Wishing you all a wonderful Twixtmas. My late gift to you is a little Christmas quiz, so grab a drink and a mince pie and see how well you do. The final five questions involve guessing the answer to Christmas cracker jokes I collected on Christmas Day. Good luck!
Grab a mince pie and a drink and let’s get quizzing.
How many ghosts turn up in A Christmas Carol?
The movie Miracle on 34th Street is based on a real-life department store. What is it?
What words follow “Silent Night” in the song?
Which Hollywood actor played six different roles in The Polar Express?
Which Christmas song contains the lyric “Everyone dancing merrily in the new old-fashioned way?”
Which one of Santa’s reindeer has the same name as another holiday mascot?
Which country started the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree?
According to the song, what did my true love give to me on the eighth day of Christmas?
Which country has been donating Trafalgar Square’s Christmas tree to London every year since 1947?
What gift did Harry Potter receive from the Dursleys during his first Christmas at Hogwarts?
In the 2008 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special what gifts does Nessa give to everyone?
Question: Who was killed off in 2012’s Downton Abbey‘s Christmas special cliffhanger?
Which British monarch is thought to be the first to enjoy turkey on Christmas Day?
In what year was the first Christmas card sent?
If you were born on Christmas Day, what star sign would you be?
Who originally sang Santa Baby?
In which country do folk give books as gifts on Christmas Eve?
How many people watched the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day?
Christmas cracker joke challenge.
Cracker jokes!
What happened to the person who stole the advent calendar?
Where do snowmen go to dance?
Who is Santa’s favourite singer?
What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?
Why can’t Christmas trees knit?
Raising a glass to you all to wish you health and happiness for 2022.
Which country started the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree?
Answers
1. Four, 2. Macy’s, 3. Holy night, 4. Tom Hanks, 5. “Rocking Around The Christmas Tree”, 6. Cupid, 7. Germany, 8. Eight maids a milking, 9. Norway, 10, Fifty pence, 11. One chocolate each from a box of celebrations, 12. Dan Stevens’ Matthew Crawley, 13. Henry V111, 14.1843, 15. Capricorn, 16. Eartha Kitt, 17. Iceland, 18. Tom Smith, 19. Boxing Day was a traditional day off for servants in which they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from their master. 20. 7.4 million viewers, 21. He got 25 days, 22. Snowball, 23. Elf-is Presley, 24. Frostbite, 25. Because they always drop their needles!
“Short stories are such a treat- they are the cupcakes of the book world!” Jena
Jena has found a unique collection of short stories for her golden handbag. A group of indie authors contributed to an anthology entitled ‘Escape’. Susan Hamilton contributed a story to the innovative anthology and approached Jena about a Golden Chapter Review. Here’s what happened when Jena bumped into Susan in the Handbag Gallery. Peek at the creative way in which Jena presents the anthology at the end of this blog post, and find out how you can get involved in an ultimate indie author collaboration.
And now, I am delighted to share with Golden Chapters readers Escape! A Writing Bloc Anthology
I was browsing through the Handbag Gallery, a passion of mine, when I heard footsteps, seeming to come from the back of the Gallery. “Hello, does anyone need help?” I whispered.
“Whoa!” was the reply. I stepped towards the voice and then I saw a large, haphazard stack of things- notebooks and folders walking toward me. I hurried to catch the top ones as they began to wobble and topple.
Susan Hamilton
“Oh, I guess I should tell you. I’m Susan Hamilton. I’m an author and I’m delivering a pile of short stories, a new anthology to the Handbag Gallery. Is Jessie…uh…Cahalin here?”
“She usually is but I believe right now she is taking a walk in the rain. She and her characters will be back soon. But in the meantime, do you mind if I look through these stories? Short stories are such a treat- they are the cupcakes of the book world!”
Jena Presents the Anthology
A bouquet of opening lines in the anthology
And now, I am delighted to share with Golden Chapters readers Escape! A Writing Bloc Anthology. Eye-catching cover- let’s see what’s inside!
Led by Michael Haase, the Writing Bloc describes itself as a “Cooperative group of writers just trying to figure it all out together.” They certainly have figured it out, as their first anthology is an intriguing and highly readable collection.
‘Drop the drudgery of daily life by diving headfirst into this stunning collection, and you might just find that ESCAPE! Is right around the corner.’ From the blurb
Authors from the UK to NZ, and South Korea to Ohio came together to write, edit, produce and design this book, all united by the word “Escape.”
Of course, an anthology doesn’t really have a first chapter to review, as I usually do for our Golden Chapter Reviews, so I decided to share some of the most intriguing lines from the beginning of some of the stories:
“This all started when I landed in Director Jail.” Mrs. Ravenstein by Jason Pomerance)
“Your Majesty, I would like to extend my humbles apologies for the corpse at your doorstep.” (Cedric by Michael Haase)
“Dana Clemmons hates the rain.” (I Wish it Happened by Durena Burns)
“I think I have a plan…” Wendell looked at the two companions on either side of him, both also named Wendell.” (Wendell, Wendell & Wendell by Patrick Edwards.)
Great lines that hook you and grab you in! Since it was Susan who had delivered all these great stories, I was eager to read her story. Wow! Here are some amazing lines from her near-future dystopian short story, Chrysalis.
“I met Death today. I knew who she was…”
“Not what you were expecting?” (Death asked)
“Considering I’m talking to Death and your tattoos just turned inside out…”
(Death explains) “We’re in the Gray. The place that hangs between life and death…”
I’m sure you will enjoy these fascinating short stories- they are all well-written and edited and of enjoyable readable length, not too short, not too long! Escape into some captivating tales.
Escape – A writing bloc anthology
And here’s good news for writers and readers- The Writing Bloc is excited to announce they are now ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS for DECEPTION! – their next collaborative short story anthology! More details: https://writingbloc.com/submissions/ Join their newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ghuatP
Readers, I love reading and I love discussing what I read even more. Let’s continue our book conversation in the comments. Here are my questions:
Do you read an anthology all at once, or do you read a story in the collection every now and then?
This anthology features from a variety of genres. What are your favorite genres?
What do you think about the opening lines I shared?
Happy Reading and Stay Golden!
Please see the details here if you would like to submit your book for consideration to be a Golden Chapter review.
Angela is following the steps of the shepherds when they left the mountains each winter.
When I was taking my very first steps to create my Books in my Handbag Blog over three years ago, I had the good fortune to meet Angela Petch online. I have always followed Angela’s wonderful writing journey as she moved from indie author to a Bookouture author. It is my pleasure to present the next chapter in her writing life. I am handing over this blog to Angela who is sending words to you from her beautiful home in Tuscany.
Three years ago, I appeared on a blog for the first time in my life. New to Twitter, my eye was caught by a handbag icon next to an unusual name: Books in my Handbag. I have a weakness for handbags. Living in Italy, that’s only natural.
As I had very recently published my second indie novel, Now and Then in Tuscany, I contacted the blogger and sent a copy, thinking that I would never hear back. I was fairly new to social media but my indie author friends were slowly introducing me to the writing community and I had to make a start.
The kind and sparkly angel who is Jessie Cahalin sent me a review some days later and it made me cry. Good tears. She liked it. She got what I was trying to put over. I was overwhelmed. I printed her words out and pinned them to my noticeboard by my desk. I can’t describe what confidence it gave me to continue
I am now published by Bookouture, a digital publishing company that I also discovered on Twitter. And the book that Jessie helped me promote has the new title of ‘Tuscan Memory’.
Now and Then in Tuscany is the original cover
Tuscan Memory is the new cover produced by Bookouture
A Tuscan Memory is set in Italy between the two world wars, it traces the journey of a young country boy, Giuseppe, who flees from a traumatic episode and joins the annual trek from the Tuscan Apennines down to the coast, with shepherds and cattle drovers. During this five-month period, he finds himself. The story runs concurrently with modern day, when Giuseppe’s great grandson (also experiencing difficulties at school) is looking into his family history for a school project. I have threaded in love stories, a family mystery and the history of the transhumance in our area of Tuscany where we live. It stopped in the 1950s but my elderly friends still talk about it. I walked part of the route as one part of my research (photo). The shepherds’ journey lasted ten days.
Bookouture has taken over the aspects of writing that I find so hard: the technical side of formatting the book, designing the cover, preparing the novel so that it is shipshape and ready for publication and – what I find hardest: the essential marketing. Bookouture have several editing processes and this part is vital for pulling the book together. When you are indie, it is hard to be objective and Beta reader friends are sometimes too kind, so it is wise to pay for a good editor. My second commissioned book, The Tuscan Girl, reached number 6 in the USA Kindle charts last week and has sold over 100,000 copies to date. There is no way I could have managed those sales when I was an indie author, but there are highly successful indie authors out there who manage their own marketing very well. Readers and bloggers unite all authors with their love of great stories.
This is the kitchen featured in Tuscan Memory
So, I would like to offer huge thank you to Books in my Handbag for helping me along the way and extend my gratitude to all sparkly bloggers and readers. We couldn’t do it without you.
Here is what I thought of the original version of ‘Tuscan Memory’:
‘The novel unlocked secrets of the enchanting holiday destination of Tuscany. I have often wondered who had once walked along the ancient tracks, and who once lived in the ancient dwellings that nestle in the mountains. As the title suggests, the reader delves into rural Tuscany as it is now and as it was back then at the beginning of last century. The reader has the privilege of meeting characters from the different generations and it is satisfying to fit the jigsaw together. It is a cleverly crafted narrative, in which there are emotional parallels in the lives of the characters from the past and the present. This is a story of love wrapped up in an insight into rural history and customs of Tuscany.’
Angela is a wonderful writer. She has inspired me pursue my own writing journey via the Romantic Novelists’ New Writers’ Scheme. In the last two years, I have written two books and I am waiting to publish them. Alas, I no longer accept review requests, but I do enjoy interacting with authors. I can’t wait to find out how the Bookouture editor has shaped the novel that connected me to Angela Petch.
More about Angela
Angela Petch shares her year between the Tuscan Apennines and West Sussex.
Her love affair with Italy was born at the age of seven when she moved with her family to Rome. Her father worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and he made sure his children learned Italian and soaked up the culture. She studied Italian at the University of Kent at Canterbury and afterwards worked in Sicily where she met her husband. His Italian mother and British father met in Urbino in 1944 and married after a wartime romance.
Her first book, Tuscan Roots was written in 2012, for her Italian mother-in-law, Giuseppina, and also to make readers aware of the courage shown by families of her Italian neighbours during WW2. Signed by Bookouture in 2018, this book was republished as The Tuscan Secret in June 2019. The Tuscan Girl followed in February 2020.
Now and Then in Tuscany, was self-published in April 2017 and features the same family. The background is the transhumance, a practice that started in Etruscan times and continued until the 1950s. Bookouture has since acquired the rights, and under a new title, A Tuscan Memory was be released on September 7th 2020. Research for her Tuscan novels is greatly helped by her knowledge of Italian and conversations with locals.
Although Italy is a passion, her stories are not always set in this country. Mavis and Dot, published at the end of 2018 and sold in aid of research into a cure for cancer, tells the story of two fun-loving ladies who retire to the Sussex seaside. They forge an unlikely friendship and fall into a variety of adventures. Ingenu/e Magazine describes it as: “Absolutely Fabulous meets Last of the Summer Wine… a gently hilarious feel-good book that will enchant and delight…”.
A prize-winning, Amazon bestselling author and member of the RNA, she also loves to travel and recently returned to Tanzania, where she lived at the start of her marriage. A keen tennis player and walker, she enjoys spending time with her five grandchildren and inventing stories for their entertainment.
Her short stories are published by PRIMA and the People’s Friend.
It is time to present another bundle of fun from bestselling children’s author, Patricia Furstenberg. Well, I have waited and waited to present the cover of ‘As Good As Gold’ and ta-da…
Ta-dah! It’s the cover reveal for ‘As Good As Gold’.
Celebrating the simple things in life as seen through the eyes of our old time favourite furry friends, ‘As Good as Gold’ is a volume of poetry revealing the talent and humour we always knew our dogs possessed.
A book with an enormous heart for readers of all ages, it includes 35 poems and haiku aaccompanied by expressive portraits of our canine friends.
Dogs are full of questions, yet they are famed sellers of innocence especially when it comes to explaining their mishaps and often foolish effervescence through ponderings such as ‘Why IS a Cat Not Like a Dog’, ‘As Brown as Chocolate’, ‘Silver Stars and Puppy Tail’ or, best yet, ‘Dog or Book?’
Written for their human companions, by dogs, these poems are an ode to the best of times, celebrating the beauty of a life spent waging one’s tail.
Words of Inspiration from Patricia
As engaging as a tail wag
Her thoughts would be obvious, “dog or book?”
When a puppy runs down the hill, hair and ears and tongue in flight, tail wagging madly, heading straight for the row of ducks, what goes through his mind? When a dog wakes up in the middle of the night, washed by the light of a chatty moon, what exactly does he say when he howls? Caught in the rain or chasing a balloon, surprised by the new cat brought in the house or amused by a frog – a dog’s findings and adventures are countless.
I have been lucky enough to share my life with eight dogs so far. Sometimes, when I would enjoy myself lost in the pages of a book my dog would suddenly press his head on my knee, sigh profusely and… look away as soon as I would bookmark my page to give her my attention: “what is it, girl?” Her thoughts would be obvious, “dog or book?”
She was my chocolate girl, as her fur was a silky brown
I still remember the time one of my dogs found a bag of dry tea that she scattered all over the living room. Dogs can’t and should not eat chocolate, yet she was my chocolate girl, as her fur was a silky brown
We tend to say “this is my dog” or “we have a dog” – yet isn’t it a tad far from the truth? For we do not own the dog, it is rather the canine that owns us, conquering our hearts from the moment he first sets paws in our homes. There was never a fairer, nor a more loving ruler of a kingdom.
There was never a fairer, nor a more loving ruler of a kingdom
So, you see, it was to be expected that such a book will come to life.
A collection of poems and Haiku written for dog lovers, by a dog lover and titled As Good as Gold
Patricia Furstenberg came to writing through reading. She always carries a notebook and a pen, although at times she jots down her ideas on the back of till slips or types them on her phone.
Patricia enjoys writing for children because she can take abstract, grown-up concepts and package them in humorous, child-friendly ideas while adding sensitivity and lots of love. What fuels her is an exhilarating need to write and… coffee: “How many cups have had this morning?” “None.” “Plus?” “Five cups.”
She is a Huffington Post contributor and pens the Sunday Column for MyPuppyclub.net as well as dabbing in freelancing. After completing her Medical Degree in Romania, she moved to South Africa where she now lives with her husband, children and their dogs.
