Happy November and National Author's Day! by Catherine Lanigan & Rula Sinara

Rula and Catherine at Harlequin's Author Autographing RWA 2016
Happy National Author's Day and first of November! We hope you all had a Happy Halloween yesterday and a fun time trick-or-treating or enjoying the parade of costumes. Halloween always seems to mark the beginning of sugar season...first candy then Thanksgiving pumpkin pies and on to holiday baking and candy canes. Heaven knows the last thing any author needs is an endless pile of candy on their desk but resistance can be futile when it comes to sweets!

Hmmm...ever wonder what would happen if we handed out books instead of candy on Halloween? Hey, they could be printed in 'fun size' minis lol...with a magnifying glass attached ;). But seriously. Books are the best treat ever! Aren't they? Calorie free, too! And we have authors to thank for getting us high on romance, suspense and cliffhangers...instead of sugar.

(Don't you love that oh-so-smooth segue onto National Author's Day?)

In celebration of authors, we thought we'd share some of our favorite quotes (either by or perfect for authors) and we'd love it if you share yours too. We both agree that we have so many we love, it's impossible to list them all. Narrowing our lists down to five each was almost as hard as squeezing an entire book into a two page synopsis! Well, okay, not quite as bad since recalling favorite quotes, books and authors is actually fun :).

Here are some of Catherine's faves:

William Goldman
“The easiest thing to do on earth is not write.”
William Goldman, Master Screenwriter. Author of “The Princess Bride” 

Maya Angelou
“If you don’t like something change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude about it.”
- Maya Angelou

Emily Dickinson
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

- Emily Dickinson

Ralph Waldo Emerson
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, from his essay 'Success'

and...
Calvin Coolidge
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb; Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
- Calvin Coolidge

Here are some of Rula's faves:

JRR Tolkien
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
- JRR Tolkien

“A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it.”
- JRR Tolkien


"I looked again at the honey jars, at the amber lights swimming inside them, and made myself breathe slowly. I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don't even know it."
- Sue Monk Kidd, 'The Secret Life of Bees'

Maya Angelou...again...because her quotes are so incredible
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."
- Maya Angelou

"I've learned that people will forget what you've said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
- Maya Angelou

We love the way books and the incredible worlds, journeys and emotions between their pages make us feel. Thank you to all the authors out there who have blessed us with their stories...because we're all about giving thanks.

(Yes, another not-so-subtle segue...)

In honor of 13 more authors...we're also celebrating release day for A HEARTWARMING THANKSGIVING. Yep, it's out today! Check your e-readers if you pre-ordered, but if you were waiting for the big day, you can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Harlequin and wherever ebooks are sold. You might even find a few favorite quotes inside! You'll definitely find heartwarming stories and...delicious recipes. See! More sugar lol! What can we say? It's sweet romance!


A Heartwarming Thanksgiving anthology: Count down to Thanksgiving with 13 poignant Harlequin Heartwarming short stories. This is a time to get together with family and friends, and reconnect over pumpkin pie and hot apple cider…or read stories where heroes and heroines struggle to get their dream holiday!

Snow Day Baby by Amy Vastine
Wedding at Turkey Run by Liz Flaherty
Her Thanksgiving Soldier by Leigh Riker
Mr. Right All Along by Jennifer Snow
Falling for the Cowboy by Sophia Sasson
The Marriage Gift by Tara Taylor Quinn
Heart of a Hero by Pamela Tracy
Thankful for You by Karen Rock
Autumn at Jasper Lake by Carol Ross
The Firefighter’s Promise by Kate James
Wedding of His Dreams by Cari Lynn Webb
The Sweetheart Tree by Rula Sinara
Married by Thanksgiving by Melinda Curtis

And don't forget to stop by our Facebook party this week: Nov 3rd, 1:30-4:00 pm EST. There'll be giveaways! Check it out HERE. Also huge congrats to all the winners of our sweepstakes! If you missed the announcement, check it out HERE!

Last but not least, congrats to the Harlequin Heartwarming November release authors!


Need ideas on how to celebrate National Author's Day? Read or re-read a book, buy a book, give a book, leave a review on Amazon/BN/Goodreads or go write!

So what are some of your favorite authors, quotes, books or screenplays (feel free to include quotes from your favorite movies too, as they were written down first!)?

Happy November!

Rula and Catherine

Comments

  1. That was very clever, how you tied everything together with those segues! Of all the quotes you shared, I favor those by Maya Angelou.

    A quote we have referred to in our home is "The pain now is part of the happiness then." It came up when we were struggling with the loss of our last three dogs, and wondering if we could go through the heartbreak of losing dogs again. Thankfully, the quote resonated with us, otherwise we wouldn't be blessed with the unconditional love of Harley and Logan.

    For those who might not recognize it, the quote is from Shadowlands. The full quote is: "Why love, if losing hurts so much? I have no answers anymore: only the life I have lived. Twice in that life I've been given the choice: as a boy and as a man. The boy chose safety, the man chooses suffering. The pain now is part of the happiness then. That's the deal."

    Happy release day to those authors with books out today!

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    1. Oh, wow, Kate. That quote is so profound. I love it and I bet Harley and Logan love that it impacted you ;). It really makes me think of how transformation is such an integral part of life...whether caterpillar to butterfly, night to day, or pain to love and happiness.

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    2. Kate, that is incredibly deep and one I'll never forget. I've never heard it before. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Being the quote junkie that I am, I LOVED this post! One of my favorite quotes is by Cesare Pavese, "We do not remember days, we remember moments."
    Happy Release Day!

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    1. Jill, wow...now we know the secret behind your writing. A quote junkie. I love that.
      Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I love quotes! My all time favorite quote is by George RR Martin. “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”

    I'm going to have to copy some of these down for my wall. :)

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    1. Le Anne, I love this and I believe it. I can't imagine life without my books.

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    2. That is so on point and beautiful. I'm sharing it with my boys (luckily they love to read!).

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  4. Wonderful author quotes. I particularly liked the one by Calvin Coolidge. Happy Authors' Day!

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  5. My father used to quote that all the time. This is my life... Persistence.

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  6. Love the quotes. Happy National Author's Day to you and everyone who's books have brought so many happy hours.

    Years ago, a trick-or-treater looked down the stairs of my house at the messy bookcase and asked if I was rich. I laughed and asked why he thought so and he said "All those books." I wish I'd thought to give him one, because when it comes to books, I am rich.

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    1. That's a great story, Beth! Books bring us all together. With all the knowledge and experiences between pages, maybe if everyone on earth read them all, we'd have world peace.

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  7. Fabulous blog. I love so many of the quotes. You ladies rock.
    Not sure I can make your FB party as my daughter arrives tomorrow for a visit, but maybe I can pop in just to support your wonderful work.

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    1. Aw, you rock too, Roz! Totally understand about family visits. Enjoy your daughter's!

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    2. Hi, Roz! I was in Chicago all day with my niece and four grandnieces who gave me a special All Saint's Day Mass for my husband Jed who died last October 21. So spend that time with family. You can't get those days back.

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  8. Wonderful quotes to get the day started!

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    1. Thanks, Mel! Wisdom helps me get through many a day.

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    2. I'm loving the additions in the comments!

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  9. I loved these quotes, especially the Emily Dickinson one I hadn't thought of in ages, and I loved how the Thanksgiving "medley" just fit right into them! As Roz says, you both rock!

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    1. Hi, Liz,

      I used to have all kinds of Emily say so's hung around the house. At one time in the 90's I had sheets with Emily quotes on them. I know...I'm a head case.

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    2. I love Emily Dickinson, Liz!

      Chuckling at Catherine's expression 'head case' lol.

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  10. What a wonderful post. I love quotes, too. Am printing this out so I can them them everywhere. Mark Twain said: "Loyalty to petrified opinion never broke a chain or freed a human soul," and I once bought a poster for my son's wall. It was a picture of a giant ocean and very small on the horizon was a small boat. The caption was, "A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships were built for." Thank God the world is filled with such smart, clear thinkers who sustain and encourage us every day. Thanks for this, Catherine and Rula.

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    1. Oh, Muriel,

      I LOVE those quotes. I agree...sail your ship, far and often."

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    2. Oh, Muriel! I love that quote and that you used quotes to inspire/teach your kids. Lot's of wisdom!

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  11. Ladies, you outdid yourselves today. I always adore your posts, but this might be my favorite ever. I love quotes, too. Like you guys, I have so many favorites. I came across this quote the other day by contemporary suspense author James Patterson, “There's no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books.”

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    1. Yep, leave it to James to come up with that...I wholeheartedly agree!

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    2. That's so, so true about kids! If you figure out what they're into at a young age, they'll devour books on that subject/genre and get hooked on reading.

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  12. Happy Author Day to two of my favorite authors!!

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