The Season of Love
Ah, Valentine’s Day.
The season of love.
The reason the sale of roses, chocolates, and Hallmark cards explode. Teddy bears of all shapes and sizes fly off the shelves and heart-shaped boxes of anything will sell like hotcakes. Diamond jewelry sparkles anew, adoring fingers or dangling from wrists, throats, and earlobes. The entire gambit of basic cable channels bombard viewers with sappy romances from every era, from the classic From Here to Eternity to the modern, plucky Juno.
Me? Well, my idea of a romantic February 14 might seem a bit different. Just give me an action movie and some decent Chinese food and I’m good. I know, I know. A romance writer that doesn’t do hearts and flowers. But, if you’ve read any of my works, you’ll know that my idea of romance doesn’t fall into the realm of your typical fare.
All my life, I’ve been an incurable and hopeless romantic. But all through high school and college, I was single. Terribly, tremendously and completely single. School and education were my first loves, followed quickly by my passion for my arts. In rehearsals for the college dance rep company, working on lines for the next show, or scribbling down ideas for the “Next Great American Novel” took me out the dating game. Add to that being a girl who read comic books and played D&D. Yeah, those qualities didn’t make me top list items to members of the opposite sex. I was everyone’s little sister and I was as okay with that as I could be. But, in the privacy of my dorm room, I would devour the Harlequins I grabbed off the shelves at the local second-hand book store. In my dreams, I was running off on some grand adventure with spies or pirates. Bodice rippers lined my bookcases, next to Dune, The Lord of the Rings, Interview with a Vampire, and every book by Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, and Ian Fleming.
Yet, when that dreaded calendar date loomed close, I would find ways to avoid the happy couples that peppered the campus. Finally, I opted on a new tactic. I started to buy myself a single red rose first thing in the morning. Surprising how many guys were now curious about me. The magical power of one flower.
From then on, I decided to celebrate in a way to make me happy. I didn’t follow any trends or commercial ads. I did as I always have done; I found my own path.
Fast forward to now. Here I am, happily married to a great man who accepts my weird quirks. I think there may be times when he doesn’t quite understand them, but he’s willing to go on a little faith. And since June 2000, we’ve stood at each other’s sides through thick and thin.
Have my thoughts on Valentine’s Day shifted? Perhaps a little. Does my hubby still present me with flowers, chocolates, and the occasional teddy bear? He does.
But the flower is a simple rose, the chocolates are usually Mickey Mouse shaped, and the teddy bear is holding tickets to see Deadpool or the latest comic book movie.
In truth, love doesn’t follow trends, nor does it only matter on specified holidays. Love is a feeling. It’s about finding the person who completes your soul. And once you do find that one, you should tell them how much they mean to you at every opportunity. These moments can be simple. A note on the fridge with a heart on it. Fixing their favorite meal on a random Wednesday. I believe these little things speak volumes about the magic of love and happiness.
And I should know. I am a romance writer, after all.
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To Discover a Divine
by Tessa McFionn
Rise of the Stria Book 1
Everlasting
March 20, 2018
Sci-Fi Romance
When Kahlym cal Jhuen, freedom-fighting leader of the Chandar Stria, breaks into a prison ship controlled by the Rimmarian Thrall, he only expected to rescue two of his crew. But when he discovers a terrified female during his escape, he is immediately captivated by her unique beauty and makes a snap decision to bring her with him. However, his good deed backfires as he learns he has stolen the Thrall Emperor’s prize.
Down to her last dollar, Evainne Wagner expected nothing out of the ordinary when she stepped out of the front door of her Boston apartment. Instead, she found herself in the middle of an intergalactic firefight, complete with strange soldiers with deadly looking weapons pointed directly at her. Salvation arrives in the nick of time in the form of a mysterious leather-clad warrior, skidding in and whisking her away. Trusting her heart, she follows, hoping to find answers as well as a way home.
Safely on board his ship, he learns more about her and her rare skills, triggering the memory of a half-forgotten prophecy spoken at the time of his cursed birth. Outcast because of a cruel twist of fate, he finds unexpected acceptance, even affection, from his new passenger.
Could she be the one who holds the future of his people, as well as his own heart, in her tender hands?
About the Author:
Tessa McFionn is a very native Californian and has called Southern California home for most of her life, growing up in San Diego and attending college in Northern California and Orange County, only to return to San Diego to work as a teacher. Insatiably curious and imaginative, she loves to learn and discover, making her wicked knowledge of trivial facts an unwelcomed guest at many Trivial Pursuit boards.
When not writing, she can be found at the movies or at Disneyland with her husband, as well as family, friends or anyone who wants to play at the Happiest Place on Earth. She also finds her artistic soul fed through her passions for theatre, dance and music.
A proud parent of far too many high school seniors and two still living house plants, she also enjoys hockey, reading and playing Words With Friends to keep her vocabulary sharp. She is currently the treasurer of the San Diego chapter of Romance Writers of America and loves spending time working with such amazingly intelligent and creative writers.
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