Sunday Snippet Archives

Dec 15th Christmas/Holiday Traditions – Sunday Snippet

Fun things about Christmas/Holiday traditions Around the World. Take for instance, the Land Down Under, because, well, someday I want to visit there, just probably not at Christmas. The English and Irish predominately settled Australia so it stands to reason their traditions reflect those countries. Here’s a few of of their Christmas Traditions.
Aussie’s decorate their homes with ferns, palm leaves and evergreens along with blooming flowers of Christmas Bush and Christmas Bell Flower. It’s summer time in December down under, when most of the United States is looking forward to big flakes and blankets of snow for a white Christmas.
Carols by Candlelight is one of the popular events in Australia. People come together under the stars at night to light candles and sing Christmas carols. Seems to me, it’s not far from our own tradition of Christmas carolers. I just can’t imagine Christmas/holiday without snow, that’s why I live in Colorado. Hehe!
Christmas Day is when families and close friends gather from all over Australia for a holiday midday dinner. Some enjoy a traditional British Christmas dinner of roast turkey or ham and rich plum pudding doused in brandy and set on fire before it is brought to the table. Other families head for the backyard barbie to grill their Christmas dinner, maybe shrimp, in the sunshine or go to the beach and enjoy a picnic of cold turkey or ham and a salad. To the delight of children, Father Christmas in shorts may appear to greet children at the beach on Christmas/holiday! If you can’t have snow, that’s the way to celebrate Christmas.

Because I am of Swedish descent, let’s take a peek at Christmas Traditions in Sweden where in December the days are quite short, the nights long and the ground is usually snow covered. The Christmas/holiday season begins at church on the first Sunday of Advent, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Children use an Advent calendar to keep track of the first day of December until Christmas, just like some of ours do. Each morning, they open a flap in the calendar’s Christmas scene to see the charming picture behind it. This year, I have a Victorian Advent calendar on my computer and enjoy a surprise behind each door daily.
The festivities in Sweden really begin with St. Lucia’s Day, December 13th, a celebration of the patron saint of light. A Christmas market held in the old medieval section of Stockholm is where you can find handmade toys, ornaments, and candy. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Some people write a special verse to accompany the gift and even seal the package with colorful sealing wax. I have enough trouble with scotch tape and wrapping paper, I can’t imagine what would happen with hot sealing wax. Not a pretty sight, I’m sure. A Christmas tree is selected by the whole family just a day or two before Christmas and decorated, while the delightful aroma of gingerbread cookies in the shape of hearts, stars, or other festive shapes waft through to house. Christmas Eve is when the main feast is eaten. Presents might be brought by Santa (Jultomten) or by gnomes/elves named Tomte or Nissar. Many families set out a sheaf of grain on a pole for hungry birds. My hubby and I always put out special treats for the wild birds in our Aspen grove on Christmas.

As for my family, we put up the tree, Christmas decorations inside and out, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Or try to. No it’s not a real tree, only because I’m allergic. <sigh> We watch Christmas movies throughout December and make candy such as Divinity, Fantasy Fudge and Beaver Dams. What are Beaver Dams, you ask. Well, take a package of butterscotch chips, melt them in a double boiler, stir in half-package of crispy Chow Mein Noodles and one half can of cocktail peanuts. Spoon the concoction onto foil in small mounds and let set. They look like beaver dams hence the name. YUMMY.

This year I’m going, to once again, try my hand at gingerbread cookies. Its become a Christmas Tradition of sorts, an make my family cringe. Why you ask? I haven’t had a lot of luck in previous years getting a good tasting cookie. But last year, thanks to a great recipe, not only did they turn out, but it’s become a beloved tradition now. Goes great with hot chocolate and marshmallows. LOL

Speaking of things that go good with hot chocolate. A heartwarming holiday tale, fits the bill! I’ve got just the one for you Meringue Snowflake Magic AND it’s on sale #99cents.

A Snippet of MERINGUE SNOWFLAKE MAGIC for your holiday enjoyment –

“What the hell?” burst from her mouth before she could stop it. She slapped a hand over her mouth and glanced around.

He took her hand. “Follow me. It’s not safe out in the open for you.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Where are we?” She stared at the surrounding area.

“I’ll explain all in good time. Right now, it’s imperative you follow me.” He started to tug her deeper into the woods.

Refusing to continue, she dug her heels in the damp ground covered with decaying leaves. “I’m not going any farther until you tell me what’s going on.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Whirling around, he slung her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, then sprinted into the woods.

She squealed. “Put me down this instant.”

Paying no mind to her, he set her feet on the path at the foot of a large oak tree. He pushed aside vines and plants to reveal a door in the ground. When he pressed his hand into the rough bark on the side of the tree, a keypad appeared. He punched in a number. The door sprang open to reveal steep winding steel stairs. Crouching over, he swept his arm toward the entrance. “You first.”

She stood hands on hips. “You expect me to—”

“Or I can haul your ass over my shoulder again. Unfortunately, the stairs are a bit tricky to navigate in that manner, but….” He jerked his head toward the stairs. “All will be explained once we are safe inside.”

“I’m not— ”

He took a step forward. “Your cover’s been blown. Handler is missing. Now move!”

What Christmas or holiday traditions do and your family observe during the month of December? I look forward to hearing from you. I’d love for you to tell me about your traditions in the comments!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Christmas, magic, Meringue Snowflake Magic, Mystery, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Sunday Snippet, Tena Stetler, Witches by Tena Stetler with 1 comment.

Nov 17th An Angel’s Unintentional Entanglement – Sunday Snippet

#SundaySnippet presents the award winning An Angel’s Unintentional Entanglement part of A Demon’s Witch Series and where Killian and Chinoah from An Angel’s Wylder Assignment first appeared.

Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Shall we find out a little about An Angel’s Unintentional Entanglement?

My inspiration for AN ANGEL’S UNINTENTIONAL ENTANGLEMENT.

My husband and I go glamping from May thru October. This one year the weather was beautiful and we decided to go over Independence Pass. Half way up to the top there are ruins of miners cabins from the gold rush days. The area was way to harsh an environment for settlers. As we explored the cabins, I came around the corner of one and a scene played out in front of me, probably from my over active imagination. An Angel was stretching his wings on the edge of a trail. Behind him a large 5th-wheel trailer and truck was nestled at the face of a rock wall. A canyon spread out to the side of it providing a breath-taking view and protection from the harsh elements even in summer. The expression on the angel’s face changed and I followed his stare. Something was hidden in the scaggy brush. The scene began to fade. People’s voices broke though my concentration. I rushed back to our truck and wrote everything I remembered on my note pad I keep in the truck. An Angel’s Unintentional Entanglement was born.

What’s An Angel’s Unintentional Entanglement about you ask: Where Warrior Angel, Caden goes, trouble follows until he discovers a badly beaten woman barely clinging to life. Unprepared for the entanglement she brings to his doorstep, will he move heaven and earth to save her?

Fallen warrior angel, Caden Silverwind, lives alone in Colorado’s rugged Rockies, healing from physical wounds as well as the mental anguish suffered during battles with dark demons. Then he finds a woman barely clinging to life after a horrendous beating. He is not prepared for the entanglement she brings to his life, nor the feelings she awakens in him.

Bureau of Indian Affairs Agent, Mystic Rayne’s personal dilemma and assignment nearly gets her killed. Divine intervention is a complication she never expected and her growing attraction to Caden is undeniable. Can she trust him with her secret?

Their quest to uncover her attacker takes them from the pristine mountains in Colorado to the wilds of Wyoming. Along the way, they find answers which may place them in more danger. Determined to solve the mystery, they must also navigate their feelings and fears to find love and unite heaven and earth.

A peek between the pages of An Angel’s Unintentional Entanglement.

“During my walk, I discovered a couple of men searching the area where I found you. It sounded like they were involved with what happened to you. Feel up to looking at a couple of sketches to see if you recognize them?”

Her eyes rounded, and she drew her bottom lip though her teeth. “I don’t know,” she said wincing again, her voice trembling.

He considered her response for a moment. “Well, I’m afraid, you really don’t have a choice. Someone wants you dead and enlisted the help of the two men I saw to make sure the deed is done.”

Any color that had returned to Mystic’s face drained away. Her eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. She blinked rapidly but was past the breaking point. The battle was lost as tears trickled down. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. Most people don’t come back from the brink of death without some kind of emotional release.” He touched her arm gently.

She looked up at him and relaxed a little, some of the fear left her eyes, replaced by caution. “Thanks.”

“You bet ya. Now about those sketches.”

A little about the author:

Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance with an over-active imagination. She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. Colorado is home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.

Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure, and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

Pssst… While you’re here, don’t forget to check out my paranormal romance/mysteries click here. Your next GREAT read is waiting!

Thanks for taking a look at my Sunday Snippet! See ya next week.

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged A Demon's Witch Series, An Angel's Unintentional Entanglement, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Sunday Snippet, Tena Stetler by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

Nov 10th A Witch’s Holiday Wedding – Sunday Snippet

As some of you may have noticed, or not, I’ve been sorta MIA on social media for about three months. My hubby retired in November of 2023. We finally got to take the RV road trip we’d been planning for years. So places we landed had wifi and internet, some places didn’t. So… did the best we could with what we had which was sadly inadequate. Good news is that we are back home and will be posting over several weeks about our three-month grand adventure from Colorado through Kansas, Missouri, down south to Mississippi, Georgia, across to North Carolina, and on up New England to Maine with numerous stops in between on my facebook page. We encountered tornadoes, was chased by hurricanes, it was an adventure! We loved every minute of the trip. Please feel free to check it out in the near future at https://www.facebook.com/tena.stetler/ Now I return to you to this week’s Sunday Snippet.

Yippee!! #SundaySnippet presents A Witch’s Holiday Wedding #paranormalromance #fantasy #adventure. Set in the small town of Lobster Cove and 2nd in the Witch’s Journey Series with some of the same characters, plus new ones you’re going to love. Torn in too many directions, with a covert military mission thrown in, will Pepper and Lathen make it to the alter?

I had so much fun writing this book. With ghosts running amuck spilling family secrets and making roses bloom in the dead of winter. The werewolf pack creating havoc ever where they went. Then there is the matter of the military mission. It’s a wonder Pepper and Lathen didn’t elope. But they didn’t, so pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and come along for the hilarious ride of A Witch’s Holiday Wedding. Go ahead you, know you want to, grab a copy and join the #magical #fantasy, #adventure today! You’ll be so glad you did.

What is A Witch’s Holiday Wedding all about?

Elemental witch, Pepper McKay and former Navy SEAL, Lathen Quartz have built Lobster Cove Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center on enchanted McKay land. During a romantic interlude on Halloween night, Pepper happily agrees to become Lathen’s wife. What better day than Winter Solstice for their wedding in a town that loves celebrations and Christmas. However, planning a wedding and operating their wildlife center takes a toll on both Pepper and Lathen.

When the couple takes a much-needed break for Thanksgiving with family in Colorado, a Maine snowstorm fills the center with injured wildlife. Lathen finds himself drawn into a covert military mission, while trying to deal with issues concerning friends and family. Pepper wants to cancel the wedding. Is she having second thoughts? Will the nosy McKay ghosts, Lathen’s werewolf pack, Pepper’s parents, and her best friend help or hinder the wedding and holiday plans?

Sneak peek between the pages of A Witch’s Holiday Wedding:

After she set her glass down, Lathen brushed a couple strands of hair out of her eyes and searched her face. “Are you all right?”

“I’m tired, my wedding is in a couple weeks, I have ghosts fighting over who is going to do what. Guests that have no idea the place is haunted and… Your family and pack, my parents, Gwen… To top it all off, the head of my clan, who is a ghost, is sitting in front of me wanting to know who is coming to the wedding and whether the ghosts will be outed. How could I possibly be all right?”

“When you put it that way.” Lathen chuckled. “It sounds just a bit… I don’t know…crazy?” His right eyebrow winged up. She saw mischief sparkle in his eyes. “We could still elope,” he offered.

“No sir. Not after all the trouble—Not on me watch.” Aidan shook his head so vehemently his upper torso blurred.

Pepper smiled, glanced at Lathen. “What do you think—about twenty-five to fifty close friends and family at the ceremony?”

“I doubt the pack will be there, they’ll be more interested in the food and tall-tale telling at the reception. Not to mention questioning why the dinner wasn’t before the ceremony. So you are close on that count.” He snatched the wine glass from the table and took a gulp.

“The seating area should be at the end of the pond by the benches. Ashling mentioned purple rose bushes around the pond. Lathen and I are going to get the arbor first thing in the morning, weather permitting.”

Lathen’s stomach gurgled. “You know the timer for the meat pies went off a while ago.” He glanced toward the kitchen. “Want me to go get them?”

“Oh crap, I forgot. They’ll be ruined, all dried out.” She thought for a moment then waved her hand toward the kitchen. “They’ll be fine.”

“I’ve got what’s needed.” Aidan rose from the chair, lifted his hand in a wave and faded away, the mist crawling along the floor disappeared entirely.

“Never a dull moment around here.” Lathen took the tray of pies from Pepper and set it on the coffee table. The silverware clattered as he slipped the napkins out from under them, inhaling deeply. “I’m starved.”

“Marrying a McKay witch may be more than you bargained for,” she teased. “Too late to change your mind.”

“Don’t intend to.” He forked up a bite of meat pie, blew on it for a minute as the steam rose, and popped it in his mouth. “Mmmmm. Delicious! Life with a witch can be quite satisfying. If you know what I mean.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

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Pssst… While you’re here, don’t forget to check out my paranormal romance/mysteries click here.

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged A Witch's Holiday Wedding, A Witch's Journey Series, ghosts, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Shapeshifters, Sunday Snippet, Tena Stetler, Witches by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

Oct 13th A Witch’s Quandary – Sunday Snippet

Welcome to my Sunday Snippet. This week we take a look at A WITCH’S QUANDARY, the sixth book in A Demon’s Witch Series. – A Broken Engagement leads to the discovery of stolen magic and malice with a little blackmail mixed in. Can they weather the storm and find a future together?

A little about the inspiration for the book: I spent 18 years as paralegal for law firms. A paralegal is basically a playwright for the attorney. Most depend on the paralegal to do research, write up the pleadings and motions synopsize the case. Subsequently, when something goes wrong, guess who’s to blame? Not the person who has been working on his golf game, or schmoozing with higher ups to better his position in the law firm or political aspiration’s rather than over seeing the trial prep. You got it. This is not always the case, but…. So from that perspective I wrote a solicitor from Scotland that didn’t want to play the game, forced to make a choice that would negatively effect is personal life, but had magic on his side to boot.

Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about

Let’s check out what A WITCH’S QUANDARY is all about:

Gale’s engagement is off because she refuses to leave her thriving business in Ireland to follow Dillon to Scotland. Her family and friends are on the emerald isle. Yet, when Dillon returns with the whole story and asks for her help, she must follow her heart.

Becoming a Solicitor, then partner in the family law firm was never Dillon’s dream. Now it’s his nightmare. Called to Scotland, his father demands he take his rightful place in the firm or be disowned and disinherited. Something is terribly amiss in the firm and family.

During Gale and Dillon’s investigation, they discover the enforcer for the Demon Overlord is also delving into rumors the firm is acting illegally. Magic has been stolen, someone is being blackmailed, and a member of the Witch’s council is corrupt. If Gale and Dillon want a life together in Ireland, they have to unearth secrets threatening to destroy the firm and family in Scotland.

How about a peek between the pages of A WITCH’S QUANDARY:

“This is an outrage. It’s my firm.” Bram bellowed slamming his fist down on the table. Sparks flew in all directions creating a red-hot spider web of power crackling across the tabletop. Everyone at the table scrambled back or stood. Dillon caught the malevolent spark in his father’s eye a split-second after Gale. She had already brought her hands together, the room sizzled as she conjured a ball of fire and with a few words sent the witch fire and spell at him.

“What have you done?” Bram screeched as the fire and spell hit him center mass. “Witchfire too? Bitch.” He slid to the floor.

Iris ran to his side, tears spilling her cheeks, she wiped his sweat-soaked brow with a napkin. “You just couldn’t stop, could you? What did you do? Make a deal with the devil? We should have put a stop to it. To you. But…” She helped him into a chair. “I’m afraid you’ve messed with the wrong witch, this time. Brought this on yourself. You did. But I won’t let you take this family—the firm—down with you.” Giving his shoulders a little shake, she gazed into his shocked eyes. “What have you done?”

Bram slowly shook his head and murmured, “It’s my firm.” He raised his gaze and glared at Gale pointing a bony finger at her. “You’ll pay for this.” Then turned his attention to Dillon. “I told you nothing good would come from aligning yourself with this witch. Her blood is not pure. Diluted by the Fae power of her…” He broke off.

Dillon stood at Gale’s back his hands steady and supportive on her shoulders as she said nothing for several beats. Eventually, she turned her emerald green eyes to him and held his gaze. “I couldn’t let him divide the family with that dark magic. I tempered my deadly witch fire with the spell.” She tore her gaze from Dillon’s, touching her fingertips to the scorched marks radiating across the table stopping an inch from the edge all around. “If he’d succeeded, there’d been no turning back. If the tendrils of that spell had left the table and reached one of you…” She shook her head.

Appearing to gather his wits about him faster than the rest of his family, Sturgen surveyed the scene, wiped his brow with a monogrammed handkerchief, and sucked in a breath. “The firm is no longer yours.” He squeezed Olivia to him, starting for the door. “We’ve had enough for one night. Let’s adjourn until a full audit of the cases and firm can be conducted.”

****

Gale leaned against Dillon, his strength and calm flowed into her. “I felt your father’s intentions. The intentions he was able to disguise from his family. He planned to destroy all of you.”

“I know. I felt him…hmm…something evil. Only my reaction was a second too late. I’m glad yours wasn’t. How long will he be spellbound? That is what you did. Right?”

“Aye. Among other things. Indefinitely… I hope. He’s got a lot of power that isn’t his. I’ve no way to bind what I don’t know.”

Thank you for stopping by to check out my Sunday Snippet A Witch’s Quandary. Please join us next week when I’ll have another Sunday snippet for you.

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged A Demon's Witch Series, A Witch's Quandary, fantasy, Law Firm, magic, Sunday Snippet, Tena Stetler, Witches by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.