Winter Solstice Gift
- Rosemary Gemmell
- Dec 16, 2023
- 2 min read
As we approach the Winter Solstice, the sun seems to stand still for the shortest day before changing direction, although the earth actually tilts around the sun. The days leading up to it were known as Saturnalia in Roman times, marking the moment when the sun was reborn after the shortest day and longest night. To celebrate the occasion and to welcome the coming of light, most people left aside their work to enjoy as much merriment and feasting as possible.
To mark these dark days and nights before Christmas, the e-book of my full-length novel, Midwinter Masquerade, is FREE to download from 16th to 20th December. This Regency intrigue novel is set at the Winter Solstice in Scotland of 1816, in the 'year without a summer', one of the coldest and darkest at that time.
Midwinter Masquerade
Edinburgh, December 1816: young widow Lady Lenora Fitzallan accepts an invitation to the country estate of Edward Montgomery, the man she once thought to marry seventeen years previously. Until he left without explanation.
Accompanied by her godmother, Lady Pettigrew, Lenora forms a friendship with Edward’s young niece and ward, Annabelle, who has a propensity for getting into scrapes and falling in love with the wrong man.
As the Masquerade Ball approaches at the Winter Solstice, the past unravels, the villain is unmasked and Lenora must decide with whom her future lies.
It’s not too late to sign up for Beth Kempton’s wonderful online Winter Writing Sanctuary which she’s offering free this year - scroll down on her page to find the registration.
The Writers' and Artists’ Short Story Competition 2024 is now open until 12th February. It’s free to enter and the theme is ‘risk’, for up to 2000 words.
I wish you a very Happy Christmas, or however you celebrate this winter season.
Rosemary x
Reading about the Winter Solstice Gift really reminded me of how small gestures can have a big impact, especially during the hectic academic season. As a PhD student juggling my research and a part-time job at Affordable Assignments, I often reflect on my college days when I struggled with deadlines and wished I could find someone to help me write my assignment for me experiences that made me truly conscious about my studies and the challenges others face. That’s why I have a deep interest in assisting fellow students with their academic work, because I know firsthand the kind of stress and hustles that come with balancing studies and life. Posts like these resonate with me not just for their warmth,…