by Stefanie Sloane
I know, I know, Mother’s Day has come and gone, but in my family, I try to encourage everyone to celebrate the holiday all month long. Why? Well, first off, I have an amazing mom. She’s bestselling author Lois Faye Dyer. She’s my mentor, my critique partner, my friend, and my rock. Honestly, I don’t know how my husband and I would have ever figured out the fine art that is parenting without my mom.
Secondly, I’m a mom. And it’s amazing, don’t get me wrong. But it’s also the hardest, most challenging undertaking in the world. And many of my friends are moms—and they are fabulous, strong, intelligent women who deserve to be pampered to their hearts’ content. So a whole month makes sense, don’t you think?
And let’s not forget the wonderful women in our lives who, though not our moms in the strictest sense, make our world a better place through their love and support, their wisdom and their kindness. For Lady Lucinda Grey, the heroine in my debut historical, THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE, the three most important women in her life are her aunts. Known as the Furies about town, these three are a force to be reckoned with, as all who cross their path discover—including our hero, Lord William Randall, the Duke of Clairemont. Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Victoria are strong, courageous, and completely devoted to Lucinda, giving of their time and love without a second thought for themselves. Sounds like a mom, right? See, we women perform heroic feats every single day with or without titles. Mom, sister, daughter, friend—it doesn’t matter. A woman in your life who honors who you are is a reason to celebrate.
And what’s a celebration without a gift? Here are a few ideas from the Furies to make the month delicious, delightful, and dreamy.
From Lady Elizabeth Bradshaw, the Marchioness of Mowbrey (Christened “The Brazen One” by the Duke of Clairemont): Sweets. And lots of them. From handmade chocolates to delicate tea cakes and scrumptious macaroons, you can never go wrong with a woman if you come bearing sweets.
From Lady Charlotte Grey (Whom the duke honored with the moniker, “The Reasonable One.”): A restorative day would be most welcome. Perhaps the spa? Or the salon? Actually, both, if you want to be smart about the whole thing.
From Lady Victoria St. Ainsbury, the Duchess of Highbury (Named “The Dower One” by the duke, though he’d never dare utter such words in the woman’s presence): Liquor, and a substantial supply. At the end of the day, after a woman has managed to run the world, a restorative is greatly appreciated.
Do you agree that we women deserve a month-long celebration? Tell me about it for a chance to win a signed copy of my debut book, THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE.
A native Northwesterner, Stefanie credits her parents’ eclectic reading habits—not to mention their decision to live in the middle of nowhere—for her love of books. A childhood spent lost in the pages of countless novels led Stefanie to college where she majored in English. No one was more surprised than Stefanie when she actually put her degree to use and landed a job in Amazon.com’s Books editorial department. She spent over five years reading for a living before retiring to concentrate on her own stories. Stefanie currently resides with her family in Seattle. You can visit Stefanie at: www.StefanieSloane.com
Hi Stefanie!
Can’t wait to get my hands on your debut book. Love that trailer! Love those tags the Duke gave the aunts. So funny!
And I totally agree with you..Mother’s Day should actually be Mother’s Month! It is the hardest job in the world but the most rewarding too. My mom passed away in 1993 and I still miss her…especially in May since her birthday is May 5th.
Absolutely! Motherhood is 24/7/365 so I agree we should have more than just one day of celebration!
Thanks for the chance to win your book! No, I don’t think Mother’s Day should be a month-long celebration.
The fact that her birthday often falls on Mother’s Day makes that day extra special for my mom. I say don’t stop celebrating at just a day or even a month. I try to cherish her in little ways all year round because I want to acknowledge that she’s important to me all the time and not just on the date designated.
I wholeheartedly agree Stefanie! There is a national holiday, March 8 which is Women’s day, the only problem is that Communists made it their own holiday and now because of that negative connotation people prefer not to celebrate it, though women definitely deserve celebration and recognition!!
Thank you for the generous giveaway, I’ve had your novel on my wishlist since its release, and what a breathtakingly beautiful cover! Congratulations! 😀
stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com
Hi Stefanie!
I might not give my mom presents year round, but I do treasure her all year long.
My mom is 80 years old and I have seen the change in her as time has gone by.
She’s still a trooper though! Do not mess with her, LOL, she still has a very sharp tongue and she’ll let you have. She doesn’t care if we’re not 10 years old anymore, we’re still her babies.
Awesome covers on the books! The nicknames the Duke gave the aunts are great!
Can’t wait to win my book!! 😉
Best of luck and thank you for the giveaway!
Of course there should be a Mother’s Month. Maybe families will get into the habit of being thankful for what mom’s do everyday.
Congrats on the new release!
I’m behind the idea of Mother’s month! We also celebrate Women’s Day (March 8th) in my house. My husband is from the former USSR where it’s like their version of Valentine’s Day, only you honor all women, not just your wife or sweetheart.
Your book sounds really good and I have added it to my TBR list.
Motherhood is very rewarding and it is a JOB! It is a life-long job. It really irks me when someone says you don’t have a REAL job if you are a stay-at-home mother. What? Makes me womder what their mothers went through to raise them.
I think we should have a month of celebration for mothers with discounts at stores, free diners at selected restaurants, and free admission to games and concerts. And the house cleaned by someone else!
Motherhood is a 24/7/365/life-time job! I am still amazed (shocked, though at times envious) at how some parents are able to let go the second someone turns 18 or graduates college. I guess I come from a totally different generation where parents never are done parenting and children are always children. So in my opinion, Mother’s Day is a celebration that once a year all those ‘other’ mothers actually get to pretend they are like the rest of us.
Stefanie – I loved the book! Anxiously awaiting the second in the series! Love the aunts!
In my opinion Mother’s day should be every day. Without my mom I would not be who I am today. She raised me alone and did everything she could. The same morals I pass down to my children.
I feel like women do deserve it because women doesn’t get much credit as men does for doing the samething as them!
Congratulations on the new release. I think making a mother feel loved and appreciated should happen year-round.
I have to agree whole heartedly. I am lucky to still have my mother who is 88 1/2 years old and still going strong. I can’t imagine life without her and she holds our whole family together. I am a mother of two girls and I only hope to do the same for them. Your book sounds wonderful and what a beautiful cover! It would make a nice gift for a mom 🙂
I definitely agree. Moms live day-in and day-out for their kids and take pride in them. They are the chauffeurs and the support systems. They take the temper outbursts from their children while taking care of the home and holding down full time jobs. In short, they take on all the roles at any given moment and they never seem to run out of energy. My mom deserves a lot of credit for dealing with us – all 6 girls. Lord, I can’t imagine what they must have been like 😛
And this book looks delicious. I can’t wait to read about the Furies. A woman on a mission is a woman you need to watch out for!
Congratulations on your debut release! Isn’t it amazing that you can depend on your mother in so many ways? We should be celebrating them year-round, ’cause they’re there year-round.
Hi all! Sorry for the delay–dropped the kids at school, then went to the animal shelter for my Thursday shift.
I’m so glad to see that I’m not the only one who thinks moms need to be celebrated even more! Hannah, I love that Women’s Day honors all women in the USSR! I’d no idea.
Joye, I’m with you–those who think that mothering isn’t a full-time job are just delusional. Try telling them that you’re a domestic engineer!
BeyondJenna, my hat is off to all of the single moms out there. I don’t know how they do it.
And Julie, I completely agree about being able to depend on our moms year-round. I rely on my mom for so much–honestly, I don’t know what I would do without her!
I have been seeing your book around, love the cover and it sounds really good. Motherhood will be with you the rest of your life.
Stefanie, congrats on your debut novel, A Devil in Disguise. I would love to win it.
I think that mothers should have more than a month dedicated to them. They deserve to be recognized and spoiled all year long.
Congrats on your debut release, Stefanie. It would be nice if women were celebrate more often. I can imagine all the rest and fun we would have.
Oh, yes. Definitely 🙂
Let’s hear it for Mother’s everywhere. My Mom is wonderful; she definitely deserves a month-long celebration.
Thanks for visiting. I look forward to reading your book.
Love the tags the Duke gave the aunts. Am looking forward to reading The Devil In disguise.
All Mom’s deserve a month long celebration!
Oh yes, I agree we deserve a whole month of celebration. I was a single mom and raised my son alone from the time he was 5 years old. My mother gave me a lot of help, support, and companionship during that time and she certainly deserved more than just one day of celebrating. Believe me, I tried to make it special for her whenever I could, not just in May.
The Devil in Disguise sounds like a wonderful book and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Great post about Mother’s Day Stephanie! Your new book looks so good! Gorgeous cover!
Thanks for the chance to win your book. Mothers should be celebrated every day. Mothers never have a day off and are always ready to love and should be honored everyday. A simple kiss, a sticky hug and just a thank you are perfect for every day.
I actually got The Devil in Disquise as an advance read and I loved the book. Now I am waiting for the others to come out. I loved how I was lauging 14 pages into the book. I was reading it at work in our break room and started laughing out loud. I got some strange looks. But it was worth it.
Being a mom is a 24/7/365 day job. We never really get a break. So yeah I think we should have a longer celebration.
Ladies, my mom officially loves you! I told her about your response to the idea of celebrating moms more than just one day a year and she literally cheered! Me too!:)
And thanks for the congrats. It is so wonderful to be able to finally share the book with you.
I think we should celebrate those we love every day. A small gift or card just because means more than something once a year.
Yes, a whole month for Moms! Actually, I think a whole year would not be amiss. Sometimes, it takes having one’s own child to truly appreciate one’s mother (and father).
Since it’s such a big “job” 1 day shouldn’t be enough to express gratitude and love.
Let’s make it a month, why not 🙂
A month would not be long enough to celebrate all of the things my Mom has done for me. I am an Air Force brat and we were constantly moving. My dad was not an officer, so we didn’t have a lot of money either. My Mom made all of it an adventure. We never knew we were poor because she always made sure we had what we needed. She taught us each to read by the time we were four and that opened the entire world and beyond to each of us. She taught us nothing was impossible so long as we stuck with it.
Even today she encourages and believes in each of us, listens to us and councils us. And she is working her magic on the next generation as well. My niece and two nephews are the only teenagers (one just turned 20) I know who would rather hang out at Nana’s, or go to the movies with her, or go to the mall with her than with anyone else.
The best thing she has done is she has kept my father’s memory alive these past 12 years, something very important to us and especially to his grandchildren who were so young when he passed.
Yep, my Mom definitely deserves a month and then some! Motherhood is the toughest gig there is and she does it with STYLE!
Being a mom is the hardest thing I’ve ever done and a month long celebration sounds like a great idea.
First, thanks so much to The Season for having me here. I had a wonderful time chatting with you all and hearing about the very special women in your life. Thank you so much for sharing!
I love my mother a lot – even though she doesn’t agree with everything I say or do (ahem, reading romance novels…) she’s still really supportive. She doesn’t criticize and she encourages me to be my own person, make my own way, and be strong and fierce. I would love a month long celebration for my mother. And when I’m a mother, I’m sure I’ll be doubly glad. 😉