What are you doing New Year's Eve?

It's almost that time of the year again;  the time when we say goodbye to one year and welcome in the next. Today, I started my families rituals or I guess I should say traditions. I thought I might share them with you.

Clean: It's bad luck if you enter the New Year with a dirty house so, I rented a carpet cleaner and cleaned all of the carpet throughout my house. Tomorrow I will do a more deep cleaning and start to get rid of the things that I just don't need or use anymore.

Wash Clothes: Since washing clothes on New Year day is said to bring death to the family; I make sure all of our clothes and bed linens are washed before New Years day.



Find A Man To Walk Through The House At Midnight: It is bad luck for a woman to be the first person in the house on New Years.  At midnight, you have to have a male with dark hair walk through your house. My mom used to say the man was supposed to walk in the front door and out the back door. If you don't have a back door, let him walk down your hall and back out. *If he's fine, you might want to stop off in a few room along the way...just to make sure the good luck is spread around LOL!


The Wash Cloth For Luck: My Great, Great grandmother (Little Momma) used to hang wash cloths on the line at Midnight and would bring them back in before the sun set on New Years Day! Now this is one I had never heard of. My mom just came into the room when she heard what I was writing and told me her grand mother used to have her and my aunt run out to the line to bring the wash clothes in. She called my aunt in South Carolina who was able to verify this bit of information.  This year will be the first time we do this tradition.

Midnight Mass: Some might recognize this as "watch night" church service. This tradition, for African Americans, is symbolic of the night before the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on 01/01/1863 in which the slaves were freed. We go to church on this night to pray that god watches over us and keeps our family blessedly covered throughout the year. Really, a lot of people do this. It's not just a black tradition. Normally, I say a prayer, even if I can't or don't go to a service on New Years eve. It just seems right to ask for Gods blessings for the New Years.

Auld Lang Syne/Toast: We have to sing Auld Lang Syne and toast in the New Year with Champagne or Sparkling wine.  Something bubbly is always good. If you're smart, you will share a glass or two with the guy who walked through the house!



Eat:  We will be having collard greens, black eye'd peas and corm bread on New Years Day. Most people know the significance of this tradition but, if you are not from the south, or, are not from the US, I will explain. The collards represent US money, which is green, the peas are brown which represents pennies, and the cornbread represents gold . It all has financial implications so this is a MUST if you want to have financial abundance in the new year!




And that's what we do in my family. So, tell me,  What are your New Years traditions?  Do you see anything on my list that you also do? leave me a comment and let me know.

Oh Yeah, here is one of my favorite New Years songs:  Nancy Wilson "What Are You Doing New Years Eve"

Burn your boat in 2013!!!

I was thinking about the impending new year and as is customary, looking back over 2012. I have to say it was one of the most exciting years of my life. Next to the year I had my daughter and the year I purchased my first home, it was one of the highlights of my life.  You might be wondering why I hold 2012 in such high regard. Well, I will tell you why. I accomplished a few long standing dreams of mine in 2012.I became a published writer. Something I had only paid lip service to over the past twenty years.

I thought it would be so difficult until I did one thing! I burned my ship! Okay, you are probably saying, Gynger, what are you talking about? So, I will tell you. Let me start by telling you a story. If you are a history buff like me, you may already know the story of how Alexander the Great, conquered Persia. Alexander and his men were far from home and on enemy soil. They were out numbered and it appeared the odds were not in their favor. So Alexander deliberately burned his boats and told his men that the only way they were getting off the island and back home was to beat the Persian. He had literally committed them death or to victory. That story has always resonated with me.

I got committed to my own goals and destroyed every avenue of escape except one, the avenue which lead to me conquering my fear of success.  Let me go back two years. I was living my life in Atlanta. I had a great job which had ceased to be rewarding but, it paid me well, I had my home, my family was nearby to help me if I needed it,  I had friends who were fun, eclectic and loved to dream big. I was very comfortable on my self made yacht. I was safe and secure. I had all of these "things" but I wasn't moving in my life. The boat I was on was beautiful and pleasing to the eye but it was sitting in the water, while other people in their smaller boats, whizzed by me. Yes, I had friends who had anchored themselves next to me, but essentially we were all in the same types of boats.

An opportunity came my way to leave my hometown of Atlanta and move to Florida. The spirit told me it was time to move and at that moment, even though I didn't realize it at the time, I had struck a match and set the first fire on my boat. Fast forward two years and here I sit in the life boat which was once attached to that beautiful yacht. I am proud to report, that boat burned and sank down into the depths of the the sea of mediocrity... without me on it.  What I needed was to get away from my comfort zone and prove that I could make it on my own, that I was in charge of my success or failure.

I was surrounded by people who didn't know the old me, so they didn't take it easy on me. They expected success from me and took me at my word. If I said I was going to write a book, they fully expected it to happen and kept checking in on it's progress. Offering me tools and tips to be a success. With my back against the wall and my reputation balled up in my fists, I came out swinging. Doing the things I never thought I would be able to do. Realizing a dream I thought I wanted with all I had within me, only to realize I had been too afraid to go for it all those years. I didn't tell my family or my old friends what I was going to do until I had signed my first contract, and even then I waited a week in case the publisher changed their minds :-)  I realize now that in the past, I shared too much, too soon. In 2012, I lived on a steady diet of  The Seven Habits of Highly Effective people, Think and Grow Rich and The Power of Positive Thinking. I found encouraging Facebook pages and blogs and I woke up with prayers and daily affirmations on my lips. I burned the ships of complacency, and comfort and escaped in the life boat of reliance on God, motivation and meditation.

Scary yet funny now that I look back on it. The things I feared offered no more resistance then a gnat buzzing around me as I moved into the seat of my success. I now have a sail on my life boat. It is allowing me to steadily make my way into 2013 with new goals and dreams. I had a conversation with my friend Jayha yesterday and she warned me not to get complacent but to always be thinking of my next book, even as I finish my current one. Don't lose that hunger for success. I will admit it would be easy to do so, but here is what I know; if I want to be a success, I have to stay hungry, stay thirsty so I can stay committed. It's not easy keeping yourself on the edge, it requires that you check and adjust constantly. However, going into 2013, I will keep a pack of matches on me, ready to burn my boat again, should the need arise. So I ask you, whats stopping you from being successful? Want to scale down your life, find love, give love, get fit, make your dreams come true? BURN YOUR BOAT... you can borrow one of my matches. :)

~Gynger Fyer
The Romance Arsonist
Proudly burning boats since 2010

Color Feng Shui

Color Feng Shui: Learn the impact that different colors can make on your life through the use of Feng Shui.

There is a lid for every pot

If you've never read Thanksgiving Secrets, It is about William and Leigh. William is a big guy,  6'4 275 lbs and Leigh is a voluptuous 5'9 with big breast, curvy hips and butt along with thick thighs. She is soft and feminine.

 To me the proportions of Will and Leigh were ideal, I felt like it would take a thick, curvy woman to handle Will, who had been a line backer in college. Will and Leigh have also grown up around BBQ all of their lives and even though Leigh is a borderline vegetarian  she was still raised in the south on red meat and collard greens so her body is thick.

Imagine my surprise when I recently read a review(call me a masochist) by a reader who gave the book a low rating.The reason for the low rating was not really about content, but more so about the size and weight of the characters! To say I was surprised was an understatement. After laughing, my mind started trying to make sense of why someone would dislike a book about these two people.

When did it become okay to only give thin, fit people a happily ever after (HEA)? Are big women not supposed to be happy, or fall in love?  Do people really think over weight people don't deserve love because of their size? That a bunch of BS if you ask me.

I love people! I love that we are so different from each other. I love that some of us are tall or short, or have big teeth or a sloping forehead. I love how our bodies and builds are different, our skin tones vary and so do out hair textures and eye colors. We are all the jackpots of our families genetic slot machines. Each new baby adds a layer to those possibilities.

When I write my characters, I start with a pot; not a real pot, but a mental one, of sorts. In this pot, goes in the composition of my heroine or hero. I always,  always,  always start with their body size, height and weight. distinguishing marks, like tattoos, scars, moles or piercings  Their eye color, the length  texture and color of their hair.  Then I pour into that brew; their personalities. All of these ingredients make up the characters in my stories.

 This reviewer didn't hit a nerve, but he/she did express an opinion which some readers might identify with. I have read other reader comments on blogs and reviews and some of them don't want a hero or heroine who they can see in real life. They read for the escape and what they want is perfection, something they can mentally drool over. I am different in that respect. I follow the saying, "What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve."  I don't just want to live through a book, I want my own romance to manifest in my life. I enjoy reading and writing about the characters who seem real or who may be facing real life challenges and situations. There are some things I will not go too deeply into in my own stories and I definitely think there is a fine line where things get too real for my taste. However, I do think physically, seeing a BBW  who loves herself and finds her "Mr. Right"  is not only refreshing but realistic.



Available on Amazon

I found the two pictures above and decided to post them because they are closely resemble what Will and Leigh looked like to me.Will would have a tad more stomach, and Leigh might not be as top heavy however, these are close. Despite their weight and height, Will and Leigh had something which trumps those things,  they had common interests. What brings people together and keeps them together is not the physical, which can change on a dime. What keeps people happily together are their common interests, regardless of body size.

So, although I was surprised at the reason for this low rating, I am actually very thankful for it because it gave me an opportunity to voice my opinion. There is nothing wrong with the readers opinion either. I totally respect his/her right to state it and if the size of the characters is their only issue, I'll accept that.




~Gynger Fyer
The Romance Arsonist

Are you ready for a female Santa?? Buy my latest novella and see how hot it is to be frosty

What if Santa Claus were a woman??? I explore the origins of this idea in my new story; Frosty Pleasures. I gotta say, out of all of my books, this is my baby, this is my favorite. It's contemporary fantasy, which is a first for me. Check it out, you will never look at a snow flake or icicle the same way again! 

~Gynger Fyer
The Romance Arsonist

FROSTY PLEASURES:
When Santa Claus meets an untimely demise, Viking King Alrekr Frost—who’s in charge of winter—is asked to help find the remaining Krengel heir to take his place. The only thing he didn't bargain for was that heir being a woman! Not just any woman, but a beautiful woman with a frosty magic all her own. 

Kristina Krengel just found out she’s the last heir to the Krengel kingdom. The Krengel clan is supposed to keep Christmas on time and in harmony with the natural order of holidays and seasons. Kristina has always hid her magic. Her sometimes uncontrollable magic has left her a near recluse; after all, not many women can freeze water with their bare hands. Her love life is frozen as well; what man can make love to a woman whose body temperature gets below freezing? Alrekr proves he’s more than up for that challenge! 

Take a walk on the immortal side as Kristina becomes Santa and falls in love in the process.


AVAILABLE NOW AT:

Beautiful Trouble Publishing~Frosty Pleasures

WELCOME TO THE BTP SCAVENGER HUNT !!

If this is your starting point, let me wish you much fun and good luck. If you are coming from one of the other authors pages, I welcome you to mine. Feel free to look around before going on, If you like what you see, become a member of my page because I update regularly!

Now then, lets review...
 THE RULES!!

• Read my riddle and see if you can guess the answer. Once you have your answer. 
• Click on the BTP author's names below to find and solve the next riddle listed on their page. 
• Once you have all 11 (eleven) answers collected email your answers to: btpcontests@gmail.com. 

Here be the buried treasure you seek...

THE PRIZE!!

Three lucky winners will be chosen at random to receive a $10 BTP gift certificate. Contest closes at 12 am 12.22.12.

GYNGERY'S RIDDLE

• What is a four-letter word ending in 'k' that means the same as intercourse?

If you are sure you have the answer, proceed to the  rest of the author's blogs to get your next riddle!

• Nikki Winter
• Raelynn Blue
• Serenity King
• Shanayah Tailor
• Shirelle Higgins
• Janet Eckford
• Naomi Jones
• Drea Riley
• Billy London

My Take On A Senseless Tragedy~Sandy Hook

I purposely did not post anything yesterday about the children senselessly killed at Sandy Hook. Partly because I was grieving for them and their families, but also because there were some very eloquent, and passionate posts which echoed my sentiments; so I just "liked" their posts and kept it moving as I looked for the higher purpose in this event.

I am a Christian but that does not mean I own the rights to the explanation of suffering. It just means that in times of trial and tragedy, I draw my comfort from the Bible much the same way a Muslim would draw comfort from the words of their own holy book, and so forth. I was driving home in the darkness and the rain listening to NPR go over the facts as they knew them. I had been glued to CNN.com most of the afternoon once I was made aware of the event. Being at work meant I could not go to my quiet place to turn this event over like I was itching to. However, driving along that long road home, allowed me to think to through and the one scripture which came to my mind was Matthew 5:44-45 which states:

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."(NIV version ) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A44-45&version=NIV

That is the snap shot that came to mind for this event but I always try to look at the context in which a scripture is written because they are easy to take out of context and the word of God is holy so, I try not to overstep my authority when quoting it. I Googled my quote and found many things but this video was one which resonated with me. It is the one which brought me the much desired clarity in how I need to view this event.

Let's face it, I am human with human emotions, I am in the story as it is playing out, but God is the author, the creator of this work. He knows the beginning and the end, he knows all of the plot twist and where all of the angst and tragedies lie. From one author to another I understand that. It's his story, I am just one of many character living within the lines he has written. I can't control events but I can control my response and how I allow events to shape me and my life, I can choose certain paths based on events. We all can. This scripture of Matthew has allowed me to not only pray for the children, but the one who killed them as well, and that was a hard pill to swallow but, nobody said life would be easy.

Would you buy a story in which the heroine had herpes

I friend of mine read a article by the CDC(Center for Disease Control and Prevention)  which stated..." about 1 in 6 Americans between the ages of 14 to 46  is infected with herpes simplex virus type 2...The most affected group was black women, with a prevalence rate of 48 percent. "

http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/hsv2pressrelease.html


This was nothing new to me. I know many people, both men and women, black and white,  who have herpes. However, the numbers started me to thinking, from a writing perspective, about WHO these women were. what were they reading? Are their stories represented in romantic fiction?

As my mind wanders down this rabbit hole, I decided to ask my own readers to weigh in. Personally, I have been toying around with a story which features a heroine who has and STD, in particular herpes. I have been writing this story off and on since about 2010, because I do have peers with the disease and I had not seen it in any of the stories I had read. Fast forward two years and I still have not seen this story line. When I get passionate about something, I usually go all in, so I asked my publisher if they thought it would be worth exploring and they said, "Gynger, your gut and your readers are the only ones who can tell you that."  Since my gut is leaning towards completing this story, they suggested I blog about it to get my answer.

Here, I am hoping YOU the reader, can help me with this question. I AM NOT asking you disclose ANY of your personal information on my blog or anywhere else. I just want some feedback on the following questions:

• Do you think it's time for a IR(Interrracial) romance to include a heroine who has herpes
• Would you buy an IR book which featured a heroine who has herpes
See that's it, straight to the point. You can leave your feedback Anonymously if that is your choice.


I thank you in advance for your time.

~Gynger Fyer- The Romance Arsonist

The Next Big Thing!

Ten Interview Questions For The Next Big Thing

What is your working title of your book?  The Red Magnolia
Where did the idea come from for the book? I read an article about the herpes epidemic among black women.  Since I like to write about normal women and the challenges we face, having a heroine with herpes seemed like a great challenge.
What genre does your book fall under? Interracial contemporary romance/erotica

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Jill Scott 

                                  Model Matt Loewan

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A sassy, urban hairstylist finds an unexpected love with a new neighborhood cop.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Agency
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? I last worked on this in 2010 and I'm still working on it
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? None,  so far I have not read an interracial romance which included a heroine with an STD .
Who or what inspired you to write this book? An article I read. the fact that it's something that is not being talked about or written about in romance yet I'm fairly certain a lot of the readers can identify with this heroines and her plight.
What else about your book might pique the readers interest? There is also a mystery going on throughout the story.

Who Tagged Me: Jeanie and Jayha:  http://jeanieandjayha.blogspot.com/

Who I am tagging:
Jamallah Bergman: http://jamallahbergmansstoriesoflove.weebly.com/
Eden Royce: http://darkgeisha.wordpress.com
Naomi Jones: http://njonesirmrn.blogspot.com/?m=1