[image error]Ah, Valentine's Day. It's only a week away! Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays because it has to be the most romantic. And in case you haven't figured it out by now—I am a romantic.

Every year people plan for the day. They buy cards, send flowers, some even propose. I've never gotten a Valentine proposal. But I think Valentine's Day years ago was my first step to falling in love with a real hero. You see, I didn't get lucky in love the first go-around. I had just divorced, and had a shy, five-year-old little girl. We had just moved from Alabama to California—and we were both really afraid of starting all over. We met Steve Craig on Feb 2nd, the first night at my mom's apartment in California. He was a friend of my youngest uncle. When I first met him, our gazes seemed to lock, the attraction was there, but I didn't think I was ready to start dating. He assured me, we could just be friends. He said I was worth waiting for. And he did wait—for several months. But he never strayed too far. He told me later, that he was afraid some other guy would steal me away. And while we didn't actually start going out for a while, on the 14th, this friend not only sent me flowers, yellow roses, he sent my young daughter, a bouquet as well. I know she fell in love with him that day. And well, I pretty much did, too. What a guy. No wonder I married him.

Anyway, all these thoughts of romance got me wondering. Where did we get this whole idea for Valentine's Day? Where did it come from?

So after a little research, I discovered that originally it was called St. Valentine's Day, but somewhere along the way, we dropped the "saint." Perhaps because although there was an early Christian saint named Valentine, he was never associated with romantic love. No, that came much later with medieval courtly love in Europe. In fact, the earliest surviving valentine was written in the 15th century by Charles, The Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was being held in the Tower of London after his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. That sounds pretty romantic. So for centuries, people composed their own versus to give to their loved ones. But not everyone is a poet, including me. So in 1797, a book was published in England with suggested verses for those who couldn't think of their own. By the 19th century, mass produced paper valentines were being produced in England, which then spread to the U.S. Today, Valentine's Day is celebrated in many different countries all over the world, often with their own unusual twist. However, tradition in the U.S. means cards, flowers, and chocolates.

So, in celebration of Valentine's Day, I am premiering the book trailer for Taken at Dusk. I am so excited about it, as it is really cool. Check it out. Doesn't it make you want the book right now? I know…I know, I'm teasing you. But seriously, I can't wait for you guys to read Taken at Dusk. There's so much happening in this book.

Also to celebrate, I am giving away ten fabulous Shadow Falls t-shirts. I wanted this contest to be for my readers/fans who have already read book one and book two. So to win, all you have to do is send me the answers to the following questions: (DO NOT POST THE ANSWERS ON THE BLOG!)

1. Who is the ghost Kylie sees in Born at Midnight?

2. Who did Kylie catch showering (naked!) in Awake at Dawn?

Remember, PLEASE DO NOT answer the questions in the comment section of this blog! To enter, you must send your answers to my email at cc(at)cchunterbooks(dot)com. I will randomly select ten winners from those with the correct answers. Unfortunately, I have to limit the entrants to those residents of the U.S. and Canada. Sorry! Good luck!