cockle 1 |ˈkäkəl|
noun
1 an edible, burrowing bivalve mollusk with a strong ribbed
shell. • Genus Cardium, family Cardiidae.
2 (also cockleshell) poetic/literary a small shallow boat.
PHRASES
warm the cockles of one's heart give one a
comforting feeling of pleasure or contentment.
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French coquille ‘shell,’
based on Greek konkhulion, from konkhē ‘conch.’
How did this saying come about? What do mollusks have to do
with holiday cheer? I'm guessing, cockles need a lot of warming, living in the
cold ocean.
It's almost Christmas again, and you start to wonder where
the year went. Well there's no use to ponder; it's good and gone. Time is
better spent curling up on the sofa with mug of mulled wine or hot cider and a
good book.
Come and join the authors of Winter Warmers this week on our
Toe-Tingling, Finger-unFrosting, Neck-Nuzzling, Sofa-Snuggling Blog Tour - all
for the purpose of keeping you warm, you understand!
Each day, one of us will chat about the why and how of our
warming, heartfelt, romantic and amusing stories. Feel free to chat with any of
us about your thoughts for the season - especially if you have equally good
ideas to keep warm :) And your comment
will also enter you into a draw on Monday Dec 17 to win a FREE COPY.
My story in the collection, Wintertide, is set in Los
Angeles, where I live. Here in Southern California we don't have picture card
winters, there's no snow, but they days are shorter and cooler, and might even
rain. It's easier to get melancholy. So it's now wonder that my story is about
a couple of guys suffering from seasonal sorrows.
WINTER WARMERS - a seasonal
anthology
Mulled wine. Butterscotch kisses. Hideous sweaters. Candy at the
beach, or a trip to a sex shop in Amsterdam. And the man of your dreams,
wrapped around you...
Winter warmers come in many shapes and sizes, from the tongue-in-cheek
to the hot-as-hell. Enjoy a quintet of heart-warming tales of men loving men
from Clare London, Chrissy Munder, JL Merrow, Josephine Myles, and Lou Harper
that are guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.
One thing's for sure—it's going to be a red-hot Christmas!
*****
Lucky Dip by Clare London
Andy Jackson always knew that class 2C’s help in preparing for the
annual Christmas Fair would be a mixed blessing. Then he’s paired up on the
Lucky Dip with Greg, the man who dumped him but now can’t keep away, the pupils
are either lecturing him on his lovelife or losing bladder control, and no
one’s fixed the broken handle on the storage room. It may all be one whoopee
cushion too far for him.
Butterscotch Kisses by Chrissy Munder
Matthew Morrison is determined to conquer his fear of heights and
achieve a winning outcome. At least, that's what the best-selling, self-help
book he's listening to promises. Being stuck on a three-story tower in the
middle of a snowstorm wasn't part of the plan. With no St. Bernard in sight,
it's Cute Ticket Guy Adam to the rescue, and an outcome Matthew never
anticipated.
Wintertide by Lou Harper
May meets December when Jem and Oscar chance on each other at the
Santa Monica Pier, only weeks before Christmas. The two men are separated by
age, social status, and their taste in candy, yet if they are both naughty and
nice, they might just find holiday cheer together.
When in Amsterdam... by Josephine Myles
Brandon is on his first visit to new boyfriend Jos's home country,
just in time for their Sinterklaas celebrations. But an unexpected detour into
a sex shop leads Brandon to new discoveries about himself, and a whole new
dynamic to their relationship. The weather may be cold and damp, but Brandon
and Jos soon heat things up!
A Pint of Beer, a Bag of Chips, and Thou by JL Merrow
What's the best gift a young man could get for Christmas? Mohawked
saxophonist Liam wouldn't have picked the hideous collection of knitwear he's
presented with by his mum and his aunties. He'd rather have the gorgeous older
man he sees every day while busking at King's Cross. But with a little
Christmas magic in the air, maybe those garish garments are just the thing for
attracting a silver fox...
