoyes it too. He says walking through cemetaries makes him feel grateful he isn’t sprawled out in the dirt getting eaten by worms. Then, I remind him he wants to be cremated. 
After spending a relaxing afternoon touring the cemetary, we walked through Nuremberg and discussed plans for our week long visit with my daughter and her husband. Nuremberg is a beautiful old city, but I think I like Beyreuth better.
Check back later in the week, when I post day two’s adventures in the beautiful city of Beyreuth, Germany.
30 Saturday Apr 2011
Posted in Lilly Gayle, prizes, Samhain Publishing, Slightly Tarnished, The Wild Rose Press, TWRP
≈ Comments Off on TWRP Turns Five
My publisher, The Wild Rose Press turns five this week! And I have a new release coming out on June 3. Slightly Tarnished is my first historical romance, and it never would have happened without the fantastic editors at TWRP!
During the week long celebration (April 27th- May 1st) TWRP will be giving away more than $500.00 worth of prizes. So join my favorite publisher at the Wild Rose Press yahoo groups.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thewildrosePress/
Or if you like walking on the wild side, join The Wilder Roses celebration at http://groups.yahoo.com/adultconf?dest=%2Fgroup%2Fthewilderroses%2F(The Wilder Roses is an adult content group for 18+)
For chances to win more than $500.00 worth of prizes, all you have to do is party with my publisher and fellow TWRP authors. Everyone who participates will be entered into the prize drawings. Non-stop fun from Wednesday, April 27 – Sunday, May 1st. Join the fun and help us celebrate 5 years in the garden.
24 Sunday Apr 2011
Posted in Christmas, Easter, historical romance, Lilly Gayle, Religion, writing
≈ Comments Off on When is Easter Again?
time as the Jewish Passover, which was celebrated on the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Both those who believe in the Good Friday to Easter Sunday and the Wednesday to Saturday timeline for Christ’s death and resurrection do not argue this point. But, because of the differing phases of the moon, Christians celebrated Easter at different times and by the end of the second century, some churches celebrated on Passover and others celebrated the following Sunday. 
The year I was born, Easter was on April 17th. The year I got married, it fell on April 6th, the day after my birthday. Easter was March 30th the year my oldest was born and March 26th the year my youngest was born. And this year, it lands on April 24th, which to me, seems like the latest Easter I can remember.
Going to http://www.timeanddate.com/ can show any calendar from any year to see when Easter fell in any given year. But who sets the date for Easter and how do they decided? Why not celebrate on the day Christ was resurrected?
Well, for one thing, Christians, theologians, and scholars cannot agree on the day Christ was crucified or resurrected. Christians celebrate the Good Friday Crucifixion to Sunday morning resurrection timeline. But that’s not three days and three nights. And according to Mathew 12:39-40, Christ was in the earth for three days and three nights.
Matthew 12: 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
So, then, how could Christ be crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday. The math doesn’t add up. Then again, according to the Gregorian calendar, Sunday is the first day of the week and the sabbath falls on Saturday. And the Gregorian calendar is a continuation of the Julian calendar that started with the year Jesus was born. But most western religions who celebrate the birth and resurrection of Christ worship on Sunday. So, maybe that’s why Christians cling to the Good Friday to Easter Sunday time line.
But according to some- http://www.herealittletherealittle.net/index.cfm?page_name=Jesus-Resurrection -Christ was crucified between 9:00 a.m and 3:00 p.m. He was then placed in the grave. Although this isn’t a full 24 hours, it counts as the first day and first night in the grave. Thursday and Friday are days two and three and Christ arose on Saturday, the day then recognized as the Sabbath.
So, why don’t Christians follow this time line? And why do we celebrate on different days and even months?
How is Easter even determined?
Easter is determined by the equinox. Every year around March 21 and September 23, there is twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness. Day and night are equal. These two days are known as the vernal or spring equinox and the autumnal equinox.
In 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea established Easter as the first Sunday after the first full moon and dependant upon the ececclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox. But if the full moon falls on Sunday, Easter is delayed one week, which decreases the chances of it falling on the same day as the Jewish Passover.
So, if Easter is celebrated at different times of the month, does it really matter whether Christ died on a Friday and was ressurrected on Sunday. Or if he died on Wednesday and was ressurected on Saturday? What matters is that Christ was tortured, ridiculed, and crucified for our sins. He was buried in a tomb where he lay dead for three days before his ressurection on the third day. And because he died, we migh live and have eternal life.Believing and having faith is what counts.
In the words of Sturar Chase~ “For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.”
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
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