A Different Definition of New Year's Day!

It's another year over! Can you believe it? And to celebrate the New Year with bang, we're going crazy and sending out so many prizes, fun parties, experiences, and other goodies, that it's a bit scary. Each author has a favorite New Year memory, book, idea, or way to party and we're going to show you! Can't wait to see you January 1st - 6th!

And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.
But that's not all....

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $300 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

Note: All prizes except swag pack are international. Swag pack is U.S. mailing only. 

New Years Day!  It represents a fresh start, right?

My first child, my lovely daughter Rebecca, was born on New Year's Day. So, every year, New Years has a different significance in our household. It's not about starting a new diet or making goals for the next year. When Becca was little, I used to tease her by saying the the whole country was celebrating her birthday, (because it was a holiday). As she grew old enough to have birthday parties with friends, it became really hard to plan her birthday, as it was a holiday and many of her friends were out of town on the holiday.

Rebecca at Two years, with Garfield

As the years go by, one thing is a constant. Since Becca's birth, I no longer think of New Years as a holiday, I think of it as my dear daughter's birthday. It's about presents for her, and cake, and surprises. We have a tradition, we go out for a big breakfast, usually to IHOP, as it's one of the few places open on the holiday. And for Becca, being born on a holiday isn't all that. She'd rather have her big day be on a regular day, as it makes planning a party or even going out to dinner very complicated. We always give her the choice of where to go, but then we have to call to find out if they are even open on New Year's Day, and many, many times they aren't so we have to find a second choice.

For me, New Year's Day will always be a special time of new beginnings, but a different kind, as it was the day I became a parent for the first time. That might not sound romantic, but in reality it is. I have a beautiful daughter who represents the ultimate expression of love between my husband and I. And, this lovely little girl looks like her handsome Daddy! She's a special gift from my beloved that will always be with me and remind me of how wonderful it is to have new beginnings and to celebrate special days, even if they don't coincide with a national holiday.

Today, I'm going to celebrate the New Year with a big hug for my daughter, a big gift for her, and with thankfulness that she's in my life.
 

How do you celebrate the holiday?  I'm giving away a $15 Starbucks gift card to one lucky blog visitor, and a free e-book copy of my new release Bright Scoundrel. I'm also giving away two copies of Bright Scoundrel as a second place prize to two lucky readers.  

Bright Scoundrel is my new release (1/2/13). Amazon Link it is the sequel to Dark Hero and is a historical romance that takes place in Ireland of 1802. Dark Hero, the first book of the Reluctant Heroes Series, is .99 Cents this week on Amazon and on B&N Pubit for Nook. (That's a 400 page novel, so it's a great deal) Pick up a copy if you need to catch up on the series. To enter the contest for the gift card and free book please leave a comment below, sharing something you do that's not the typical way to celebrate the New Year. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you leave a comment here, you are also automatically entered in the grand prize for the New Years Hop!   Keep hopping, there are plenty of other Blogs with prizes to win. With over 200 bloggers joining this huge event, you could win more than once.

Here's the link to the main site so you can continue hopping: 
New Year's Blog Hop