Welcome to the Love Struck Valentine’s Blog Hop
The grand prize is a Kindle Paperwhite filled with 43 electronic books! For a chance at the grand-prize, be sure to enter here Love Struck Entry.
I am also giving away a free electronic copy of Highland Solution to a randomly selected reader who leaves a comment on my blog between February 9th and midnight on February 14th. If the winner already has a copy of Highland Solution, that person will receive a copy of Highland Courage on its release day instead.
I have been featuring a “Month of Courage” on my blog in anticipation of the March 3rd release of Highland Courage, the second book in my series of medieval Highland romances. Acts of courage can be bold and heroic, like rescuing someone from a burning building. But often courage simply involves overcoming a fear. Highland Courage tells the story of Mairead Mackenzie who must learn to overcome her fears with the help of the man who loves her.
Sometimes courage simply involves taking the first step.
Don’t be fall’n in love as she’s walking away when your heart won’t tell your mind to tell your mouth what it should say.
-Zac Brown Band – As She’s Walking Away Lyrics
You are at a middle school dance…a high school dance…a honkytonk…a nightclub…the venue doesn’t matter; there are members of the opposite sex and music. You want to dance. More specifically, you want to dance with a certain someone. Perhaps he or she is an old friend or even someone you have never met. All you need to do is approach that person and ask “Do you wanna dance with me?”
That shouldn’t be so hard, but we all know it is. All of our doubts and insecurities creep in. What if she turns to her friends and laughs? What if he says no? What if I trip and fall on my face walking across the room? What if–? You fill in the blank; I’m sure it is easy to do because the “what ifs” are endless.
It takes courage to put aside all of those embarrassing things that might happen and ask anyway. The fact is, no one has ever died of embarrassment and while it can be instantly painful, embarrassment fades over time. Usually when we are worried about those painful “what ifs” we forget about the wonderful “what ifs. What if he is trying to find the courage to ask me to dance too. What if she turns out to be my soul mate. We usually only remember these possibilities after it is too late–after “she’s walking away.” We have saved ourselves from the risk of temporary embarrassment only to be left with regrets. Sadly, regrets often linger and become more bitter over the years. As the Zac Brown song goes on to say:
Don’t you let regret take place of the dreams you have to chase, ask her to dance…Go on son you might fall down on your face, roll the dice and have some faith”
So, have courage my friend! Whether you want a dance, or a date, or a partner for life, don’t let the opportunity pass. Gird your loins and summon up the courage to ask.
Don’t miss the other stops on this blog hop for the chance to win other great prizes.
Celia Breslin
Pippa Jay
Mimi Sebastian
Cecilia Dominic
Jude Johnson
Isabella Norse
Dani Harper
Rita Bay
Allison Knight
Joyce Proell
Holly Hunt
Ute Carbone
Cassiel Knight
Audra Middleton
Angela Kay Austin
Morgan Wyatt
Liz Crowe
Susan Frances
January Bain
Linda Rettstatt
Dani Collins
Kelly Martin
Pauline Creeden
Christina Cole
Graeme Brown
Ceci Giltenan, Author 
One word I always think of on Valentines day is lonely. Only one year was I with someone and they forgot. Not my favourite holiday but this kindle would cheer me up and keep me company
cjlps23 Don’t let Valentines hype get you down! It’s a greeting card day and frankly more men ignore it than do anything sweetly romantic in my opinion. Make it special for yourself. Plan a spa day and treat yourself or maybe have a little party with other single friends. Oh and if you like historical romance, you might like the other contest that I am involved in. Click on the Scottish Affair Scavenger Hunt link.
Ceci
you don’t get anywhere in life without taking chances
So true. I wouldn’t have written a novel, found a publisher and you wouldn’t be reading this right now if I hadn’t taken. But the fear of rejection or worse, ridicule can keep a lot of folks from following a dream or simply asking for a dance!
Ceci
I agree. Thanks for the chance!
You are very welcome. Good luck!
I think we all need some extra courage in those moments! Thanks for the chance to win!
Yes we do! Good luck in the drawings.
Ceci
I think all of us are afraid of being embarrassed or being rebuffed.
I agree Linda. When my kids were young and attending school dances, I always encouraged them to dance at least once with someone who summoned up enough courage to ask. I suppose in today’s world, outside the safety of a school dance, I wouldn’t want my daughter to dance with someone who instantly made her feel uncomfortable, but generally I think it is a good policy.
My brother met his wife at a college watering hole when after three weekends of seeing her, he finally asked her to dance. Of course, she kept coming back to the bar after seeing him the first weekend, hoping he would ask her to dance. The third time though, she had decided to give up–if he didn’t ask her, she wasn’t going back again. If he hadn’t finally summoned the courage that night, he might never have seen her again.
Ceci
Lovely post, Ceci. I think fear of looking like a dork holds many of us back when we really shouldn’t care.
Great post, Ceci!
To many times doors have closed. You just have to have the courage to continue opening doors until the right one is opened.
Unless we gather our courage and act, the answer will always be no.
Which is worse – embarrassment, or maybe a gentle rejection, or lonliness and regret?
Great post. Fear can keep us from experiencing a lot in life.
Life is all about having courage 🙂
Happy Valentines Day!
Nice post; good advice
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
What an inspiring post! We all need a little courage in our lives. Thanks for sharing. Happy Valentine’s Day!
One of my most favorite reads is Scottish Historical. I am currently reading Highland Solution am greatly enjoying it. I can’t wait for the next one to be released. It will be a real treat.
Thank you
Rhonda Kirby
Hi Rhonda,
I am so glad you are enjoying Highland Solution! Thanks for the kind words.
Ceci
Thanks for the giveaway.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com
What a wonderful post! Sometimes, all it takes to have courage is someone doing just what you did. 🙂
Congrats on your upcoming release! It sounds like a wonderful story. I picked up Highland Solution and can’t wait to read it!
Thank you for the hop.
trb0917 at gmail dot com
Thanks Tina. I really hope you enjoy it. Please let me know.
Ceci
What a great post. We all should take more chances.