Coming up in February 2020
Struggling with a tricky assignment on a wild Scottish island,
Australian journalist Jasmine's almost literal lifeline is the sexy ferry deckhand.
But is he more than he seems?
Recently
I spent an enjoyable afternoon in a large local garden which is not
often open to the public. It's on undulating land, semi-rural on the
edge of town, with numerous mature trees, both Australian natives and
others including Californian redwoods. Swathes of grassy areas are
bordered with various flowers and shrubs; there's a vegetable and herb
plot, and a 'secret' walled garden. Several benches invite relaxing and
enjoying the ambience. Paths meander throughout; following one towards
the boundary, I came to a coppice which thinned out to reveal a shady
seat with an expansive view down over farmland to distant hills.
Sitting
on the seat was a woman writing on a tablet. Maybe she was writing a
novel, or a description of the garden, or a letter... Silence except for
a light breeze through the trees; a faint scent of eucalypts; the sheer
peace of the landscape shimmering in the heat. Since this grandstand
seat was taken, I continued my exploration of the garden while musing on
how such a setting for me would be a haven for creativity to blossom.
While
not a gardener by inclination, I do like my own small low-maintenance
garden to look attractive with its flowering trees, roses and pot
plants. I find inspiration in the colours, the textures, the shapes, the
delicate rose fragrance, and, too, the tiny honeyeaters feasting on the
nectar in the bottlebrush and grevillea blooms (Australian native
shrubs).
In
my contemporary romance novels, several main characters have
interesting gardens, and I enjoy researching these in person, from
books, magazines, travel brochures and the Internet; as I write, I
picture them in my head. I have been lucky with some personal research,
combining this with my love of travel. However, a visit to the Grenadine
islands, not planned for research as I did not have a West Indian
location in my story bank, resulted eventually in Where The Heart Is,
and Cameron's island garden. In this story, his and Cristina's garden
in country Victoria (Australia) couldn't be more different. His, 'a
tangle of jungle geraniums, buttercup bush and oleanders...a confusion
of trees tousled with dazzling climbing plants' contrasts with hers, 'a
teeming beauty of flowers with their faces to the sun, their zigzags of
colours cascading and blending...honeysuckle on the fence smells so
sweet and the air is full of bees'. (I am so envious of her garden!)
In Dancing the Reel, the
above-mentioned deckhand tends a garden warmed by the North Atlantic
Drift which enables palm trees to grow. My visit to a Scottish island
inspired the inclusion of such a garden into the story, though on my
trip no sexy deckhand/gardener appeared so I had to invent him (and gave
him more background that these occupations).
And
now, I must pay attention to my garden, specifically to dig up weeds
which seem to pop up overnight. After admiring the result of my effort, I
will spend time outside working on the next chapter in my current work
in progress.
Enjoy your reading.
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Am waiting for spring and the start of my garden which is mainly roses in many hues. Keep writing
ReplyDeleteThanks Janet,enjoy your springtime garden, roses are such special flowers. Priscilla
ReplyDeleteThank you for the garden insights. I love sitting outside...anywhere...and soaking up the sights. You made me jealous as were still in winter
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