Bronwyn Stuart - Romance Author
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Coastal Christmas Blog Hop!

11/26/2017

60 Comments

 
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Well, what better for a blog revival than a Christmas blog! Thanks for dropping by!

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I meet so many people who don’t like Christmas. I’m sure their reasons are sound to them, but I love it! It’s without a doubt my favourite time of the year where all of our family come together on the banks of the Mighty Murray river and we eat, drink and be very merry.

My husband’s family are European and celebrate on Christmas Eve so it’s like an early present to kick things off a day before the rest of the country. Our table is set with hand-stitched runners, silver cutlery, the best crockery and little crystal glasses to hold home-made seafood sauce. We then dig into crayfish and prawns, roast meats for the not seafood inclined, herring salad, potato salad, the list goes on. Omi makes strawberry punch to cool everyone down and then the kids open presents until we’re all yawning and ready for bed. The next day we do it all again at my parent’s for dinner. By Boxing Day, belts are loosened, a near fatal food coma claims the hubby and the kids sit knee deep in toys and giggles. It’s magical! What’s not to love!

As much as I absolutely adore all of the above, we’ve had a very long winter here in the Adelaide Hills and I’ve been literally craving white sand and blue water. So much so that when my kids have beach volleyball, I slip my shoes off and dip my toes in the sand at the edge of the court rather than sit with the other mums.

It’s been said a few times that water feeds creativity. If your writing is blocked, you take a shower and reenergise. You could go for a walk in the rain, on the beach, go for a swim. I like to have long hot baths and read. It’s the only time I get (almost) total relaxation. Generally I find my difficult scene unlocks itself and I usually have to keep a notepad nearby so I can jot down ideas wrapped in a towel sitting on the edge of the tub.

When I was asked to be part of this great blog hop, I started thinking, none of my books are Christmas themed. I did start one once, a Regency that begins with a stolen Christmas tree to honour a long-standing tradition in a family down on their luck. One day I’ll finish it and get it out there.

The thread a lot of my books do seem to have is the water. Mixing Business with Pleasure takes a turn to the ocean after the heroine is injured by a loan shark and needs a break from it all. The Road to Ruin is a delicious romp with pirates so there’s water there too. I have an unpublished novel set on the Gold Coast and therefore, ocean, and a rooftop swimming pool. Bath scenes in historical novels always go down a treat and She’s the One is onset with filming of The Bachelor at the holiday destination that is Port Douglas in northern Queensland.

I guess water leeches into just about everything I do. Sometimes I run the warm water a little longer when I’m washing my hands I love it that much. Maybe I was a mermaid in a past life?

So my question to you is, what is your sign? What calls to you? Is it sinking your hands in the dirt, is it playing with fire (and not in a light-everything-on-fire-kind of way, more of a winter firelight kind of way) or is it the wind howling through the trees?

Make sure you hit the rafflecopter below for entries into the blog hop comp and feel free to take a look around while you’re here!
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Thanks for coming J  

One click my latest contemporary romance novel here -- She's The One

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a Rafflecopter giveaway
60 Comments
Susanne
11/26/2017 03:07:18 am

I'm a Cancerian, so it goes without saying - I adore water! Love the sound of your stolen Xmas tree story. Hope you write that one day!

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:27:30 pm

Ooh, I never associated the two before but I'm Cancerian as well! I have written the Christmas tree story actually, as the sequel to The Road to Ruin but I need to polish it up and then find it a home :) Thanks for commenting!

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Elizabeth Ellen Carter link
11/26/2017 03:26:52 am

Well, you can't get more water-loving than a Piscean! I'm with Susanne on the stolen Christmas tree story, that sounds like a lot of fun!

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:28:24 pm

Thanks Elizabeth! One day it will be out there but it's also a little out there... It went way darker than I'd intended!

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Tracey Turner
11/26/2017 04:49:27 am

Also agree on xmas story. I love a xmas historical. As a summer babe you'd think I'd be in my element then but can't take the heat. Give me a pool or tub to soak in. Although walks along the beach at sunset sound romantic - anyone know where l can find a hero to join me.

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:30:12 pm

Hi Tracey, I actually hate the heat haha. Anything over about 26C and 50% humidity and I feel like a puddle! But I also don't like the water if it's too cold. I'm weird like that :)

Sorry about the hero lol. I only have my own and he's not so good with others ;)

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Lori R
11/26/2017 05:05:31 am

The ocean has always called to me.

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:31:06 pm

We're holidaying on Kangaroo Island in Feb (right on the beach) so I'm holding out and wishing we were already there!

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Kathleen O
11/26/2017 05:23:56 am

I have never been anywhere but at home for Christmas, and 98% of the time we have snow... One day I would love to spend at the beach.

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:32:41 pm

Oh, see, I've never seen real snow! Maybe we could house swap ;)

We had one Christmas where it was around 43C so we all sat around a kiddy pool with our feet in trying to find relief. Until my hubby dropped a live fish in it!

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Deborah D
11/26/2017 05:42:13 am

I have Cerebral Palsy so the water gives me a freedom I don't have on land. If I could live my life in a swimming pool I would!

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:35:08 pm

I would live in warm water too! There's something just so calming and relaxing about a long bath. I have a few compressed discs in my back so I hear you on the weightlessness. It's lovely on an already stressed body.

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Kim thorne
11/26/2017 06:20:23 am

That all sounds so wonderful since our parents and grandparents died it's just me and my sister at Christmas the rest of the relatives don't bother with us it gets kind of lonely.

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bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:37:15 pm

I'm so sorry to hear that, Kim. Why don't you ask around and find out who else in your circle spends Christmas alone or nearly alone and put on a big lunch?

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Robbie Bauldree
11/26/2017 07:21:53 am

I'm a Libra. I like to keep everything in balance.

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:37:37 pm

Balance is important!

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Robyn K
11/26/2017 10:05:20 am

I like to spend quiet time at home after a hectic work week. Thank you for this chance.

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:39:40 pm

My day job is retail so I get you! We're ramping up for a big shopping month so I'm going to need a holiday come January!

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sandy haber
11/26/2017 10:09:53 am

I'm an Aquarius. I love the beach, sitting under an umbrella with a cold drink, reading the day away, leaving periodically to dunk in the water. But it's November in New England right now, I'll just keep on dreaming!

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:40:44 pm

Yes! We're just going into Summer but I know it's going to get too hot very quickly so I might have to keep dreaming as well!

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Eliza Olsen
12/2/2017 12:38:28 am

Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday Season !

Kelly Petsche
11/26/2017 10:20:56 am

Okay - Pisces here. I like those water-themed stories, almost as much as I personally like to fish! Finish up that Stolen Christmas Tree story because it sounds interesting.

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Bronwyn link
11/26/2017 12:42:46 pm

I like fishing too! I'm not squeamish so I bait my own hooks and then we have a fresh dinner. Love it!

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Michelle Bauer
11/26/2017 10:45:09 am

TAURUS here THE BULL...stubborn & alpha heroes & heroines filled with the paranormal action & adventure...

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Shirley Wine link
11/26/2017 09:36:46 pm

Love your Christmas story

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Veronica link
11/27/2017 03:01:38 am

Great post Bronwyn. I love Christmas and it’s about the only time of year my large extended family all get together. It’s fun and it’s noisy. We quite often have relatives of in laws join in and sometimes I wonder if they know what’s hit them.

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Stephanie Lambeth
11/27/2017 04:49:37 am

I'm a Virgo. I love the beach, gardening, reading and all things nature.

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Jennifer Cowan
11/27/2017 07:13:37 am

The older I get, the peace and quiet appeals to me. I love to sit cuddled up on the couch, under my fluffy blanket with a good book. I also love the sunsets and listening to the birds outside. Very peaceful.

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kim charlton
11/27/2017 07:17:24 am

Always hosting for the holidays!! I'm the shopper, wrapper, Santa ,cook and cleaner!

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Regina Elliott
11/27/2017 09:56:24 am

I stay home for Christmas and it usually snows and sometimes way too much snow then we get snowed in but that is okay with me !!

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Sarah
11/27/2017 10:29:49 am

I need a little bit of everything! Winter at my house is usually gray and rainy - not so cold that we get much (if any snow), the foliage stays fairly green (with some brown), and the clay goes to mud. We head to my parents for Christmas each year, about 400 miles inland and 2000 feet higher in elevation. So we usually have sun and snow those days - definitely feels like mid-winter and Christmas when we are there! Getting up in the mountains (especially when it’s sunny) is a great recharge for me.

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Richard Brandt
11/27/2017 03:12:25 pm

Arguably, here in the States people have begun celebrating a lot a earlier than Christmas Eve.

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Victoria
11/27/2017 06:03:25 pm

I'm a Scorpio and I long for loyalty and stability.

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Mary Preston
11/27/2017 06:36:29 pm

I love Christmas too. I am Taurus - most definitely grounded and practical. Bull headed too.

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Renaye
11/27/2017 06:47:50 pm

Libra here. I love romantic mysteries with alpha males and strong women; no cheating ever!

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Maria Malaveci
11/28/2017 03:48:02 am

Taurus - Honest, but very stubborn!

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bn100
11/28/2017 06:04:41 pm

little bit of everything

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Lindsey
11/29/2017 06:12:46 pm

I'm actually Aquarius, which is rather suitable for my beach and water loving self! I love the post and look forward to reading more of your work.

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Star Jackson link
12/2/2017 12:13:37 am

Sounds fun having two Christmases. Not sure the seafood thing would be mine though. I love the ideas about rejuvenating the writing or thinking process. Hot bubble baths are my way of writing ideas down about stories, if I ever actually write one.

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Eliza Olsen
12/2/2017 12:35:41 am

I love the Holidays !

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Lesley Walsh
12/2/2017 01:37:48 am

I’ve never really thought about. I suppose forests are ‘my thing’ I love the majesty of the trees, their coolness in summer, protection in winter. I adore the carpet of blue when the bluebells are out in spring and the autumn leaves (both their colour and having fun kicking them up), trickling streams and sun glancing through.....

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Jessie
12/2/2017 09:00:11 am

I have heard that Coromandel beach is fabulous! Need to put that on my bucket list. My present job is situated by the beach so imagine the hours I spend staring at the sea from my office window. The changes in the colour and the waves when it rains and the awesome sunsets! Unfortunately, no time to get to the beach and walk barefooted or sink my hands in the sand.

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Mallory D
12/2/2017 05:38:10 pm

I'm on the cusp of Scorpio and Sag, but I'n not really sure if I have a "thing"...

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Brooke Bumgardner link
12/4/2017 11:47:12 am

I'm a Leo, and nothing calls to me more than the ocean. Oh, how I'd love to celebrate Christmas at the beach.

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Suzannah Clark
12/4/2017 11:52:47 am

We have had a tough year. Our daughter unexpectedly passed away in July. So we are doing something different for Christmas this year. We are visiting a small hamlet in California called Carmel by the Sea. It is a lovely magical place that looks like a little German village from years ago. Making new memories

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Joye I
12/7/2017 12:06:09 pm

I am not a water baby but a desert rat. I love the wide open spaces

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sandy haber
12/7/2017 02:33:41 pm

I'm an Aquarian -- love water, especially warm beaches!

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Nancy Burgess
12/9/2017 07:33:32 pm

I'm a Libra.I enjoy having a big Christmas dinner with all the family. We always have snow on Christmas.

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Debbie Martin
12/9/2017 10:59:34 pm

I definitely love the water- I can literally stay in the tub for hours reading!

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Margie Rico
12/10/2017 08:48:41 am

Thank you for the great giveaway!

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Deborah Sisk
12/11/2017 04:07:33 pm

Thanks for the chance. I love hearing about Christmas traditions.

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Leanne Albers
12/14/2017 08:29:14 pm

I love water - the sound of the ocean and walking along the sand. I also love creating things with my hands - so crocheting, knitting, quilting. But most of all I love doing craft stuff with my grandkids - watching them explore different craft media, seeing what their imaginations shape on paper, cardboard, material, and chatting with them while they are doing it. They are my inspiration. Oh, and animals - they crack me up every time.

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Laura Boon Russell
12/15/2017 01:04:16 am

A brisk walk is my cure-all for all ills, from foul moods to stunted creativity.

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Anne
12/15/2017 05:38:41 pm

I was born on Jan. 20, so I guess (not a follower) that some say I'm an Aquarius and some say Capricorn. I do like warm summer showers.

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Sandy Lipinski
12/16/2017 06:14:06 am

Beautiful picture. Is that where you live?

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Kara Vaughan Marks
12/18/2017 09:55:47 am

I'm a Cancer and I'd say that I fit some of the descriptions and don't fit others. Merry Christmas!

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Karen Leeman
12/19/2017 04:33:57 am

I love Christmas as well!! Nothing better than such a festive time of year!! Merry Christmas to you and your family!!

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Helen Picone
12/21/2017 05:49:17 pm

Sun and sand any day sure. But what I like can be enjoyed anywhere. I love opening a new book. Delving inside to find out where I am going that day. Maybe finding a new book love, a new favorite author, new experiences. Swim with dolphins, setting sail with a tiger(that one I read a year before the movie) walk on unknown planets

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Nancy Luebke
12/23/2017 03:11:23 pm

I had a bad water experience and it has sort of turned me off of large bodies of water. However, when I'm reading, no problem. We have a little creek that runs down the side of our property. Kind of pretty in the summer. Happy Holidays to all.

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Mitchell Lewis link
11/5/2022 01:47:34 pm

Clearly organization international fish forget too. Ground big management both.

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    I'm a published author but I'm still mostly stumbling about in the dark looking for the right paths so this blog is about that, though sometimes something will give the me the shits and I'll have a bit of a rant. I'll try not to be offensive but occasionally my mouth opens without asking my brain's permission so I'll apologise in advance.

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