IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY FOR KISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE
It's never too early to get into the spirit of kissing under the mistletoe!
Author Linda Banche joins us today to chat about her new historical romantic comedy Mistletoe Everywhere and to tell us all about that little sprig of romance. ;)
Welcome Linda!
Thanks Joanna!
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without mistletoe.
In the dark, cold days of a northern winter, the evergreen mistletoe, with its glossy green leaves and white berries, promises spring will return.
But mistletoe has other faces. In ancient Britain, the Druids considered mistletoe a sexual symbol. The white berries' juice resembles semen and the Druids deemed the plant itself an aphrodisiac. By extension, mistletoe became associated with love and marriage.
The tradition of kissing may come from the Nordic legend of the death of the sun god, Balder. Loki, the god of mischief, killed Balder with a sprig of mistletoe. The tears of Balder's mother, Frigga, returned Balder to life. In gratitude, Frigga kissed everyone under the mistletoe, transforming the plant's reputation from death to life. Or new life, as in fertility.
A lesser known aspect of mistletoe labels it the plant of peace. Enemies meeting under the mistletoe laid down their arms and declared a day of truce. This time provided them an opportunity to talk out their differences instead of resorting to violence. In MISTLETOE EVERYWHERE, my Regency Christmas comedy, I use mistletoe's role as the plant of peace to bring my two estranged lovers back together.
Promise of spring, fertility symbol and plant of peace--truly a plant for all seasons. Which face of mistletoe do you prefer?
Thank you all,
Linda
Cheers, and don't forget to steal your kiss this holiday season under the mistletoe!
Linda Banche
Welcome to My World of Historical Hilarity!
AND
Stop by LOVE ROMANCE NOVELS on facebook and tell us what you think makes for a great romantic comedy! Author LINDA BANCHE is the queek of the wall this week so she'll be there as well to chat and answer any questions. Cheers!
Author Linda Banche joins us today to chat about her new historical romantic comedy Mistletoe Everywhere and to tell us all about that little sprig of romance. ;)
Welcome Linda!
Thanks Joanna!
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without mistletoe.
In the dark, cold days of a northern winter, the evergreen mistletoe, with its glossy green leaves and white berries, promises spring will return.
But mistletoe has other faces. In ancient Britain, the Druids considered mistletoe a sexual symbol. The white berries' juice resembles semen and the Druids deemed the plant itself an aphrodisiac. By extension, mistletoe became associated with love and marriage.
The tradition of kissing may come from the Nordic legend of the death of the sun god, Balder. Loki, the god of mischief, killed Balder with a sprig of mistletoe. The tears of Balder's mother, Frigga, returned Balder to life. In gratitude, Frigga kissed everyone under the mistletoe, transforming the plant's reputation from death to life. Or new life, as in fertility.
A lesser known aspect of mistletoe labels it the plant of peace. Enemies meeting under the mistletoe laid down their arms and declared a day of truce. This time provided them an opportunity to talk out their differences instead of resorting to violence. In MISTLETOE EVERYWHERE, my Regency Christmas comedy, I use mistletoe's role as the plant of peace to bring my two estranged lovers back together.
Promise of spring, fertility symbol and plant of peace--truly a plant for all seasons. Which face of mistletoe do you prefer?
Thank you all,
Linda
Cheers, and don't forget to steal your kiss this holiday season under the mistletoe!
Linda Banche
Welcome to My World of Historical Hilarity!
AND
Stop by LOVE ROMANCE NOVELS on facebook and tell us what you think makes for a great romantic comedy! Author LINDA BANCHE is the queek of the wall this week so she'll be there as well to chat and answer any questions. Cheers!
Fun post Linda! And welcome to the Divas!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute premise for a romantic comedy - the hero starts seeing mistletoe hanging over the heroine's head! love that. ;)
Do you come up with the idea first or did it sort of happen organically while you were researching?
cheers!
jojo
Hi Joanna! Hi Linda! This story is wonderful...whimsical and romantic. I totally recommend it!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna, Hi Linda!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Penelope - this is a lovely romantic story of lovers re-uniting.
I'm for mistletoe as a plant of peace and life.
Love the cover! I'm so into retro these days - maybe as a response to online/social networking overload - lol!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanna. The idea came up as I was researching Christmas legends.I never knew mistletoe was the plant of peace. But that aspect works well in a story of estranged lovers. If we're going to have an HEA, something has to bring them together.
ReplyDeleteAh, Penelope and and Lindsay, I love you both. I'm glad you liked the story.
Lindsay, mistletoe as the plant of peace is very appropriate for the Christmas season.
Kathy, I'm with you. Too much online can leave you punch-drunk. Need a break!
Hi, Linda,
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I didn't know the various histories of mistletoe. I like the Nordic one. I love the cover of your book. I also love Regencies. I'll have to buy your book and read it over Christmas to get into the spirit.
Carolyn/Cara Marsi
Thanks, Carolyn. I didn't know mistletoe had such a varied history, either. Amazing what you can find when you look. I hope you enjoy MISTLETOE EVERYWHERE.
ReplyDeleteThanks for an idea, you sparked at thought from a angle I hadn’t given thoguht to yet. Now lets see if I can do something with it.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, I never knew mistletoe was so potent. I say grow more of it, and to get a real clue about the love power of mistletoe, we should read your book.
ReplyDeleteTerrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!
ReplyDeleteKeep posting stuff like this i really like it
ReplyDeleteNice site, nice and easy on the eyes and great content too.
ReplyDelete