The Winter Solstice December 21

It’s that time of the year, December 21st to 22nd, when the shortest day and the longest night of the year fall in the Northern Hemisphere. We call that the Winter Solstice. In Welsh they say Alban Arthan (Light of Winter).

To the ancient Celts this day signified the battle and defeat of the Holly King (ruling from Midsummer to Midwinter) by the Oak King (ruling from Midwinter to Midsummer). The Holly King, also seen as a wren bird, symbolized the old year and the shortened sun, while the Oak King, also seen as a robin, stood for the new year and growing sun. The Celts would act out the battle of the Oak King defeating the Holly King during the Winter Solstice celebration.

They also had wren hunts, signifying the death of the Holly King. In Ireland, Wales, and the Isle of Man, Lá an Dreoilín, (Wren Day) was celebrated December 26. Wrenboys dressed in masks or straw suits, usually had a hobby horse covered in a sheet, and it had strings which could close their mouths and make their legs kick. Wren boys were led by a captain and a boy who dressed as a female captain. These boys hunted and killed a wren as tribute to the light for overcoming the dark. They’d set the dead wren in a box decorated with evergreens on a pole and go from house to house asking for food and good cheer. The wren was buried at the end of the rounds. Nowadays, they use a fake wren instead. Both the Holly King and wrens are associated with the Welsh god Bran.

For the Winter Solstice, ancient Celts decorated Yule logs with holly and ivy, which are linked to the God Bran. Usually, they sprinkled ale or mead over the log before they lit it. They kept it slowly, yet steadily burning for 12 days in the fireplace before extinguishing it. To pass the light on from one year to the next, they kept part of the unburned log safely to one side and used it to light next year’s Yule log. Also, they stashed the log’s ashes away until spring, at which time they mixed them with seeds and scattered them on the fields, spreading the blessing contained in the Yule log over the land.

Mistletoe and oak were sacred to the ancient Celts. As an evergreen plant, Mistletoe symbolized continued life over the cold dark winter which is why druids picked it from oak trees five days after the new moon following the Winter Solstice. One druid climbed the tree and cut the mistletoe with a sickle, while others held an open a sheet beneath him to catch the sacred plant since it was taboo to let it touch the ground. The druids handed out sprigs of mistletoe to tribesmen who hung them over entranceways for protection. Mistletoe is also believed to be an aphrodisiac, so this might be where the holiday tradition of ‘kissing under the mistletoe’ originated.

The Celts livelihood depended on what they could raise, grow, or hunt. So, the long, cold days of winter were hard one them. Since they didn’t have enough grain to feed all the cattle during winter, many were slaughtered at this time. This meant fresh meat for the winter solstice feast. Also, ale and mead brewed during the year fermented by this time and were and ready for drinking.

The Bear and the Druidess

My Celtic Winter Solstice novella, The Bear and the Druidess is the third book in my Druidry and the Beast series. It’s available where ebooks are sold. Here’s the blurb:

Sometimes a secret must be revealed to move from the winter of love into its spring.

Romans stole all the winter grain from Druidess Bronwen’s tribe. Now, pursued by Romans, she ducks into a cave to hide. There she finds a handsome warrior who offers to help. He ignites a fiery spark of attraction within her but she can tell he’s keeping something from her.
The prayers of a beautiful druidess he can’t resist lead the Bear God Artaois into the cave where Bronwen is hiding. He pretends to be asleep until she finds him.

Artaois (Art) is determined to spend the longest night of the year with her. But Bronwen doesn’t realize he’s a god. He keeps his secret from her and even though he can transform into a bear, he only reveals himself in human form.

With the Winter Solstice upon them, can Artaois (Art) find a way to save her tribe from starvation? And, when Bronwen finally discovers his secret, will she leave the romance building between them out in the cold.

Get your copy here!

Some Ways Samhain and Halloween are the Same

Samhain, pronounced Sahvin, is the Celtic New Year. It falls on October 31st to November 1st, and it’s where we get many of our Halloween traditions. As an author of Celtic Fantasy Romance novels, my favorite holiday is Samhain or as some say Halloween.

The Celts believed that the veil between worlds was at its thinnest on Samhain. The dead easily crossed into our earthly dimension and were honored by their living kith and kin, who left plates of food out for deceased relatives, visiting for Samhain. 

Samhain was celebrated with games, (like hurling, foot races, and horse races) a rowdy feast, and a massive, blazing bonfire. In Ireland, druids held the Samhain celebration and lit the great fire at Tlachtga each year, about 12 miles from Tara.

Turnips, apples, and hazelnuts were popular food for Samhain. The ancient Celts carved out mangel-wurzels, a type of turnip, and placed tallow inside to use them as Samhain lanterns. The Celt’s believed that on Samhain, a type of shapeshifting fey—puca in Gaelic (pwca in Welsh and bucca in Cornish) spit on any unharvested apples rendering them inedible. That’s why the ancient Celts picked all the apples before the Samhain feast began. So, don’t buy any apples picked after Halloween, those puca could still be creeping around the orchards. Hazelnuts ripened in Autumn and were believed to impart wisdom as well as strength to anyone who ate them. Maybe I should try some hazelnuts and see if that works. Since Samhain was the end of the autumn season, any of the livestock (cows, sheep, pigs) deemed unlikely to make it through the coming winter were slaughtered at this time. So, there was a bounty of delicious boiled and roasted meat to feast on. And of course, there was plenty of heady ale or mead to go around.  

My Samhain romance is The Wolf And The Druidess.   

In days of old, deep in the dark woods, Druidess Seren discovers a wolf shapeshifting into the bare, muscular Celtic God, Gwydion. Seren's mind turns from the Samhain feast to wicked thoughts of Gwydion's gorgeous body Is the love Gwydion and Seren share strong enough to overcome barriers between an immortal god and a mortal woman? Or will a warning of danger from beyond the grave destroy the sensual magic brewing between the wolf and the druidess?

Samhain is also the festival of Caer Ibormeith, a goddess from Irish mythology, who was turned into a swan. Rhiannon is her closest equivalent in Brythonic mythology. Her story is told in the first part of the Mabinogion. So, Moon Goddess Wife, a romance, mystery, and fantasy about Rhiannon is also a fun Samhain read. 

From Welsh myth springs the tale of Rhiannon and Pwyll. Chief Pwyll's life is changed forever the day Goddess Rhiannon rides pass him on her magic horse. Forbidden romance smolders between the goddess and the chieftain. With the use of an enchanted bag, Rhiannon breaks free of an unwanted betrothal. Happily, she weds Pwyll, but a harrowing mystery tears them apart. Will Pwyll’s suspicion and duty as chieftain prevail or will love win out?

Only Their Author Knows For Sure: You'd Be Surprised To Find These Books Were Ghostwritten

Readers are sometimes surprised to discover as much as half of all books traditionally published today are created with the help of ghostwriters or developmental editors. Even more so for self-published books. In fact, when you look at any nonfiction best seller list 50% of those books were ghostwritten. More and more fiction books are being ghostwritten as well. Plus, the majority of celebrity memoirs and biographies are ghostwritten. For example, John F. Kennedy’s classic Profiles in Courage was penned by his speechwriter Theodore Sorenson. 

Ghostwriters have been around for a while. Did you know that H.P. Lovecraft was Harry Houdini’s ghostwriter for Imprisoned with the Pharaoh, published in Weird Tales in 1924? Lovecraft also ghosted The Curse of Yig authored by Zealia Bishop. And, when H. P. Lovecraft died of cancer at 46 he left notes on a work he’d barely begun, The Lurker At The Threshold. August Derleth completed it, in other words, did pretty much all the writing on it. Derleth was credited as co-author

Have you ever wondered how authors are writing books years after they’ve died? Robert Ludlum, who wrote the Jason Bourne series, died in 2001. The books written after his death until 2017 were by the ghostwriter Eric Van Lustbader. Another author who appears to have been writing long after her death, over 25 years since she passed, is V.C. Andrews. Cleo Virginia Andrews penned seven books as V.C. Andrews before she died of breast cancer. Since 1990, the books have been ghostwritten.  The books by Mickey Spillane that were published after his death in 2006 were ghostwritten by Max Allan Collins.

 Popular series are often written by ghostwriters after the original author’s death or if the author wants to stop writing the series for various reasons. That includes such series as The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and The Babysitter’s Club. The Babysitter’s club originated with Ann M. Martin, who wrote the first 35 books in the series. But at the 36th book, the writing was turned over to Peter Lerangis. It was somewhat the same for Animorphs, the credited author, K. A. Applegate wrote the first 24 books. However, she mostly outlined the next 27 books in the series and a group of ghostwriters actually wrote them. In fact, not only did K. A. Applegate, unlike many authors, freely acknowledge this, she admitted that she was one of the ghostwriters on Sweet Valley High in her early career.

 Sweet Valley High like the Nancy Drew series has fictional author names on the covers. Those books were written by several ghostwriters based on a template and an expected style the publishers created. This is the case with many book series the authors’ names are simply made up by the publisher.

You’ve probably read many books you thought were written by the author on the book when they weren’t. You might be surprised to find that the actual writer of Tennis As I Play It By Maurice McLoughlin was Sinclair Lewis. Inside the Medium’s Cabinet by Joseph Dunninger was ghostwritten by Walter B. Gibson. My Chinese Marriage authored by Mae T. Franking was written by Katherine Anne Porter. And Robert Graves was the ghostwriter of Old-Soldier Sahib by Frank Richards.

However, ghostwriters do write in the style of their clients. That’s part of their job. Ghostwriters interview their clients and get all the information they can to write the book in their client’s voice. People hire ghostwriters to create books they can’t due to lack of time or know-how or in some cases the death of the original writer of a series. When you look at a book and think is it or isn’t it, often only the writer or ghostwriter knows for sure.

I am an author of 36 books of my own, and I’ve also ghostwritten memoirs, business books, and fiction for clients. I’m always available to discuss my work and what I can offer clients. Feel free to contact me at CelticRomanceQueen.com or visit my website http://CorneliaAmiri.com

I Was An eBook Author Before eBooks Were Cool

I submitted my first book to Awe-Struck eBooks in the year 2000. I decided to go to the Predators and Editors list of publishers and submit to recommended sites only. That means the authors that wrote for them thought—the contracts were good, they paid on time, were easy to work with, knew what they were doing, etc.  


I started at the front of the directory at A. Awe-Struck was the first on the list that was recommended and open to submissions for Historical Romances. Plus, they were interested in unusual time periods and mine was set in the dark ages, at the onset of the Saxon Wars. Awe-struck, the first publisher I submitted to, accepted my book and I signed a contract with them. The Fox Prince, later retitled The Celtic Fox, was released in January 2001. It came out in eBook format at that time and in print later that year. 

The eBook could be downloaded anytime, anyplace to be read on a Rocketbook reader, a palm pilot, a laptop, or desktop. Later other ebook readers came on the scene like Gemstar, Mobi pocket (a popular ebook reading software), and others. I had a Gemstar. 

These eBooks could also be autographed and sold at book signings, book-fairs, festivals, and conventions. The publisher sent a kit of 3.5” paper folders with the front cover on one side and the back cover on the other. The blurb, copyright, and publisher information were printed on the inside of the folder.  We got several of these in a kit from the publisher, I don’t remember how much the authors paid for the kits but it wasn’t much. I and the other authors put those tiny folders inside the little 3.5” square plastic cases, they were called jewel cases, and then we downloaded the eBook onto 3.5” floppy disks and put one in each jewel case inside the paper folder. Readers inserted the floppy disc into their computers and read them. Those little folders were what we autographed for readers when they bought eBooks at book signings.  

 Amazon purchased Mobipocket in 2005 and used the Mobi software to build its Kindle platform. This is why Amazon uses Mobi formatting for its eBooks though the other distributors use epub. 


In 2007 Amazon introduced the Kindle eReader. They also created Kindle Direct Publishing at that time, which lets authors bypass publishers and download (publish) directly with the distributor (Amazon). Later other eBook distributors, (Barnes and Nobles, Apple, Kobo and more) offered direct publishing to authors.


The other day, on an application for panels for a 2020 comic con, I had to answer the antiquated question, is your book an ebook? Some books, mostly picture books, comic books, or children books, don’t work that well at this time in eBook form. But, it can be said that if you publish a book for ages ranging from teen to Adult in 2019 that is print only and does not come in an eBook format then maybe you shouldn’t be in the publishing business.

When I first eBook published in 2001 people actually told me eBooks aren’t real books. Of course, whether print or digital, not a single word of the book was different, it was the same just in a different form. So, if one’s real then the other’s real too. People know that now.

 Most reviewers wouldn’t review eBook ARCs (Advance Reading Copies) back in 2001. It seems that back then print on demand books only came out on the release date.  So, we’d print the ARC out and take it to Kinkos and have it put it into a spiral binder with a clear cover so the cover-art on the first page showed through, and we mailed those ARCs to reviewers. One reviewer always asked me to sign mine for her. Who knows they and the 3.5 floppy eBooks disc might be valuable historical artifacts one day. I should have kept some. 

I could tell you a lot more about those early days of eBooks, but those days are gone. eBook publishing and eBook reading are much easier now. But, I’ve always been glad that I published my first book as an eBook in 2001. I’ve never regretted it. The Beatles song paperback writer always captured how I feel about being an eBook writer. When I sing it I substitute eBook writer for paperback writer.

I’m proud to have been an eBook writer back before eBooks were cool. To be honest, though, they were always some people who thought they were cool, including me. One day I might even be thought of as cool. It’s highly unlikely but possible…you know kind of like time travel.

Feel free to contact me any time to discuss the 37 published books I've written in my name, or my Ghostwriting or Self Publishing Consultation services at CelticRomanceQueen@gmail.com or visit my site at http://CorneliaAmiri.com

Why Self-Publishing is Hotter than the Big 5

In the past, if you wanted your book on the shelf in major book stores, in other words Barnes and Nobles, if that was the best way for you to sell your particular book, then it was advantageous to go with the Big 5.

The conglomerates who controlled the publishing industry for a long time are:

1. Hachette

2. Macmillan

3. HarperCollins

4. Simon & Schuster

5. Penguin Random House

Also known as the Big 5.

However, in order for a writer to benefit from having books on the shelf at Barnes and Nobles there has to be a Barnes and Nobles for their readers to go to in their area. There are fewer Barnes and Nobles than ever, but since they were bought June, 7, 2019 hopefully at least the stores that are still open will stay open.

Independent Bookstores, unlike Barnes and Nobles, will shelf self-published books and also order them at their customer’s requests. You don’t have to be published by the Big 5 to get your book in an indie bookstore though you may have to use Ingram Sparks as at least one of your distributors, but that’s easy to do.

If customers are shopping online and comparing books from Self-Published Authors to those published by the Big 5, the greatest difference the readers find is pricing. For those that think competitive prices don’t matter, keep in mind that if the publisher is pricing your books at a cost that readers won’t pay then you won’t sell books. That matters.

Many readers of late are making negative comments about incredibly expensive books. If readers think the books from the Big 5 are too high, they’ll try lower-priced but top-quality self-published books. If they find they like them just as much, they’ll buy them instead of your Big 5 published book. This is happening now. This practice will increase among readers.

As far as statements that some people make of self-published authors being less than Big 5 authors, keep in mind that many self-published authors are award winners, and many are also on the NY Times Best Selling List. A lot of them used to be with publishers but out of preference began to self publish their books.

Also, readers just want good books. They don’t care or even usually understand who publishes them. Readers care about quality and price. Writing is hard and takes a long time and books definitely shouldn’t be priced too cheaply but prices of $10 - $20 – even $30 more than most self-published books is considered by the majority of readers to be too high. I can certainly understand why. Honestly, that is an excessive markup. But, it’s not the authors doing it’s the publishers. Big 5 authors have no control of pricing. However, Indie Authors have control of their prices and discounts.

Please don’t be quick to dismiss self-published authors and self-publishing as less than Big 5 publishing, As far as self-publishing being inferior to traditional publishing it doesn't make sense. If the author's writing, the cover art, the editing, and the formatting are up to par with traditional publishing then how can the book be inferior to traditional publishing? It can't. If self-published books were inferior then why would the any of them show up on the New York Times Best Selling list? And they do, regularly.

If you're a writer, keep the above facts in mind and make your choice based on what is truly best for you and the book you’ve written. There are some exceptions but for most authors, it is advantageous to self-publish rather than publish with the Big 5.

As for me, I have worked with 5 publishers altogether. A couple of years ago, when I got all my rights back, I decided to self-pub all 36 of my books. And I have never regretted that decision.

I offer indie-publishing consultation and ghostwriting services as well. http://CorneliaAmiri.com

Happy Birthday Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley. Reginald Easton(d.1893) Courtesy of The Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, Shelly relics(d).

We all emotionally connect with the monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. We have all been lonely at times and felt like an outcast. Though we care about the hero of the story, Victor Frankenstein, and his innocent bride and family members, we all are also concerned about the bad guy, the monster. The way he looks is not his fault, he didn’t ask to be born.

Great writing is timeless. Without question, Mary Shelley was a great writer. She tells the story through letters a sea captain/scientist writes to his sister about a man they rescued. Writing in first person through these letters allows the suspense to steadily build into a nail-biting intensity as Victor Frankenstein’s remarkable and horrid tale is unveiled. Her writing is also fabulous due to the emotion she embeds in it. Mary Shelley pulled from her own raw pain to write that emotion. The authors of Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Picture of Dorian Gray all drew from their own intense pain to create those masterpieces.

Mary transferred the loss and guilt she felt over her mother’s death into Frankenstein. Her mother was famous, Mary Wollestonecraft was the leading feminist of her day, the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Women, published in 1792. She died eleven days after giving birth to Mary due to complications from the birth. Mary Wollestonecraft was a believer in free love and had one daughter, Fanny, born out of wedlock from an affair with an American. She only married for the good of her unborn child, Mary, when she was four months pregnant. Upon her death her two daughters were raised by her new husband, Mary’s father, William Godwin, a famous journalist, philosopher and novelist. Mary gained a step-mother when her father remarried when she was four. The woman had two children from a previous marriage, but she did not treat Mary or Fanny like her own children. She did not even allow Fanny or Mary to go to school although her own children did. It has been said she showed feelings of jealousy toward Mary. Mary was educated at home by a governess and she spent much of her childhood alone, reading at her mother’s grave.

Mary was further outcast when at 16 she fell in love with a married man, the famous poet, Percy Shelley. Mary became pregnant and her father refused to help her. Mary gave birth seven months into her first pregnancy and the premature baby died shortly after. She and Percy faced ostracism and constant debt. Mary and Percy left for Geneva in 1816 to spend the summer with Lord Byron. That is where she wrote Frankenstein. More heartache came to Mary when she and Percy returned to England and both her haft-sister, Fanny and Percy’s wife, Harriet, committed suicide.

So a baby whose mother dies due to complications from the birth grows into a lonely, outcast child often reading alone by the grave of a mother she never knew. She then grows into a teenager who has an affair with a married man, loses her first child shortly after giving birth and has to deal with the suicidal deaths of her lover’s wife and her mother’s only other daughter. It’s easy to see the similarities between Mary’s life and the story of Frankenstein.

The guilt, pain, and shock Mary carried contributed to her creation of Frankenstein. It’s the raw pain of the author that makes the story so great and so timeless. This pain, this intense emotion transferred from Mary into the characters of Frankenstein and his monster is what makes the story real to us. The emotion creates an unbreakable connection between us and the characters.

Moonless Nights

I love Welsh mythology, so it always surprises me that a lot of people have never heard of the Sea God Dylan. His story begins with his mother, Arianrhod, the Goddess of the Wheel of the Year. The Celts believed in reincarnation and Arianrhod carried the souls of the dead on her ship Silver Wheel from earth to the Emania (also called Moonland) where she helped them transition to their next lives.

Her uncle, God Math, needed to find a virgin so he could lay his feet in her lap as that was his tynged (a curse or taboo). God Gwydion told Math that Arianrhod was a virgin, so Math tested her virginity by having her step over a magic wand. As soon as Arianrhod stepped over the wand she gave birth to one son and then as she crossed the doorway on her way out, she gave birth to a second son. The first boy had golden hair and was a creature of the sea. Math name him Dylan, which means son of the wave. He plunged into the sea and swam like a fish. He's a Welsh sea god.

The other twin was just a lump of flesh. Gwydion kept him in a chest where he grew into a beautiful boy named Lleu, also with golden hair. He's the Welsh sun god. Arianrhod put a tynged on Dylan that on moonless nights he lost all his godly powers and was as mortal as any human. On such a night, his uncle Govannon, the Welsh Blacksmith god, accidentally killed him. All the waves of Britain, Ireland Scotland, and the Isle of Man wept for Dylan. And the sound of the sea rushing up the mouth of the River Conway, in north Wales, is called Dylan's Death-Groan.

Book Information:
Moonless Night, set in pre-roman Britain, is based on this mythology. It’s my 35th book and my 2nd young adult fantasy romance, which can also be read as a sweet adult romance. I used to work with several publishers but this book like all my books now is self-published so I can have control over every aspect of my work.

The premise of Moonless Night is that no one has to carry any shame for the wrongdoings of others. The heroine, Vevay, which means a white wave in Welsh, is abused by her parents. But, she escapes, survives, and rediscovers herself with the help of Dylan. Though the story has dark elements it is uplifting
throughout and intermingled with Welsh magic.

The blurb:
Hope Swims In the Darkest Seas 

Vevay can't escape her parents or see her future ending any other way than by dying at their hands. Then hope swims up to her in the form of a seaman. His legs look normal but he has two small fishtails instead of feet, and his forearms are covered in silver scales. 

But Dylan's more than a seaman...he's a god. He understands the pain of not having a mother's love. Born an unwanted child and a sea creature, his mother, goddess Arianrhod, dropped him into the ocean to survive on his own. 

By helping Vevay face the truth that she bears no responsibility for her parent's crimes and cruelty, they both have a chance to heal through love, hope,
and freedom. 

But Vevay's mortal and can't live with Dylan in the depths of the ocean. And she can't stay on earth with her parents. The only place he knows where they can be together is the Otherworld. But what dangers await a lonely sea god and a scared human girl in the home of the gods?

Facts About the Summer Solstice That Will Impress Your Friends

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. In the Northern Hemisphere it occurs between June 20 and 22, depending on the year. Solstice is Latin from sol (sun) and stitium (still). Going back to prehistory, people noticed the sun stopped moving in the middle of summer then began tracking southward again as summer turned to autumn. Observations of the Summer Solstice may have begun with Neolithic humans using it as a marker to figure out when to plant and harvest crops.

My Duology of Druids In The Mist and The Warrior and the Druidess is set in 1st Century AD when the Druids let the Summer Solstice Celebration.

I write a lot of Celtic Romances among other fantasy romance books and the Summer Solstice was Celebrated by the ancient Celts. They called it Alban Hefin, which means the 'The Light of the Shore' or 'Light of Summer'. Celebrating the longest day of the year involved a lot of feasting and dancing around bonfires. The iron age Celts lit bonfires on top of hills, at crossroads or in large openings like fields. These tall, blazes were symbolic of the sun. And, midsummer fell halfway through the growing season. The Celt’s believed the fires would boost the sun’s energy and guarantee a good harvest for the fall.

Timeless Voyage is also set in 1st century AD when Druids let the Midsummer Celebrations. 

For the Summer Solstice, women and girls wore flowers in their hair and decorated their round houses with garlands. 

Queen of Kings is set toward the end of Bronze Age Ireland, an era in which the Summer Solstice was celebrated.

Couples would hold hands as they leaped over the Solstice Fire together as that brought fertility to their relationship and to their crops. The higher they jumped the higher the crops would grow.

I hope you all had a great Summer Solstice and find some time to get in some hot summer reading.  

Short Fun Beach Reads with Humor, Fantasy, & Romance

Spring and Summer adventures are all about fun. So funny romantic fantasies are a perfect read for Summer. I have to super fun and funny novellas for summer that both have a touch of fantasy: A Fine Cauldron of Fish and Back To the One I Love.

A FINE CAULDRON OF FISH
A whimsical tale of an invisible lover, a trickster god, and the vacation of a lifetime. 

It's summer on the Isle of Man and Andrew is looking for hot girls and good times. So when he meets the dreamy and seductive Margaid, he thinks he's hit the jackpot. There are only a couple of minor problems: Margaid lives in a cave under the sea, is invisible, and thinks that only Andrew's blood can save her from turning into a water horse! But hey, whoever said love was perfect!?

This short, single title comedy romance takes place on the island of the Celtic pagan god Manannán mac Lir. It's full of witch and wizard type fey magic and lots of romance and laughs.

Professional Reviews:

"A Fine Cauldron Of Fish is a very funny story of gods and sidhe on the Isle of Man. This is just a quick, fun read and one I highly recommend." Reviewer Chere Gruver of Paranormal Romance 

“What do you get when two clumsy people get together an outright laugh a minute comedy in A Fine Cauldron of Fish. A Fine Cauldron of Fish is the second book I have read by Ms. Amiri and I was happy to experience that Cornelia is such a universe writer from historical romance to now comedies but with still keeping her uniqueness that her fans love.” 

Reviewer by Cheryl Koch of Cheryls Book Nook

“A Fine Cauldron of Fish is hilarious. I laughed out loud several times through this story. Finding stories so creative and full of wit is a joy and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. If you like things a bit out of the ordinary and are in the mood for a fun light-heart read, then I recommend this.” Reviewer Vee at Night Owl Romance Book Reviews 

BACK TO THE ONE I LOVE

This is the anniversary year of the Woodstock Art & Music Festival. It happened 50 years ago. I was 12 years old at the time. I didn't go to Woodstock but I wish I had. So, I did go there in a way by writing this book.

The thrilling adventure of first love and self-discovery is just as groovy the second time around.
A free-spirited, baby boomer couple, Cash and Keith, find their marriage of forty-five years unraveling amid apathy, boredom and retirement. Cash feels Keith is no longer attracted to her and he’s consumed with a couch-potato life of streaming Firefly all day long. Trying to hang on to their marriage and rekindle the romance they lost along the way they turn to a counselor. The therapist uses an unorthodox magical method of a time-traveling Volkswagen van to cast them back into the garden…four days of Eden at Woodstock….the epic music festival… where they first fell in love.

Will the freedom of Woodstock lure Keith and Cash to push their individual boundaries and seek new lovers? Or can Déjà Vu and grooving to music….truly lead them to rediscover the peace, love, and harmony they once shared?

Review:
"A lovely tale that brought back memories for me about the good old hippy days. If you enjoy reading about older couples who have character and history, then this book is for you." Reviewed by 

BrainybirdAA.

I hope everyone has great summertime adventures and great summertime reading. 

Beltaine (bell-tayn), in modern times we call it May Day, was an important festival for the ancient Celts. The May Queen led the Beltane procession with her ritual courtship of the Green Man. These symbolic marriages of the god and goddess, in the form of King and Queen of the May, were mirrored in human courtship. 

One of the most popular May Day traditions was to set a basket full of spring flowers or other small gifts at a neighbor’s house without them seeing you. If you got caught, they would chase, then kiss you. Courtships for the ancient Celts would often begin at Beltaine and the marriages would be held at Samhain (Sah-van), which in modern times we call Halloween. 

Here are two books to get you in the May Day Mood. 

My newest book, has a May Day release, May 1, 2019. Forged Of Irish Bronze and Iron is a non-fiction or myth and legend book about the High Kings of Ireland in the Bronze and Iron age. It also has two bonus romance novellas that each include an Irish high king, one from the Bronze Age and the other from the Iron Age.

A Legacy no one can steal

For centuries in grand feasting halls and around flickering peat fires bards sung of the exploits of High Kings such as Tigernmas—Lord of Death and Niall of the Nine Hostages, possibly one of the most potent men to ever live. 

Forged in Irish Bronze and Iron chronicles this mythic legacy from around 1700 BC up to 500 AD. This fascinating record of the High Kings is interwoven with modern scientific, DNA, and archeological evidence from the Bronze Age and the Iron age. 

Two bonus fiction novellas are included. Romantic tales of the Bronze and Iron age and the High Kings. 

Queen of Kings

The only woman listed as a High King of Ireland

As wild and beautiful as the land she rules, all men lust for her, warriors and kings bow to her might and magic. Yet, only one champion comes forth to gift her with a white bull and true love. But can the handsome stranger best her skills and win her heart?

Timeless Voyage

Neither centuries that have come and gone nor the seas between them can keep them apart.

As the Celtic pirate, Anwen, presses her hard iron dagger against the Roman's throat, memories of fated lovers, druids, and sacrifice, stay her hand. But, in this lifetime they are foes, Roman and Celt. Can Anwen and Kaeso steer their timeless voyage to a happy destiny or will they be robbed of love once more? 

The second book is set at Beltaine, during the British Iron Age—The Dragon and the Druidess. 

To a passionate man…all women are goddesses.

Druidess Nona is seeking a lover for the Beltane rite. Without warning, a fierce red dragon swoops down before her. Not just any dragon…it’s God Dewey in wild, beastly form. Hot, in a rage, blowing smoke and flames… because Nona’s tribesmen snatched gold from the earth without the gods’ consent. 

Captivated by Nona’s beauty and bravery, sparks fly and ablaze with desire for Nona, Dewi flies away… only to land nearby and shapeshifts to human form. In the guise of a visiting warrior needing the Druidesses hospitality, Dewi returns to the village. But, he discovers he has a rival for Nona’s affection, a chief who will stop at nothing to have her for his own. 

The moment Nona sees the warrior Dewi, her passion ignites, she envisions them coupling together in the Beltane mating rite… unleashing powerful, magic. Little does she know, the handsome warrior is really the mighty Dragon god. What will happen when Dewi’s secret is revealed? And what evil might the jealous chief unleash on the druidess and the dragon god?

And, I hope you all have a Merry May Day, on May 1st.