Monday, December 31, 2012

Ring in the New Year

I can remember a time when 2013 seemed decades away. Now it is upon us, and I couldn't be more excited.  So many wonderful things going on!  As the New Year comes, it is always fun to look back on old memories.  One of my favorite New Year memories is a lovely, romantic one.

December 31st, years ago beneath the soft light of falling snow, close to the hour of midnight, the love of my life knelt before me, asking if I would spend the rest of my life with him.  He promised so many things that evening  ...to share in the laughter of our children, dance with me in our kitchen and make me smile everyday.

He does all of that and more.

'Le Gra Go Deo'  - With Love Forever, my dear husband.


In honor of romance, I'm sharing a few of my favorite books with you.  Check below to enter to win!

Be sure to leave a comment with your e-mail to be entered in the GRAND prize drawing!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

May you have a blessed New Year!  I'd love to hear one of your memories of years gone by.


May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!

All the Best,
Rionna

Drop on by these other Blog Hop Sites for more chances to win!


Saturday, December 22, 2012

Blessed Yule

The winter solstice is a joyous time in the Morgan house.  We fill our home with light and laughter.  The candles we burn are red and white, symbolizing the power and courage of love, purity and hope for the coming year. We have a Yule candle that we burn each year, connecting the old with the new, the past with the future.

Each year we have a traditional Celtic meal.

Family
2012 Yule Menu

Capons in Wine Sauce
Green Beans & Almonds with Herb Butter
(Mint, Garlic & Parsley Butter)
Colcannon
Caraway Rye Bread

Black Velvet
(Guinness & Champagne)

Chocolate Mousse Yule Log

One of the favorite things we do is our Yule Wish Tradition.

Dance in the Nutcracker again.
 Everyone in the family has their own tree ornament.  After dinner and dessert, we write our wishes for the new year and attach them to our ornament.
Learn to play the guitar
and be a mermaid...she's 6.


When the evening is over and it's time to sleep into the new day, we each blow out a candle and make a new secret wish to carry in our hearts for the new year.  With my candle, with my wish, I thought of you:  all the wonderful new friends I've met this year.  May your days be filled with joy, may your heart be light and may all the worries of the past fade into nothingness. 

Blessed be you and yours.
Blessed Yule, my friends.
Rionna


Friday, December 14, 2012

Winter in Montana!

It's wintertime in Montana!  To celebrate, I'm participating in two Blog Hops...each with awesome prizes!!  I'm giving away a few awesome prizes myself.  Look below to see!
Other Sites for this Blog Hop!

One of my favorite Montana winter memories happened last year.  My three daughters were off from school.  It had snowed so much the night before!  In the morning  the whole world looked like it had been sprinkled with magic dust.  We made snowmen and snow angels and went sledding down our tall hills. Hot chocolate and warm cinnamon rolls were just the thing to come in to.  So much snow.  So many giggles. I loved that day!

A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: 
A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack: 
paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks,
 cover flats, magnets, pens, 
coffee cozies, and more!





Be sure to leave a comment with your e-mail address to be entered to win!



a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A Christmas in Montana Memory

I am very pleased to introduce the Win a Piece of Montana--November WINNER!  Actually, I've invited her to share a bit about herself.  I am so excited to share her with you.  

Website for Tara Chevrestt
When Ms. Morgan kindly offered me a spot on her blog, there really was no contest as to what I was going to talk about. It came to me almost immediately. Montana. More specifically, Christmas in Montana.

We all have that one Christmas that sticks in our memory as the best Christmas ever, the one we compare all Chrimstasses to and it seems they just don’t compare.

Mine was when I was eight or nine (sometime in the 90s. That’s all you’re getting from me on that.) and my parents saved and scraped and pinched and counted pennies so we could afford for my mother and I to make a trip to Montana to see her family. These trips are expensive as only one major airline *still, to this day* flies to that wonderous state. (That means they can literally get away with charging an arm, a leg, and whatever other body part they want.) We lived in Oklahoma, a long ways away.

This trip, due to airline hubs and flight plans, required us to fly from Oklahoma to Texas, Texas to Salt Lake City, and then Salt Lake City to Butte, MT, where my grandparents would meet us and drive half an hour to Deer Lodge. This was a whole day of traveling. But it was worth it just to see my wonderful family. We only made this trip once every...maybe four years.

And sometimes, there were delays, icy roads, etc. This is Montana we’re talking about, in December.

Well, the Christmas I was eight, we made this trip, and ALL my cousins were there! This was super unusual as they lived in Oregon at the time. This would be the last time all my cousins, all five of us, were together for Christmas. It hasn’t happened since.

My grandmother made fudge, cinnamon rolls, dinner was so full of people, it was like playing musical chairs! There was homemade bread, beef jerky and deer sausage. It was a time full of love and joy and fun. It was what Christmas should be about: NOT toys, not money. I was so content that holiday, I didn’t need much else.

And we went sledding!! My first and only time ever! And snowmobiling too!

And that was truly the holiday that no holiday since has been able to top. I remember sobbing my heart out as our plane went down the Butte runway for takeoff and I left those glorious snow-covered mountains behind to go back to flat, boring Oklahoma. But it wasn’t just a loss of scenery, but a loss of the loving family that surrounded me. It would be a while before I saw them again.

Well, ending this on a happier note, in honor of THIS Christmas, I’m giving away a kindle ebook of my Christmas story, Operation: Enduring Santa.

One lucky commenter will walk away with this book at the end of the day. Just share with me, please, what has been YOUR best Christmas ever and what made it so?

Thank you, Ms. Morgan, and Happy Holidays to all!


Blurb:

USAF fighter pilot Janet Kerrigan is not having a good Christmas. It's bad enough she is stationed in Balad Air Base, Iraq and away from her three-year-old son, but to make matters worse, she has to spend her Christmas day on Combat Air Patrol.

A friend and fellow pilot tells her to make new Christmas memories, and much to Janet's surprise, she does, though not the kind of memories she expects. While flying her F-16 Fighting Falcon in the Iraqi skies, Janet is faced with a difficult choice: follow orders and have the glory or ruin her Air Force career to save Christmas for boys and girls everywhere.

If you wish to know more about me, come check out my Facebook Page!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Win a Piece of Montana - December Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Big Sky, Montana
All across this great state of mine there are craftsmen and women who carve their livelihoods from their imaginations. They do this to illustrate the love they have for the state they live in, and the pride they have for the people who are their neighbors. I would like to share some of that pride with you.

Thank you for sharing the beautiful Montana with me.  And Good Luck!!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Memories of a Western Christmas



A Tumbleweed Christmas and more is featured at my dear friend Andrea Downing's blog.  Drop by for more Christmas stories from the West and more chances to win!  


Blessed be to you and yours this holiday season.
Rionna 


Thursday, November 29, 2012

A Few of my Favorite Things...

I enjoy a nice glass of wine, a perfect cup of tea, a well cooked meal, but I also love caramel apples.


I'm an English major--twice now because I have a Masters in English--so I love all things written. Everything from Robert Herrick to Edgar A. Poe.


I love exploring new places and revisiting the old ones for the new perspective life shows.




I love my children and their silly laughter.


I love the full moon on a dark winter night.


I love the ocean in the depths of a storm.


I love to dance under a midsummer sky.


katherines corner

What do you love?


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Give It Away

A few giveaways going on...

And I'd like for all of you to have an opportunity to enter!



This first giveaway is one I'm hosting for the Mystery We Write Blog Tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Best of Luck!!

And thank you for stopping by. I love the company.

Smiles from Montana,
Rionna

Friday, November 23, 2012

The Black Friday Blog Hop!

I know you're super busy and can't stay long...so I'll keep it short!  What I'm about to tell you is not my story.  It is one a dear friend of mine told me.  But, I just have to share.

Years ago on Black Friday, my boyfriend and I were all set to buy a new game console.  We'd gotten up super early.  Traipsed out in the snow, foregoing breakfast, and huddle against the edge of the store waiting for the doors to open.

Hours passed.  We were starving, but thrilled to have our spot in the line. First Place!!  A few minutes before the opening time, four little old ladies hobbled up.  With their sweet eyes and shivering limbs, we felt sorry for them and let them go ahead of us.  

The doors opened, and I helped the littlest, oldest lady near me into the warm light, feeling so good about my big heart and giving soul.

As soon as she was inside, she ripped her arm away, grabbed the nearest shopping cart, nodded to her three other friends...and they were off like a crazed pack of wolves. Their white hair swishing, their glass chains clinking.  

They beat us to the electronic section, barricaded the aisle and loaded two consoles each into their carts.  By the time we got there, anything we wanted was gone and so were they.  Only their Wind Song perfumed scent lingered.

So while you're out there searching for the best deals to be found...beware of four little old ladies.




a Rafflecopter giveaway


Want more hopping??  More Blogs Here!!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

Me...a million years ago.  I was 17.
Life Lessons of a Rodeo Queen

Today is a day of thankfulness and peace. Today is a day of too much food and not enough stomach.

Today is the day when everything around us becomes the wild crazy land of --the holidays are here!  What are we going to do?!  I am not ready!

Well, I'm never ready.  I work best under pressure anyway, so it's nothing new to me.

But what I've learned is that the most precious thing I can do today and each day throughout the insanity of the holiday season is to just take a moment.

Take a moment to sip my tea and watch the snow fall outside my window.

Take a moment and listen to the laughter of my children.

My Mother...she was the age I am now...37.
Take a moment and think of those who aren't sitting with me this year: my brother, my father, my mother.  And wish them well in the realm beyond ours.

Take a moment and relish the insanity. It is wild, really.  The new puppy is zipping here and there.  The two year old is running into things--on purpose.  The six year old is too busy reading to help sweep the floor.  The ten year old is so busy being a busy body, she forgets and puts the milk in the pantry.  The nineteen year old is so wrapped up in his world that he forgets what day it is.

The husband--he's trying very hard to pick up the slack--but is sent to watch football instead.

And me, well, I am sitting at the table waiting for the last pie to get finished. Drinking tea and watching the snow fall on the mountains of Montana.  I am taking that moment.

The last big snowfall...the view from my deck.
Happy Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful for you. Thank you for stopping by and leaving me notes.  Thank you for sharing pieces of your world with me.  I love to laugh with you.

Slainte!


What moments do you cherish this time of year?





Wednesday, November 21, 2012

My Kind of Wonderland

Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!


I love books that are filled with dark and twisty deeds, liars and deceitful villains.  I also love books that have strong, brave heroes and heroines who are beautiful, intelligent and save themselves.

The books I write are filled with just those kinds of people.  Kate, in The Wanting Heart, faces a villain who's quietly terrifying.  Sarah, in Love's Justice, faces a mysterious villain who has a great capacity for killing.  And both these ladies are amazing.  They use their intelligence and quick thinking to direct their own destinies and fulfill their own wishes.  Now I can get into a book like that!!  That is my kind of Wonderland...how about you?


Amazon Buy Link!
Amazon Buy Link!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!


As well as giveaways at dozens of individual blogs, there will also be 3 grand prizes!!  One Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift certificate for $100!!! And two gift certificates for $50 each!! Every blog comment you leave during the hop is entered into a drawing to win one of the grand prizes. Every comment will be entered in the drawing, so leave a comment on every blog for the best chance to win!!


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

A Wanting Heart Wonderland


Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!

In the books I write my wonderland is filled with dark and twisty deeds, but they also have this:
Amazon Buy LInk!

From The Wanting Heart... 

Blake couldn't listen to another word. Holding her body, even in anger, was too much for him. Her words were crushed against her mouth as his lips covered hers. He lifted her off her feet, molding her body to his. She'd been nineteen the last time he kissed her. Her body had grown and filled out since then. But he wasn't thinking of that. He wasn't thinking of anything, but how damn good it felt to just hold her, kiss her. Begging for her surrender, he stroked his hands over her hips, up her back, and fisted them in her hair.

To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!


As well as giveaways at dozens of individual blogs, there will also be 3 grand prizes!!  One Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift certificate for $100!!! And two gift certificates for $50 each!! Every blog comment you leave during the hop is entered into a drawing to win one of the grand prizes. Every comment will be entered in the drawing, so leave a comment on every blog for the best chance to win!!


Monday, November 19, 2012

A Texas Waterfall Wonderland

Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!

In the books I write my wonderland is filled lies and deceit, but they also have desire and romance.

Amazon Buy Link
From Love's Justice ...

He knew a spot in the water that was perfect for his height and perfect for her body. He scooped her up and drew her legs around him. He kissed her until her body pleaded with his for release. Then he stepped in the water. It was warm as it covered them. It was like the punch of desire he’d felt the first moment he saw her was flowing over his skin, enveloping him.

To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!












Sunday, November 18, 2012

A Dark and Twisty Wonderland!


Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!


In the books I write, my wonderland is filled with dark and twisty deeds!

Amazon Buy LInk!

In The Wanting Heart the heroine, Kate doesn't plan on finding solace in a charming stranger's smile or falling victim to his knife. Blake Spencer, the man who broke her heart, is all cowboy - from the hat on his head to the dust on his boots. He thought it'd be easy, coming back to town, bowing his head a little, saying he was sorry, and all would be forgiven. But what he didn't know, what he didn't plan on, was that the girl he thought he loved had become the woman he couldn't have. If he doesn't succeed in changing her mind, it won't only cost him Kate's love - it will cost Kate her life.

To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!


Six Sentence Sunday!



From Love's Justice
Available Now! from Crimson Romance.

Purchase Link on Amazon


“What if I didn’t go as a snoopy reporter?” Justin closed the small space, successfully trapping Sarah between the refrigerator and the counter. “And just went as a man with you on vacation?” With a smooth shift of his body, he slid into an amazing fit against her.

Sarah drew in a quick breath. The air-cooled kitchen suddenly became a furnace. 







If you are a writer--aspiring or published--and would like to be involved with Six Sentence Sunday, 
feel free to visit the Six Sentence Sunday Home.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

A Wonderland of Lies & Deceit!


Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!

In the books I write, my wonderland is filled lies and deceit.

Amazon Buy Link
In Love's Justice Sarah and Justin unravel a plot more complex and sinister than they expected. They pursue a trail of deceit and corruption to a women’s prison in Alabama, a centuries old hotel in Georgia, and a family ranch in Texas. Nothing is simple or as it seems. This unlikely duo will find more than they ever hoped to - in the prison, in their own backyards, and in each other’s arms.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!


Monday, November 12, 2012

We All Have One


Life Lessons From a Rodeo Queen

Growing up, I always felt like I was special. When people would ask me where I was from, I would proudly announce that I was an Army Brat, thinking that was unique.  I’m from all over.

But, as I’ve traveled and lived and made friends all over, I’ve realized that I’m not the only one to have a soldier in my life. We all have one.

This thought comes to mind today especially because I recently traveled to Washington DC to bury one of my soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Source: flickr.com via Rionna on Pinterest
This soldier is a Marine, a brave, strong man who fought for his country and continued to give his life in so many ways—long after the war in Vietnam was over. I don’t really know how to find the words to express the loss we all feel over his passing. 

The only way I know how, is to honor his life, his dedication. He dedicated his life to the men and women who wear the uniform. He understood, that it is a difficult thing to go from carrying a gun, following orders and protecting a nation to sitting at a family picnic on a sunny Sunday afternoon. He tried in every way he knew how to assist those men and women who come back home, but still fight the battle in their mind, in their heart, everyday. 

And we all have one: a brother, a sister, a friend, a mom, a dad…a somebody who wears our country’s colors with pride. I know I have many readers from other parts of the world…and I’m sure you have one too: the soldier, your soldier who wears the colors of your country with pride. The one who marches the paths we will never have to. The boy in boots, the girl in camouflage…the people who stand at the gates and keep us safe from harm. 
  And to my soldier, I say, “Thank you for teaching me the true meaning of courage. Ooh-rah!!”
Papa's Brick at the National Museum of the Marine Corps

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Win a Piece of Montana - November Giveaway




Big Sky, Montana
All across this great state of mine there are craftsmen and women who carve their livelihoods from their imaginations. They do this to illustrate the love they have for the state they live in, and the pride they have for the people who are their neighbors. I would like to share some of that pride with you.

Thank you for sharing the beautiful Montana with me.  And Good Luck!!







Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The Tombstone

{This Girl Reads}

The epitaph is the inscription on a tombstone—you could say it's a person's last words.

Today, I'll quote the last line of five books. (I won't spoil anything!)

Nora Roberts Tribute
"And home."

Diana Gabaldon Outlander
"Or, will by now."

Heather Graham Ghost Shadow
"And so they were."

Robyn Carr Hidden Summit
"Our beginning."

David Baldacci The Collectors
"Here comes big, bad Jerry"

Would you share a final line, final last words from a book you love?





Tuesday, October 30, 2012

From the Web

{This Girl Reads}


You never know what's going to creep onto the web. Sometimes, however, you get a pleasant surprise.

Today's feature links to five amazing book blogs I've found recently.

Ravishing Romances
Book Hounds
Flurries of Words
Book Fever
The Secret Writer

I love reading and sharing thoughts on books...what book blog have you found recently?

Monday, October 29, 2012

Back from the Grave

{This Girl Reads}


Get ready to dig up your past and bring some of your old friends back to life:

Today I will feature five books I read and loved as a kid.


  • The Black Stallion
  • King of the Wind
  • The Hobbit
  • The Nancy Drew Books
  • Misty of Chincoteague

What book did you love as a kid...or what books??



Sunday, October 28, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday...



From Love's Justice
Coming November 12, 2012 from Crimson Romance.

Pre-Order on Amazon!

“So where do you want it? Head or heart?”

Justin had no time to think. He knew his life was over. It didn’t really matter to him where he was shot. The heart would be best, though; then he wouldn’t have to feel it break. 






If you are a writer--aspiring or published--and would like to be involved with Six Sentence Sunday, 
feel free to visit the Six Sentence Sunday Home.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Halloween Blog Hop!!

Hello!  And Happy Halloween!!!  

I am so excited to share a copy of The Wanting Heart with one lucky winner!!

See below to enter:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skeletons in My Closet...urrr Bookshelf

{This Girl Reads}

Supposedly, everyone has a few skeletons in their closet—I think everyone has a few on their bookshelves, too. 

Today I am featuring five books I've owned for a long time but never read.

  • The Little House on the Prairie Series
  • The Yearling
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Firm
  • Carrie
How about you...what books have you owned for years, but never read?

Friday, October 26, 2012

Bats in the Belfry

{This Girl Reads}


Even the biggest book enthusiasts have some bats in their belfries about things in books that drive them insane.

Five things that drive me insane in books...

* Cruelty animals or children.
* The author talking to the reader.
* Cover doesn't match the content.
* Ends with no resolution.
* End with the main characters dead or soon to be dead.


What drives you insane?? In books...

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Haunted Week!!

{This Girl Reads}


Ever had the feeling that someone was watching you? It just might be the spirit of a book you haven't put to rest.

Today I'll feature five books I began, but never finished.

* The Shining
* Portrait of An Artist as a Young Man
* Pet Sematary
* Gone with the Wind
* Where the Red Fern Grows


How about you...what book is haunting you?






Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Letting Go of the Reins

Life Lessons of a Rodeo Queen
Lesson #4

Many of you know, I have four kids.  They amaze me on a daily basis.  I am moved to tears of pride so often because of their talents and wonderful hearts.

Lately though, this mother has been having a hard time letting go.  Recently, I took my oldest daughter to audition for a play. Normally, this would not be a big deal.  I have been a theatre director for almost 10 years.  I love the theatre and am so excited for her to be involved with it.  Yet, I had so many worries.  What if she doesn't get a part she likes?  What if they're mean to her?  What if she trips? What if she doesn't get a part at all!

I was so worked up that I almost went back inside and got her.  Or at the very least, sat with her.

But, I didn't.  And everything turned out just fine!  She was a beautiful member of The Secret Garden cast, and we cheered for her with roses and all--for she was the Star of the Night in our family.

And I learned that it's okay to let go of the reins.  To let life teach and let my kids step out on their own.

You'll have to remind me of this soon...we have the Nutcracker coming up!

What have you done lately where you've let go of the reins?




Image