When thinking of someone to have on my blog for Valentine's Day, the wonderful Lynn Weingarten came to mind. Why? Because she rocks! She obviously knows a lot about love (have you seen her book??) so I had to see what nuggets of romance and wisdom she could share with us today.
Plus, there's a rockin' giveaway below.
Once upon a time there was a man named Claudius who knocked out all of a horse’s teeth with a single punch. Have you seen a horse? Have you seen how big their mouths are and how many teeth they have? Okay, so that story might just be a legend, but here’s what you need to know: even if Claudius didn’t actuallydo this, he couldhave. That’s the kind of guy he was.
So jump ahead a bit and it was 268 AD and Claudius, who was a real guy by the way, was now Emperor Claudius II, the leader of Rome. As Emperor he was determined to have a very powerful army only the problem was not enough people were signing up to be a part of it. So ol’ horse-puncher Claudius did something that he must have thought was pretty clever – he outlawed marriage for young people. The underlying idea was that men would be more likely to sign up to go and fight and, well, possibly die if they didn’t have a wife and some kiddies waiting back at home. I suppose this might have been an effective strategy, but certainly not a very nice one.
Fortunately for those young people who still wished to married, there was a priest who would perform the ceremony even though it was now illegal. His name was Valentine. Unfortunately for Valentine, he got caught breaking the law and was put in jail and sentenced death by a combination of stoning, clubbing, and a good fashioned beheading. Before he died legend has it he sent a letter to the daughter of his jailor and signed it “from your Valentine”. His sentence was carried out on February 14th in the year 269. (Much later he was declared the patron saint of engaged couples, happy marriages, love, lovers, travelers, young people, greetings, epilepsy, fainting, bee keepers and, um, the plague.)
Now on the 1743rdanniversary of his death, we are still celebrating Valentine’s Day, only today it’s less about dramatic beheadings and secret marriages more about, well.. what actually?
It’s easy to be cynical about Valentine’s Day. People say it’s over commercialized, that it’s only popular now because it’s pushed by card companies and chocolate stores and whoever makes those roses with the underwear inside as a way to sell products. People say that Valentine’s Day makes single people feel bad for not being in a couple and people in couples feel bad if their relationship isn’t like the ones in the diamond ads. Besides if you really love someone, you shouldn’t need a day to remind you to tell them. And it’s hard to argue against any of that since it’s all, y’know, completely true. But it doesn’t have to be like that.
All of my favorite Valentine’s Day memories have nothing at all to do with suddenly starring in my own De Beers ad. I remember baking heart shaped cookies with my mom, of making silly cards for friends on Microsoft Paint, of being single and watching anti-Valentine’s Day movies with other single people and talking about how stupid Valentine’s Day is, even though secretly we were all loving it.
It’s easy to get roped into the idea that we’re supposed to be having a certain kind of day, and then feel disappointed if we don’t. But instead let’s just say screw it and make it a day about whoever or whatever we love, whether that’s a romantic partner, a platonic friend, a pet, or a heart shaped cake that you plan to eat all on your own. Let go of the supposed-to-s. Just like our buddy St. Valentine did when he wasn’t supposed to marry people, but said oh what the heck and did it anyway. Happy Valentine’s Day!!
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten
Publisher: HarperTeen (December 27th, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
When her boyfriend breaks up with her on the first day of sophomore year, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through homeroom, let alone the rest of her life. Enter three stunning girls with a magical offer Lucy can’t refuse. All she has to do is get a guy to fall in love with her in the next seven days, and then… break his heart and collect one of his brokenhearted tears. As the girls teach Lucy how to hook a guy (with the help of a little magic), she quickly discovers how far she is willing to go—and who she is willing to cross—to get what she wants.
Fans of Lauren Myracle, Jodi Lynn Anderson, and Meg Cabot will love this tale of breakups, friendship, new crushes, and magic. Told with wit and charm, The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers is sure to be one of this winter’s most irresistible reads!
Prize:
- 1 winner will receive a SIGNED copy of The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers and swag.
- You must be at least 13 to enter.
- Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
- Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
- Contest is US Only and ends February 28th.
- Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
- The form must be filled out to enter.
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