Can’t Wait!

It’s PUMPKIN Time!

The weather is cooling…okay, maybe not cooling, really, but the heat wave is breaking. A bit. My cataract surgery is done and my eye healing well enough that I can risk dirt or debris being blown about, and the two together mean, I can start gardening again. I’m heading to Destin on Saturday (a 7 hour drive, eeek) to see my grandson, the adorable Kaelen Lake, and when I get back, I’m expecting to weed and prune like a thing possessed, and to start planting some new fall and winter goodies in my beds.

It seems like a very long time since my garden has looked good. Oh, wait. It HAS BEEN a very long time since my garden looked good. Hence the lack of posts and photos. But I’ve got both of my new books up and published on Kindle, and one nearly ready to go to print, so I’m somewhat caught up on my writing. It should be easier to find time each day to do a bit of yard work, and I’m soooo looking forward to it. Don’t you miss it when you can’t garden?

It’s nearly time for fall migrants and winter visitors to start showing up at my feeders, too, for a bit of extra color and interest. Things are happening! Life is moving on, in spite of some of the troubles in the country today. And if you look around you with an open heart and mind, you can still find the Magic in the every day world.

Magic is good. 🙂 (Almost as good as an ear kiss!)

Dancing With Wieners Star Maksim Hotdogski, and The Phantom’s Sir Hairy Potter of Sanford
Alias Maks & Potter

Wake-Robin Ridge

Summer Magic

Wake-Robin Ridge Has Gone Live on Amazon!

I know. Another post about my book, but I swear, this will be the last for awhile. I just wanted to make sure that I got the word out to all my followers that my book IS now available for download on amazon.com. 

I’m beyond excited! I knew at age five I wanted to be a writer, but got sidetracked somewhere along the way for a little while. Okay, for 64 years. But I am here to tell you, it’s never too late to follow your dream. I decided last October I was going to write a book, start to finish, and publish it on amazon. And this time, I didn’t let anything get in my way. I wrote. And wrote. And wrote. Thank God I had a good editor. She cut. And cut. And cut. And now, a tighter, cleaner version of Wake-Robin Ridge is ready to go.

The book was a labor of love set in my favorite part of the country, the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and I enjoyed every single moment spent telling this tale. If you like romantic suspense with a slightly spooky twist, it might be just your thing. I hope you’ll give it a try. If you enjoy it, please feel free to leave a review on amazon. (If you don’t enjoy it…don’t tell anyone, ever! Ha!)

Seriously, I do hope some of you will be touched by the story. It’s definitely not the high-action Urban Fantasy I like to read these days, but it is exactly what I wanted to write–a tale of love and redemption that just might offer a surprise or two.

Wake-Robin Ridge

Wooohooooo!

Just got my cover art last night, and I’m thrilled! Seeing it made me realize my lifelong dream is about to come true. I will be publishing the book on Kindle (probably this weekend) and will have a print version on amazon very shortly after, as well. I’m beyond excited. My cover designer (Nicki Forde at Nicki Forde Graphic Design) is the best, bar none, and I’m so thrilled that she was able to take my thoughts and make them reality. 

This blog will NOT become all about my book, believe me. Gardening and other miscellaneous general topics will still remain the focus. But I just had to share this news, and show off the cover of Wake-Robin Ridge. For those who don’t know, a wake-robin is a trillium that blooms in spring in the eastern part of the country. It’s blood red, instead of the white of most varieties of trillium, and one of my favorite mountain wildflowers. And yes, that is a wake-robin in the lower right corner of the book cover.

I will post updates from time to time, about the publication of Wake-Robin Ridge, and any special sales promotions, but as I say, the focus of this blog won’t change.  In fact, now that I’m wrapping up the publication, maybe my time will be a little easier to manage. I’ve missed my blogs a lot!

Strawberries by Tamara Madison

 

Strawberries

Fragole, fresas, klubniki, fraises—
is there a term that names them better
than strawberry? I think of sunshine
and straw hats, picnics, boating parties,
a barber shop quartet, homemade
ice cream, grainy and sweet, everything

warm, wholesome, innocent, old fashioned.
Near my house there’s a strawberry field
that begins its work in spring, the stray seeds
emerging unbidden in neighboring gardens,
on walkways, from cracks in the sidewalk,
the clean white petals yielding pale-green

hearts that swell, redden, and fill
with so much happiness to give in their sweet-tart
flesh, the fertile seeds that linger in your teeth
and remind you of a gentle time only moments
ago when you tasted the essence of summer
on your grateful tongue.

NOTE: Have you ever read anything that TASTED so good? I love this yummy, summery poem. To read more by Tamara Madison and other poets and authors, check out Summer: An Eclectic Anthology of Poetry & Prose, published by Silver Birch Press.

(Originally posted on Bookin’ It)

A Poem To Delight Gardeners . . .

. . . and lovers of SUMMER, everywhere!  This lovely poem, A Warm Summer In San Francisco, is included in the new Summer Anthology from Silver Birch Press. (I’m lucky enough to have three of my poems included in the book, as well, but that’s another story!)

Check it out:

A Warm Summer In San Francisco

And check out the Summer Anthology, too. It’s filled to the brim with poems, essays, excerpts from novels, and all sorts of yummy summer-themed goodies.

Summer: An Eclectic Anthology of Poetry & Prose (Silver Birch Press Anthologies) (Volume 3)

Is This A Great Birthday Present, Or What?

COMING SOON!

As if a March 16th trip to a Book Festival in Ft. Myers, with my best friend, and featuring many cool authors available for autographs and Q & A sessions, isn’t a cool enough way to spend the day before my birthday, I just found out the most exciting news!  Silver Birch Press announced the release of Green: An Eclectic Anthology of Poetry & Prose on Friday, March 15!  This book promises to be every bit as enjoyable as the Silver anthology was, and once again, I am absolutely thrilled to have had another poem included.  Wow!

Just when you think Life should be slowing down and getting a bit…oh, I don’t know…DULL, maybe?…it pops up and gobsmacks you with wonderful surprises like this! The Green Anthology includes poetry, short stories, novel excerpts, essays, interviews, and memoirs from over 60 authors in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Europe & Africa.  There will be work from long established writers (like my just about favorite poet of all time, Amy Lowell) as well as from newer writers (like…well…ME!) 😀

If, way back in high school, when I was doing reports on Amy Lowell’s most famous works ( Patterns or Purple Grackles), I had ever even though that something I wrote would one day be rubbing shoulders with some of her poems…well, I wouldn’t have believed it, I can tell you that. And yet, it happened. Life is good!

I will keep you guys posted as the release date nears, so that those of you who love anthologies as much as I do can head to amazon for your own copy. I know I’ll be buying several! (I love getting my Christmas shopping done early!) 😉

And for anyone who’d like to read “On The River,” my contribution to The Green Anthology,  click here.

NOTE: The date of release for The Green Anthology has been changed to March 15, making it just in time for my birthday weekend!  Yay!

(Reposted from Bookin’ It)

Christmas Poetry by Emily Matthews

“From home to home, and heart to heart,

From one place to another,

The warmth and joy of Christmas,

Brings us closer to each other.”

     – Emily Matthews