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How Do You Survive Winter? by Kate Lyon

Posted by Elaine in Historical, Giveaway with the tag Kate Lyon

Posted date: 20 Feb 2010

Congratulations goes to Meg Mims for being the lucky winner of Kate's giveaway! And many, many thanks to all of you for stopping by to visit with Kate!

~Elaine

~ ~ ~

If you’re not into skiing, snowboarding or ice skating in all their many forms and venues, late winter can be pretty drab. I love autumn, but I also love that first big snow storm of the year. After that, Mother Nature can keep the white stuff.

Having just moved to north Texas, Texoma to the locals, I figured this winter would be a shorter-than-usual span and I planned to spend it poring over plant catalogs, deciding what to do with the one-acre lot surrounding our new home. (I’m a fan of SOD! Who doesn’t love instant grass? Even an acre of it.) Mother Nature must have sensed my hankering for a snowstorm worthy of the name. This week, she gave us 9” of heavy, perfect-for-snowmen white stuff. Who knew Mother Nature had a sense of humor?

It’s been three days since the storm and I’m completely out of cocoa and marshmallows, numerous tipsy snowmen dot the acreage, yet I’m not ready to venture out on the roads. Don’t misunderstand! I’ve lived in Washington and Utah and Michigan. (Whew! Could I tell you stories.) I’m not afraid to drive in snow or in the ice, slush and muck in its wake, but I fear the other folks who aren’t as experienced. They’re downright scary.

So what’s to do? Watch the snow melt?

Ever practical, I decided to test the bounds of optimism and exercise my biggest muscle: my brain. It occurred to me that this would be a great time to catch up on my reading. My wonderful friends gave me several books from my Amazon wish list for my birthday and Christmas. Since I’m housebound, I can dig into them and get some research done. (I’m a fool for research.) And while I’m at it, I can flesh out the plots in the new series I’m planning. Maybe I could even take a closer look at that book my editor’s rejected three times and find some way to turn it into a surprisingly fabulous piece of work that she won’t be able to resist.

Since I write Native American historicals (with a large dose of paranormal thrown in for fun), I could research (yum!) what the First Nations (as the Canadians call them) did to survive winter. How did they play? How did they keep their tipis warm and get rid of bugs in their buffalo robes? What did they do to pass the long, cold winter? Hmmm, perhaps there’s a new book in this!

Problem solved. So, what do you do to get through the long, drab days of winter? Is it your least favorite time of year, or do you love it? I held a website contest on this very subject and got some surprising responses, along with some wonderful recipes from a reader in Finland for their version of Hot Chocolate and melt-in-your-mouth Cinnamon Buns. Now they know how to deal with winter!

Kate Lyon

http://www.katelyon.net/

Kate will be giving away a box of Godiva chocolates and a copy of her book to 1 lucky commenter today--so share your secrets for making it to Spring!

51 comments

1 2 3 Next


	Posted by kate* on 2010-02-22 at 15:29:40 pm:*
	Congratulations, Meg! Elaine pulled your name as the winner and she'll be contacting you soon.

	Posted by kate* on 2010-02-22 at 15:28:18 pm:*
	Minna, your saunas remind me of the Native American sweat lodges, which were used in many of the same ways to cleanse and purify, esp. before sacred rituals. It truly is a small world, isn't it?

	Posted by Minna* on 2010-02-22 at 01:10:42 am:*
	I'll bet saunas are as commonplace in Finland as pools in Dallas. They are. And where ever you can find Finns, there you can also find saunas. And in the old days people did a lot more than just sweated in saunas: babies were born in saunas, the dead were washed for the last time in saunas, ilnesses were treated etc.

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-21 at 15:12:07 pm:*
	Librarypat, now that you've got more time to read, I hope you'll add Destiny's Captive to your TBR pile--better yet, that you'll read it! ^/^

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-21 at 15:08:08 pm:*
	Hi, Minna! I'm glad you stopped by. I guess when snow's a fact of life, you learn to be prepared for the contingencies. No wonder the Finn's are so hardy. I'll bet saunas are as commonplace in Finland as pools in Dallas. Hope your winter's over soon, too.

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-21 at 15:04:30 pm:*
	Librarypat, what part of TN do you call home? We moved to TX from Huntsville, AL, very close to the TN border, and we had very mild winters. My son still lives in Florence and says it's been completely different this winter. I've been planting, too, and looking for those signs that winter's almost over. I spotted some daffodils in Bonham last week, and my other son in Dallas has hyacinths that have bloomed and are fading, so it can't be long now. Snow's on the forecast for us this week. If it heads your way, too, watch out for the crazies on the roads!

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-21 at 14:58:35 pm:*
	Great minds..... We had a brief warm spell in late January and I got so excited that I bought a bunch of plants--pansies all the way to magnolias. Now I fret over them as if they were pets every time it snows. Keeping my fingers crossed for your new plants...and mine! From New Years' on, my sweet grandma always poked her nose out the door when we left after a visit, "...looking for spring."

	Posted by Maureen* on 2010-02-21 at 04:33:06 am:*
	This winter has been a tough one with cold temperatures and record amounts of snow. I have been adding plants around the house because the greenery reminds me that spring will be here soon.

	Posted by Minna* on 2010-02-21 at 01:40:45 am:*
	Besides Hot Chocolate and Cinnamon Buns there's always sauna. And if there are any power cuts -as there might be today, because the weather is just awful- we won't freeze because we can always burn some wood in the sauna stove and we can even heat up some food and water for tea or coffeee on it.

	Posted by librarypat* on 2010-02-20 at 23:05:38 pm:*
	Kate, I remember reading about this book, on Petticoats and Pistols maybe. My TBR pile was a bit too big to add to at the time. That is one great thing about winter, you tend to stay inside near the fire with a hot drink and read. I was working, so didn't get as much reading done as I'd like. However, my status changed this week, so I'll be able to do more reading. Of course, now the weather is nice, and it is tempting to spend the time outside getting the yard ready for Spring. We are in TN and I am from the North, so driving in the snow doesn't bother me. Like you, it is the other drivers that concern me. We had the first real winter here in over 10 years. I wish I could have stayed home more often.

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-20 at 22:40:24 pm:*
	It's getting late, so I'd like to thank everyone at RomConInc.com for inviting me to blog as their guest today. I've enjoyed talking to everyone and hope that you'll stop by my website if you're unfamiliar with my writing, my personal story. And until spring finally arrives, I wish you all the snow you can handle. Remember the romantic opportunities it provides! Best wishes, Kate Lyon

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-20 at 21:17:29 pm:*
	He sounds like a keeper! He's spoiling you, isn't he?

	Posted by Tiffany Wooten* on 2010-02-20 at 20:12:57 pm:*
	My most romantic date, was Thanksgiving Dinner at my future mother in law house, Just Kidding (wonderful, but not the most romantic). I have spent the last 9 months almost 10 months being swept off my feet with romantic dates, so to narrow it down is hard. I would have to say the most romantic dates are the most simple yet thoughtful, like the time he surprised me with dinner, flowers, and CUPCAKES (My favorite) at home to celebrate my new job. However, my favorite dates are probably not dates at all, its the time we are snuggled on the couch watching American Idol, or the times he is playing, and I am scrapping our memories.

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-20 at 17:50:04 pm:*
	Hi, Tiffany! So, tell me, what's your favorite, most romantic date with your significant other?

	Posted by Tiffany Wooten* on 2010-02-20 at 17:46:19 pm:*
	Hi Kate

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-20 at 15:18:24 pm:*
	I know exactly what you mean, Jessica. Even moving as frequently as we have, I still had two huge boxes of stuff to donate, not to mention the stuff I tossed. Yes, Habitat was great. Hard work, but worthwhile. I'm looking forward to attending the dedication. It's a great cause.

	Posted by Jessica* on 2010-02-20 at 14:57:08 pm:*
	I've been putting off getting things out of my house - recycling them or donating to charity depending on what they are. I have so many things I never wear or use anymore, you know? Good for you for helping with Habitat for Humanity. I bet that was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. Thanks for sharing what you can about the writing you're working on, too. :-)

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-20 at 14:38:38 pm:*
	If you're struggling to come up with something romantic enough to win, perhaps this list of aphrodisiacs will give you some ideas: http://www.romancestuck.com/aphrodisiacs-food.htm">Food Aphrodisiacs

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-20 at 14:27:22 pm:*
	Cabin fever is dangerous, and insidious. Like quicksand, before you realize it, you're stuck. You lose enthusiasm for everything, even.... SEX. So, during these long winter months, how do you keep your love life from becoming as drab as the weather? What's the most unusual place you've ever DONE IT? What's your favorite romantic date -- real or imagined? What's your favorite/most effective way to snag your significant other's attention away from the TV and fix it on you? I'm throwing in an award for the most romantic--say $25 to Victoria's Secret? To be decided at 10:00pm tonight. Show me what you've got, ladies--and gents!

	Posted by Kate* on 2010-02-20 at 14:15:16 pm:*
	I'm glad you enjoyed the glimpse of Duuqua and Kris in Destiny's Captive. I wanted to reassure my readers that everything worked out well for them. I toyed with the idea of a fourth book in The Captive series, a contemporary featuring those characters, but there are too many other tribes whose stories need to be told.