Topsy-turvy Fun

Hengist Journey #2

The second Nature’s tribe book delves deeply into the traditions surrounding the “12 Days of Yule,” many of which have found their way into our modern celebration of Christmas.
Unfortunately, none of these made the cut:

Hoodening:

A motley crew would travel from house to house, playing out a short sketch featuring a man dressed as the Hoden Horse, who terrorises the children, snapping at them with great wooden jaws. He’s accompanied by the whip-cracking Waggoner, a tiny jockey who can’t quite seem to mount this terrifying beast and Mollie – a man dressed as a woman who wields a broom and chases the women around the room. Musicians play well known ditties which everyone joins in, and they are rewarded with gifts of food and coin before besieging the next household. 

Lord of Misrule - Topsy-Turvy:
Similar to Saturnalia, an ancient tradition dating back to Roman times, also the Feast of Fools - a Christian adaptation in Medieval Europe.
For many villages it was the height of the season, where everything was shaken up. Lords and masters would dress as peasants and serve their people, who donned airs and graces to match their borrowed finery for the day. Husbands and wives would swap clothes, people would wear garments back-to-front, inside out or all of the above.
A Lord of Misrule would be appointed to preside over the revelries, and he would decree a set of rules which people had to obey or pay a forfeit. The emphasis was on fun and mischief as people ate, drank and played tricks.

Freya-Day and the Queen of Winter
One of twelve days was dedicated to Freya, where people would greet each other with a traditional greeting involving a hug, kiss and even a small dance to spread the warmth and love of the season. The main feast would be split between households, with groups of neighbours banding together and each one providing one of the courses, then all moving to the next house for subsequent houses. And a different beverage would be served at each one – the original “pub crawl.”
Usually on a different day, women would be treated like queens, wearing their finery, topped with an ivy crown. Their menfolk and children would take over the cooking and household duties while they took a day off to visit with their friends.

Last Chance - never to be repeated offer!

You know - the entire purpose of a headline is to grab attention. And that's actually the truth. Never again will you be able to get these 3 Nature's Tribe books for under $3/£3.
I even made some cute ads to celebrate the fact!

	Senna feels like nothing but an inconvenience at her own wedding. Instead of the small, serene event Senna and Lyran conceived, his father seems determined to take over every aspect, from what she should wear to what and when their guests should eat.
	Not much of a choice. But Senna's year of mourning is about to end. Domenyk needs a woman of substance to accompany him on his ascent to leader of the council. Jarl spends more time away from the village as an acclaimed military commander - and spy!
	Why does everyone keep Cal and Lyrelie apart? Even themselves. Cal knows eavesdroppers never hear anything to their advantage. He didn’t need to hear Lyrelie’s offhand dismissal to know he is unworthy. But more than one person in the village has reasons for sabotaging their union.

Gotta go - beta comments to read, edits to make. See you soon!

Advent Calendar Deals 2018

Apologies it's a few days late, but any expired deals will be back!
Here's a summary of the crazy savings you can make this month.

1st - 99c/99p	2nd - FREE	3rd - 99c/99p	4th - FREE	5th - 99c/99p

P.S. BR is Bryant Rockwell (YA Contemporary Romance)
Dec 1: 99c/99p - Stand by Me (BR #6) - Jacky Gray
Dec 2*: FREE - Fox Among Wolves (Hostage #1) - Ro Green    *Deal continues till mid-Dec
Dec 3*: 99c/99p - Archer (Hengist #1) - Jacky Gray                          *Deal continues till 26th
Dec 4: FREE - Slater (Hengist #4) - Jacky Gray
Dec 5*: 99c/99p - Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Hostage #1) - Ro Green    *Deal continues till 26th

6th - FREE	6th - FREE	7th - FREE	7th - FREE	8th - FREE	9th - FREE

Dec 6: FREE - Triple Jeopardy (Jeopardy #1) - Ro Green
            FREE - Geraint (Hengist #5) - Jacky Gray
Dec 7: FREE - More Jeopardy (Jeopardy #2) - Ro Green
            FREE - Music was my First Love (BR #5) - Jacky Gray
Dec 8: FREE - Final Jeopardy (Jeopardy #3) - Ro Green
            FREE on KU - Young Men Gone West (Juke Box Musical) - Ro Green
Dec 9: FREE - Death Wishes (Gentle Angel Story) - Ro Green
            FREE - Don't Stop Believing (Juke Box Musical) - Ro Green

More deals next week.

Prequel to a prequel??? Say what?

Because I loved the Hengist series so much, I will take any excuse to stay in that world. However, a number of people have asked about how it came about, so last year, I set about writing a prequel, and met Senna - a spirited midwife, who told her story through 12 Days of Yule. Three chapters into the sequel, 8 Sabbats of the Sun, Lyran tapped me on the shoulder and demanded why I hadn't bothered to give him the mic until right at the end of 12 Days. Just to get him off my back, I wrote a prequel to the prequel: 3 Handfastings and a Burial (yeah, I know!!!).
This will be available very soon, and you can pre-order it now at only 99c/99p.

Here are Icy's Gorgeous covers, and the links.
Nature's Tribe Series - Buy (or preorder) from Amazon/Read for free with Kindle Unlimited:

3 Handfastings and a Burial

12 Days Of Yule

8 Sabbats Of The Sun

Because I like to give myself a challenge, I've put the 3rd book on pre-release with a ridiculous deadline of early February. Guess you know what I'll be doing over Christmas!