A Writer’s Garden–Sally Brandle’s Overgrown Oasis Garden

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A Writer's Garden, aggressive groundcovers, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, overgrown oasis garden, Sally Brandle, The Hitman's Mistake

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 gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is Sally Brandle. She’ll be talking about the overgrown oasis she calls her garden.

Welcome, Sally.

 

Sunrise comes to the bottom of Sally’s garden

The best garden plants are those with stories. Many of my flowers are tender reminders of loved ones who have passed—whether they gave me the starts, or enjoyed sitting beside them on a shady patio.

A flat half-acre provides a palette. A sloped half-acre provides complications, back aches, and an attitude adjustment of perfection. Eight years ago I toted seventy or eighty wheel barrow loads of plants, slate, and stones from a home we’d lived in for fourteen years, to the new abode five houses away. We gained lakefront, and downsized by half. I write with a view of the top terrace of flowers and vegetables, trees, and lake—an inspiring and calming landscape. Bees and hummingbirds flit during summertime. Year round we enjoy bald eagles, cormorants, osprey, and countless birds. Neighbors on either side prefer manicured grass, we enjoy watching our feathered friends feast on seeds from the overgrown oasis I call my garden.

 

 

 

 

 

The four photos above present ground covers which mind their manners. Top left is Oxalis redwood sorrel, top right low orange ground cover. Bottom left is creeping thyme, bottom right Lilly of the Valley.  I’ve waved a thankful farewell to homes with invasive plants: lemon balm, veronica, and the dreaded snow on the mountain. The aggressive battle continues on the below specimens. Left: Vinca minor, right two other aggressive plants.

 

 

 

 

 

This bush below blooms in time for Easter.

This plot of ground wore me out. At present, I hire a helper to do a big pruning/weeding session in the spring. None of my family picked up the gardening genes I received from my mom and grandfather. The next best thing was to create a character who provides plants to downtown Seattle skyscrapers for a living. Greenery became her ally in The Hitman’s Mistake.

I hope all your gardening projects provide joy and a sense of accomplishment. A master gardener visiting once told me, “A little bit of grass is okay, relax and enjoy the beautiful flowers.”

 

About the Writer/Gardener:

Multiple award-winning author Sally Brandle writes clean, contemporary, romantic suspense stories hoping to empower her readers to connect with their inner gifts.

Growing up in a tightly knit, multi-generational community, Sally’s core values reflect those of the village where she was raised.

When she gets time away from her functional engineer husband and spirited sons, Sally hunkers down in her office. Her trusty Aussie, Tallulah, waits patiently at her feet for belly rubs as adventures unfold. For a head-clearing ride in fresh air, Sally saddles her Quarter Horse, Lance, and trots along wooded trails in the Pacific Northwest.

Sally holds a BA in Special Education from MSU and a Fine Arts Minor. She left a career as an industrial baking instructor so she could bring to life her stories of courageous women supporting one another, while they discover men who deserve their love. A member of Romance Writers of America, Greater Seattle RWA, Eastside RWA, and She Writes, Sally’s current series, Love Thrives in Emma Springs, is set in rural Montana. The first story, The Hitman’s Revenge, will be released by Soul Mate Publishing. Her newest series is Double Vision, romance with a scientific twist.

Warning: While there are no intimate scenes, Sally’s stories do contain sensual elements, mild swear words.

The Hitman’s Mistake

By Sally Brandle

She needs his trust. After Miranda Whitley stops crooked cops from assassinating a prominent Seattle judge, she’s next on the hit list, and her survival depends on the man she’s had one awkward encounter with—buff FBI Agent, Grant Morley. But can she find him in time?

He needs the truth. The last person Grant expects to discover on his annual horseback trip delivering supplies to a Montana mountain hermit is alluring Miranda Whitley, nearly dead from a bullet wound in her side. An accidental witness or the cold-blooded accomplice to would-be assassins?

Miranda must convince Grant of her innocence, evade the killers intent on preventing her testimony, and fight her unwanted attraction for the agent…an attraction which seems to be mutual. Fortunately, love thrives in Emma Springs. If you love sizzling chemistry, determined assassins, and Montana scenery, then you’ll love Sally Brandle’s galloping thriller.

The Hitman’s Mistake, a clean romantic suspense novel, will release on June 27^th from Soul Mate Publishing. You can order the book at Amazon

Visit http://www.sallybrandle.com/ for a chance to receive the epilogue and a free novella

 

 

 

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A Writer’s Garden–The Mystery of the Broken Birdbaths by Kathy Bryson

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Bird Baths, garden mystery, Kathy Bryson

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 gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is author Kathy Bryson and she has a garden mystery to share. Welcome, Kathy!

 

 

The Mystery of the Broken Birdbaths

By Kathy Bryson

Last year, I moved from Florida to Texas, giving up my garden for a new job and a cozy townhome in the Piney Woods. By the end of my first semester, I knew I’d make a mistake. Those stairs were killing me!

So after much house-hunting, I settled into a single story patio home and immediately returned to gardening. There’s just something about being able to dig in the dirt, even if it is with the excuse of ‘settling in.’ But one thing puzzled me. Who owned this house and why did she have so many broken birdbaths?

I know the owner was a woman and she had very nice taste. She had a lovely home, all cream carpets and walls, and she left behind a closet of high-end clothes from Dillard’s that the mother of a friend immediately claimed for church. She also left a number of landscapes on the walls and a shelf full of biographies, including ones on Hillary Clinton and Ann Richards. I imagine that she was an older woman with a love of travel, well-educated and refined, but the garden tells another tale.

The flower beds, both front and back, are lush with Mondo grass borders. This is a nicely contained decorative grass that isn’t an aggressive spreader and in the front, even manages to keep the St. Augustine grass at bay. But in the back, someone also added Monrovia or maiden grass that spread everywhere! Fortunately it comes up easily because I will be weeding it till kingdom come.

The grass had a lot to grow in which leads me to believe that the former owner was not a hands-on gardener. Mulch is piled 4 inches high on top of earth mounded to the top of the beds. A couple of bags were left lying unopened under some eucalyptus bushes that were starting to crowd the gutters. The myrtle trees were ringed with foot-high sprouts, and the flower beds to the side of the house have rocks on top of mulch on top of sand. Whoever worked that patio just followed directions.

There was also a profusion of broken bird baths – four of them, two without basins. And an abundance of statuary – painted rocks, owls, rabbits, St. Francis, a couple of tikis, and a stone garden bench – all different styles and none of them matching the elegant interior of the house.

Where did all this junk come from? Why would a lady of apparently cosmopolitan taste have such a mishmash of concrete? Did she have a secret liking for kitsch? Did she moonlight for the Mafia? Or is my imagination just running away with me again?

A coworker suggested that the birdbaths were probably gifts that multiplied after the lady happened to mention she’d like one. One basin became a gift to a student who used it to hold succulents at his wedding; another I kept. The rest are headed to Habitat for Humanity along with the bench. But as it turns out, one reason those bushes might not have been trimmed is there are cardinals nesting in them.

If anything, I’ll need to fill in the bare spots in the gardens. Can’t wait!

About the Gardener/Writer

When not speculating wildly about her neighbors, Kathy Bryson runs a college writing center in East Texas. She’d like to say she’s climbed tall mountains, rappelled off cliffs, and saved small children, but actually she tends to curl up and read, is a life-long advocate of Ben & Jerry’s, and caters to 2 spoiled cats.  She can claim several awards for a series of leprechaun romances and to have saved a few term papers.

You can find Kathy online at https://kathybrysonbooks.com/ and her books on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Kathy-Bryson/e/B00DHIJ922/

 

A Writer’s Garden–Environmental Rewards–Milkweed Plants by Emma J. Lane

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's gardening blog, Emma J. Lane, Environmental Rewards, Milkweed plants, Monarch Butterfly, weeds and their place in the garden

 

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 gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is Emma J. Lane, who will be talking about weeds—and their place in our gardens.

 

Environmental Rewards—Milkweed plants

By Emma J. Lane

Plant Study of Milkweed Asclepias syriaca by Barbara Schuster 2003 Practitioner Training Attendee

A customer of our small plant nursery was wringing her hands over the wild bunnies munching her precious perennials. I had recommended to her several plants bound to repel those hungry cotton-tails, but to no avail. It was a mystery until I rode through her neighborhood of perfectly groomed lawns. Some sort of weed and feed had been liberally applied to the entire block. Deep emerald squares displayed throughout. Poor rabbits had no choice but to nibble her precious perennials. Not even their favorite food, actually.

milkweed in Emma’s yard

Every building lot presents owners a mini-environment in which to create the best interest of the current residents. At my house, I frequently reminded my better half, I was in the business of raising children, not grass, nor a perfect lawn. Dandelions, wild daisies, clover, and milkweed (horseshoe pits, badminton nets, fire pits, etc.) were all welcome and appreciated. Our yard was a playground for children, coincidentally welcome to available wildlife as well. Deer, rabbits, woodchucks, coyotes, fox, chipmunks, skunks, (ugh), etc have all visited at one time or another.

life cycle of a Monarch Butterfly

My present goal is to aid in the preservation and rebirth of abundant Monarch butterflies by trying to preserve their favorite and only food, milkweed. Research assures me there are many available varieties of this precious plant whose leaves feed the small green, yellow, and black Monarch caterpillar. Milkweed grows wild in the Northeast, has prominent leaves, tall stems, and highly fragrant blossoms. It also secretes a bitter milky substance that may irritate the skin, so not a favorite cut flower. A couple of varieties: swamp and regular are easily recognized in roadside colonies. The bitter sap of the leaves is repugnant to prey, consequently the caterpillar and butterfly protected as well. Many catalogs have available seeds. Check your local nurseries for plants. Shelter a milkweed plant; save a Monarch butterfly and enhance your personal corner of the world.

 

About the Gardener/Writer:

Emma Lane is a gifted author who writes under several pen-names. She lives with her patient husband on several acres outside a typical American village in Western New York. Her day job is working with flowers at her son’s plant nursery.

Emma writes under Emma J. Lane: Historical Regency novels. aka Janis Lane: Contemporary Cozy Mysteries.

Visit her at her website https://emmajlane.com/

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–My “Rose Garden” by Bonnie Engstrom

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Bonnie Engstrom, Candy Cane Rose, Noelle's Christmas Wedding, Rose gardens

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 gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is Bonnie Engstrom. Roses inspire her, especially the Candy Cane rose. I’ll let her tell you the story of how a rose inspired her. Welcome, Bonnie

Candy Cane Rose

My “Rose Garden.”

Yes, it’s in quotation marks because I can’t exactly call it a garden. It’s more of a fitting in with the community status quo. I’m not exactly trying to keep up with the neighbors with my roses – not a chance. But, they have inspired me.

When we moved from California twelve years ago, I left one small elegant rose bush in my back yard. The mother of one of my daughter’s high school friends gave it to me as a thank you for something I did for her daughter. It bloomed in spite of my neglect.

Our current home next to our neighbor Harriet’s is intimidating. Her roses are glorious. Judith across the way had beautiful ones, too. I was jealous. I learned later that Judith had a rose expert come weekly to pamper hers. Harriet did her own rose pampering. She agreed to accompany me to the most well-known nursery in Phoenix to help me choose some bushes. She gave excellent advice.

As part of my new infatuation I wrote a story based on Candy Cane roses. But, just writing about them wouldn’t do. I found a Candy Cane rose bush at our local Home Depot. Much smaller than the already planted and flourishing bushes, it does produce blooms striped with red, but not as large as the yellow, white, pink and my favorite magenta ones. I just googled magenta – what fun! It says, “Magenta is the color of the non-conformist, the free spirit. It pushes you to take responsibility for creating your own path in life and increases dream activity while assisting you in turning your ambitions and desires into reality.” Wow! I hope that’s me.

The idea of the Candy Cane roses inspired me. In the first book in my Candy Cane Girls Series, Noelle’s Christmas Wedding, the hero, Braydon, is a rose expert. He gives a presentation to her mother’s Newport Beach garden club and offers to plant a rose bush for her. Noelle gets to help while listening to Braydon whisper Scripture. She learns he is the rose expert for the famous Sherman Foundation Gardens in Corona del Mar, California. He takes her on a garden tour and proposes. Well, not there, but in a Santa suit. Can you guess where they marry?

Sadly, I am not much of a gardener. My only success was strawberries in one of those special pots where you can’t go wrong. Not even the easy to grow tomatoes survived, nor the basil. Although, it lasted long enough for me to use it in spaghetti sauce once. I depend on the weekly gardening service to prune and feed my rose bushes. I do have beautiful roses . . . occasionally. When I do, I often take one to my daughter at her work. But, I hate those thorns!

I wish Braydon was real and could jump right out of my story to tend to the roses, at least the Candy Cane ones.

 

About the Gardener/Writer

Bonnie is a long time member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a Pro member of Romance Writers of America.

Visit Bonnie’s website http://www.bonnieengstrom.com/ to see all the grandkids and sign up for her newsletter Life On The Lake.

She loves to hear from readers, so be sure to email her at bengstrom@hotmail.com with BOOK in the subject line.

You can see her books and the collections she is in at http://amzn.to/2CVT8Mc. All her books are available on Amazon.

 

Noelle’s Christmas Wedding

By Bonnie Engstrom

 

Noelle Day finally has the courage to break off her ill-fated engagement with her volatile fiancé and cancel their Christmas wedding. It’s embarrassing, and she has to share the humiliating reason with her friends The Candy Canes. The other five girls were to be her attendants in red taffeta gowns.

When she faints and falls into the arms of Braydon Lovejoy, the now former wedding florist, Braydon is confused by her abrupt manner. Who is this beautiful woman with the sepia hair and the huge brown eyes? Is she a damsel in distress as he suspects? He prays for an opportunity to find out.

Then he backs his delivery van into her precious red car, and he’s sure she would never go out with him, especially since he was hired to deliver a huge bouquet of roses to her from a secret admirer.

Noelle isn’t sure how to respond when Bruce, the school principal, physically forces himself on her. After all, he is her boss, and she’s just a first year English teacher.
She finally accepts a lunch date with Braydon, and he takes her to Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar where she learns he is the local rose expert. But, Noelle worries their friendship is happening too fast and calls a respite.

One of the Candy Canes has a tragic accident, and the women bond together. But Braydon, who is not sure why he is involved, becomes their anchor.

Will Braydon’s prayers heal the hurts, physically and emotionally? Will the injured Candy Cane forgive the woman who caused her accident, the woman who is related to Bruce the principal?

Will Noelle ever have her California Candy Cane Christmas?

A Writer’s Garden–Seven Trees by Sigrid Fowler

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a novel with a comedic ride of spititual enlightenment, A Writer's Garden, Don't Tell the Rabbi series, Seven Trees, Sigrid Fowler, Sweet gum trees, Three Friends and an Old Lady

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 gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is Sigrid Fowler. Welcome, Sigrid!

 

Seven Trees

One fall about ten years ago, I noticed seven young trees poking up in the space meant for flowers on the north side of my driveway. What kind of trees makes star-shaped leaves? Though red maples aren’t common in South Carolina, I knew of one such tree up the street. Maybe the seeds were washed by rain or carried into my yard by birds. It was possible. I decided not to pull up the seedlings.

from Wikimedia commons

The next January, a friend helped me dig them up, pace off seven holes for a new location, and make the switch. The ground was wet and the task easy. There they were—seven twigs in a perfect row along the grassy, south side of my driveway. I looked with satisfaction and called it a day. Then I waited.

A few months later as our typically early, South Carolina spring unfolded, I watched closely. Yes, the seven were living, budding out and apparently happy. The little leaves were star-shaped, the way I remembered. I hoped for the best as I watched the changes through several seasons. The seven saplings were young. Were the leaves truly representative of the species? I didn’t know.

from wikimedia commons

Several springs, summers, and falls passed. I was still thinking of maples but increasingly doubtful. The star-shaped leaves were yellow in the fall. One day, I took several leaves to the Clemson agent in town and described the transplant. He looked at a leaf and said, “They’re sweet gums.”

Put all this on the back burner for a minute while I add something about trees and Edgefield County, SC. It seems that to folks around here sweet gums are “weed trees,” a term I learned from my father. His long career was with the U.S. Forest Service, and he’s been my authority on trees. I had to laugh when I heard “sweet gums.” I’d been tenderly caring for seven weed trees— transplanting them rather than pulling them up, watering them in our hot summers, trimming branches that could be broken by cars driving in and out. Sweet gums? Now what?

I didn’t ponder the question long. I liked these trees. They were growing well, and the avenue they created along my driveway was nice. If they had yellow leaves in the fall, so be it. I like yellow.

They’re now nearly the height of my roof, and I’m wasting no time longing for red. Weed trees or not, their autumn yellow suits me just fine. All this has reminded me of a saying from the 60s and 70s—“Bloom Where You Are Planted,” it goes. I’ve slightly revised it to, “Wherever You’re Transplanted, Color Your World.”

Psalm 1 says the person who avoids evil and delights in the Lord will be happy and will flourish like a tree planted by water—leaves that don’t wither in drought, fruit in its season. In our uprooted society, many are transplanted, many ignored and devalued, even scorned like my seven “weed trees.” I’m reminded that God wastes nothing and values each of us beyond our imagining. We’re precious in his sight. Paul writes, “And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him” (Col 3:17). If this is you and me, we will flourish and color our world, making it more beautiful.

A recent fall I was surprised by brilliant red down by the creek, another young tree, perhaps a black gum—red autumn foliage after all, and seven tall trees with yellow leaves along the driveway. I had to say, Thank you, Lord!

Solomon declared, “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecc 3:11).

About the Gardener/Writer

Sigrid Fowler lives in South Carolina. She is a retired teacher of college composition, a member of ACFW and the Christian PEN. She writes a column on biblical topics for the local newspaper and has contributed to professional and learned journals. Her novel, Book I of the Don’t Tell the Rabbi series, came out last November, published by True Potential. This is the story of three childhood friends now a rabbi, a Baptist minister, and an English professor. The rabbi’s nearest neighbor, an old lady he and his wife have long befriended, is a retired opera diva whose voice breaks glass. In this window on the small-town South, the characters work their way through many challenges. We get to know them through thoughts and conversations–face to face encounters, phone chats, letters, sermons, and everyday business matters. What is everyone keeping from the rabbi? The problems are laid out in Book I, Three Friends and an Old Lady, the questions answered in Book II, Balagan. The word means, “a mess, a chaotic situation,” and it as well as other Hebrew terms and expressions are explained in a glossary at the end of the novel. Another glossary of names helps readers keep everyone straight. Book I is available on Amazon.

connect with Sigrid at amazon.com/author/sigridfowler

 

Three Friends and an Old Lady

by Sigrid Fowler

“SO, WHAT YOU’VE GOT IS ME, BABY. JUST ME TO TELL YOU what happened in Beulah, SC, the year the rabbi found out. But before I get into all that, I should tell you who you’re lookin’ at. I’m not very big for a pastor’s wife and I have red hair. The church won’t let me do anything—it’s Baptist—so I mainly get into trouble and try not to. When I say “red,” that’s a euphemism. My hair looks more like some random October maple—and I don’t allow ‘ginger’ …”

And so it begins. A wild and inspirational romp in the small town South. An inside look at the relationship (with commentary) between a rabbi, a minister, and an English professor … and what the rabbi discovers long after the whole town is buzzing.

If this was a stage play (and it should be) it would be a Tony Award contender!

Join the rabbi and friends on this hilarious, inspirational, revealing ride of spiritual enlightenment.

 

A Writer’s Garden with Lillian Duncan

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Deception, garden poetry, Lillian Duncan, Sisters by Choice series, tomatoes

 

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 gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is Lillian Duncan. Welcome, Lillian.

 

I’m not much of a gardener. Actually, who am I kidding? I’m not a gardener at all. I do, however, love the products that come out of a vegetable garden, especially tomatoes. In my world, I have five seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter, and TOMATO season! I wait all year for tomato season.

Ronny Gardening

 

Lucky for me, I’m married to a man who loves to garden. Unlike me, he loves to play in the dirt and do what it takes to grow those wonderful tomatoes along with a variety of other veggies. And, yes, he plants flowers for us as well.

 

 

 

 

 

So I’m not a gardener but I am a writer. I wrote a poem about The Master Gardener that is in my novel, Deception. Without further ado, here’s my poem:

 

The Master Gardener

 

I want a garden of peace and joy

where it matters not

if the sun shines,

if the rain falls,

if the wind blows.

My life is a rocky patch of dirt and soil

filled with pebbles of pain and problems,

filled with weeds of worry and grief,

filled with rocks of rebellion and wrongdoing.

Nothing good can grow in this rocky patch of mine.

But God is the Master Gardener.

He can change this rocky patch to a garden of peace and joy.

 

Let God till the dirt and soil.

He can change the weeds of worry to wisdom.

He can change the pebbles of pain to compassion.

He can change the rocks of rebellion to a spirit of submission.

 

God is the Master Gardener.

He can change that rocky patch to a garden of peace and joy.

 

Let the Holy Spirit sow the seeds.

He can plant the seeds of forgiveness, mercy and grace.

He can plant the seeds of goodness, kindness, and faithfulness.

He can plant the seeds of patience, tolerance, and self-control.

 

God is the Master Gardener.

He can change that rocky patch to a garden of peace and joy.

 

Let Jesus share the fruits of His labor.

He will give you guidance.

He will give you love and fellowship.

He will give you a friend who never leaves.

 

God is the Master Gardener.

He can change that rocky patch to a garden of peace and joy.

 

I found a garden of peace and joy

where it matters not

if the sun shines, the rain falls

or the wind blows.

 

God is the Master Gardener.

© Lillian Duncan Do not reproduce without express written consent from the author

 

Deception is the first in my Sisters By Choice series and features a set of estranged twins that couldn’t be more different from each other or so it seems. Patti is a go-by-the-rulebook type of person while Jamie is a “free spirit” or at least that’s the persona she portrays to the world. But Deception is the title of the book and that means there are more than a few surprises waiting as the story unfolds.

Amazon Link for DECEPTION

 

About the Gardener/Writer:

Lillian Duncan: stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem!

Lillian is a multi-published writer with several Amazon bestsellers. Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced suspense with a touch or two of sweet romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us

Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word. To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: http://www.lillianduncan.net/ or at Tiaras & Tennis Shoes, her personal blog at www.lillian-duncan.com. She also has a devotional blog at www.powerupwithGod.com.

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with Tina Susedik

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's gardening blog, author/gardener Tina Susedik, Catherine Castle, Historical Romance Mystery, Missing My Heart by Tina Susedik, Srping trees in bloom

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

Today’s guest is Tina Susedik. Welcome, Tina!

 

Spring has been slow in coming in Wisconsin this year. Three weeks ago, we were heading into a major, three-day, snowstorm. Some areas of the state received 30” of snow. We only got 18” where I live. Consequently, flowers, trees, and spring are way behind.

Every year our city holds a marathon and half marathon. The race route goes right past our house. It’s fun watching and supporting the runners, one of which is my daughter. We have a gorgeous crab apple tree in our front yard. Last year, at this time the tree, as well as my tulips and daffodils were in full bloom, giving the runners something to look at besides the black pavement. We received a lot of comments from the runners about how beautiful it all was.

 

This year, not so much. If any of the runners remember last year’s tree, they’re going to be disappointed. Not one leaf, not one blossom. Two tulips and one daffodil in bloom. At least the grass has turned green.

Maybe I’m too impatient for things to green up. Maybe I shouldn’t look at my rose bushes and other plants twice (okay, maybe three or four times) a day to see if they have leafed out or are coming up. But, I want to see color. I want to know my plants survived the harsh winter. I want it to warm up enough to plant my annuals and not worry about frost.

 

Anyone else feel this way?

 

About the Gardener/Writer

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.”

You can connect with Tina on her website

 

Missing My Heart

by Tina Susedik

Time: 1975. Place: Bourbonville

After the death of the grandmother Ellie Farrell had lived with since she was sixteen, she is tasked with the job of cleaning out the over-packed house. When Ellie begins to find love notes and money from a Bert to Randi spanning over four decades, she sets out to find out who these people are and what they have to do with her. An unexpected check for $100,000 dollars delivered to her house, ramps up the mystery – especially when death threats begin to arrive.

Patton Trullinger, an investigative reporter, comes to Chandler County to research bootleggers for a book he’s contracted for. As a Vietnam veteran, he’s dealing with PTSD. When he meets Ellie, he finds her mystery too good to pass up.

Who are Bert and Randi? Who is sending death threats? Will Ellie and Patton’s love bloom as the mystery deepens?

 

Want to read more? You can find Tina’s book at  Amazon:  Barnes & Noble: Ibooks: Kobo: and Google Play:

Warning to readers of sweet romance: This book’s heat level is steamy.

A Writer’s Garden with Donna Schlachter

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Catherine Castle’s garden blog series, Donna Schlachter, garden devotional, Mail Order Brides Collection, tomatoes

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 gardens—aka their books.

 

Donna Schlachter is my guest today with a garden devotional that includes one of my favorite garden vegetables.

 

Abundantly Multiplied

By Donna Schlachter

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God

2 Corinthians 9:10-11 The Message

 

Each spring I plant tomato plants, My husband Patrick loves fresh tomatoes, so the reality of it is that except for him, I’d never plant them. So I buy the plants and put them in. We usually get two or three different kinds – early producers and late producers.

When we plant those little spindly plants, my thoughts are, “I’ll never see tomatoes from these, The first wind will knock them over.” Yet I water, and I fertilize, and before I know it, my tomato plants have become tomato trees. Before you laugh, take a look at the one-pound tomato I harvested one year.

As I wonder at all the tomatoes we harvest each year, I’m amazed at what God can produce from one tiny seed. Not only the plant, but hundreds of tomatoes loaded with hundreds of seeds each, If every seed in every tomato were to germinate, we would have to move out of Denver, let alone move out of our house.

God’s provision for our food is truly amazing, and yet no less amazing is His provision for our spiritual growth as well. God plants one tiny seed of passion for some area of ministry in our hearts, and soon that seed takes over, consuming us, until we burst out of our boundaries and share with others around us.

God takes our desire to love and serve Him, and grows it big enough so we have the time and energy to serve others. He takes our obedience to give tithes and offerings, and returns our giving to us multiplied, pressed down and flowing over. God takes our longing to be loved, and gives us so much it flows out into other areas of our lives.

As you consider how God takes something as small as a tomato seed and multiplies it into tomato trees, consider how He does the same thing in different areas of your life. Look for seed to plant in the form of prayer. If there is a longing in your heart, ask God to fulfill it. If you have a passion you would like to put to work for Him, ask Him to open doors and provide whatever you need to accomplish that.

 

About the Gardener/Writer

Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick, her first-line editor and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a hybrid author who has published a number of books. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Sisters In Crime, and Writers on the Rock; facilitates a local critique group, and teaches writing classes and courses. Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. She loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is proud to be represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.

Connect with Donna at http://www.historythrutheages.wordpress.com/

Train Ride to Heartbreak

by Donna Schlachter

October 1895

Mary Johannson has scars on her body that can’t compare with the scars on her heart. She is alone in the world, with no family, no prospects, and no home.

John Stewart is at his wit’s end. His wife of three years died in childbirth, leaving him with a toddler and an infant, both girls. Theirs was the love of fairy tales, and while he has no illusions about finding another like her, his children need a mother.

Though separated by thousands of miles, they commit to a mail-order marriage. But on their journey to Heartbreak, they meet another and realize the life they’d planned would be a lie. Can they find their way back from the precipice and into the love of God and each other, or are they destined to keep their word and deny their heart?

Want to read more? Check out Donna’s story on Amazon

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with author Becky Lower

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's gardening blog, Becky Lower, historical romance, Monticello gardens, Thomas Jefferson, Winning Violet

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 gardens—aka their books.

 

Today’s guest is historical romance author Becky Lower. She’ll be talking about the Gardens at Monticello. Since Becky’s Monticello pictures are locked in an old computer she can’t access, I’ve added one of my own from a September 1998 visit to Thomas Jefferson’s estate. From what I can see on the Monticello website, the gardens have changed quite a bit since I was there. Much more lush. Time for another visit, I think.

The Gardens at Monticello

By Becky Lower

My father, being the enterprising man that he was, planted a vegetable garden every year, in order to help feed his growing family. My mother grew the beautiful flowers that surrounded the vegetables and entered her award-winning irises each year in the township fair. It’s from them and their early instruction on how to care for and grow things that I became familiar with the joy of sinking my hands into the dirt.

I already had a love of roses, having spent several years in Texas and paid annual visits to the Antique Rose Emporium (https://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/). Then, I moved to Virginia and discovered Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, near Charlottesville, VA. (https://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/flower-gardens). I especially loved the fact the plantings on Jefferson’s estate produced seeds and cuttings that were available to the public. I took a bit of Thomas Jefferson home with me each year. Over time, my backyard grew into a miniature version of Jefferson’s, with roses, hyacinths and bottlebrush plants, as well as seeds from a myriad of plants. I carefully cultivated each, calling them my “TJ” collection, after Thomas Jefferson. I cried more at leaving my plants than I did at leaving my house, when I moved away.

I’ve just relocated again, this time to balmy North Carolina, and am eager to buy new roses that are heat-tolerant, to brighten the little spit of land surrounding my condo. After eight years of suffering through the harshness of Ohio winters, finding roses that prefer warmth will be a welcome challenge.

My background in writing is American historicals, but I had a notion to write a Regency romance and expand my reader base. However, I couldn’t resist planting an American in England with my first book in the Flower Girl series, Winning Violet. My hero is not only an American, but he’s a landscaper charged with the mission of buying a collection of English roses for Thomas Jefferson’s estate at Monticello. So art does imitate life, to some extent.

About the Writer/Gardener:

Amazon best-selling author Becky Lower has traveled the United States in search of great settings for her novels and picking up a love for plants along the way. At various times, she’s cultivated bonsai plants, cacti, roses and various herbs she’s never found a way to use. She loves to write about two people finding each other and falling in love amid the backdrop of a great setting, be it in America on a covered wagon headed west or in Regency England. Winning Violet is mildly spicy, but what else can be expected when discussing the propagation of roses? Becky loves to hear from her readers at beckylowerauthor@gmail.com. Visit her website at http://www.beckylowerauthor.com/

Winning Violet by Becky Lower

Everything’s coming up roses for an English miss and an American gentleman in this delightful new series from the author of the Cotillion Ball saga!

After British soldiers killed his wife and child during the War of 1812, Parker Sinclair vowed to never set foot on English soil. But as Thomas Jefferson’s landscaper, one must sometimes make the ultimate sacrifice. The last thing Parker expects to find is an educated English beauty who can teach him so much more than how to plant a magnificent garden.

An expert at cross-pollinating roses, Violet Wilson’s dreams of becoming the first woman recognized by the Royal Horticultural Society are fading because she’s afraid to leave the quiet solitude of her family’s nursery. Distrustful of men after a traumatic encounter, she’s not keen on disrupting her routine to help the American landscaper, but she soon blossoms under his kindness and respect.

As they fall in love, can this shrinking Violet take the risk of leaving behind all she knows for a new life with Parker? Or is he considering a different ending altogether?

You can find Winning Violet at Amazon

Warning for readers of sweet romance: this book may contain spicy love scenes.

 

 

A Writer’s Garden Begins Today–Through the Garden Gate with author Catherine Castle

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A Writer's Garden, author Catherine Castle, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Bidding on the Bouquet, garden tools for bad backs, long-handled pruner, spring cleanup, sweet contemporary inspirational romance

 

Welcome back 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 gardens—aka their books.

I have a great lineup of authors this year, some who’ve been on the blog before, and some who are new to A Writer’s Garden, so I hope you’ll join us every Thursday between now and October to learn about their gardens, flowers, and even see some gardens they’ve visited. You never know what you might find on the blog, but whatever it is, it will be garden related.

I’m starting the garden ball going with a peek at some of the spring garden cleanup in my garden. Spring hasn’t quite sprung in my neck of the woods. The grass isn’t rize, but I am wondering where the warm weather is.

What you see in the photo above is only a small part of spring cleanup I’m facing—the back hill. All that beige stuff is ornamental grasses and dead iris and day lily clumps. And if it doesn’t quit raining, snowing, and get warm enough to get out and work soon, I’m going to go nuts!

If you take a closer look below you can see the tall, dead weed stems that never got cut down last year.

My plan to hire landscapers to do a monthly hill cleanup died after the second hill cleanup bill came and I was suddenly out of money. So, I’m back to a do-it yourself-a bit-at-a-time plan. About 30 minutes at a time, because I’m a year older and my poor knees and back feel five years older and bend even less than they did last year.

And to top it all off, the hubby and I have decided that we—I should say he—has to build a small retaining wall at the bottom of the hill because the gully that carries the rain water from the houses above us is filling up with mulch and dirt rolling down from our hill.

Have I mentioned getting older as a gardener sucks? Especially when the siren call of the garden lures your poor aching bones outside and you see all those weeds and spring work! One of my life goals has been to garden until the day I die, and since I don’t plan on dying anytime soon, I’ve got to figure out how to accomplish that with an aging body.

I spent a great deal of time surfing the internet this winter looking for gardening tools for gardeners with back backs, and I found a couple of handy-dandy tools I’m going to try this year. One is a long-handled pruner that I plan to use to dead head and clip tall weeds with from a standing position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve already deadheaded the mums along the front pathway and clipped a few dead daisy stems on the opposite side of the path, reaching into the back of the bed, which is usually hard to get to. So far, I’m pleased with the results. The pruner is very lightweight and has a one-handed motion that isn’t too tight, so my hand doesn’t get tired. And with my raised beds I can stand in the garden paths and easily reach the flowers to deadhead them.

The other tool I bought is a push-pull hoe, also called a scuffle hoe. I saw a hoe like this at Disney World a couple of years ago and it looked like a dream to use. The Disney gardener was whacking off weeds in a mulched bed with a simple back and forward motion, which seemed to be much easier than hacking at the weed root with a traditional hoe. Yes, it doesn’t uproot the entire weed, but if I can hack them off below the mulch level, and do it standing without straining my back, I might be able to keep working in the garden all summer without injury. This particular hoe came with a long handle and a short handle, so I can work standing up or seating on the edges of my raised beds.

It’s been too wet to try the hoe, so I’m anxiously awaiting a dry spell when it’s not raining cats and dogs and hail, or it’s not snowing. Don’t laugh. It’s been doing all those in the span of a week–well, maybe not the cat and dog part, but it has been raining hard and flooding areas. We had 30 degrees Monday, 70 degrees Tuesday, a tornado watch that evening, freeze warning for Wednesday, 50 degrees today, and now they are predicting snow for Saturday. The only good thing about the temperature swings is when the snow does come, it’s a “Camelot” snow—it only stays on the grassy areas, leaving roadways and driveways clear.

Well, that’s all I have for today, but I’ll leave you with a quote from my garden calendar…

“You never saw anything so beautiful! It has come! I thought it had come that other morning, but it was only coming. It is here now! It has come, the Spring!”… Burnett

Hurry spring! Hurry!

Has spring come in your area yet?

 

About the Writer/Gardener:

Gardener/writer Catherine Castle has been gardening all her life in pots, plots, and wherever she can find dirt. Her favorite thing about gardening is the satisfaction she gets from a well-weeded flowerbed. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. When she’s not gardening she’s writing sweet and inspirational romance. You can find her books The Nun and the Narc, A Groom for Mama, Bidding on the Bouquet and Trying Out for Love boxed set on Amazon.

Her newest book, Bidding on the Bouquet, is a sweet, contemporary inspirational.

The chance to catch a bridal bouquet containing a solid gold rose makes underprivileged, down-on-her-luck grad student Marietta Wilson pawn everything she owns to come up with a bid to win a bridesmaid spot in the most prestigious wedding of the season.

When he discovers his sister is auctioning off bridesmaid spots in her wedding party, wealthy, elitist Chip Vandermere is appalled. Not only is it in poor taste, but no self-respecting lady would stoop so low as to bid. Convinced Marietta is a gold digger, Chip sets out to thwart her plans.

A social climber and a social misfit. Can a bridal bouquet unite them?