Julia London's Blog, page 17
January 2, 2013
Tradition!
Ever since I was a kid, we always ate pickled herring on New Year’s Eve–a family tradition I brought forward as an adult to my own family. My mom told me it was “for luck.” We spent this New Year’s with my parents for the first time in many years. As we ate our traditional piece of pickled herring, I asked my mom, “Why do we do this? How did this get to be a family tradition?”
She had non idea.
Her only answer was, “Your Aunt Wiesie (her sister Eloise) got us started on it. I’m not sure how–but it’s for good luck.”
What's left of the jar of herring we bought for New Year's
Hmmmm. So I googled “Why do people eat herring on New Year’s?” and learned it is indeed for luck and prosperity. But it’s also an old Scandanavian tradition. Scandanavian??? There isn’t so much as a drop of Scandanavian blood in my mother’s (or dad’s) family. So how the heck did my family end up doing this? Beats me–but we’ve always done it and will continue to do it. Good thing I like pickled herring 
Does your family have any unusual/inexplicable traditions? Any traditions you’d like to change/do away with? Which family traditions are your favorites?
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January 1, 2013
New Read for a New Year!
Yes, yes, I’m diving shamelessly into Blatant Self-Promo mode … but so what!?!
I have a new book out and I. Am. Psyched!
Yes, Release Me is finally officially on sale here in the States and Canada and also in the U.K (and Australia/New Zealand!)! I’m so excited!
If you’re a fan of erotic romance, I hope you check out Release Me! I’ve been thrilled by the advance buzz!
Check it out:
“5 of 5 stars – Oh.My.God. Where do I start? Damien, that’s where.” In Love With Romance
“I can’t think of a better way to start a new year than to download this book and curl up with it.” Sinfully Sexy Books
“Seriously, this is probably my favourite erotic book I’ve read this year!” Book Nerd
You can snag your very own copy here:
Barnes and Noble (print or Nook)
Happy New Year! And happy reading!
Julie
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December 31, 2012
A Tiger New Year
Today I’m off to Atlanta!
Shopping? you might wonder. Fabulously elegant restaurant? you might consider. Hanging with friends? you might hope.
No, no and no. I’m going to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
And, no, that’s not an all-you-can-eat Chick-Fil-A buffet. It’s a college football bowl game. Clemson versus LSU this year. And, no, I’m not being dragged there kicking and screaming. Firstly because my daughter attends Clemson. Secondly, I have no moral objection to cute boys in tight uniforms.
Game Day at Clemson
Third, despite my earning a living (however limited) in the arts, I grew up as, and have remained, a sports fan.
Yes, I have a sports gene.
I’ve been a stock car racing fan for many years. No, I can’t change the oil in your passenger car, (well, unless it’s an absolute emergency) but I know more than is certainly necessary about race engines, aerodynamics, camber, drafting and where to get the best–and strangest colored–hot dog on the NASCAR circuit. (Martinsville, VA)
Though I haven’t seen a Major League Baseball game in years, I know why the best overall hitter bats third in the line-up and what a backwards K means to a statistician. I can appreciate Tom Brady absolute cuteness and still understand why he’s a great quarterback. I was briefly able to do a standing back tuck even though I realized long ago that only really, really young people aspire to be upside down. My favorite Quidditch team is the…
Oh, maybe not.
So, off I go the the land of shopping, fantastic art, close friends and great restaurants to see…a football game.
Let’s hope the concession stand lives up to its stellar reputation.
What are your New Year’s plans? (Somebody, please tell me you’re dressing up in something fabulous and lifting a glass of champagne in the middle of some equally fabulous party.)
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December 28, 2012
Weekend Reads: Wicked Business
When I was choosing a book for a plane trip the other day, I wanted something fun, easy-reading, and not a mention of the holidays (over, done, lovely, thank you, moving on). I loved Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series– until I got Plum tired of the same ol’ Grandma jokes, food references, and the love triangle. So I’m really glad she has a new series with new characters, maybe a few new jokes.
WICKED BUSINESS is not the first Lizzy and Diesel novel, but it was easy to pick up and fall right into the action. Janet’s good for that. And it was a lot of fun. I’m going to check out the rest of the series.
From Goodreads:
Janet Evanovich, mega-bestselling author of the beloved Stephanie Plum series, is back and better than ever. Her novels, hailed by GQ as “among the great joys of contemporary crime fiction,” deliver rollicking adventure with crackling wit and hilarious mayhem. And, now, one of the hottest writers today returns with dynamic duo Lizzy and Diesel to prove that when hunting down bad guys, the real fun is in the chase.
When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences, leaving a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and spontaneous seduction.
Janet Evanovich does it again and gives us another exciting un-put-down-able read that is striking a chord with readers everywhere!
Are you a Stephanie Plum fan? Ranger or Morelli? Have you read a Lizzy and Diesel adventure yet?
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December 27, 2012
Whiner of the Year Nominations 2012
Yes, it’s that time again! Let me explain for the new people. Every year in mid-January, we announce our Whine Person of the Year (for the previous year, yeah, our timing is always a little off). Sometimes, we select someone who was heroic and wonderful and deserves positive recognition. Other times, we select someone who was awful and annoying and deserves a snarky nod.
In either case, we try not to get too political or too sad.
I nominate my grandfather, or how about his whole generation? Senior citizens for Whine Person(s) of 2012? 
My grandfather just turned 95 and he’s a true hero to me. Kids today like to say YOLO, for You Only Live Once and it seems they use it as an excuse for indulging in bad behavior. You do only live once. But that life can be long, rich, full, and fabulous depending on a little luck and the choices we make for ourselves.
Spending time with my grandfather reminds me to make good choices. And then I watch Downton Abbey and think, holy crow, this man was alive for all that! (Well, not necessarily for the fictional show, but in America in that time period). Astounding. Where will I be in 50 years? What will the world be like?
Who are your heroes? Who stands out as memorable for good or bad in 2012? Nominations please!
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December 26, 2012
Harper Christmas Hijinks: The Nintendo Incident
So I’ve mentioned before that the Harper family has a different holiday tradition than most – unqualified, unchecked disasters. There was the year that I had a mini-nervous breakdown after being told Santa had been shot in a post office robbery. There was the year my grandmother turned a stove burner on underneath a glass pan of dressing, which burst when it was removed the from the heat and burned a perfectly rectangular hole through our kitchen floor. Heck, I started an oven fire with blueberries yesterday morning while prepping for a Christmas Eve brunch.
So in this state of post-holiday gift hangover, I give you another chapter in Harper Holiday Lore: The Nintendo Incident.
When I was 11 or so, the Great Original Nintendo Craze swept the nation, and if you weren’t sending pixelated plumbers through an obstacle course of mushrooms and pipes, you were a total loser. Somehow, my parents managed to obtain a Nintendo system just before Christmas. They hid it where they always hid the Christmas presents, in their bedroom closet, behind my Dad’s mustard yellow bathrobe.
Along with my younger sister, Manda, and baby brother, Matt, I found this Holy Grail of Christmas Presents on our annual snooping expedition. A few days later, my siblings as I were having dinner alone with our grandparents and Manda pipes up, “Hey Grandma, guess what? Mom and Dad got us a Nintendo for Christmas. We found it in the closet!”
Grandma arched an eyebrow and said, “Oh, really?”
Even Matt knew Manda had just done something really, really stupid.
Christmas Eve rolled around and we spotted Mom carrying the Nintendo box to the front door. She said, “Oh, I’m just taking this over to the neighbors’ house. They asked me to keep this over here, so their kids wouldn’t find it. Apparently, they snoop all over the house, trying to find their presents, isn’t that awful?”
We stammered agreements about how horrible the neighbors kids were, and watched as Mom hauled away our Christmas dreams.
Christmas morning came and no Nintendo. We were crushed, barely holding it together as we tried to drum up proper enthusiasm for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and art sets. We went over to Grandma’s for Christmas lunch and Grandma pulled us aside to give us a “special” Christmas gift. A Nintendo cassette.
Grandma feigned innocence as we burst into tears. “But you said you found a Nintendo in your parents’ closet!”
“It was for the neighbors kids!” we wailed.
Mom rolled her eyes and said, “Look behind the tree.”
There, behind the tree, was the Nintendo, which Mom had hidden at Grandma’s house after Grandma dropped a dime on us. We were torn between elation and confusion. One of us may have cried. A lot. (Manda)
“And let that be a lesson to you,” Mom said. “No more snooping.”
Because what’s a ‘Harper Christmas without painful life lessons?
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December 24, 2012
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Wishing you and yours
a wonderful holiday and
a terrific New Year!
XOXO–the Whine Sisters
AND… Happy Birthday Jacquie!!! Our Christmas Whiner!
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December 21, 2012
Release Week!
So it’s not only the most wonderful time of the year, it’s release week for the sixth book in my A-Tac series Double Danger!!!
As the newest member of A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, ex-SEAL Simon Kincaid races against the clock to save lives—and outrun his wrenching past. But preventing a major terrorist attack will plunge him and the one woman he’s never forgotten into a desperate fight for survival.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
Ignoring his instincts once cost Simon a vital op—and the life of his best friend, Ryan. Now as escalating, violent attacks hit A-Tac, another person he loves is in danger. Homeland Security agent Jillian Montgomery’s investigation has brought her back into Simon’s life, and unless they can learn to trust each other, their dangerous mission will fail.
After her husband Ryan’s death, Jillian dedicates herself to saving others. She can’t afford to be tempted by Simon, even though his every touch reignites the desires they once shared. But in the last desperate minutes before disaster strikes, their second chance at love might be the most lethal trap of all …
A perfect stocking stuffer, I’m just saying…
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December 20, 2012
Some Mornings Need Something Extra
With the frantic pace of the holidays all around us, the energy to get all the shopping, cooking and merrymaking done is a challenge.
So, today, like many days, I’m putting my faith in that magical elixir, coffee. (And here you thought, given our blog theme, I was going with wine. That’s a whole other discussion.)
I got a Keurig–that single serve coffee maker thingy–for Mother’s Day a few years back, and I can’t tell you how often I wake up and praise its existence. Whether I’m heading to the gym or facing an empty page on the computer screen, the zip of caffeine and warmth of that first sip never fails to remind me another day is here, and it’s time to get to it.
As holidays swirl around us and tragedies remind us of what’s really important in life, take a moment to enjoy your beverage of choice and be thankful for your blessings. I know I will.
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