Happy February!

This month we have a lot of very important dates coming up!

Tomorrow, of course, is the all important Groundhog Day. Can you believe the tradition started in 1887? Wow! I had no idea until I looked it up. Apparently the many German immigrants in Pennsylvania brought the tradition with them although they switched from hedgehog to groundhog.

On the 14th is the date all lovers look forward to, Valentine’s Day. There are various versions of how Valentine’s Day started. I’ll share my favorite one: Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with his jailor’s daughter. Before he was put to death he sent the first ‘valentine’ to his love when he wrote her a letter and signed it ‘Your Valentine’. These words are still used on cards today. As a writer of Romance novels this appeals to me the most.

The third Monday of the month is President’s Day, which this year falls on February 18. This single day celebrates the birthdays of President Washington and Lincoln. Although prior to 1968 President Washington’s birthday (February 22) and President Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) were acknowledged, they were not National Holidays. Only when Congress passed a measure known as the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was the third Monday of February identified as a National Holiday. The measure required some public holidays would always fall on a Monday.

Although it isn’t a Holiday or even a date recognized by very many people I have an important event coming up this month. The Pathways to Independent Publishing and Beyond will be held February 19-21. The conference will be held at the Caravelle Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC. If you are interested in more details visit http://www.coastalauthorsnetwork.com

Come join us!