Friday Fun Facts: It's February!!

In the coldest February, as in every other month in every other year, the best thing to hold on to in this world is each other. ~Linda Ellerbee

Five fun facts about February, just because:

1. February is, of course, the shortest month of the year, with 28 days until Julius Caesar gave it 29, and 30 days every four years. According to tradition, Augustus, the Roman emperor, took one day off to add one day to August, the month named after him. We now have February with 28 days, and 29 on leap years.

2. As a result of being only 28 days long (usually) it's the only month that can pass without having a single full moon.

3. The Supreme Court of the United States met for the first time on February 1, 1790.

4. The flower of this month is a violet or sometimes a primrose and the birthstone is amethyst (which represents sincerity).

5. My sister turns 37 this month!! Happy birthday sis!!

Writers' Wednesday: A Massive Storm and a Contest...Both of Which Inspire!

So tell me: how is this massive storm affecting YOU? Unbelievable, the range and volume of it. Here, we're onto our second snow day. Yesterday it snowed until early afternoon, with probably about 8" total accumulation. Then, around 9:00 at night, the lightnsleet began. Sometime overnight that must have gotten worse, because it woke me up, against the house. Today we're supposed to get ice and snow all day.

I have a friend who was supposed to fly out to Hawaii yesterday morning - she made it, barely! And now she is drinking mai tais in Maui, lucky thing.

Here's a contest for both Readers and Writers. You can submit your manuscript starting now, and each week beginning in March readers can vote on excerpts from their favorites. Sort of like an "American Idol" type advancement process, I think, through June. Winning manuscripts will receive editor critiques from Carina Press, and readers can win ebooks every week! Sounds like fun, right? Here's the link.

Now I have to go check the fire and assess the food situation in the fridge (I'm blaming outr Norwegian exchange student, by the way - she spent most of December wishing for snow :) After that, I'll hunker down and write...now I have 2 good reasons to do so!