From the desk of...Tamara McHatton
As I sit here shivering, wrapping my cold, stiff fingers around my toasty warm mug of hot chocolate (oh yeah, lots of marshmallows oozing in it), I can feel the mood of the holiday season creeping in upon me. True, I'm in the south, and I guess hitting 60 degrees doesn't mean much for you kittens in the northern climates, but the dip in temperatures around this time of year certainly makes Christmas time in Florida seem, I don't know, more Christmasy?? And I love this time of year. Eggnog laced with nutmeg, a crackling fireplace, the stiff wind whipping through my hair, snuggling closer to my sweetie as we walk hand in hand and gaze in wonder at all the lights and colors. Truly a magical time of year!
Hopefully by the time December's issue of SUITE hits cyberspace we'll have passed the 2 million hits mark! Woo-hoo, what a great feeling!! And we owe it all to our readers, our fans, and especially our fantastic bevy of writers. They are so absolutely awesome it astounds me sometimes with the talent we have on board.
We're already revving up for the 25 th anniversary of the Romantic Times Convention to be held in Daytona Beach this next May...practically in our back yard! SUITE will be sponsoring a volleyball tournament between the returning cover models and the Mr. Romance contestants! I can't wait to see all the sweaty bodies jumping and rolling around in the sand...sigh (have I mentioned that I love my job?). Go to SUITE RT convention page to find out more about what SUITE will be offering during the convention.
Okay, on to the good stuff...<rubbing hands together>...we have so much it's hard to know where to begin. I guess we should start out with JJ Massa 's Anything, featuring one of our favorite SUITE Knights, Andrei Claude, on the cover. This is the first of three books (all with Andrei looking so wickedly delicious) and trust me...it's sure to be a pleaser to all the vampire fans out there! You can find a teaser in our Book Excerpt section. We're also pleased to welcome JJ Massa to our awesome team of contributors. She'll be filling in for Sally Painter in the 13th Floor, who is so bogged down with her new radio show and a move that her eyeballs are staying permanently crossed <g>. Good luck in all your endeavors Sally! JJ will be scintillating us in different areas of SUITE as well.
Our four Main Events this month are very interesting. We have Andrew Miller continuing with his installment of women's self defense lessons by explaining how to pick our friends, and then we move on to the holiday features. Joanne Colby tells us about Yule Traditions and you'll be surprised at how much of today's festivities come from those old celebrations. New contributor, Aletha Milan goes Beyond the Green: Flashy Christmas Tree Alternatives, letting us in on a little secret of hers. Then we have the lore of all the Santas of the world in Santa Claus is Coming from writer TG Leigh.
Karen Hudgins continues to romance us with her delectable column in the Gardens with Holly & Poinsettias, just in time for the holidays. Evan tells us all about the safety issues we need to think about with Christmas lights in the DIY, and JJ Giles sets us on our toes with her version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. You'll never be able to tell your kids (or grandkids) this poem again without blushing! And topping off our illustrious holiday treats is Barb Webb 's sinfully delicious Sumptuous Sexy Recipes, a calorie saver and libido enhancer, to be sure!
An excerpt of Making Changes by Delinda Jasper is our Heat Between the Sheets for this month, and please, email me, if you don't think the heroine's hubby isn't the sweetest thing for spoiling her and getting us all hot and bothered! Pamela Johnson has come aboard also, as a SUITE contributor, to take over the Brief Interlude column, spellbinding us with More Than a Pretty Face: Marlene Dietrich. Our SUITE Knights for this month are just that...sssswwwweeeeet, and will be sure to please and tease your senses.
May your holidays…
Satisfy the Mind, Enchant the Soul, and Touch the Heart
~Tamara McHatton
CEO and Editor in Chief, SUITE Magazine
