We’re closing in
the supposedly most romantic day of the year. In honor of the holiday, I
thought we could do with a little history lesson on the saint who gave February
14th its name!
Flowers, candy,
red hearts and romance. That's what Valentine's day is all about, right? Well,
maybe not. The origin of this
holiday for the expression of love really isn't romantic at all—at least not in
the traditional sense.
To quote Father Frank O'Gara of Whitefriars Street
Church in Dublin, Ireland:
"Valentine was a
Roman Priest at a time when there was an emperor called Claudias who persecuted
the church at that particular time. He also had an edict that prohibited the
marriage of young people. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried
soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be
afraid of what might happen to them or their wives or families if they
died."
~ ~ ~
As an author of
romantic fiction, I’m glad we’ve stepped away from the traditional and moved on
to more of the hearts and flowers!
Also in honor of
the holiday, I’m giving away ten sets of my two-novella Valentine series set in
the mid-1960s. All you have to do to grab your set is to fill out the form for Nancy'sValentine's Giveaway.
Speaking of giving
things away, don’t forget to enter the Romance Gems’ “Comment and Win” weekly
drawing for a $5 Amazon gift card. The first drawing is this Friday! Just
comment on any of our posts throughout the month and you’re automatically
entered.
And, of course,
enter the Rafflecopter drawing for a chance at winning a Kindle Fire or one of
six bundles of books by the wonderful authors of this blog!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I hope your Valentine Day celebration is everything you want it to be. I’ll see you again on the 15th. In the meantime, stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read.
I hope your Valentine Day celebration is everything you want it to be. I’ll see you again on the 15th. In the meantime, stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read.
Nancy
Thanks for the interesting bit of history, Nancy. Who knew Saint Valentine was so unromantic?!
ReplyDeleteNice post, Nancy I was interested in the part about the young soldiers not being allowed to marry.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
ReplyDelete"The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre is the name given to the 1929 Valentine's Day murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang. The men were gathered at a Lincoln Park garage on the morning of Valentine's Day, where they were made to line up against a wall and shot by four unknown assailants." (Wikipedia)
It's one of the few things I remember from history class. lol!
Nancy, it's great to see you and your Paging Dr. Cupid sounds like a must-read. I am also glad we've refocused St. Valentine's Day to a more romantic holiday. :)
nnlight at nnlightsbookheaven dot com
Thank you, Mrs. N. Writing Paging Dr. Cupid was a hoot! I love doing sequels and this one just came naturally after Only Yours. I knew I had to give the good doctor his own story. Don't forget to jump over to my giveaway (link above) and get a free copy of both novellas!
DeleteOkay, I entered your giveaway. Who doesn't love a good doctor romance? ;)
DeleteI use the excuse to give cards and flowers and sweets to not just my love, but to friends and family members. It's so easy to get busy and not touch base with people and let them know you're thinking about them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching, we always had a little party in the classroom and gave out 'friendship' cards. This year we'll be driving that day. Not sure where yet!!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up as the only child of a single Mother, I always looked towards holidays as extra special days for us to spend time together. She is the best Valentine a girl could ever hope for. Now that I am married I feel so blessed to have not only my Mother but also my husband and children as my Valentine's to make one happy circle.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely. I'm glad for you too. We all need that kind of love.
DeleteLoved the post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Nancy. I want to read your doctor romances. Read Bonnie's book last week so I'm gradually whittling away at the to be read stack.
ReplyDeleteWish i had a valentine this year... =*(
ReplyDeleteOh well, better alone than in bad company, i guess...
My contact info: adissidente at gmail dot com
There's always "next year", but I agree about the better alone reasoning. Enjoy your holiday however you find it.
DeleteYAY I received your books! I'm so happy! I'll read them as soon as possible and leave a glowing review for you on Amazon! Thank you!!
DeleteThanks for sharing some Valentine's history!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Like a lot of fairy tales, the truth behind some holidays are stranger than fiction!
Delete