A Writer’s Garden-A Garden Lesson from Tina Susedik

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A Writer's Garden, Garden blog, garden lessons, Tina Susedik

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing.

Today’s guest is Tina Susedik Welcome, Tina !

Gardening is a Never-ending Lesson

by Tina Susedik

 

After three years at our current abode, I’ve come to realize how little patience I have for gardening. Not that I’m giving up on my gardens because I love flowers, but the frustration of figuring out what does and doesn’t work, is testing my patience.

I had beautiful roses at our last place. Here – not so much. I’ve come to the realization that I don’t have enough sunlight, nor the right soil. I’ve planted my last rose bush. I also love to toss out daisy seeds. The last two places, I threw out so many, I had fields of daisies. Here I have ten – yes, ten daisy plants.

When we moved here the gardens were filled with mulch – layers and layers of mulch. I couldn’t figure out why the tulips I planted weren’t spreading, until I decided to pull up the mulch and landscaping material. Instead of coming up in the holes I’d dug, they were growing beneath the material. The same was true with some of my other perennials.

So last fall, with the help of my visiting son, we took up all the mulch and landscaping fabric. Since it went around three sides of the house, it was quite the chore. Thank heavens I had his help. My next thought was “now what?”

I bought a lot of spring bulbs to plant – but then had knee replacement surgery, which put a stop to any gardening I’d planned. So, I planted them this spring. I figured it couldn’t hurt. Here is another lesson I learned: “There’s a reason why spring bulbs are planted in the fall. And one of them is squirrels. In the fall, they have plenty to eat. In the spring, they are hungry. They thought my spring bulbs had to be the nuts they’d squirreled away in the fall. At least three quarters of the bulbs were dug up. Some they ate, some they left on the ground. Several I re-planted many times.

We had a lot of snow this past winter. In fact, we had 58” of snow in February alone!! It was a rough month. With the snow being shoveled from the roof, the amount of snow (total of 100”), and shoveling snow onto them, my bushes in the front of the house were pretty-much damaged. Flat. Kaput. But as plants can do, they surprise us. Even as squished as they were, they bloomed their gorgeous red flowers and are starting to send out upright shoots.

Last year it seemed many of the perennials I planted had bit the dust. I am happy (and surprised) to see some of them come back. Maybe they didn’t like the mulch, but maybe they feel sorry for me and decided to give me a gift of regrowth. Slowly my gardens are filling in. Now if I can only keep the rabbits from enjoying them!!!

 

About the Writer/Gardener

 

Tina Susedik has loved flowers and gardening for as long as she can remember. Wherever she has lived, and it’s been many, many places, she has tried to make her surroundings filled with flowers. She is a multi-published, award-winning author in both fiction and non-fiction, covering children, military, history, and romantic mysteries. She also hosts her own radio show with Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. Twice a month, on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 2:00 Central, she interviews authors in all genres. The title of her show – what else – “Your Book Garden.”

 

 

Love with a Side of Crazy

by Tina Susedik

To afford sending extra money to his parents to help with the care of his invalid brother, Brent Hopkins, an accountant by day, works as a male stripper at night. When a crazed fan pulls him from the stage, his injuries send him for an extended stay at a rehabilitation center. During his months at the center, mysterious angel statues and other gifts begin to appear in his room. A break-in at his apartment, leaves him feeling vulnerable. Is he going crazy or does he have a stalker? Marie Phister, a physical therapist, was at the club the night Brent is yanked to the ground and takes care of him until help arrives. Later, as his physical therapist, she doesn’t let on that she is aware of his identity. As their mutual attraction grows, a stalker threatens their relationship. Is her stalker and Brent’s, one and the same? Can they solve the mystery before it’s too late?

WARNING TO READERS OF SWEET, CLEAN ROMANCE. This book  contains open door love scenes.

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A Writer’s Garden–Talking Onions with Author Janis Lane

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A Writer's Garden, Garden blog, Janis Lane, Whispers of Danger and Love

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing.

Today’s guest is Janis Lane and she’ll be talking about a smelly subject–Onions. Welcome, Janis!

 

 

Onion, i.e, Allium, is a large family which includes onion, scallion, garlic leek, shallot and chives (onion and garlic types). Blossoms are pretty in purple, yellow, white, and sometimes pink. I grew up not far from a small town known as Vidalia (locally pronounced Vy day lia, emphasis on the Vi. I won’t try to describe how to put a southern twang to the rest of the word.), Georgia. Sweet, sweet onions grow there with a patented name for the brand. The soil in the fields around the small town is very low in sulfur which puts the sting in your eyes when you peel a not-Vidalia type. Great for eating raw, but their keeper value is low.

It takes a specialized taste bud to enjoy raw onions, but professional chefs swear by the value of an onion flavoring a good stew. This writer considers an onion almost essential in the kitchen. Most are yellow, some white or purple with various degrees of the sulfur bite. Such a large family serves almost all individual preferences. Health benefits of consuming edible members of the onion family are numerous. High in nutrients and low in calories, they are also delicious.

Chives, useful herb, can be grown on your sunny window sill, but will excel outside, attracting bees with their fragrance blooms. Chives are delicious in soups, salads, and as a garnish. It’s a perennial plant hardy to zone 2-3, but the seed resents amateur saving. Tiny bulbs are easily pulled apart for transplant. Garlic chives bloom fragrant white in late summer and are delicious when a mild garlic flavor is desired. Purple blooms from chives make tasty and attractive herbed vinegar.

When I mow the lawn in summer, I plant peppermint several places in the lawn. I love the fragrance when the grass cutter nips their tops, but in one corner of the lawn, I recognize the volunteered wild onions. The smell is unmistakable; not a bit fragrant, but I think if I need to forage someday, I know where to find the edible alliums. It has a pink blossom and resembles nothing like an onion, but I know.

Decorative alliums are available in numerous varieties and most are fairly inexpensive. (Not good for eating.) Once I planted a garden in the back meadow before I finally gave over to the marauding deer population. They ate everything but these alliums, which over the years have multiplied. I use them for great cut flowers and enjoy the sweet fragrance of the blooms. Curiously they do not have the telltale onion odor when cut, but the deer seem to know and give them a wide berth anyway. After blooming, the foliage dies disappearing until the following spring. The plant spreads slowly by reseeding.

Whispers of Danger and Love is a contemporary novel which sports a lovely heroine named Cheryl, who loves her career as a landscape designer. This warm tale is a must for gardeners while waiting for the chance to get outside to commune with nature. A bonus is the handsome detective, a childhood friend, who moves next door.

Here’s a little more from my cozy mystery. I hope you enjoy it.

When Cheryl realizes her new next-door neighbor is someone she loved as a young girl, she immediately puts the brakes on her emotions. Never again would she allow the gorgeous hunk of a man to break her heart.

Ruggedly handsome Detective David Larkin isn’t used to pretty ladies giving him a firm no. He persists, even as Cheryl fights her own temptations. The two struggle to appreciate each other as adults, even as they admit to deep feelings from their childhood.

AMAZON BUY LINK

 

Read more of the cozy mysteries by Janis Lane on Amazon

Janis Lane is the pen-name for gifted author Emma Lane who writes cozy mysteries as Janis, Regency as Emma, and spice as Sunny Lane.

She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.

Look for information about writing and plants on Emma’s new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma’s face.

 

A Writer’s Garden–Amy Anguish Shares Her Garden

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a garden blog, A Writer's Garden, Amy Anguish, Hope and Faith by Amy Anguish

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing.

Today’s guest is Amy Anguish. Welcome, Amy!

Gardens are for Sharing

By Amy Anguish

You can always tell it’s peak squash or tomato season when you see fellow church-goers coming in with plastic grocery bags bulging with fresh fruits and vegetables from their gardens. It’s one of my favorite times of years, and finally, for the second year in a row, I get to be one of the ones who shares the produce from my backyard instead of relying on others to bring some of theirs my way. It’s one of the many ways I have found to “pay it forward.” After all, if that sweet, old man in Texas hadn’t brought me tomatoes for a few years, I would have had to get by with the ones from the grocery store, and we all know those don’t taste as good.

We expanded our vegetable garden this summer. It now has more room for squash and tomatoes, green beans and pumpkins. But it also has zinnias and sunflowers. Why? Because gardens are for sharing.

And I don’t just mean for sharing produce with friends and neighbors, even though my neighbors and I traded cucumbers for squash and bell peppers for tomatoes several times last year. We’re just starting to gather in a few cherry tomatoes and green beans, although flowers are adorning my squash plants and my pumpkins are starting to creep out of their bed.

I also share my gardens with the birds. My sunflowers were amazing giants, full of bright yellow heads bursting with seeds last year. And the birds made sure they devoured every single one, all the way down to destroying even the head of the sunflower. But that’s okay. Because we both got something out of it. I got my pretty flowers for a couple of weeks. And they got to feast.

My front garden bed has azaleas, roses, hydrangeas (if I don’t kill them), and several other little things, all meant to be pretty. The bed around my back porch has Lantana, Mint and Lavender, all meant to help keep mosquitoes away. There’s a huge butterfly bush in the corner that brings all sorts of gorgeous winged creatures to my line of sight. I have lilies blooming by my back fence. And daffodils and irises in various places in the springtime. Those might not share food for anyone beyond bees, but they share beauty and sometimes a nice fragrance.

I love driving through our neighborhood in the spring, soaking up the gorgeous colors popping in the dogwoods, tulip trees, flower bushes and shrubs, and various bulbs. In the summertime, the Hydrangeas and roses take over, keeping us all with something to admire. And in the fall, the leaves are stunning.

There is definitely more than one way to share. And I hope my garden can continue to flourish so I can keep passing on food and beauty to others around me.

Do you share anything from your garden with friends or family? Can you think of any other ways gardens can be shared?

 

About the Writer/Gardener

Amy R Anguish

Author of An Unexpected Legacy

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor

 

Faith and Hope

By Amy Anguish

Hope needs more hope. Faith needs more faith. They both need a whole lot of love.

Two sisters. One summer. Multiple problems.

Younger sister Hope has lost her job, her car, and her boyfriend all in one day. Her well-laid plans for life have gone sideways, as has her hope in God.

Older sister Faith is finally getting her dream-come-true after years of struggles and prayers. But when her mom talks her into letting Hope move in for the summer, will the stress turn her dream into a nightmare? Is her faith in God strong enough to handle everything?

For two sisters who haven’t gotten along in years, this summer together could be a disaster, or it could lead them to a closer relationship with each other and God. Can they overcome all life is throwing at them? Or is this going to destroy their relationship for good?

Available on Amazon

 

A Writer’s Garden–In the Garden Retreat with Carole Ann Moleti

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A Writer's Garden, Carole Ann Moleti, Garden blog, Garden Retreat, Unfinished Business paranormal romance series

Test

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing.

Today’s guest is writer/gardener Carole Ann Moleti. She’ll be talking about her writing retreat. Welcome, Carole!

 

When sitting on the beach, with the water lapping over the sand, kites drifting in the breeze, my inspiration and creative energies surge. Thirteen years ago, when I first got serious about creative writing, I’d hoped to make enough money to quit my job and buy a beachside retreat. I dreamed of being able to write uninterrupted by daily life, and to be able to invite other authors to join me. Of course, I planned to pay for all this by writing a bestselling series or two.

It had never been easy to break into writing, but the seismic changes in the publishing industry took authors from a point where agents, editors, and publishing houses would only accept perfectly formatted, typed manuscripts by mail, to an environment where paper is obsolete and writers are at the mercy of electronic publishers and monopolies that have rendered authorship for most to a hobby that barely covers expenses.

So, I continued to work the day job, which often includes nights and weekends, juggling home, and family responsibilities while trying to write. And I continued my second favorite past time: gardening. Every summer for as long as I can recall, I’ve spent a week or two on Cape Cod. Words flow as I wander the beach at dawn, dictating a scene with the call of the gulls as accompaniment. I linger after morning yoga, staring at a blue horizon that meets the bay. Waves lap onto the shore, and inspiration strikes. I rush home to get it all down.

One of the best parts about gardening, and writing, is when seeds germinate and spring to life. Drab winter deadheads are trimmed, branches pruned, soiled tilled and suddenly, everything turns green, blossoms and grows. I completed the Unfinished Business Series: A paranormal ghost story romance set in Brewster, Massachusetts.

This year, thanks to the day job, a stroke of luck, and karmic timing, my beachside cottage became a reality. Like a tangled first draft manuscript, the neglected lot sported dead and dying trees, choking the life out of each other, threatening to bring the house down. The perennial garden was a tangle, the rose garden was over run with thorny privet and a thicket of weeds.

Garden trees before

Garden before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband and I flagged the trees that had a chance, and found a landscaper to remove the rest, along with privet that was strangling everything around it. And this spring, he, two of our friends and myself spent many days of raking, bagging, pruning, digging, weeding, tilling, ad infinitum. Like the pearls that emerge from an edited manuscript, there were many surprises: spring bulbs around the house and wildflowers poking through the grass thanks to newfound light and air. We unearthed a stone wall garden bed, birdhouses, and added a new garden bench.

We planted more roses, and a “blue garden” of hydrangeas, and day lilies that will bloom next spring and every year there after.

hydrangeas

 

 

 

 

 

 

roses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best yet, the house emerged from behind a shroud of darkness and the perennials did not have to fight the weeds.

Cottage front yard after

It’s been fourteen years this May since I began creative writing, and my new “writer’s garden” has been planted, and my latest manuscript: a contemporary Western romance, is well on its way to completion.

 

About the Writer/Gardener:

Carole Ann Moleti has been gardening since she was old enough to remember. She loves being surrounded by the sounds of nature, any body of water, fountains, and waterfalls. You can learn more about her at http://caroleannmoleti.com/

Carole’s work has appeared in a variety of literary non fiction and speculative fiction venues. The Unfinished Business Series: A sensual Cape Cod Paranormal Romance is set near the beautiful beaches Brewster, Massachusetts.

http://www.caroleannmoleti.com/the-unfinished-business-series/  

Warning to readers of sweet romance: these book may contain sensual love scenes.

A Writer’s Garden–Experimenting in the Garden with author Kathy Bryson

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A Writer's Garden, Kathy Bryson, raised garden beds

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing.

Today’s guest is author Kathy Bryson. Like many of us gardeners, she’s experimenting with new things in the garden. Welcome, Kathy!

 

Gardening Lite

By Kathy Bryson

 

When Catherine emailed about this year’s Writer’s Garden, I just gotten seed packets in the mail, Part 2 of my Gardening Lite experiment, and couldn’t wait to share it with everyone!

The experiment started when I spent Summer 18 weeding a surplus of decorative grass out of overmulched flowerbeds, so I was really looking forward to building out new beds.

Kathy’s overgrown beds

The frames were light-weight sheet metal, but the bags of compost weighed 50 lbs each. I hauled a few bags and admitted defeat. A student volunteered to help, so I swallowed my pride and gratefully accepted.

Kathy’s new beds

 

Just to make life easier, I did go to Lowe’s the Friday before we arranged to meet and got them to help me load 8 bags or 400 pounds of Black Cow compost in my Kia. I figured I could drive around for one day with that weight. But then the student emailed late Saturday that he’d gotten pulled onto another project. I managed to get another 2 bags spread, then had to quit.

We set a time for the next weekend, but plans change, and after a week of driving around in a car full of compost, I couldn’t wait. It wasn’t that low odor! I went back to Lowe’s and got a collapsible wagon, and over two days, finally got the car emptied. Of course, I came up short. I did not want to haul another thing, but I still needed mulch, so back I went to Lowe’s, telling myself to just get it done!

Texas has distinct seasons, so by that time the compost was mostly sold, leaving smaller bags of potting soil. I gathered them up along with the mulch and that’s when it dawned on me. Buy the smaller bag! Gardening is so much easier when you buy the lighter bag! It’s an epiphany that works for everything from cat litter to milk cartons.

With one problem solved, another Gardening Lite question popped up. In Florida, I had all sun, all day. In Texas, I only have direct sun for a few hours in one spot, so I had to find low light plans. My first choice was wildflowers as they’re usually sturdy and attract bees and butterflies, but generally, wildflowers like sun. It took some hunting, but eventually I found discovered wildflowers specifically for forest from Vermont. Sadly, however, Texas must differ enough from Vermont because nothing sprouted come Spring except for more of that horrid decorative grass. So back again I went to Lowe’s, this time for all the hostas and caladiums I could find. Those I know like low light because we use them inside the library for a touch of greenery and oxygen! You might have to peer into the shadows to catch the nuances, but you can’t go wrong in the garden if you pay attention to the light.

 

About the Writer/Gardener

A recent transplant to Texas, Kathy Bryson dreams of gardens that look like Thomas Kinkade paintings. This completely unrealistic grasp of reality is also what propels her to write tongue-in-cheek fantasy that ranges from leprechauns who play the stock market to zombies who hang out with and harangue med students. Not at all like the regular students she works with during the school year. Read more at http://www.kathybrysonbooks.com/

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–Gardening Down Under with Cindy Tomamichel

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A Writer's Garden, Australia gardener, Cindy Tomamichel, Five Minute Vacations, Gardening Down Under

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing.

Today’s writer/gardener guest is Cindy Tomamichel from “Down Under” and will be sharing some insight on what gardening is like on the bottom of the globe.

Welcome, Cindy!

 

Catherine, thanks for having me! What a great idea to find out about a garden from a writer’s perspective. I do enjoy reading about other people’s gardens, so I hope that my garden from Australia has some interest for others as well.

Since my last post on Catherine’s blog, I have moved to a small town in rural Australia. From the suburbs to being surrounded by dairy farms has been a big shift!

The area is different soil (sandy and rocky) and drier, so it has been challenging. The previous owner has established a large garden, full of beds of mixed natives and exotics. While it has been good to have something established, it also means a lot of plants have reached old age. The last few dry years have been very tough on gardens.

One thing of great interest is the change in wildlife. I have a bird feeder, and several water pots. So far I’ve seen cockatoos, galahs, corellas, rosella parrots, lorikeets, wattlebirds, wrens, honeyeaters and winter visiting bower birds.

We have also had a bower bird nest in the year, which was wonderful – I spent ages searching for bits of blue things to leave out for them to decorate the nest (see photo below).

We also have blue tongue lizards that must also be laying eggs, as we got an influx of baby ones last summer. A nocturnal possum gallops across the roof most nights, sounding like a baby elephant and freaking out the dog and cats.

This Summer was a bad one for local bushfires. We had quite few that started from lightning strikes in inaccessible forest areas, and they quickly threatened towns. We were safe enough, but the area was covered in dense smoke haze for days (see photo) and burnt gum leaves floated down into the yard, which made the danger seem very real.

Australian trees have adapted to bushfires over a long period of time. Many have seeds that only open with fire, or seeds that need smoke to germinate. A lot of gums have what is called epicormic shoots after fire, so even if the tree is burnt, green shoots appear along the trunk. Others have a thickened area at the soil surface called a lignotuber, and can sprout from this.

This Summer saw days over 40C (104F) and one day of 45C (113F). I set up a small sprinkler, and filled up some more water pots for the birds. I had over a dozen different species visit during the afternoon, including several cockatoos who just sat in the water. The garden suffered, with the leaves of fuchsias simply shrivelling up, and quite a few trees got scorched leaves. I have been replacing dead plants with ones that survive, mostly natives, but other hardy exotics such as succulents, rosemary and Chinese lantern bushes also do well with little water.

I used several photos of local gardens and plants in my book “5 Minute Vacations”, and often post photos on my Instagram account.

About the Writer/Gardener:

Cindy Tomamichel is a multi-genre writer. Escape the everyday with time travel action adventure novels, scifi and fantasy stories or tranquil scenes for relaxation.

I have a time travel romance series Druid’s Portal, set in Roman Britain, with the second in the series due out May, 2019. My “5 Minute Vacations” makes a lovely gift, and is designed to help you relax with scenes of nature and peace.

Amazon Author page: https://amazon.com/author/cindytomamichel

 

Five Minute Vacations

by Cindy Tomamichel

 

Tired? Stressed?
Need a break?

You are not alone.

Instead of reaching for another coffee, take a short journey with me. We will visit places where you can replace some of your current stress with a moment to cherish.

No exercises to do. No program to follow. No guilt for not being a better person.

Just relax into these tranquil scenes, and give your mind a five-minute vacation. In these pages, you can escape from the everyday, and find your happy place.

You can find Five Minute Vacations at Amazon

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–On a Garden Tour with Jarm Del Boccio

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A Writer's Garden, Garden blog, Jarm Del Boccia, The Heart Changer

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing.

Today’s guest is Jarm Del Boccio, author of the Middle-grade Historical Fiction The Heart Changer. Jarm is taking us on a whirlwind tour of gardens she’s visited.  Welcome, Jarm.

 

Gardens I’ve Admired — Far-flung and Up Close

By Jarm Del Boccio

I have always loved gardens. In my childhood home, we had the basics: an apple tree, a grapevine, lilac bushes and lots of dandelions! My mom wasn’t a gardener, so all the living bushes, trees and vines were planted by my dear dad, who died when I was four.

Most of my years as a career girl, I didn’t have the time to devote to gardening. In fact, I had a brown thumb — most of the time I would over-water a house plant and kill it. Even cacti have shriveled under my care.

But, when I married, and my husband and I bought a home with a beautifully landscaped garden, it became a passion. My goal was to keep it up and add to it year by year with ‘3 season’ plants — those which had color for most of the year, either in flowers, leaves or stems. It was a getaway for me. A place to be on my own, working the soil and nurturing the tiny plants. Much different than raising children!

Later, due to my writing and a change in income, I disbanded the garden and sequestered myself inside. Occasionally, when we entertained guests, I would purchase a bouquet to place in our main bathroom for all to enjoy. But that was the extent of my gardening.

Fortunately, I was able to delight in gardens other than my own, as we traveled around the world with our children in tow. There were very few locations without some sort of flower display. So I captured them on film, and shared the eye candy on social media. I now have them to cheer me, especially on a cloudy or snowy day.

Below are just a few of the gorgeous displays. I realized that flowers are a universal language. Everyone can take in the beauty or scent of a garden, bringing joy to the soul.

Since I can’t remember the names of these plants, just enjoy them for their variety, unique shapes and stunning colors. . .

San Antonio Botanic Gardens:

The Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem:

A rose on the crescent in Bath, England:

Tulips at the Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia:

A garden on Mackinaw Island, Michigan:

The Japanese Gardens at our local Botanic Garden:

A Huguenot Garden with protea, the national flower of South Africa near Capetown:

A dog made of flowers at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain:

A sculpted garden in Porto, Portugal:

And four photos of my all time favorite garden at Haddon Hall, near Bakewell, England. The 2006 version of Jane Eyre was filmed at this location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed a whirlwind tour of my favorite floral pics from around the world. Thanks for joining me! Which location would you most like to visit?

 

About the Writer/Gardener

Jarm (‘J’ pronounced as a ‘Y’) Del Boccio finds her inspiration in everyday life, but in particular, when she travels the globe, observing the quirky things that happen along the way. She never misses a chance to snap a photo of a unique flower or gorgeous garden no matter where she finds herself. Focusing on lives of characters from the past, Jarm is devoted to breathing new life into the pages of history.

Her background in elementary and high school education, and time as a school librarian has prepared her to write for middle-graders. “The Heart Changer”, her debut MG historical/biblical fiction, released with Ambassador International April 26th 2019. Jarm is content with the journey God has placed her on, and lives with her husband, adult daughter and son (when he lands at home) in a tree-lined suburb of Chicago. You can connect on her author’s website/blog at: https://www.jarmdelboccio.com/

“My Passion is to Make Scripture and History Come Alive for my Readers: Illuminating the Past. Making Sense of the Present. Offering Hope for the Future.”

The Heart Changer

by Jarm Del Boccio

Can an Israelite captive, wrenched from all she loves, serve the very man who destroyed her village?

Miriam is asked to do the impossible: serve the wife of Naaman, commander of the Syrian army. Clinging to treasured memories of home and faith, Miriam faces captivity with worry and bitterness. Little does she know the Heart Changer is wooing and preparing her for a greater mission far beyond what she could imagine.

This middle-grade historical novel reflects the heartache and angst of a young refugee in a foreign land where all hope seems lost.

You can find The Heart Changer at AMAZON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–in the Garden with Christa MacDonald

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Christa MacDonald, Contemporary Christian Romance, Garden blog, The Redemption Road

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing.  

Today’s guest is author Christa MacDonald, author of the Sweet River Redemption contemporary Christian romance series. Welcome, Christa.

Apple Blossoms

                                                          

Thanks, Catherine.

 After a cold and rainy start, Spring has finally arrived in Massachusetts. I live along the coast which usually means we start a bit sooner than the inland folks, but with this weather pattern we seem to be behind. My tomatoes should be knee-high and they’re more like ankle-high. I’m hoping some steady fertilizing and sunshine can catch them up.

This is my second year attempting to grow from seed, but the first year I invested in the equipment to really do it right. I bought seedling trays and watering trays and the right grow mix and even one of those plastic-covered greenhouses. I read my Farmer’s Almanac and watched the BBC’s Gardeners’ World for tips on how to grow from seed.

Mistakes were made. First, I underestimated the need for heat in aid of germination. I also overestimated how much sun my front window gets. It was not early enough to help the seedlings along once they sprouted. When I put them out in the cold frame in my side yard, it wasn’t in the sun for long enough of the day. This mistake was born of sheer vanity. I was leery of putting the cold frame on the southern-facing side of the house as that’s the side that faces the street and is mostly driveway. I was worried about how it looked. I’ve since decided that I care more for my tomatoes than the opinion of various passers-by so next year the plastic greenhouse and the cold frame are going to be rigged up in the driveway.

With this season comes hope and excitement. I’ve had a few failures, but with the rose bushes, hydrangeas, and other shrubs leafing out left and right and the seedlings finally taking off, I can’t help but be cheerful. Nothing has gone wrong yet that cannot be fixed. We all know what it’s like to arrive at mid-summer and realize a particular plant or crop failed and just what that feels like. Disappointment is no fun.

Planting in Spring is not unlike starting a new novel. There’s careful plots and detailed plans, but there are no guarantees that once the words are on the page they’ll follow them. Great plans do not always lead to gorgeous gardens or excellent books. Hard work and a bit of Providence is more like it. You have to get the words on the page and the dirt under your nail to see the fruits of your labor both metaphorically and literally. Here’s hoping we all have a good harvest.

 

About the Writer/Gardener:

Christa MacDonald is a lifelong gardener and writer living in New England despite its terribly short growing season. She’s the author of the Sweet River Redemption contemporary Christian romance series. The final book in the series, The Redemption Road, is now available.

Connect with Christa at  www.christamacdonald.com

 

The Redemption Road

By Christa MacDonald

 

It’s redemption that he needs, and she’ll pay any price to help him find it.

As the new game warden in Sweet River, Alex Moretti is focused on enforcing Maine’s wildlife laws and little else. Moving from tragedy to a fresh start, all he wants is a way to fix his life in the tranquility of the north woods. Until he meets Annie Caldwell at Coffee by the Book. But his own bitter, dark life is a threat to Annie’s sweetness and light. It’s better for him to stay away.

Annie doesn’t know how to label her relationship with Alex, but she is determined to figure it out. After a few false starts and a kiss under the Christmas lights, their romance goes from fiction to fact. Annie has fallen hard. Then trouble shows up. Someone is stalking Alex, seeking to punish him for a mistake which ended in deadly consequences. When Annie becomes a target, he tries to push her away, but she won’t abandon him. Alex is desperate to keep Annie safe while he attempts to reconcile the past, but what he really needs is redemption. And she will risk her life to help him find it.

 

A Writer’s Garden–In the Garden with HL Carpenter and the Sycamore Tree

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Garden blog, HL Carpenter, Murder by the Books, sycamore tree, writer's garden retreat

Poetry in the garden

by HL Carpenter

Image source: HL Carpenter

Years ago, a line from The Village Blacksmith sparked thoughts of creating a garden retreat. What does a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about a village smithy have to do with a garden? The first words—”Under a spreading chestnut-tree“— created an image we found hard to resist.

Our garden had shrubs and flowers. Benches to sit on. A gurgling fountain. Yet none of those was a favorite spot.

We wanted a chestnut tree.

Unfortunately, almost all chestnuts were killed by a blight in the early 1900s—and even if any were alive, they would have a difficult time growing in our part of the sunshine state.

Was there an alternative? Yes. Photos from an earlier era showed a similarity between chestnut trees and sycamore trees.

A fully-grown sycamore, crowned with a fifty-foot canopy, would provide a leafy retreat from the heat of summer. Comfortable chairs would offer a place to sit and sip frosty lemonade. When fall faded to winter and leaves drifted to the lawn, sunshine filtering through bare branches would warm the coldest day. The tree’s broad trunk could block the north wind and shield us from the buzz and roar of a busy highway.

We bought a tall sapling after being assured it would soon grow into a huge tree. As you can see by the picture, that assurance came true—and so did our vision for the garden.

Our sycamore serves as an open-air porch. The canopy offers dappled shade in the summer. Bluebirds, cardinals, and wrens chirp and twitter among the branches. A crow visits and caws for a cracker. Squirrels scamper up and down the solid trunk. In autumn, crispy gold leaves carpet the lawn and crackle underfoot. Our tree-porch is a wonderful place to sit and read.

And write.

The other day a relative stopped by and remarked about our beautiful shade tree. We told him of the poem that sparked our imagination.

“Have you read all the stanzas of The Village Blacksmith?” he asked. ” ‘The smith, a mighty man is he, with large and sinewy hands‘ describes one of our ancestors.”

Who knew?

Now, while sitting under the shade of our sycamore tree in our favorite garden spot, we have another story to write.

About the Writers/Gardeners

Mother/daughter author duo HL Carpenter write family-friendly fiction from their studios in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories, is unreal but not untrue. When they’re not writing, they enjoy exploring the Land of What-If and practicing the fine art of Curiosity. Visit HLCarpenter.com to enjoy gift reads and excerpts and to find out what’s happening in Carpenter Country.

Stay connected on Pinterest, Twitter, Amazon.

 

Murder by the Books

By HL Carpenter

A letter from beyond the grave brings accountant Fae Childers face to face with murder, embezzlement, romance, and a hidden family legacy.

Certified public accountant Fae Childers is not an embezzler, despite the belief of the accounting firm that fires her for stealing.
But proving her innocence is harder than convincing an IRS agent to allow a deduction. She’s lost her mother, her job, her fiancé, and her self-respect. She’s running out of money and the lease is about to expire on her apartment.

Then the fortune-telling grandmother Fae never knew existed, whose name and psychic abilities she now learns are also hers, issues a challenge from beyond the grave—a challenge that brings Fae face to face with murder, embezzlement, romance, and a hidden family legacy.

When the mystery of Fae’s past collides with the troubles of her present, the situation veers out of control. Her very life is threatened. Who can she trust? The man she’s falling in love with? The former fiancé who has already betrayed her once? Or only herself?

With justice, romance, and her future at stake, Fae must overcome personal and professional obstacles to save herself and those she loves. And she’s going to have to do it fast, before someone else dies.

 You can pick up HL Carpenter’s Cozy Mystery Murder by the Books to read in your garden retreat at Amazon.

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–in the Garden with Claire Gem

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Civil Hearts, Claire Gem, Mother's Day roses, Tiny Roses

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing.

Today’s guest is author Claire Gem. Welcome, Claire!

 

A Writer’s Garden—Tiny Roses

I can’t believe it’s been a year since my then five-year-old grandson proudly presented me with a Mother’s Day gift that he’d picked out himself: a miniature rose bush in a sparkly pink pot. The roses, all no bigger than a quarter, were sunshine yellow. I waited until Memorial Day (the safe time to plant in Massachusetts!) and transferred Eddie’s tiny rosebush into a planter on the front steps.

Oh, how that plant has flourished! It stayed covered with blooms all summer. Whenever life got too busy or the August sun burned a bit too hot on the little plant, Eddie would find me wherever I was and tug on my sleeve.

“Grandma, our rose looks like it needs water. We don’t want it to die.”

Indeed, we did not.

By summer’s end, the rose had doubled in size. Brown fall leaves formed a nest around the pot and nestled within its branches. Then life got even crazier, my son’s wedding was upon us, and time sped up. The first frost hit early and without warning. I stepped out the front door one morning and thought, “Oh no. I’ve killed Eddie’s rosebush.”

That afternoon, with the help of my very strong and newly married son, we carried the pot through the house to our sunroom. But the leaves were all gone. The stems were brown and brittle. I sadly studied the dead-looking branches and thought, “I goofed up. I was too late.”

But I continued to water and feed the twiggy thing and gave it a good haircut. When the first green shoots began peeking up from its base, a spark of hope stirred. That was in November of 2018, just six months ago. Around the end of January, a bud appeared reaching toward the rays of the cold winter sun.

Just look at Eddie’s rose bush now.

I had beautiful blooms in the dead of winter. I can’t believe how much the plant has grown, trying desperately to keep pace with the little boy who so lovingly adopted it.

And this year, on Mother’s Day, I was presented by another rose bush from my future-gardener grandson. This one is pink J

 

About the Writer/Gardener

My first foray into the world of gardening happened when I was about eight years old. I found a discarded vegetable bin from our old refrigerator and thought, “I can plant something in this!” What possessed me to choose a packet of radish seeds, I’ll never know.

I didn’t even like radishes.

But I planted them, and watered them, and thrilled to see the tiny green shoots emerge. In only a month, I was harvesting shiny, red globes, and my mom was using them in salads, leafy tops and all. My father raved that they were the most delicious radishes he’d ever tasted. I even learned to like them. I still do.

My writing is like that sometimes. It all starts with a tiny seed of an idea, and often I have to wait awhile. Sometimes a long while. Nurture the idea, allow it to take root and grow. My most recent Haunted Voices novel was like that. The antebellum home featured in the book was one I visited over ten years ago. Then one night I had a dream about that very house, and there was the ghost of a Confederate soldier pounding on the door.

Civil Hearts was born. You can buy it here on Amazon and in all other digital formats here. It’s coming soon in audiobook on Audible!

 

Visit me at my website, on Facebook, and Twitter.

 

Civil Hearts

By Claire Gem

A widow with no family, web designer Liv Larson yearns for big change. After all, she can work from anywhere, right? Why not throw a dart at the map? She heads out of the big city for the rural South and falls in love as soon as she arrives—with the Belle Bride, an abandoned antebellum mansion.

Heath Barrow loves his country life, managing his antiques store in sleepy Camellia. But he’s lonely, and his condition—epilepsy—makes life uncertain. It’s already cost him a marriage. A new medication and the new girl in town have his heart hopeful again.

Sparks fly between Heath and Liv. But his first seizure sends Liv into a tailspin. Its mimics those her husband suffered before he died . . .

To make matters worse, Liv discovers she’s not living alone. Her challenge? Dealing with a Confederate soldier, one who clearly resents his Yankee roommate—even though he’s been dead for over a hundred and fifty years.

Disclaimer to readers of sweet romance: This book contains open door love scenes. It also has a give-you-chills super ghost story for those who love a good haunting. (I know, because I read it. Catherine Castle)