Hello everyone! Today I am excited to welcome Sid Love to the blog to talk to us about his new book, Holding On to Hope! Sid is sharing more about the story, as well as offering some great giveaways, including one just for Joyfully Jay readers! So please join me in giving Sid a big welcome!
Sword in the Green for Magickal Protection
If you have observed the cover art for Holding on to Hope very carefully, you find two guys in bed bathed in pleasure, cherishing their special moment. The one lying on his back with blond hair is none other than Brad himself. (The boy who forgot – Read my post on Sue Brown’s website) And the one on the top with sharp looks and an intense gaze is the man filled with love only for Brad!
If you notice, he wears a bronze pendant around his neck. It’s a sword with creeping vines would around it. That’s a Sword in the Green which serves a purpose. The mysterious guy in the story belongs to a certain cult located in New York and they have this pendant with them for Protection.
This Sword in Green has a Celtic connection to it and gives an ancestral feel.
Mystical Shack describes it well –
Taking Inspiration for the ancient forest, home of our ancestors, both human and fairy, these enchanted pewter pendants are finely detailed to connect the wearer with their woodland origins. Crafted from lead-free alloy, some decorated with crystals, and presented in a green satin presentation pouch with a black thong. Intricate and subtle, the magical power of Nature’s ancient forest lore is charmed within each original design. The Sword in the Green pendant represents magical protection. Measures approx 60 x 30mm.
Why is this pendant important?
Because Brad forgets everything about this special moment they share. He forgets who this guy was, what his name is, where he lives, where and how exactly they met, he even forgets how this guy looks like. The only thing that remains with him is the picture of this pendant hanging around his Mr. Right!
So a special giveaway for people on Joyfully Jay’s website other than the one tour-wide – you get to win this Sword in Green right here! Simply answer the question below and you are entered –
Tell me about an ancestral thing that runs along in your family that is passed on from generation to generation and how special is it to you?
Blurb
Bradley Parker has waited twenty years for Mr. Right, and on Valentine’s Day, he finally finds him. It’s love at first sight, and Brad even loses his virginity to the man of his dreams. But when he wakes up the next morning unable to remember anything—even what the man looked like—his best friend, Leslie, is convinced he imagined the whole thing. Brad knows he didn’t make up the best night of his life, but he has no idea of the danger he’s putting himself in as he struggles to recall the details of his perfect man. His search may lead him to parts of New York City he never dreamed existed and a war being waged in the shadows.
About the Author
Sid Love grew up in one of busiest cities in the world, Mumbai, listening to the excerpts of Indian epics from his father every night. While it served as an inspiration back in time, he has always had an ambitious mind. In 2007, when he had just turned sixteen, he decided that he would make his lifelong dream come true—to become a well-known, respected author some day.
Ask him and he would refuse to accept that he is obsessed with books. Or movies. Or TV shows. Addicted may even be the right word. He is a die-hard fan of Jane Austen’s romance novels and loves to reread them time and again.
You can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sid.love.16?ref=tn_tnmn or tweet him anytime: https://twitter.com/FatefulMercy, or simply e-mail him at sidlovethewriter@live.in
Giveaway
Sid is offering two great giveaways today. First off, we have an EXCLUSIVE giveaway just for our blog of the beautiful pendant Sid describes above. Just leave a comment below to enter. And Sid would love to hear about any ancestral traditions that run in your family. The contest will close on Monday, February 17th at 11:59 pm EST.
Sid also has a wonderful tour wide giveaway going on. He is giving away 5 electronic copies of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card. To enter for those prizes, follow the link for the Rafflecopter giveaway.
Rafflecopter Link
- By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
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- Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
- Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Readers may only enter once for each contest. Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
- Void where prohibited by law.
No ancestral traditions in my family that I can think of but please count me in for the drawing.
Hmm…there are certainly some recipes that could count, and my late dad had a lot of funny stories that my brother still loves to tell…
Our family doesn’t have any real strong connection to roots. I’ve always felt kind of disappointed about this, but at the same time, I feel like I can say quite simply, “I’m American” and not have to qualify that. *shrugs* I guess I just try to look on the bright side of it.
Adopted at a young age, so I don’t have any traditions. But I do want to go to my home country and try to reconnect at some point.
Not sure this is really “ancestral,” but my maternal grandmother gave me the antique pearl necklace that she wore on her wedding day and I wore it on mine. I will give to my daughter and hope, should she get married, that she will wear it.
No traditions since have been an expat for too long! But i grew up in the busiest city in the world too!
Mostly recipes and traditions that have been passed down through the generations. I always feel a strong connection to family whenever I use those recipes. I also have some jewelry of my grandmother’s that was passed down to me.
I agree with several of the other commentators about recipes. I get a kick out of fixing things like my great-grandmother’s pumpernickel bread for my grandchildren. Another thing we pass on are the stories; I am writing them down for my grands. Count me in please.
One tradition we continue is a Spanish coins wedding custom, which occurs just after the exchanging of rings. The giving of the coins symbolizes the groom’s promise to share his wealth and to serve and support his bride and their children. In accepting, the bride acknowledges and trusts this commitment and pledges to work with and to care for her husband and their children. The coins–each one has its own meaning–are then kept as a family keepsake to be passed down later.
I love the sounds of this one. I do have some recipes passed down from my grandmother and some Christmas traditions.
My family follows a lot of our Portuguese traditions my great grandma started. We have big Sunday dinners featuring all our favorite foods. Took her tradition when I got married as well. I wore a bright colored dress and danced all night. 🙂
The book sounds really great. I can’t wait to read it.
My husband has a Scottish Broadsword that has been handed down through the years. When my daughters were younger they competed in Scottish Dances at the Highland Games. Their favorite was the Sword Dance where they danced over the family’s broadsword wearing their Grant or Cameron tartan. Can’t wait to read your book – Congratulations on your first publication!
None that I know of 🙁 My family is not very close.
Love the blurb!
Kassandra
sionedkla@gmail.com
My family has an ancestral alter. Each branch of the family has one and when my brother bought his house the one we grew up with moved to his new home (from my parents home). Him being the eldest male of the household he gets the tradition to inherit the continuation of rituals (which he doesn’t really care for 🙁 )
We have no traditions like this, so to speak, but I’m so glad you gave us a little bit of history behind the pendant! It’s a huge part of the story! I know I say it every time but I’m so proud of you! The story is so fabulous! Everyone should get it as soon as it’s released!! 🙂 love you Sid 🙂
I’d love to read this book. Thanks for the opportunity!
I expect a lot of mystery and vampires. :p
Well, one side of my family is Irish, so for my grandfather’s 80th birthday, my mother, sister, grandfather, and I traveled to Ireland and toured the country during spring break. It was great hearing all the stories about my heritage, and I’m so glad I have those memories of my grandfather who I lost far too soon.
We still have several recipes and stories running through our family, and I have family still in the old country that I hope to go visit some day to learn even more about my ancestry. Another item from the other side is an old English sword my father owns (I don’t even remember how old it is at this point, it’s been in the family so long). So, ancestry is very important to me, since we learn from the past, and you are somewhat defined by your past, as it helps shape you, sometimes in very subtle ways. Thanks for the awesome giveaway Sid, and I absolutely love the pendant, as it reminds me of my grandparents (my grandfather’s the sword, and my grandmother was the flower that balanced him out).
Looking forward to reading this…not really any family traditions…sadly there isn’t much family left around…but we make our own 🙂