#TulipTime #Authors4ALSA

It's a beautiful Monday morning here in West Michigan. The sun is shining, the temp is in the high 60s, low humidity. And it's Tulip Time. West Michigan was settled by the Dutch in the 1800s. The settlers brought bits of home as a reminder of their origins, including tulips. 

After the winter that was, I didn't think the tulips would be blooming in time for the annual festival. (One year, the tulips bloomed too soon, so they called it Stem Fest.)

Holland, Michigan (on the east coast of Lake Michigan) goes all out for Tulip Time. Parades, Kloppen dancing in the streets, crafts, music, food. OMG, FOOD! Maybe I should've waited until after the festival before joining Weight Watchers. Lots of Dutch specialties--like pigs-in-a-blanket, giant (the size of a baseball) meatballs & mashed potatoes with kale covered with gravy, oliebollen (delicious doughnut-like pastry with about a thousand calories).

At the marktplaats, you can buy Dutch treats, memorabilia, wooden shoes, and many more items that you don't need but are so cute, lovely, unusual you can't resist.

They also have the usual carnival rides and "fair food" like elephant ears, popcorn, etc.

If you want to know more, click here.

www.leakirk.com/supporting-als.html

During the month of May, twelve science fiction and paranormal romance writers are donating 25% of their royalties for their special Blue Cover books to the ALS Association, an organization dedicated to providing ALS patients and their families with a multitude of different types of assistance, and continuing research to find a cure for this deadly disease..

I'm donating 25% of my royalties from my sci-fi romance, The Chameleon (An Outer Rim Novel) to ALSA in memory of Stephen Hawking. Despite the debility of ALS, he accomplished so much in the field of physics and cosmology.

Legally Blond meets Mata Hari

Socialite Jileena Winslott has perfected the image of the spoiled, rich, bubble-headed daughter of an industrial magnate. In reality, she’s a smart, savvy aide to her father in social situations where she is his eyes and ears. She yearns to be her true self and run the family business. When her father sends her on a covert mission to the Outer Rim, she has the chance to prove herself. Big problem. He insists she take along a fake fiancé—the man she’s secretly loved for years.

Security Officer Laning Servary has better things to do than babysit a spoiled rich girl on a tour of the Frontier. If he refuses, he can kiss his career good-by. Then Jileena’s father sweetens the pot. If Laning keeps her safe, his family will receive the land they share-crop. He can’t refuse.

In the close quarters of her ship, Laning and Jileena discover they aren’t who they seem. Pirates, weather, and her recklessness threaten to derail the mission. As Laning and Jileena revise their impressions of each other, they’ll have to make hard choices about their goals. Can their budding love survive?

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Have a great week!

Immigrants

Ever since the Puritans sailed to the New World, people have been settling in America. Some came because of bad economic conditions in their home world. Others did it for religious freedom. Whatever their reasons, they wanted a better life for themselves and for their children than the one they had.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for them to leave their families, their homes for a new life. My Dutch ancestors started coming shortly after those on the Mayflower. That’s right, in the1600s. My German and Polish ancestors left their homes in the latter half of the 1800s. My British ancestors settled in Canada first then came to the U.S.

Celebrating my mixed heritage gives me a sense of what America is all about. When I grew up, they called it a Melting Pot. Too many immigrants wanted to blend in so much they put aside their own heritage. While I understand that, I wish they’d retained some of their cultural heritage. One of the things I regret is that my mother didn’t learn how to make German foods from her mother. In fact, my mother didn’t learn how to cook period until after she was married and my English grandmother (and Betty Crocker) taught her.

With Dutch on both sides of my family, I wish I’d learned more about the Netherlands. Since I moved to West Michigan, I’m getting a crash course. My grandchildren have their Dutch costumes to wear during the Tulip Time Festival, either walking in the Kinderparade or riding on the preschool’s float.

If you’ve been a reader of my blog or Facebook page, you know I don’t mention politics. There’s been a lot on the news about illegal immigrants. That isn’t what this post is about. It’s about being proud of where you’ve come from. Television programs like “Who Do You Think You Are?” and computer programs like Ancesty.com make finding out about our ancestors so much easier—especially when our parents either didn’t know or didn’t want to talk about it.

In my science fiction romance Outer Rim series, characters have made new lives on planets far removed from the more civilized Central Planets. Will the inhabitants of Earth leave here for life on another planet? Not in my lifetime, but perhaps in my grandchildren’s or their grandchildren’s. In many ways, it will be like our ancestors leaving their homes with little or no hope of ever returning. What courage. I just hope when they do, they figure out how to maintain a balance between embracing their new home and retaining their heritage.

In The Case of the Bygone Brother, I give a nod to the culture of West Michigan by using many Dutch surnames. Some actually came from my own ancestors and others from common names in the area. But this area isn’t only populated by the Dutch. In many ways, it’s a microcosm of much of America with many nationalities. That’s why my heroine is Irish and her love interest is Italian. While I may have a little bit of Irish in me, I’m pretty sure none of my ancestors came from Italy. So why is my favorite food Italian?

Blurb:

After taking over O’Hara & Palzetti, Confidential Investigations from her dad and his partner, Alex O’Hara’s bottom line has taken a plunge. So when a femme fatale offers her the case of a lifetime along with a huge advance, Alex sees her finances on a definite upswing. But someone doesn’t want her to find the long-lost brother. Complicating matters is the return of Alex’s old heartthrob, Nick Palzetti. Is he really there just to see her or does he have an ulterior motive? The Lake Michigan resort town of Fair Haven is abuzz with the news that O’Hara & Palzetti are together again.

Available at:

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00P1GPR0Q

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/489085

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/case-bygone-brother-alex-ohara/id935501248?mt=11

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-case-of-the-bygone-brother-diane-burton/1120684098?ean=2940150470200

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-case-of-the-bygone-brother-an-alex-o-hara-novel