A warm welcome to author Z. Allora joining us today to talk about new release “The Longest Night”.

Check out Z. ‘s guestpost incl recipe! and have a chance to participate in the giveaway!

Welcome Z. 🙂

A warm thank you for Dani and Love Bytes for always giving every author the opportunity to reach out to the readers! I want to celebrate my new holiday release The Longest Night by discussing Solstice, giving you a yummy Solstice recipe, and by ending with a giveaway.

 

What better way to say Happy Holidays than with BDSM? I’m sure there are ways but I can’t think of one… so let me tell you about Solstice.

 

This story The Longest Night is about the longest night—also known as Midwinter or Yule, and is observed by various cultures. For our sweet sub Benjamin, life has begun to feel like the longest night. True it’s the holiday he celebrates in this season, but it’s simply where Benjamin finds himself in his world. He’s had a long, difficult year and everything is at the darkest point for him.

 

Everything seems bleak. His mom died. He can’t find a Master he’s interested in, and nothing is giving him joy, not even preparing for Solstice.

 

Then Foster steps in, well, it’s all about the celebration of light, life, and love! He reminds Benjamin there is light, life… and of course, love.

 

But let’s look at where celebrating light originated. Going back to the Stone Age, light simply equated life. A person’s survival depended on it. A fire’s warmth stopped people dying from the freezing temperatures, and the flames of the light kept predators away. Light gave man the ability to accomplish things. Without sunlight nothing can grow or flourish.

 

It’s not surprising early traditions worshipped and celebrated light.

 

Winter Solstice or Yule is a pagan holiday celebrated around Dec 20^th or 21st. Yule is all about the absence of light. However, Yule marks the shortest day of the year, which means the night is the longest and every day after that (until Summer Solstice) days grows.

 

In fact, many winter holidays are based on this tradition of celebrating light. Reminding us the light will be back and life will return to the earth. Christmas involves following a star to Bethlehem. Hanukkah is the celebration of oil lasting eight nights bringing light to the darkness. Kwanzaa is a celebration of the first harvest and uses candles to burn seven vital principles brightly into minds of those who celebrate. Divali is the Hindu festival of lights. Each of these holidays revolve around light.

 

Christmas stories—and even some Hanukkah stories—have been popular in the last couple of years, but I wanted to celebrate Yule with The Longest Night. I touch on some of the rituals and ways in which Solstice can be celebrated.

 

The traditional Yule log decorated by twining evergreen, holly, and mistletoe around it. Benjamin, while preparing for the celebration, imbues the Yule log with many hopes and dreams.

 

The Yule Log is usually lit with a piece from last year’s log, but my guys decided to merge that with another tradition of starting it with bag of kindling made from ash (for health, protection & prosperity), holly (to see beyond ourselves), pine (for growth), oak (for strength, healing & wisdom), and finally with willow (to achieve your dreams).

 

One of the sweetest traditions is the Yule Wishing Cone. You write wishes on fortune cookie size paper slips, place in the cone and burn. Of course, their wishes heated my insides with love and happiness for them.

 

Of course, what holiday would be complete without food. Here’s the recipe for the Celtic Yule Cake that Benjamin makes. (He made it without the sultanas because I don’t like raisins LOL but if you do keep them in the recipe.)

 

Celtic Yule Cake Recipe:
2-3 Tablespoons Boiling Water
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2/3 Cup White Sugar
Grated Orange Zest
1 1/3 Cup Sultanas (seedless dried white grape)
1 Tablespoon Milk
1 1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Butter
2 Eggs (Beaten)

Baking instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

Beat the eggs, butter, vanilla, orange zest and sugar together.

Then add flour and baking powder.

When everything is well mixed > add the tablespoon of milk and sultanas.

Pour into a well-floured/greased cupcake tin.

Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes.

In a small bowl blend boiling water and powdered sugar to make the icing.

Lace over Celtic cakes in the form of a five-pointed star before serving.

((Recipe from the Pagan Knot. You can find it at: http://paganknot.hubgarden.com/celtic-yule-cakes))

Here’s The Longest Night Blurb:

The holiday season is lonely for construction worker Benjamin Morgan, a big muscular guy who just wants to submit, obey, and serve. But the men he’s attracted to usually don’t have a dominant bone in their bodies. He’s done seeking his BDSM dreams with someone who isn’t interested in putting him in his rightful place—on his knees at their feet.

 

When a friend sets up a meeting with Foster Ridgeway at the BDSM club, Entiwned, Benjamin has his doubts. Of course he is attracted to bookish Foster, who works for the same construction company, but how will someone so small and delicate-looking master Benjamin? But when Foster–the tiny temple of dominance wielding a crop–heads toward Benjamin, he might get what he’s always wanted, just in time for Solstice.

 

Buy Link:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

 

What’s your favorite thing to make during the holidays you celebrate. (Mine is reservations!) Let me know in the comments to enter to win an e-book one of my other Entwined BDSM stories: Lock and Key or Secured and Free. I’ll contact the winner Dec 26^th by email.

 

Many hugs, Z. Allora

Z. Allora believes in happily ever after for everyone. She met her own true love through the personals and has traveled to over thirty countries with him. She’s lived in Singapore, Israel and China. Now back home to the USA she’s an active member of PFLAG and a strong supporter of those on the rainbow in her community. She wants to promote understanding and acceptance through her actions and words. Writing rainbow romance allows her the opportunity to open hearts and change minds.

To contact Z. Allora:

E-mail: Z.AlloraHappyEndings@gmail.com

FACEBOOK:   Z Allora Allora

Website: www.zallorabooks.com

Twitter: @ZAllora

Blog: http://zallora.blogspot.com

Dreamspinner: https://bit.ly/2Jv14r1