Hello
there! It’s nice to meet you. My name is Elle Rush and I’m a romance writer
from Winterpeg, Manitoba. Yes, I know it should be Winnipeg, but since
Christmas we have had 24” (60 cm) of snow to shovel and a truly horrific cold snap, so
the nickname suits. And as bad as all that shovelling is, it does have one excellent
benefit. We will never suffer a winter zombie apocalypse; the undead will all
freeze solid well before they get here.
I realize
that I’m stretching to find a bright side to the situation, but I do love where
I live. I’m just in a period where it’s hard to remember why. I think the
weather is part of the reason where there seems to be a disproportionate number
of Canadian romance writers. We have to feel the heat on these cold January
nights! I can't think of better way than burning it up in the sheets.
I’ve been lucky
enough to go on a handful of tropical winter vacations. Not this year, mind you, but I’ve done it.
Sun, fun and rum -- all you need for a good time while your neighbour
grudgingly clears your driveway.
Canadian
winters are a rite of passage. If you can survive one, you can survive anywhere
on the planet. But after you survive one, you need a break the next year. I
have a list of places I’d like to escape to:
Hawaii, Jamaica, Bermuda, St. Thomas, Costa Rica, Fiji. I’m actually trying
to win a trip to Jamaica from a local radio station. I’m that desperate for
some beach time. Let’s be honest, the sand can get into some inconvenient
places, but it can’t give you frostbite.
I’ve found
there are three kinds of sun-destination travellers: those who sit by the pool
for a week and don’t move, those who do a different excursion every day, and
hybrids like me. I’ve discovered I’m willing to leave the resort once or twice week, but the rest of the time I’m sitting in the pool with a romance novel in one hand
and a daiquiri I.V. in the other.
It’s not
just escaping the cold that makes these vacations so wonderful. I’ve seen the
historic city of Havana, and the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum (abandoned
centuries before Canada even became a country. How cool is that?). I’ve learned how to snorkel
(while wearing a life jacket – this prairie girl isn’t used to the ocean and its
currents) and have had several salsa lessons. I’m a traveller who thinks
that if you go to a new place, you should try to make an effort to experience it.
How about
you? Have you gone south for a tropical getaway? Do you need to see and do it all? Are you a beach bunny or pool
person? Or a shade-of-a-palm-tree and 100SPF lounger because you burn even thinking about sunshine, but you want to be outside in shorts in January simply because you can?
The next time the weather gets you down, pull out your summer vacation photos, snuggle
under a blanket, and relive warmer times.
If you haven’t made a holiday to the sunny south, grab your blender and get some
margaritas flowing, crank up the heat for a couple hours, see if you can
find that old copy of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and your imagination can take
it from there.
***
To keep
myself in a Caribbean frame of mind, I’ve written a trio of short resort
romances. The third #ebook (Dominican Stars) is coming out next month, but here is the
first in the series – CUBAN MOON
Lisa
Kleyson, representing the bride, didn’t intend to hook up with anybody while on
her first Caribbean vacation, but when she lays eyes on the groom’s brother,
her best laid plans go out the window. She doesn’t consider herself to be
doctor’s wife material … but he’s not on duty.
Dr. Hank
Anderson, representing the groom, will do his duty to his brother, but he’d
much rather be spending time with the music teacher who’s caught his eye. It’s
nice to be the one doing the chasing instead of fending off women who want to
take advantage of his position.
Hank’s
pursuit is booby-trapped with a stalking maid-of-honor, a Gilligan-worthy boat
tour and bad crab cakes, but he is determined to catch Lisa and convince her to
start a romance under the Cuban moon.
***
Wishing you
a roaring fire and lots of travel points this January,
Elle
Love your post.
ReplyDeleteI'm the kind of person to do a different excursion every day!
ReplyDeleteI'm like that on other types of vacations, but if I'm on a winter getaway, I like to spend most of my time on the beach or at the pool enjoying the sun. I *hope* to get to the UK in 2018, and that will definitely be an excursion a day trip..
ReplyDelete