[INTRO: I am a die hard, card carrying Elvis fan and have been for as long as I can remember. There is so much about Elvis to love; his incredible singing voice, his generous spirit, his looks (the most gorgeous man ever), his movies (yes, his movies. They make me happy, so critics can just shush), his service in the army, his magical presence on stage, his transcendent charisma, and…I could go on and on. As a matter of fact, on my 50th post, I believe it was, I DID go on and on. I listed 50 things I love about Elvis. It wasn’t difficult. I am an author and I mention Elvis in almost every story I write. I named my son Presley. I was fortunate to see Elvis in concert three times. I have been to Graceland five times… See? I love Elvis. I have been blogging weekly for more than a year, but going forward, I will blog every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. My life is insanely busy and I found myself missing weeks from time to time. This way, I’m more likely to be consistent. Hopefully, even if you are not an Elvis fan, you appreciate something about him and will find my posts interesting. Feel free to comment. Thank you so much for stopping by!]

Today’s post:

First of all, I’d like to say Happy Birthday to my sister and Elvis buddy, Ruth Zimmerman. I can’t think of Elvis without thinking of growing up with her and the many memories we share of Elvis. We still have that connection, and it means the world to me. She now lives 200 miles away, but the other day, she texted me and said she heard “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and started missing me. 😦 She will be here the weekend after Christmas, and I can’t wait to see her. There’s no other bond like the bond of a sister, and ours is that much stronger because of our love for Elvis. (Just to clarify, I have 4 sisters, and I love each of them dearly, and we all love Elvis, but Ruth and I were the closest growing up)

Elvis was known for his generosity and the time of year that was most obvious was at Christmas. He loved the holiday; loved decorating Graceland and loved giving gifts. He was also a bit of a prankster. His long-time friend, George Klein, loves telling the story of a particular Christmas prank Elvis pulled. Elvis always lavished expensive gifts on his friends and family, and at Christmas, he was known for giving large cash bonuses, cars, etc. One year, Elvis gathered his ‘Memphis Mafia’ to hand out their gifts and gave each of them an envelope. They opened them to find a certificate for a free burger and fries at McDonald’s. Can you imagine the looks on their faces? 🙂 After Elvis had a big laugh, he presented them with their ‘real’ gifts, a sizable bonus.

Did you know that Graceland still uses the Christmas decorations that were used by Elvis? They’ve added to it, of course, but I think it’s awesome that they are still using his decorations. Here are some gorgeous pics of Graceland at Christmas:

And, it wouldn’t be the Christmas season without sharing my favorite Christmas song. Here on the ’68 Special, Elvis sings it and says it’s his favorite Christmas song, of the ones he recorded. That’s part of his being humble; he wouldn’t say that one of his songs was his ‘favorite’ of all.

Hope everyone has a beautiful, wonderful blessed holiday season. Merry Christmas!

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EOLS Charity

Elvis was known for his giving heart and charitable work during his lifetime. Lisa Marie and Elvis Presley Enterprises have continued that tradition with their involvement in various charities. In 1984, The Elvis Charitable Foundation was formed. The EPCF created a scholarship fund for students majoring in the arts. The charity also contributes to one of Elvis’ favorite charities, Goodwill Homes, a Memphis facility that provides counseling and services for abused children and their families. The EPCF also assists numerous other charities, especially focusing on arts, education and children’s programs.

Learn more here, including how to donate:

http://www.graceland.com/epcf/

END OF LONELY STREET – Now Only 99 Cents!

On Elvis’ birthday this year, I released a Vintage Romance short story set in 1957, and of course, my heroine is an Elvis fan. 🙂 As a tribute to Elvis’ generosity, and in order to assist with this worthy cause, 10% of my proceeds for End of Lonely Street will go to the EPCF.

All Toby Lawson wants is to go to college to become a teacher and to be free of her alcoholic mother and some painful memories. But when her mother nearly burns the house down, Toby must put her dreams on hold and return home to care for her. The only time she isn’t lonely and miserable is when she’s listening to her heartthrob, Elvis Presley. His music takes her away and helps her escape from everything wrong in her life.

Noah Rivers has always loved Toby, but no matter what he says, she can‘t get past the fact that her drunken mother once kissed him. He soon realizes the true problem lies in Toby’s belief she’s not good enough for him and in her fear she will be just like her mother.

What will it take to prove to her that she deserves to be happy, and that he would give anything to be the man to make her dreams come true?

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