The winners are …

Kulsuma and Renu

Congratulations! I have sent you both an email. Thanks to everyone who entered.  Please check out the ‘Giveaways’ link at the top of the page for lots more chances to win as part of my Countdown to Christmas.

The winners are …

Andrew, Books for Company, Charmaine, Sharon and Kayleigh

Congratulations! I have sent you all an email. Thanks to everyone who entered.  Please check out the ‘Giveaways’ link at the top of the page for lots more chances to win as part of my Countdown to Christmas.

I’ve raided my ‘to read’ pile and pulled together a fab chick lit giveaway today. One lucky winner will receive shiny new paperback copies of:

It Happened One Summer by Polly Williams

After years of romantic drought, Nell is enjoying a thrilling fling with a sexy new man and loving London life, somehow managing to juggle single motherhood with a busy career. Plus, in the city it’s easy to avoid her sister who is about to marry Nell’s ex. (Yes, messy.) Then she gets the news. Please could she return to Tredower, the crumbling old family home in Cornwall for the summer? Disaster. Tredower has no wifi, harbours her big dysfunctional family, and, far worse, memories of her passionate love affair with the man who is about to become her brother-in-law. The past is another county. Can she go there?

Another woman is making her way west too, carrying an explosive secret. Love will be lost, broken, and found, lives changed forever…

Breakfast in Bed by Eleanor Moran

TAKE ONE NEWLY SINGLE WOMAN: At thirty-one, Amber is being bombarded with wedding invitations just as she’s collecting her divorce papers – and her bossy best friend has gone one step further and made her chief bridesmaid. It’s high time Amber regained control of her life. ADD A PASSIONATE AND FIERY CELEBRITY COOK: Amber’s joy at landing herself a coveted role in Oscar Retford’s kitchen soon fades as she discovers Oscar is as famous for his furious temper and addiction to firing people as he is for the legendary meals he creates. TURN UP THE HEAT: But as passions start to run high, and her past catches up with her, it looks like Amber’s cooked up a recipe for disaster . . .

A Question of Love by Isabel Wolff

Sometimes the hardest questions to answer are the ones you ask yourself! When Laura Quick finds herself accidentally hosting a quirky quiz show on national TV, nothing prepares her for one of the contestants — her ex-boyfriend Luke. She’s still coming to terms with the loss of her husband Nick, having just packed up his clothes — and hopefully her memories of him — for good. So what does the still-delicious Luke’s arrival, complete with six-year-old daughter and badly behaved ex-wife, mean? Her sisters think he’s just the ticket: the perfect man for her to move on with and to forget Nick. But Laura finds more questions than answers as she tries to work out whether to risk everything on Luke for a second time, what went so wrong with Nick, and how much she really knows about her nearest and dearest!

Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley

Life is sweet for chocolate maker Chloe Lyon! In the picture-perfect Lancashire village of Sticklepond, Confectioner Chloe dispenses inspirational sweet treats containing a prediction for each customer. If only her own life was as easy to forecast – perhaps Chloe could have foreseen being jilted at the altar! But when a new Vicar arrives in the village, the rumour mill goes into overdrive. Not only is Raffy Sinclair the charismatic ex-front man of rock band ‘Mortal Ruin’, he’s also the Chloe’s first love and the man who broke her heart. Try as she might, Chloe can’t ignore this blast from her past. Could now be the time for her to make a wish – and dare to believe it can come true?

I’m opening this giveaway up internationally! To enter just leave a ‘pick me’ comment in the box below and I’ll pick one winner using random.org after the closing date. This giveaway is open until midnight on Saturday 17th December. Good luck!

The winners are …

Ann and Vicky

Congratulations! I have sent you both an email. Thanks to everyone who entered.  Please check out the ‘Giveaways’ link at the top of the page for lots more chances to win as part of my Countdown to Christmas.

The winner is …

Jane

Congratulations! I have sent you an email. Thanks to everyone who entered.  Please check out the ‘Giveaways’ link at the top of the page for lots more chances to win as part of my Countdown to Christmas.

Ten days into Countdown to Christmas already – the time is flying. Today I have the pleasure of welcoming the lovely Miranda Dickinson back to One More Page. As well as being a hugely successful author, Miranda is also a singer and songwriter so is expertly placed to provide today’s guest post on her favourite Christmas tunes.

One More Sleep Till Christmas – The Muppets (from The Muppet Christmas Carol)

I have to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol each year on Christmas Eve – it’s my favourite film and now a Christmas tradition! I love all the songs from the film but this one is my favourite. It sums up the excitement of Christmas Eve perfectly for me – plus, it’s sung by Kermit the Frog, so what’s not to love?

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – James Taylor (from October Road)

James Taylor is a legend and I adore his voice and songs – I’d love to record a song with him one day (in my dreams!) I love this Christmas classic and his version is the coolest, smooth-jazz-tastic interpretation of the song I’ve ever heard. It’s always on my iPod at this time of year.

White Christmas – Bing Crosby (from Holiday Inn and White Christmas)

What can I say? You’ve got to love a bit of Bing at Christmas and this song is a fabulous classic. It also makes me laugh at the moment, because when I marry my fiance Bob next September I’ll be ‘Mrs B White’ (listen to the last line of the song to hear that name) and all my Christmases will be White from then on!

Driving Home for Christmas – Chris Rea

I love this song – the original, not the awful version on the Iceland ads at the moment! I’m doing some Christmas party gigs with The Peppermints (the band I sing with who inspired The Pinstripes in It Started With a Kiss) and we have this song in our mammoth seven-song Christmas medley. It’s so much fun to sing and really festive!

Sleigh Ride – John Rutter

This is a piece of classical music, not the more famous song of the same name (which I also love). I know this might sound mad, but you can imagine the horse’s hooves on the snow and sleigh bells jingling as the sleigh moves when you listen to the music! It’s one of the most evocative pieces of music I know.

Thanks Miranda

Miranda is kindly providing two SIGNED copied of It Started With a Kiss as a giveaway! To enter just leave a comment in the box below saying what your favourite Christmas tune is. Two winners will be drawn using random.org after the closing date.

UK entries only please. Entries will close at midnight on Wednesday 14th December. Good luck!

You can find out more about Miranda on her website at: http://www.miranda-dickinson.com/

Read my review of Welcome to My World

Read my review of It Started With a Kiss

Read my interview with Miranda

Buy It Started With a Kiss in paperback or for Kindle (Links go to amazon.co.uk)

The winner is …

Revd Frank Julian Gelli

Congratulations! I have sent you an email. Thanks to everyone who entered.  Please check out the ‘Giveaways’ link at the top of the page for lots more chances to win as part of my Countdown to Christmas.

The winner is …

Carly-Ann

Congratulations! I have sent you an email. Thanks to everyone who entered.  Please check out the ‘Giveaways’ link at the top of the page for lots more chances to win as part of my Countdown to Christmas.

Today I’m delighted to welcome Sharon Lathan to One More Page with a guest post on Regency Christmas. Sharon is the best-selling author of The Darcy Saga sequel series to Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Her previously published novels are: Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, Loving Mr. Darcy, My Dearest Mr. Darcy, In the Arms of Mr. Darcy, A Darcy Christmas, and The Trouble With Mr. Darcy.  I read Sharon’s latest novel, Miss Darcy Falls in Love recently and really enjoyed it. In addition to her writing, Sharon works as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. She resides with her family in Hanford, California in the sunny San Joaquin Valley. Welcome Sharon!

Regency Christmas by Sharon Lathan

A man might then behold
At Christmas, in each hall
Good fires to curb the cold,
And meat for great and small.
The neighbors were friendly bidden,
And all had welcome true,
The poor from the gates were not chidden
When this old cap was new.

~The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon by Washington Irving

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. In my first novel – Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy – I was overjoyed when the timeline established by Jane Austen meant that the newly married Darcys would soon be celebrating their first holiday season. As the series progressed and a year passed I was able to again highlight Christmas in In The Arms of Mr. Darcy. An even greater joy was when my editor approached me to write a Christmas themed novella to be part of an anthology. Score! I was in heaven!

A Darcy Christmas – the anthology published last year but still in print and just as fabulous for this season – gave me another opportunity to delve into the traditions and history of the holiday season in Regency Era England. The above poem as quoted by Washington Irving is an old song sung at Christmas time and gives a sense of the spirit of the season. Above all, Christmas was a time to embrace family and friends. Not so different than today, you may surmise, yet the differences were stark.

First and foremost, Christmas was a solemn, religious observance. Church attendance with ritualistic remembrances of the birth of Jesus was a vital part. A decorated tree was unheard of, instead the tradition to hang boughs of evergreen branches as a sign of eternal life. Ofttimes the boughs were triangular to symbolize the triune nature of God. Hanging them over the doorway was a welcoming gesture of goodwill, guests greeted with a kiss. Mistletoe was one of many winter greens used to adorn a house, the part pagan and part Christian belief that mistletoe had healing properties and the power to bestow life and fertility naturally leading to the custom of kissing underneath it as an expression of love.

Providing for visitors, those who were in one’s employ, and anyone in need was a serious undertaking. Mincemeat pies, Christmas puddings, and fruit cakes were specially prepared with liquor, hearty spiced meats and fruits, and heavy dough so that travelers could carry them and eat of them for days without fear of spoiling. Care packages consisting of food and necessities were delivered to the poor, parties were thrown wherein all were invited to partake of the feast, and the remains were passed out the day after Christmas in boxes to local citizens. The latter is the origin of “Boxing Day.”

Carols were sung and they were nearly all of a religious or peace-bringing theme. Groups would wander from house to house singing as a way to bring good cheer and bestow blessings. Cookies, small cakes, and warm spiced drinks (most containing alcohol) would be given to the carolers as a thank-you and return blessing. Other roving groups called “mummers” performed plays, often in pantomime and always wearing a mask, that were humorous but also meant to teach a moral lesson of some kind.

Night time parties with bonfires and feasting were common on Christmas Eve. Dancing, minstrels, and games of all kinds occurred with the classes mixing in celebration of the special event being honored. Wassailing and drinking wassail was a huge part of the festivities. A massive log was cut and dragged with due pomp into the house, anointed with spiced oils, and set afire in the biggest hearth in the house. This was the Yule Log and it would be kept burning from Christmas through to the Epiphany, the honor of watching over the log to make sure the fire did not die a coveted duty. The charred remains would be gathered and stowed away to be used the following year as kindling for the next Yule Log.

Christmas day itself would consist of family attending church after a breakfast with pastries and frumentry (a type of Christmas pudding). Gifts, if they were exchanged at all, would be simple and only the very wealthy gave more than one per person. Wrapping paper did not exist so gifts were either given as is or concealed with plain paper or colored fabrics and tied together with ribbons – all of which would be carefully set aside to be reused.

All twelve of the days from Christmas to the Epiphany – the day commemorated as when the Magi appeared before the Christ child – were revered. The 12 gifts listed in the famously annoying song all had a religious symbolism attached. At the end of the twelve days was Twelfth Night, a final night to hold a feast or ball to signify the end of the season. This is when folks went a bit crazy! Twelfth Night celebrations were typically rowdy – a sharp contrast to the quieter days before.

These traditions are, of course, only a small slice of all the varied ways the English in the Regency period would have spent their holidays. Naturally there were many differing customs just as there are today. But hopefully this glimpse has been enlightening. Websites that relate Christmas history are plentiful, but here are a few of my favorites:

Christmas: Its Origin and Associations by William Francis Dawson – http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22042/22042-h/22042-h.htm

The Christmas Archives – http://www.christmasarchives.com/toc.html

History of Christmas – http://www.christmascarnivals.com/christmas-history/

Wassailing Through History – http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/holiday06/wassail.cfm

And as a final treat, here is a recipe for authentic English Wassail–

Ingredients

1 qt. brown ale

8 oz. dry sherry

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3 apples

1/2 lemon peel finely grated

1/2 tsp. each ground

nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Peel and core two apples and cut in thick slices. Place in layers in a baking dish and sprinkle with the brown sugar.
3. Drizzle with 2 oz. of brown ale.
4. Bake until the apples are very tender, about 45 minutes.
5. Chop the apples and their cooking juices in a food processor until smooth.
6. Place in a saucepan over medium-low heat and add the remaining ale, sherry, lemon peel and spices. Simmer gently for a few minutes.
7. Peel and core the remaining apple and slice. Add the slices to the bowl and serve while still warm.

Thank you Sharon!

Sharon is kindly providing one copy of Miss Darcy Falls in Love and one copy of A Darcy Christmas to give away to one lucky reader. To enter just leave a ‘pick me’ comment in the box below and I’ll draw a winner using random.org after the closing date.

This giveaway is open internationally. Entries will close at midnight (UK) on Thursday 8th December. Good luck!

You can find out more about Sharon and her books on her website: www.sharonlathan.net and on Austen Authors: www.austenauthors.com

Today I’m delighted to be hosting Ali McNamara as my Countdown to Christmas continues. Ali’s first novel, From Notting Hill with Love … Actually was released last year and her second, Breakfast at Darcy’s came out on 24th November. Both are excellent winter reads! Welcome Ali!

My Five Favourite Christmas movies by Ali McNamara

In the best X-Factor/ Strictly/ Big Brother tradition they are in “no particular order.” Because I couldn’t pick my favourite!

The Holiday: Starring: Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz. Jude Law & Jack Black.

Lovely, warm, gooey romantic comedy that if nothing else will make you want to try house-swapping just in case your new neighbour turns out to be Jude Law!

Love Actually: Starring all Richard Curtis’ usual crew of favourites including Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Makes you want to start your Christmas countdown super early. Worth it for the doorstep scene between Keira Knightly and Andrew Lincoln alone!

Serendipity: Starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. I have to admit I only saw this movie for the first time this year! But it’s already high on my list of Christmas favourites. Just perfect for all those of us who believe in destiny and fate…  Plus much of it is set in New York at Christmastime, what more could you want?

Miracle on 34^th Street: Starring Richard Attenborough, Mara Wilson and Elizabeth Perkins. Remake of an original 1947 movie starring Maureen O’Hara.

I love both these versions of a story about a little girl who’s lost her faith and belief in both Christmas and Santa Claus, and how Santa – Kris Kringle, persuades her and the rest of New York he’s real…

Home Alone 1&2: Starring Macaulay Culkin. Everyone knows these movies don’t they? If you don’t, watch them this Christmas, pure Christmas (blue stilton) cheese at it’s best, that will make you laugh, cry and feel desperate to be with your nearest and dearest this festive season!

Happy Holidays!

Thanks Ali  – Serendipity is one of my all time favourite movies too!

Ali’s publisher Sphere have very kindly given me five copies of Breakfast at Darcy’s to give away! To enter just leave a comment in the box below saying what your favourite Christmas film is. Five winners will be drawn using random.org after the closing date.

UK entries only please. Entries will close at midnight on Saturday 10th December. Good luck!

You can find out more about Ali on her newly redesigned website at: http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/

Read my review of From Notting Hill with Love … Actually

Read my review of Breakfast at Darcy’s

Read my interview with Ali McNamara