Holiday Blog Hop #16: Keta Diablo

Today we have Keta Diablo visiting us. Hi Keta.

[Keta waves] Hello lovely RomFan fans. So glad you stopped by.

[Annette] Let's talk about the Holidays. What are your earliest memories of Christmas?

[Keta] Ah, my favorite holiday. Well, I remember waking up when I was five years old and scrambling down the stairs. I had asked Santa for a special doll that year and didn't know if he got my letter. I was thrilled when the doll was beneath the tree. My mom has a video of this moment and not too long ago we watched it. Wow! Where have all the years gone?

[Annette]  Did you have a favorite Holiday book as a child?

[Keta] Not really a favorite book, but my mom often read Nursery Rhymes to me. She recited poems too that she learned from her grandmother. Not long ago, I asked her to write them down so they aren't lost to history forever.

[Annette]: What was the best book you read this year?

[Keta] Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne. I love this series, but then I'm a huge historical freak. I like her writing and her twisted plots. You never know what will happen next.

[Annette] What was the best Holiday gift you received as a child?

[Keta] We had a very good family friend who never married. Every year, he'd come to our home for the holidays. He didn't know much about children because he never had his own, but he was such a kind person. He bought lovely Christmas gifts, but had a hard time asking the store clerk what he should purchase because he was deaf. Every year he brought me this horrible perfume called Evening In Paris. I imagine he asked the woman at the perfume counter but forget to tell her my age. I dreaded opening his gift because I knew what it would be. Mind you, I just didn't get a bottle of the perfume -- I got the whole shebang, powder, cologne, perfume, oil and whatever came in that darn gift box. Then one year he came with an envelope and $100 for me. He said I was old enough to buy what I wanted now and he wanted me to choose something I really like. If I never smell Evening In Paris again, I'll be a happy cat.   

[Annette] What are your favorite books to give as gifts?

[Keta] I buy books only for my youngest son because he's a reading fanatic. My other two children rarely open a book (unfortunately). I buy my youngest American history books, particularly anything about World War II and the Civil War. I can never go wrong if I stay in those categories. 

[Annette] What are you reading now?

[Keta] I’m revisiting an old favorite right now – Sweet, Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers. Another all-time favorite is The Windflower by Laura London. I usually have five books going at once due to my short attention span. This past year some of my favorites were: Hunger Games. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Bronze Horseman and anything by Helen Kirkman.  Sadly, I can’t get to all the books I have – some from LAST Christmas yet that I haven’t started. Such is the life of a writer.

[Annette] What would you like to get from Santa this year?

[Keta] A Kindle Fire, of course!

[Annette] Ah, come on, Keta, leave us with some wise words or something we pass on.

[Keta] Be happy to. I spend too much time surfing the Internet for sayings from all walks of life. I’ll leave you with some of my favorites today (below) about the Holiday Season. Whether you observe Christmas, Hanukah or another holiday celebration, may yours be filled with wonder, and most of all love.

Namaste, Keta Diablo  

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Time was with most of us, when Christmas Day, encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to miss or seek; bound together all our home enjoyments, affections, and hopes; grouped everything and everyone round the Christmas fire, and make the little picture shining in our bright young eyes, complete.  ~ Charles Dickens ~

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What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace. ~ Agnes M. Pharo ~

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It comes every year and will go on forever. And along with Christmas belong the keepsakes and the customs. Those humble, everyday things a mother clings to, and ponders, like Mary in the secret spaces of her heart. ~ Marjorie Holmes ~

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Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. All else is outward display--so much tinsel and decorations. For it isn't the holly, it isn't the snow. It isn't the tree not the firelight's glow. It's the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again. ~ Unknown ~

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You can find Keta here on the Internet:

Keta’s Haunt: http://www.ketadiablo.com

Keta’s Keep: http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com

Gay Fiction Blog: http://thestuffofmythandmen.blogspot.com

Keta on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ketadiablo

Join Keta on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/KetaDiablo.Author

Thank you so much RomFan Reviews for hosting the First Annual Christmas Blog Hop.