Hello, everyone! My name is Holly Day, and I thought I’d drop by and tell you a little about my new story Hop Hop, Carrot Top.
Did you know January 12th is Kiss a Ginger Day? It’s been celebrated since 2009 and was created as a reaction to Kick a Ginger Day that came to be in 2008. Kick a Ginger Day led to students being harassed in schools, and at one point there was a Facebook page dedicated to the day — it’s not around anymore.
To make sure I wasn’t lying to you, I went on Facebook and checked. I did not find a Kick a Ginger page, but I found a Jump on a Ginger page. They encourage ginger-making since only 2% of the world’s population has red hair. I think we’re getting off-topic.
Kiss a Ginger Day celebrates redheads, and I’m all for celebrating things. Since, like in the Kick a Ginger example above, gingers often are bullied and made fun of, Kiss a Ginger Day is all about spreading peace and love to gingers.
Show the redheads around you some appreciation — you don’t have to kiss them. These days, I’d strongly advise against it, but you can do something nice for them. If you know any. I’m blessed with having gingers around me, but if you don’t, you can always write a story *wink*
Hop Hop, Carrot Top is about Flynn Thomas who left his hometown twenty years ago and swore to never set foot there again. Six months ago, his mother passed away, and he is back to clear out her house. His plan is to work around the clock to empty the house before anyone realises he’s there.
Things don’t always go as planned, though.
Caspian Cook loved watching Flynn when they were in school. It’s the hair, and the freckles, and the way he moved his hands. He always wondered if the freckles continued from his face and down underneath his shirt. It’s been twenty years, but as soon as he sees Flynn, he realises his desire to watch him hasn’t lessened.
EXCERPT FROM Hop Hop, Carrot Top
“Do you know what tomorrow is?” Caspian had heard when they’d been talking about it on the radio during the morning program. He didn’t like the morning program much, too ditzy for his taste. They always talked about silly, unimportant things, joking and laughing, when all he wanted was to hear the news and maybe some music.
He could change the channel, could listen to music or podcasts on his phone, but then he’d hear nothing about what was going on in the world. He didn’t care about the gossip of famous people, but sometimes it was good to endure the ditzy and learn a thing or two.
“Tuesday?”
“Yes, it’s Tuesday, but what else?” He walked onto the narrow track and Flynn followed.
“I don’t know. Your birthday?”
“No, my birthday is in November.”
“Oh … my birthday?” The grin had heat curling in Caspian’s belly.
“I don’t know, is it?”
“No, my birthday is in May.”
“Oh, too bad. I would’ve loved some cake.”
Flynn laughed. “We can have cake. Nothing says you can’t celebrate a Tuesday.”
“True.”
They walked around the bend of the river in silence. The dogs sniffed around, took their time to inspect every tussock. A swirl created a small hole on the black surface of the river.
“It’s Kiss a Ginger day.”
“What?” Flynn stared at him.
“Apparently, only two percent of the world’s population has red hair, and it’s decreasing.”
“Thank God.”
“No!” Caspian touched his shoulder. “Not thank God. Imagine a world without redheads.”
“Oh, I have, many times.”
Caspian shook his head. “You’re beautiful. I want to count every freckle on your body. What would I lust for if you removed all the gingers?”
Flynn’s eyes got so wide that Caspian regretted saying anything.
“W-What?”
Caspian raised his hand to run through his hair in a nervous gesture, remembered he held the leashes, and aborted the motion. “Archaeologists have found red hair in Greece and Asia, but now it’s mostly found in northwestern Europe.”
Flynn nodded, still looking stunned.
“Bookshelf,” Caspian muttered and hurried his steps. He was so stupid. He shouldn’t have said anything about Kiss a Ginger day. Especially not since it wasn’t today.