We hope you enjoyed our December-January issue of This Awful-Awesome Life. Special thanks to all our contributors. I’m happy to report my hand is much improved, and I’m almost back to normal, so typing and designing this layout has been much easier.

This month we’re celebrating Black History Month by featuring some distinguished African Americans and others you might not be as familiar with and highlighting the works and accomplishments of several African American women complete with some of their most inspirational quotes.

Love is in the air and we’re bringing you some romance This Awful-Awesome Life style for Valentines’ Day. Terry Kish takes a look at lasting love in “Dancing in the Dark,” and she has some tips to help you become a better gift giver (and recipient) this Valentines’ Day by identifying your primary love language in “The Language of Love.” FYI, I went to the website and took the quiz and it’s spot on.

Have you ever wondered how Valentines’ Day was celebrated in Jane Austen’s time? Don’t miss Orlando Bartro’s article about Valentines’ day in Austen’s Emma.

Take our February quiz, “Romantic Couples in Classic and Contemporary Literature.” While I was working on this quiz, I came across some romantic quotes from each book and I decided to include them for your enjoyment.

Corey Flynn has some great ideas for celebrating Valentines’ Day at any age without breaking the bank. Linda Cahill is back with some amazing recipes for your special day from The Pampered Chef. Don’t miss my latest book review or our authors page plus much much more.

Enjoy!

Fran