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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Elizabeth John, Forever Hold Your Piece, mystery, orchids, pictures of orchids, suspense, Sweet romance
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 Elizabeth John. She will be sharing orchids with us! Welcome, Elizabeth.
Thanks, Catherine.
For this blog post, I had planned to write about orchids. I know nothing about orchids, and you might wonder why I would choose this topic. The reason is simple. I love flowers and plants, including orchids, and have beautiful gardens on my property. But life changes.
Last year, much to our surprise, my husband and I became empty-nesters with no warning. Our son went on vacation to Texas and never came back. He enjoyed the area and decided to live there permanently. Our daughter began a new job and moved into an apartment closer to work. With this new found freedom, we suddenly found ourselves in a big, empty house.
Teaching full-time and writing keeps me super busy. The large yard requires a lot of maintenance. The vegetable garden needs constant weeding. The potted flowers want daily watering. Exhausting!
I’ve decided to downsize, and the first place I started was with the landscaping. I hired a company to put decorative stone in my front yard gardens and add low maintenance plants. My husband has been traveling so much for work, he didn’t plant his annual vegetable garden this year. Despite cutting back, the backyard has many bushes, trees, and flowers that are overgrown. We will tackle that project in the fall.
The problem is we want to see flowers. One solution we find helpful is to visit gardens. We adore Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania and especially like to go when they have their orchid display. Here are some pictures of orchids I took on my trip. (The orchid at the top of the page is also from Longwood Gardens)
My husband developed a passion for orchids and decided to try his hand at growing his own plants. Now, he’s a bit of an expert and has several growing in his business office. These are on his desk.
Soon he will be moving out of the building where he works and will bring his orchids home. He’s already buying attractive pots to transplant his orchids and getting ready to display his beauties in our house.
So much for downsizing the flowers.
Maybe I should sell the furniture first.
About the Writer/Gardener
Gardener/writer Elizabeth John has been gardening ever since owning her first home. Her favorite thing about gardening is seeing pops of bright colors in her flower beds. When she’s not gardening she’s writing sweet contemporary romances and cozy romantic suspense novels. You can learn more about her at http://www.elizabethjohn.com/
Forever Hold Your Piece
by Elizabeth John
Lily Becker believes the worst day of her life was when her fiancé stood her up at the altar. That is, until she stumbles upon his dead body in her family’s bridal shop. The shop becomes a crime scene, her business expansion plans tank, and brides demand back their deposits. Confused, scared, and certain that she is being watched, Lily struggles to keep her business and her life afloat.
PI Jake Ward, hired to find a priceless stolen painting, tracks the thief’s location to Lily’s small coastal town. As part of his cover, he leases the vacant bait and tackle shop next door to hers, unaware that she and her sisters had planned to rent the place.
The Chief of Police worries that someone close to Lily murdered her ex and he fears for her safety. The chief, a surrogate father to Lily, asks Jake to act as her bodyguard. Jake agrees and pretends to work on his business but never leaves her side. Although annoyed that Jake interfered with her family’s business plan, she admits that Jake makes her feel protected.
Jake and Lily can’t deny their attraction to one another. Lily decides to trust again as their relationship grows serious. The more time they spend together, the more they realize they are perfect for each other. Guilt eats at Jake’s conscience since he must lie about his true identity. Can he solve his case before he’s free to tell Lily the truth and she learns of his deception?
Forever Hold Your Piece, releasing September 12, is currently available for presale on Amazon.
Warning to readers: While this a sweet romance, the book may contain mild language in this book.
Elizabeth John
Tender Romances with a Touch of Intrigue
www.facebook.com/elizabethjohnauthor
@elizabethjohn34