Thursday Twisted Links

This week's link has been literally wrenched from my poor brain, kicking and screaming. I think my ears are bleeding. But here goes.

Resolutions    Flowers    Work Ethic

Resolutions are hard. Every year, heady with the bright promise of the months ahead, we make  proclamations about what we're going to do to improve ourselves. Our intentions are good. Our hopes are high. But the results are usually less than satisfactory. So why, then, do we continue to do it? 

Flowers. Yes, that's right, I said flowers. The first sign of Spring is always what? Tulips. When you see the fat, bright heads of those delightful flowers waving in the breeze you know Spring is just around the corner. It lightens the heart after months of overcast, gloomy cold and gives you a feeling of rebirth...a sense of positive change in your life. That's the same thing resolutions do. They give us something positive to work towards. They inspire our inner entrepreneur. Human beings like positive change. We like knowing that good things are coming. 

Which brings us to work ethic. We all have one. For some of us, or at certain times in our lives, it's buried kind of deep. #:0) Some of us train and hone our work ethics...others just leave them to get fat and flabby. But the birth of a new year, or a new season, can inspire us to drag our work ethics out of storage and dust them off. It's the impetus behind spring planting, or spring cleaning, or spring flings....erm...and the reason behind New Year's resolutions. It's our inner laborer fighting to get out. Our impulse during times of positive change is to roll up our sleeves and work to bring it forward. We reach out and grab onto the change with both hands, gleefully yanking it forward. It's a uniquely human trait that should be celebrated. (which brings me back to Spring flings #:0)

Click. Link closed. 

Enjoy your resolutions, everybody! Spring isn't exactly around the corner...but it won't be too much longer now!

Thursday Twisted Links

Elf Satisfied: This Christmas, Deirdre’s
own, personal elf has a delicious
present waiting for her! 

This week's link might be more interesting than twisted. But it involves a part of our culture that I find fascinating this time of year. 

Santa.    Elves.   Reindeer

Aside from the obvious link with Christmas, why do you suppose these three characters have been linked together throughout history? I've always believed that they sprang from history fully-formed, woven together in a timeless story of love and giving and holiday fun. But this actually isn't true.

Santa Claus has been a part of US tradition since the early nineteenth century. Based on Saint Nicholas, the secret gift giver, we created him from a mix of  European Christmas traditions. In her unpublished story entitled Christmas Elves, Louisa Alcott gave us the first yule-time elves in 1850. The elves appear to have first joined Santa in his workshop in a Christmas issue of Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book, a United States magazine that was published in Philadelphia and had a circulation of over 70,000. Godey's popularized the idea of elves helping Santa prepare for Christmas with a front cover illustration of Santa in his workshop, surrounded by toys and elves. The picture apparently bore the caption, "Here we have an idea of the preparations that are made to supply the young folks with toys at Christmas time".

Much of popular fiction portrays Santa himself as an elf. In the poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Santa is described as a "jolly old elf". In the first half of the 19th century, Scandinavian culture tied Christmas presents to elves when they associated the elves with their Tomte, a small, humanoid race that protected children in their sleep.

But there might be one other connection there.  In the way of a child's drawing, where the father is pictured larger than life, the idea of a big, fat elf being the leader among a bunch of smaller elves in the business of Christmas makes sense. If you look at the origins of the Santa figure, Saint Nicholas the secret gift giver being the most well-known, the larger-than-life history might contribute to Santa being portrayed as a much larger elf. Or, it could boil down to something as simple as perception. Children perceive someone who is as important to them as Santa Claus to be much bigger than they are.

So we've made the link between Santa and the elves. Now what about the reindeer? That one's a little tougher. Clement C Moore's 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas or 'Twas the Night Before Christmas) has been credited for the idea of eight flying reindeer pulling Santa's sled. However, there is possibly another connection. Reindeer (or Caribou) live in the areas where the Santa Claus legend originated. They predominate in the snowy regions of the northern United States and in Scandinavia. In fact, the word “caribou” comes from a Native American word for “snow scraper”. So, in snowy environs, if Santa was looking for a creature to propel his flying sled, the reindeer would probably seem an obvious choice. And anyone who has seen a deer "fly" over a fence would understand the concept of flying reindeer.

So that links Santa and the elves and Santa and the Reindeer. What about the elves and the reindeer? To answer that I'll simply ask you this question: Who cares for Santa's flying reindeer? Well, the elves do of course.

Snap! Link closed.  #:0)

Whatever the origin of Santa Claus and his helpers, one thing is sure. He embodies our better natures and inspires us to embrace the kindness in our souls for at least part of every year. And for that alone I'm glad he's part of our culture.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Fun Christmas tidbit: In Sweden, prior to the influence of St. Nicholas, the job of giving out gifts was done by the Yule Goat.  Man, am I glad I'm not Swedish! I'm thinking it wasn't a lump of coal that naughty Swedish kids got in their stockings! If you know what I mean... LOL

Thursday Twisted Links

As we head towards the end of the world and the zombie apocalypse  I thought it might be fun and interesting to talk about how we actually could be overrun by zombies...scientifically that is. Wish me luck, people, cause this one is a doozy!

Zombies.          Toxoplasmosa Gondii.           Alzheimers.    

Yeah, say that three times real fast. #:0)

Zombies. Saying the word is fun, isn't it? Zombies, zombies, zombies. And the idea of zombies definitely fires the imagination. But, while zombies are fun to read about in a novel...Hexually Obsessed... What? I didn't say anything. As I was saying...while it's fun to experience a good, gooey, fictional zombie...Hexually Obsessed...erm...the idea of facing them in real life is less fun. (How's that for understatement?) So what would you do if I told you that real zombies could theoretically exist?

It's true, or at least possible, thanks to a little thing called toxoplasmosa gondii. This little parasite is a mouthful...literally...but its potential for harm is even bigger. Transferred from rats and mice to cats, the parasite can be passed to humans through the ingestion of under-cooked meat, improperly cleaned vegetables, or contact with feline feces. The means of ingestion is so prevalent, in fact, that from a third to half of all humans are currently harboring this parasite. Ish! What does it do, you ask? Well, mostly nothing. Though for people whose systems are compromised by disease or who are schizophrenic, it affects dopamine levels and, as one fun story I read on the Internet said, can make them "bat-shit crazy". What this means in technical terms is that they may become depressed, suicidal, and reckless. In fact, rats that are infected by the parasite exhibit zombie-like behaviors. Now, we all know humans and rats are biologically similar enough that scientists use them as research stand-ins when developing human drugs. So it stands to reason that an evolved form of toxoplasmosa gondii might conceivably turn people into zombies.

Okay, technically, these wouldn't be dead people who've been re-energized by witchcraft, but hey, when a blank-eyed, pasty-faced guy stomps toward you with blood dripping from his teeth, you're not gonna worry too much about the distinction...are you? #:0)

So how does Alzheimer's fit into this link you ask? Well, it's an interesting thing. This nasty little parasite has been shown to actually stop brain deterioration in Alzheimer's patients. It's also been found to improve patients with ADD and ADHD. Go figure.

That loud clicking sound you just heard was the link closing. Phew! And I'll leave you with this final thought. When the world ends and the zombie apocalypse starts, don't stop to wonder if the zombie stomping toward you is really a re-energized corpse, or if he's just been infected by an evolved toxoplasmosa gondii parasite. My advice?

RUN!


Okay, okay, since you asked #:0) here's the blurb on Hexually Obsessed. (Thanks for indulging me!)

Ardith is a time traveling witch, a member of the Epoch Mages. Draigh is a Sorceri Bounty Hunter. They H-A-T-E each other. When they’re thrown together by the elders to chase an evil rogue witch through time and save the world from flesh eating zombies, they quickly discover that, while their minds may tell them they don’t like being together, their bodies don’t quite agree. In fact, if lust were flames, there'd be scorch marks across the ages!

~ 5 Stars from SnifferWalk "I don't hand out a ton of 5 Star ratings for books. Like my Ratings Guide says, they have to be practically life changing. But if I read a book and I just cannot seem to forget it, it has to be a 5."

~ 5 Stars from My Cozie Corner Book Reviews "A hard to put down novel that will capitvate you from the beginning."

~ 4 Stars from Evolved World "Ms. Cheever makes a mean post-Apocalyptic earth which is easily credible, and unlike so many such tales, does not have the awkward "here's what's this world is all about" phase which can plague a paranormal romance. Action. Hate. Lust. Time Shift. Zombie Goo. We all win."

~4 Stars from Books and Other Spells "I really liked like book! The characters, setting and plot was just so fascinating! I could not stop reading it! I love books that have the two characters hate each other then end up together. You get to see all the side of the characters before they fall in love, so you know that they can handle each other. It also makes the book so much more interesting and lovable and of course hilarious!"

Thursday's Twisted Links

Since it lands on Thanksgiving, of course this week's twisted link needs to start with my favorite "eating" holiday. #:0) So here goes. This week's odd set of links is:

Thanksgiving.         Red Dawn.         Migraines. 

Yes, I know. Blood may shoot out of my eyes on this one. But I'm going for it anyway.

What could be better than a holiday that celebrates life in all its forms. Thanksgiving isn't about being thankful for stuff, though I'm certainly thankful for chocolate cream pie! It's a time to reflect on the bounty of our lives. Our health, our family and friends, and the ability to pursue success and happiness. We celebrate these things because we understand there is no guarantee that we will have them tomorrow. In fact, I wake up many nights terrified of losing the right to pursue those joys in life.

That's where the movie Red Dawn comes in. I haven't seen the current remake yet (I'm going today!), but I'm familiar with the story line. To me, the idea of something external, beyond my control, taking over my life and forcing me to do something is horrifying. But the thing that calms my fears is knowing there's a way out. I'm perfectly willing to fight for that way out (which is probably why I love writing romantic suspense so much). But I need to know it exists.  I don't want anybody making my choices for me. I suffered that when I was a child. But I'm an adult now and I want to forge my own path in life. I have that right. That's what's so cool about the movie, Red Dawn. In the movie a small group of young people refuse to just succumb to the usurpation of their world. They fight for the people they love and for the freedoms our forefathers died to give us. I think that's a very uplifting message and I embrace it. I'm thankful that stories like this exist.

Which brings me to migraines. I've suffered them since I was in high school. They pretty much suck. Like any health issue, a headache isn't planned or welcome, but I do believe that what I would call internal challenges such as physical pain make us stronger in the end. Over the years I've learned what I need to do to work my way through a migraine and I have some measure of control over how much they debilitate and their duration. I met the enemy and I...well...kind of conquered it. As long as I know I can do that I'm okay. I'm thankful even for my pain because it teaches me to be proactive, strong, and resilient.

So life is to be embraced, appreciated, and celebrated on Thanksgiving and every day. With the right attitude, life can be enhanced by the external things that threaten us. Meeting those threats head on strengthens and frees us from our fears.  And life is improved by internal challenges like pain and illness, because they help us appreciate the things that are really important, instead of focusing on the negatives all the time. Which brings me to the end of my link. (That snapping sound you heard was the sound of the link closing!)

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Thursday's Twisted Links

Since we're in the season of holidays, I thought a holiday linking might be fun. So here we go. Right off the top of my head:

Halloween.     The Economy.     Dogs.

Wow. That's weird. Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it!

I babble on about Halloween being my favorite holiday all the time. I can't help it, I just feel like there's magic in the air during this particular season. I suspect that it has something to do with the change in weather ( I love cooler weather) and the focus on things like witches and goblins and all the things I love to write about. Even more than Halloween, I LOVE all things fantastic in fiction. Give me a good paranormal or fantasy story any day.

Which of course begs the question, why do I love fantasy? In a recent blog entitled, Why do we read what we read?, I admitted that, for me, it's because there are no rules. It's pure escapism. Escapism is the key for most of us. There's no point beating around the bush, things are very unsettling right now in the real world. People are suffering, money is tight, and we're all a little scared about the future. That's probably why, despite a tough economy, romance fiction in all genres is still selling well. People will give some things up when money's tight, but books are an indulgence many feel they can't give up...on an emotional level.

It's important to find ways to de-stress at times like this. The fun, candy-drenched Halloween season and reading are both great ways to escape real life worries. Another great de-stresser is...you guessed it...dogs.

Now, if you know me at all, you know I'm a dog-aholic. No? Oh yeah. I only have 11 of them, not really enough to, say, field a football team or anything, but it's a couple more than most people have. #:0) For me, dogs are the ultimate de-stresser. They're pure entertainment. And by watching them I learn a lot about human nature. Yeah, we've evolved well beyond dogs, but they're us, boiled down to our most basic needs. Love, food, play, rest. Then start all over again. It's a perfect cycle. If we could sweep all of the outside stuff away like they do and just focus on those 4 things, we'd all be happy. Can you imagine? Amazingly, that's where this linking completes. Full circle. Celebrating holidays and reading a good book allow us, for just a brief moment in time, to sweep all the worrisome outside stuff away and become dog-like. Holidays allow us to be together, enjoying the moment, eating great food, playing and laughing, and when we're alone again, we can relax with a great story, cuddling up to a loyal, furred companion.

Life doesn't get much better than that.

Happy Reading everybody!