Is it a spoiler to tell you that my recent release, A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy, wraps up at Christmas?
I mean, you all know who’s getting together in the end, right? You knew it from the first couple of pages, even if you didn’t read the description. So is Christmas really a spoiler?
If it is, and you haven’t read the story yet (but it’s been out for four weeks, so surely you have? Right???), AND you still plan to read it, I guess… stop reading this post now? Or maybe it’s already too late. #sorrynotsorry
Anyway, Christmas.
When I figured out when this story was going to come to an end, I thought, ho, hum, another Christmas story that isn’t actually a Christmas story because most of it takes place in the summertime but it happens to wrap up (pun intended) at Christmas.
Could I make it a little different from most holiday romances? What about that whole Jólabókaflód thing? I did a little research:
•Icelandic Christmas Traditions: What You Need to Know
•Jolabokaflod – A Literary Icelandic Christmas Tradition
You’ve seen the memes. Every year around now our Facebook feeds are flooded with cozy images of smiling people handing each other gift-wrapped books in front of the Christmas tree. And, as legend has it, everyone is in pajamas and spends the night reading together in front of the fireplace while drinking hot chocolate. How much cozier an evening can you imagine? What could be better than a Jólabókaflód, a joyous book flood?
I admit to having some fun with this in the story, because our hero is invited to the heroine’s Icelandic parents’ home on Christmas Eve. He doesn’t know them very well. What kind of books will he give to the people he hopes will be his future in-laws?
You’ll have to read the story to find out, but I’ll tell you this… my Facebook reader group came up with some terrific suggestions which made it extremely difficult to title these fictitious gifts! If you’d like to be on the inside track of fun input like that, you can join my reader group here.
On a side note, I was born in the largest Icelandic settlement in the world that is not in Iceland. My parents had many Icelandic friends, and my family embraced one Icelandic Christmas tradition (no, not Jólabókaflód: I never heard of it as a child) — vinarterta (That link has gorgeous images!)
Vinarterta is a seven-layered cake, in which the layers are basically giant cookies with a thin prune filling between each. I know that does not sound appetizing, but it is amazing and delicious. I’ve been sugar-free for six full years, but I will have a couple of pieces of my sister’s vinarterta every year, anyway. (I am seriously contemplating how to make a low-carb version and might have figured it out…)
My sister made vinertarta with our mom every year, since they lived near each other, and my sis has kept the tradition ever since our mom passed on. This photo is from her archives from probably 25 years ago, with my then-teen niece cropped out #because. As you can see, they were making multiple cakes, spreading the dough on the bottoms of multiple cake pans and baking them there then transferring to whichever cake “pile” needed another layer.
Side note from the side note: my sister and her husband visited Iceland a few years ago and were looking forward to having authentic vinarterta in Reykjavik. When they asked at a bakery, the person laughed and said that was a Canadian interpretation, that it isn’t traditional in the homeland at all! But they’ve started making it there because tourists kept asking for it.
Anyway, back to the story! Our heroine’s mom buys vinertarta at a local Icelandic bakery, since she’s not much of a cook or baker herself. And then they all enjoy slices of this traditional cake with their hot chocolate while opening books on Christmas Eve. Now you know how the book ends. Sort of. But you might still want to read it. ;)
Find out more about A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy here.
Happy Friday Valerie! This reader, a retired German teacher and German American, enjoys learning about other cultures and their traditions. I understand how traditions are incorporated in our local culture. In the 1990s our local newspaper wrote an article about the so called “German” Christmas pickle tradition celebrated in a small village 5 miles from where I live in SW Michigan. My families first generation in America friends shook our heads. Never heard of it. On more research found it was only done in one small German SW German village. My family and most of our friends were from Berlin.
I read the Vinarterta Recipe. The almond extract in the dough would make it delish. I substitute almond extract for vanilla in my sugar cookies and my grandkids love them.
Happy Holidays and best wishes.
I have never heard of vinertarta or Jólabókaflód before, it’s fascinating. They both sound amazing. Finding out about different holiday traditions is really interesting.
Vinertarta really is super delicious. To the newbies at our Christmas table, I first say: “that’s not chocolate. It’s fruit.” (because the thought of prunes make most people shudder LOL). If you’re expecting chocolate, you won’t love your first bite. But if you’re NOT, it’s amazingly decadent and delicious. And yes to almond extract. Such a unique nuance.
I’m surprised to hear you’ve missed all the Jólabókaflód memes on Facebook over the years! It sounds totally made up, but apparently it is real. It’s real NOW in my book, haha!!!
Oh, this just makes me want to read it more!! Those cakes look good!! It kind of reminds me of a cake Publix does, but the layers aren’t thin. They do a white cake with a fruit filling between the layers, depending on what fruit is in season. I’d love to see the Northern Lights!! And, of course, books on Christmas Eve for the win!!
The layers in vinertarta are more like a soft cookie than a white cake, and you’d NEVER use anything besides prunes for the filling! LOL.
Deciding Cadence’s mom’s family was Icelandic made writing the Christmas Eve scene a whole lot more fun!
It’s the only thing I’ve seen remotely like it! lol!! I don’t know that I’d have the patience to make it!! I say, you should keep trying to fix one without the sugar so you can eat it more often! I know it’s hard with sugar substitutes to get the right consistency, though, as Mom used to experiment with recipes when Daddy was diagnosed as diabetic.
There are great non-glycemic, natural sweeteners readily available these days. It’s more the texture of the cake layers I’m concerned about in a lower-carb setting. I’ll do a trial run if I have time, but here we are a week until Christmas, and we’re (still) (forever) renovating, plus I have two more chapters to write, plus plus plus… not sure I will make it this year!
Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you. Merry Christmas.
Thank YOU!
Merry Christmas!