Really Random Tuesday #80: Gardening Fun, Yellow Flowers, and a Book Winner

Tiny milkweed plants

Cherry tomato sprouts

Strawberry plants ready to be potted

Now that Easter is past, I hope the spring weather has arrived for everyone, and that the warmer days will inspire gardeners to get outdoors and spend time in the garden.  We're lucky in Southern California as the weather is usually mild, and even though we have a lack of water, it's easy to have a garden year-round.  Much to my surprise, I've been able to grow many herbs outdoors, including oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, and basil, which have been thriving in my garden.  Even my lavender plant looks healthy!  Currently, I'm thrilled that my cherry tomato seeds have sprouted, as well as the milkweed seeds I planted.  There's something especially wonderful about growing plants from seeds.  I'll leave the cherry tomatoes in pots, but hope to be able to transplant at least some of the milkweed to the milkweed section of my garden, when the plant are larger and stronger.  Some of my mature milkweed plants have disappeared, mysteriously, but at least I have two healthy looking plants left, to attract the monarchs.  I suspect one of the outdoor feral cats removed the milkweed plants, although I'm not certain.  (This sounds like it could be a storyline in a cat cozy mystery: The Case of the Missing Milkweed: A Meow Mystery.)  I'll plant the strawberry plants in the planter after I drill some drainage holes in the bottom of it.  I haven't had much luck growing strawberries in the past, but I can't resist trying again (hope springs eternal).  If you enjoy gardening, what do you like to plant in the springtime?

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Yellow flowers are supposed to make you feel happy (or happier).  At the very least, they signify spring.  I photographed these cheerful yellow roses with my phone at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, during the recent Key Club convention (I went along as a chaperone).  The tulips are a lovely Easter hostess gift from my sister-in-law's parents.  I love the color!  I'll plant the bulbs outside after the blooms are gone, to enjoy them next year.

  
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Traveler is the randomly chosen winner of The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson.  Congratulations!  I hope you'll enjoy the author's new novel.

If you didn't win this book, please take a look at the other book giveaways listed on the right side of my blog.  I update this list frequently as a courtesy to my readers.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. I often announce my book giveaway winners in these posts. If you have miscellaneous book news to gather up and are inspired by this idea, "grab" the button for use on your own blog, and add your link to the "master" Mister Linky on the Really Random Tuesday page.

Thanks for reading!  Your comments are welcomed.

On Surfing: A Guest Post by Holly Peterson, and a Giveaway

Holly Peterson is the author of the best-selling novel The Manny, published in 2007.  Last month, I participated in the cover reveal for her new book, The Idea of Him, and today I'm honored to feature her guest post on an unexpected topic.

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On Surfing: A Guest Post by Holly Peterson

Many people don’t know that I surf.  Or that I started when I was 42 years old.  It’s a pretty crazy story that is very much linked to my writing this book.  I have to go back and tell you in my thirties, like so many women, I was charging ahead at full speed and had very little time to reflect.  Now I understand that was intentional. Three kids, a horrible Manhattan renovation, a job working for a very demanding magazine, and a beautiful sister-in-law who was dying of breast cancer.  All at once.  I had no time to breathe let alone manage the sadness of Meredith being ill.

Instead, I rushed full speed ahead to just tap dance as best I could.  That August when Meredith was really dying and there was no denying it anymore, I got into the Atlantic Ocean on a clear day in Long Island, paddled out for a surf lesson, got pushed into a wave, and actually stood up on my first try.  It was just exhilarating.  I did it again, and again, and again.  And then I started going in every morning and afternoon to feel that rush…always with an instructor pushing me into waves which is fully cheating on a major level…but the point is I was standing on the board for maybe a dozen waves an hour and I didn’t care how I got in them, just that I was doing it.

I started to realize it wasn’t the surfing so much as the slowing down to reflect.  It was also the saltwater.  I believe saltwater heals.  I also think since we all came from water, that there’s something “amniotic” about floating around in water…yes, it feels like the womb somehow and we get very elemental out there in those waves.  Surfers are so nuts about their time in the water and I think it's some kind of magic nirvana out there we feel that is linked maybe 40% to the sport and 60% to the craving for the sloshing of the ocean around us.

In the water that summer, I started coming to terms with some very important things in my life.  How I needed to be on my own, how my marriage, while a great partnership, was not fulfilling either of us, how terrified I was of taking a leap out of it…all those fears and tears I put into a novel called, THE IDEA OF HIM.  It’s out this week and the protagonist Allie is facing a tough marriage, a possible divorce, a soul mate from her past who haunts her and a new sexy guy who taunts her…most of all, she’s dealing with trying to find happiness for herself.

Like so many women, Allie’s trying hard to make things work well for her family, but the stumbling blocks are just huge.  Her swirl of emotions, her escape from her past, her fears of being on her own…are not “mine” per se…but I know I created a relatable, likeable character in Allie that so many women out there will feel for and relate to and laugh and cry with…and root for and she finds strength to make some better choices for herself.  I hope everyone takes some time to reflect through sports or hobbies that they feel passionate about.

Holly, I sometimes kid around and say that I want to be a blond surfer in my next life--it sounds so appealing!  Whenever I spend time in the ocean, (which is not very often, even though I live in CA), I don't want to get out of the water, because it feels so incredible and natural to me (as it did when I was child).  Thank you for this guest post, and best of luck with your new book!

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Thanks to Teddy from Premier Virtual Authors Book Tours for including me on the tour for Holly Peterson's new novel, and to both Teddy and the author for offering a giveaway for one copy of The Idea of Him (U.S./Canada only).

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment. 
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. 

Enter by 5 PM PDT on Monday, April 21.  One winner will be selected randomly and announced on Tuesday, April 22.  Please visit the other stops on this book tour for The Idea of Him for reviews and other features.  Thanks for reading! 

The Idea of Him: Cover Reveal

The Idea of Him, the new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Manny, Holly Peterson, will be released on April 1.  The Idea of Him is women's fiction about "the dangers of falling for the idea of a person, and why facing reality is more liberating than we ever dreamed it could be" (description from the author's website).   I'm featuring the cover of this book as part of the The Idea of Him Virtual Author book tour.  I think it's a pensive and fitting cover.  What do you think?  Next month, I'll present a guest post by Holly Peterson.