Spring Equinox -Spring Has Sprung
The Spring Equinox, March 20, 2024, marks the official start of spring across various cultures around the globe and holds special meaning. When day and night are nearly equal in length – representing balance and renewal on Earth from winter’s chill to the warmth of spring’s warmth.
Many celebrate it through rituals, ceremonies, festivals or festivities that honor this changing season and promise new beginnings – join us as we uncover history, customs and traditions associated with this ancient and magical event!
Spring Equinox ushers in an emotional and physical renewal. In Northern Hemisphere after months of dormancy during winter, nature slowly begins to waken. New leaves emerge and floral beauty gradually unveils itself into vibrant color schemes and aromas, filling the air with vibrancy and fragrance. Bird songs become more melodic while streams run freer than before – life springs forth with renewed vitality all around us! These changes not only delight the eye but are a testament to life on our planet.
On a symbolic level, the Spring Equinox has long been seen as a time for renewal and rebirth. Easter, which commemorates Christ’s resurrection and usually falls around this time, usually falls around this date.
Ancient druidic tradition celebrated this event as marking victory of sun-god over darkness-god; many people today still align celebrations and rituals around its celebration, feeling deeply interconnected to nature’s rhythms.
In certain cultures, the Spring Equinox marks an opportunity for fertility and abundance. Japan celebrates Higan – a week-long memorial service held at family gravesites to remember those who have passed.
Iranians celebrate Nowruz – an Iranian new year festival coinciding with Spring Equinox which symbolizes rebirth and fresh starts – in conjunction with Spring Equinox.
The Spring Equinox with its inherent message of renewal can teach us much. Just as nature renews herself each spring, so can each of us embrace change, set goals for ourselves and emerge from metaphorical hibernation into a period of growth and abundance. Let’s welcome this spring equinox with hope, connect more closely with nature and live more harmoniously within its rhythms and cycles. Now is an opportune moment to plant seeds of intention for the coming months, set goals, and embark upon exciting adventures.
Happy Spring Equinox!
Speaking of Spring, take a peek at Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic.
Spring is in full bloom in Raven’s Hollow, a small town in the Colorado Rockies with a population of unique townspeople. Blaze, a dragon shifter, and Wynter, a witch, are neck-deep in wedding preparations, when Wynter’s mother, Jade, goes missing after opening her new antique store, and attending the Simon estate sale where she procured an ancient jelly bean machine. Frantic with worry, Blaze and Wynter track her last movements via the store’s ancient, grainy, security footage. What it reveals is nothing short of shocking. As deputy sheriff, it’s Blaze’s responsibility to find his soon-to-be mother-in-law. But at what cost?
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged fantasy, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Raven's Hollow Spring Magic, Shapeshifters, Spring Equinox, Tena Stetler, Time travel, Witches by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
An Angel’s Wylder Assignment – Sunday Snippet
Yippee!! Sunday Snippets presents a award winning An Angel’s Wylder Assignment my paranormal romance/mystery. WooHoo! It takes a Warrior Angel and Native American Shifter to save the past and create their future. Join the #adventure, grab your copy today!
Pull up a chair and get comfy, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about An Angel’s Wylder Assignment, part of the award winning A Demon’s Witch’ Series. All books can be read as stand alone.
What inspired An Angle’s Wylder Assignment. I guess you’d say I decided to try something different. What a Wyld Ride.
Have you ever started a project only to discover it’s not going to be anything like you envisioned? Such is the constant situation of a writer who writes by the seat of her pants. The characters involved in the story take over and run with the plot, character arc, and anything else within their grasp.
Because I can’t plot my way out of a paper bag, and I’ve tried, I endure the escapades of my characters. Nine times out of ten, I end up with an imaginative and well-written book. Such is the case of, An Angel’s Wylder Assignment, part of The Wild Rose Press multi-author Wyld West series. My first attempt at a paranormal western, time travel, historical. There was a lot of research involved. How do they heat the house back in 1878? What do they cook on? You should grab a copy and see if I pulled it off. LOL
Creating a fictional community with other authors is fun if a little daunting. So many individuals’ points of view and writing technics melded into one world. Sharing characters in the many storylines and making it all cohesive can be challenging but fun for all. Readers get to engage with characters they already know and love, then discover new characters added to the mix in a town or community familiar to them.
What is An Angel’s Wylder Assignment is all about.
Warrior Angel Killian Dugan’s annual trip to the family castle in Scotland is shattered by the arrival of Legion Commander North. Killian’s skills are needed for an urgent time travel assignment. A rogue demon has escaped back in time. He must discover the why and where and stop the demon before it can damage the past and change the future.
Killian’s girlfriend Chinoah Grace, a Native American shapeshifter is included in the mission which takes them to the wild west town of Wylder, Wyoming in the year 1878. She will have her hands full fitting in and making friends.
Nothing is as it seems. They encounter visions, spirit quests, and a mysterious shaman. On top of it all, blending in as a blacksmith is more physically difficult than he imagined. But not as challenging as keeping his hands off his undercover wife. Will they complete their assignment or run out of time?
Sneak peek between the pages of An Angel’s Wylder Assignment:
Inside the family castle in Scotland, Killian put aside his warrior angel duties and relaxed in front of a roaring fire with Chinoah, a Native American wolf shifter.
He idly swirled wine in a cut crystal glass, watching the flames glint off the burgundy liquid. It was his duty to take care of the property while his cousin, Tavish, and his family were on holiday before the highland’s harsh winter weather set in.
This year he’d be staying through the holidays, though Chinoah didn’t know it yet.
Who says a battle-ready warrior angel couldn’t handle both duty and family. Bollocks to that. His best friend, Caden, did it. Well, kinda. Legion Commander Nathanial North balanced both just fine.
He slipped an arm around Chinoah. She cuddled into him as he pulled the patchwork quilt Jalen, Tavish’s wife, had made and given them to celebrate their hard-won relationship status of dating. One step at a time, Chinoah had requested.
The brass door knocker echoed through the castle announcing visitors.
With a raised brow, he peered at Chinoah. “Expecting guests, are we?”
“Not as far as I know.” She got to her feet and padded across the stone floor.
“Wait.” Grumbling, he pushed up from the cozy warm couch, slipped his socked feet back into his boots, and clomped toward her. “Best let me answer the door since we don’t know who’s waiting on the other side.”
She slowed her pace to allow him to catch up with her. “This castle is huge. By the time we get to the door, the visitors may be gone.” She giggled.
“Way to keep in shape.” Chuckling, he kissed her. “Apparently, my cousin made the original great hall into their family living space.”
“God help us if we’re in the bed-chamber when someone comes calling.” She snickered. “We’d have to sprint down the balcony hallway, across the split staircase, and through the great hall. By then, the visitors would have decided no one was home.”
“Which could have been Tavish’s plan.” He smiled at the thought. “Besides, I didn’t hear you complain last evening when you thundered through the castle for a couple of hours on four paws.”
“That was different. My wolf needed the exercise, and you didn’t want me to go outside.” Her lips formed a pout that he found irresistible.
“Didn’t want to spring you from a trap.” He turned his attention out the window where the snow swirled in the howling wind. “Besides, who in bloody hell would be calling at this time of night and in this weather?”
She raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Only one group of individuals I know.”
“Oh, no. I’m on leave. They didn’t know where I was going. Besides, they wouldn’t expect me to be here.” The ancient wooden door groaned then made a squeeing sound when Killian yanked it open. “What in tarnation are you doing here?”
Pssst… While you’re here, don’t forget to check out my paranormal romance/mysteries click here.
Check back next week for another Sunday Snippet paranormal adventure/romance/mystery!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged An Angel's Wylder Assignment, Historical, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Shapeshifters, Sunday Snippet, Tena Stetler, Time travel, Western by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
A Warlock’s Secrets – Inspiration
Welcome to Sunday Snippets! Today we are talking about A WARLOCK’S SECRETS, the second book in award-winning A Demon’s Witch Series.
A Warlock’s Secrets wasn’t a planned part of A Demon’s Witch’ Series. It came to fruition after several readers and a couple of reviewers asked or assumed Tristian’s story was next in the series.
In truth, I’d never considered writing Tristian’s story. He was the Demon Overlord’s enforcer/assassin, for heaven’s sake. The hardest part of writing this book was wrapping my head around who Tristian really was and what he wanted out of life. He challenged me at every turn of the story. After delving into who he really is and what he wants, come to find out, he has a strong moral compass and A Warlock’s Secrets was born. He basically is the paranormal police for the Western Hemisphere. Enforcement is necessary to keep a balance between mortals and creatures which he learned young due to the death of his parents and having to raise his little sister.
When love comes his way he is fiercely protective and everything Hannah is looking for in a forever relationship. The one caveat is the relationship must be kept from her parents, for their protection. Join in the adventure and grab your copy today! Available worldwide at Amazon,Kobo, Barnes& Noble, itunes, and Walmart.com. If you’re in the United Kingdom, Amazon UK, or Australia, Amazon.AU. or Canada Amazon CA.
Often I’ve been asked why I write paranormal romance. Since I was old enough to read, I loved being swept away into a fantasy. Whether is was a trip to Mars, pretending I could wield magic with the characters in a book, or chasing a unicorn across the backyard only to find myself face to face with a vampire, my imagination ran wild with the written word. As I got older, if I didn’t like a part of the book or the way a story ended, I’d rewrite it. Oh what adventures Trixie Beldon and Nancy Drew had under my rewritten sections. LOL
Now I hope to encourage readers to leave your ordinary world behind for a few hours… be swept away into a magical romantic fantasy with a touch of mystery and suspense. It’s good for the soul and stress relieving to suspend reality for a while, whether you are reading or writing novels. <grin>
Click on the cover to read more or purchase!
A Little about A WARLOCK’S SECRETS – Years ago, a sacred ceremony at the Dragon’s Moon Coven turned deadly. Son of the high priestess, Tristian Shandie’s life changed forever. With a price on his head and revenge in his heart, he has no choice but to follow in his father’s footsteps to a profession shrouded in secrets. Now his skills as an enforcer for the Demon Overlord are second to none. But dangerous secrets he harbors are a liability he can no longer afford.
A chance meeting with a woman he finds irresistible flips Tristian’s world upside down. Hannah is a cyber security specialist with secrets of her own. Bad boys never appealed to her until Tristian, who changes everything. In his darkest hours, she is dragged into his magical world. If they survive, is she strong enough to heal his heart and tame the warlock? Or will their secrets destroy them?
A peek between the pages of A WARLOCK’S SECRETS:
Sitting behind the wheel, he combed his fingers through his damp dark blond hair in an attempt to look presentable. Aww to hell with it. He shoved the car door open, unfolded his six-foot-four inch frame from the vehicle, slammed the door and set the alarm.
Cheerful red checked curtains hung in the windows, funny he’d never noticed that before. Probably because it was usually dark when he stopped to grab a bite, which was either before sunrise or in the dead of the night. The late afternoon sunlight bounced off the glass door to the diner as he yanked it open. The aroma of fresh French fries, hamburgers, and homemade cherry pies wafted out into the cool spring air. He strode through the diner, slipped into a red vinyl booth in the far corner and stared out the window for several minutes. The sounds of food being prepared, dishes clinking together, and the ding of a bell when the cook called “order up” somehow took the edge off.
When the door opened again, a woman stomped inside. She had shoulder-length wavy, red hair, a sprinkling of freckles over her nose and the brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen. She was curvy in the right places, not like the skin and bones of women prevalent these days. He shook his head. How did men find those types attractive?
The wooden chair scraped across the tile floor as the woman jerked it out from under the table not far from Tristian’s booth. She plopped down on the red padded vinyl seat and shoved her wet hair out of her eyes, blew out a breath and leaned back in the chair. The woman stared into space for a beat then closed her eyes, shook her head slightly.
A waitress with a name tag that said Nan stopped by his table. “What’ll you have?”
“A cup of coffee.”
“Got fresh baked cherry pie that goes really good with a scoop of ice cream.” She tapped a pencil on the order pad she held in her hand.
“A cup of coffee.”
“Okaaay, but you don’t know what you’re missing.” She turned and flounced over to the table a red-haired woman occupied and laid her hand on the woman’s arm. “Didn’t go as well as you’d hoped?”
“You could say that. The big announcement was that the company is relocating to Colorado to be part of a National Cyber Intelligence Center being established in Colorado Springs. Shadow Hawk Cyber was one of the first companies tapped to be a part of it.” She slapped the menu down on the table.
Nan tilted her head slightly and peered at the woman questioningly. “You don’t want to move? I’ve heard Colorado is beautiful. Great skiing, hiking, biking, you name it Colorado’s got it.” She paused for a couple beats, tapping her pencil to her lips. “Except the ocean. It’s land locked. Suppose it has mountain lakes.”
The red-headed woman huffed out a breath. “Relocation isn’t the problem. I’m an Irish citizen and getting a top-secret security clearance is impossible. Without it, I can’t work for the company. Well, that’s not exactly true. The owner of the company said I needed to apply for a Limited Access Authorization. Supposedly, I would have no trouble getting that since my expertise is needed.”
“So… why not apply?”
“I looked into it. Seems it’s harder to get than my boss thinks. LAAs are granted in rare circumstances where the non-US citizen possesses a unique or unusual skill or expertise that is urgently needed. Can’t get higher than Secret clearance. I’m the only one in the company that has a — certain skill set. But since other companies are also clamoring to be part of the NCIC, you can bet they’ll have people with my skill set and are US citizens.”
“Gee… that’s too bad. But you’re not just going to give up, are you?”
“Tonight — I don’t know. On a positive note, the move won’t be complete for eighteen to twenty-four months. Boss says I can fly under the radar until that time.”
“What about becoming a citizen? You plan to stay in the states. Right?”
“I hope so. But I don’t want to give up my Irish citizenship, either.” She sighed.
Tristian clinked the empty coffee cup against the saucer and stared at the waitress.
Nan patted the woman’s arm and frowned, then jerked her head in Tristian’s direction. “I’ll be right back.” She rushed behind the lunch counter, whisked the coffee pot from the warmer so quickly the scalding coffee nearly sloshed over the rim. Nan paused, let the liquid settle and walked to Tristian’s table, filled his cup. “Sorry about that.”
He nodded and gave her an obligatory smile.
Several customers entered the diner talking loudly and laughing. They settled into seats on the opposite side of the room. Tristian was glad they didn’t invade his area, as he contemplated doing something he’d never done before. He slid out of the booth and ambled over to the red-headed woman’s table. “Rough day, huh?”
She glanced up at him warily. “You could say that.”
“I understand. Had one of those myself.” He pulled out a chair and glanced over at her. “Mind if I join you?”
She shrugged, “Suit yourself.” and motioned absently to the chair he leaned on.
He offered his hand. “I’m Tristian.”
She hesitated for a beat, then clasped his hand lightly. “Hannah.”
“Nice to meet you, Hannah.” He eased into the chair. “Overheard you’re from Ireland. Been here long?”
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Thank you for joining me for a little peek into A WARLOCK’S SECRETS and my inspiration to write it. Next week another adventure awaits, don’t miss it.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged A Demo's Witch Series, A Warlock's Secrets, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Shapeshifters, Tena Stetler, Washington DC, Witches by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
Charm Me – On Sale #99cents – Sunday Snippet
Yippee!! #SundaySnippet presents Charm Me, an award winning #fantasy. A fun and flirty Candy Hearts Romance on sale for 99cents just in time for Valentine’s Day! Can a ski trip turn romantic in Divide, Colorado? Can Valentine Magic bring them together forever?
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Charm Me. Go ahead you, know you want to download a copy and join the #magical #fantasy, #adventure today! You’ll be so glad you did.
What is Charm Me all about?
Summer Dawn Rylie’s an extraordinary elemental witch whose troubled past haunts her. She’s created a calm life for herself teaching yoga and keeping people at a distance. Her life takes a one eighty-degree turn when she enrolls in a women’s weapons class and meets ruggedly handsome Devlin Sawyer.
Devlin, a former Navy Seal, has sworn off women after two long-term failed relationships, but there is no denying his attraction to Summer. She intrigues him like no other woman ever has. Despite her attempts to ignore him, Summer is drawn to Devlin. His magic signature is strong, but he’s no warlock. Will Valentine’s Day magic find them a future together?
Sneak peek between the pages of Charm Me!
Getting to her feet, she brushed the dust from her black yoga pants, tugged at the bottom of her bright orange tunic, and flipped the light switch on. A soft glow of florescent lighting flooded the large room, soothing Summer’s nerves. Guess she would never be the same carefree individual she was before the incident. Oh, shake it off. You’re safe and it’s time to get on with life. “Come on Pip, let’s get this place open.”
A massive stone fireplace towered in the corner. She picked up an arm full of wood and flung it in the general direction. Logs landed in the fire pit and neatly arranged themselves in a tepee shape. With a magic flick of her finger toward the hearth, flames raced up the aspen logs. “That’s better.”
She raised her arms, about to send the yoga mats back to their proper place when the heavy wooden front door creaked open. Piper rushed toward the door, teeth bared and a growl rumbled in her throat. Summer whirled around and yelped as Devlin ambled into the room, black hair tousled and glistening with melting snowflakes. His nonchalance at the dog’s approach surprised her as he slowed to a stop. Piper sniffed around him, backed up a few inches, then stood at alert in front of Devlin.
“You scared the bejeebers out of me.” Summer held her hand to her chest as her heart thundered.
“What are you doing here?”
“Call your guard dog off and I’ll tell you.” The corners of Devlin’s mouth curved up into a smile, a faint light twinkled in the depths of his dark eyes.
“Piper, leave it…come.” The dog gave Devlin a last sideways glance, trotted back to Summer and sat at her side.
Pssst… While you’re here, don’t forget to check out my paranormal romance/mysteries click here.
Thanks for stopping by, see you next week for another Sunday Snippet!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Charm Me, Colorado, fantasy, magic, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Shapeshifters, Sunday Snippet, Tena Stetler, Witches by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
