The Power of Getting Outdoors: Breeding Creativity ... Delsora Lowe

Writing takes a special kind of creativity and tons of work. Writing means continual learning - everything from correct grammar, to researching your story topics and locations, as well as learning the tools of the trade from characterization, to correct flow of a fictional work, to dozens of other rules and implied rules of creative writing. Then one must also understand the differences in writing different genres, as well as learn the ins and outs of how to get published: whether working with a traditional publisher or learning all there is—every nut and bolt, and there are many—to self-publish a book. Then add learning all the ways to market, how to use social media and build a website, or put together a mailing list to start a newsletter, it’s enough to make one dizzy.

Hence, the excitement about the coming of spring, where getting outside on a beautiful day to take a walk is paramount.

Fresh air is good for you. Sunny days, and vitamin C, and walking the neighborhood are good for you. And there is no longer a hidden, skim of ice lying under dead leaves and pine needles to slip on.

But the best thing about getting outdoors on a beautiful sunny day, or on an overcast day that may produce a spray of moisture, is that it is good for your mental health.

And as a writer, what is good for my mental health, after a long winter, is communing with nature, clearing my head, breathing deep the scents of spring, waving hello to a neighbor, hearing the laughter (and, yes, screeches) of the kids on the playground of the school behind my house, and watching my neighbor’s yards transfigure from the deep browns and grays of winter, into the lush variety of greens that appear almost in front of my eyes. Spring shoots on new growth on trees, blades of grass fighting to appear against the weight of the brown or black soil, and those tiny shoots that are identifiable as a variety of plants that will soon cover our gardens in bright colors of every shade.

And this clearing my head and concentrating on the growth and metamorphosis around me, also helps to clear my brain, and allow the ideas to percolate just below the surface. Those creative ideas begin to push up through the packed soil of my brain, grow, and blossom into new ideas.

The power of getting outdoors, wandering at a snail’s pace or powerwalking at top speed, while watching the transformation from one season to the next clears the mind of clutter. And allows the ideas to sprout and grow.

What inspires you as the season changes from cold to warm to hot?

 

Starlight Grille

A Serenity Harbor Maine Collection

Welcome to Serenity Harbor, Maine, a small coastal town where the Starlight Grille is a favorite meeting place. This sweet, with a touch of heat, collection includes a new bonus short story and a Starlight Grille recipe.

The Legacy of Parkers Point

Two lives, one legacy—the lure of Parkers Point. One runs from … One runs toward …
Grayson Mann runs from a professional wound so deep he changes his career. Lauralee Adler runs toward a family connection, and a chance to save a family business and find her father.

Welcome Home

Coming home means second chances to open your heart, find understanding and love, and resolve the past.
Is Jim the one man who will understand and help Maurie heal from past mistakes? Will Maurie fill the space left from Jim’s long-ago loss?

Come Dance with Me

Improvisational jazz musician meets buttoned up English teacher—will the Christmas lights sparkle or shatter before the dance ends?
Sam’s mission to rescue Ashley from childhood fears has her running the other direction. Can what is done out of love tear apart a relationship, or forever cement a love that is true?

Moonlighting

A blast from the past, a ten-year old matchmaker with a valentine wish, an omission, and a villainous man…
a recipe for disaster? Or love against all odds?

When Tucker discovers the secret Mary Beth holds close to her heart, will love be enough to overcome broken trusts?

Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Starlight-Grille-Serenity-Harbor-Collection-ebook/dp/B07CN8JV2Z/

Books2Read
books2read.com/u/3yDjWe

 

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her new novella, The Love Left Behind, will release in late fall, 2020.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

PHOTO CREDITS:
Author at Work: free writing book clip art - Google Search

Creative Lawnmowing...Musings on a Summer Day ...by Delsora Lowe

Musings on a summer day, you say? But it’s February.

Despite the snow on the ground and the chill of winter in the air, I can still dream of the summer to come. Gardening. Mowing the lawn. Long walks without wearing eighteen layers. And summer may mean I am finished with book edits.

Frosty February

But it is February and I am ensconced in edits and a 30K writing challenge for the month, so I hope you don’t mind that I dug out an article I wrote a few years back. This piece won me a certificate for best article written for our state chapter newsletter, bestowed on me by my Maine Romance Writers. So…enjoy and dream of summer, as I tell you a bit about my writing methods.

And now for the article that fits our topic this month…marching to a different drummer.

Creative Lawnmowing – Musings on a Summer Day Originally released in June, 2008

What’s a May without the lawnmower not working? It sits in that cold garage all winter and craves exercise. When I finally haul it out, it moans and groans and hisses its dissatisfaction at having to work, until we change the oil, put new gas in it, sharpen the blades, and take a wire brush to the spark plugs. Then we’re off. Glad to be back at it.
 

Remind you of anything? That dry spell when our muse decides to take a mid-winter break?

By the time I get the mower in shape for the summer season it is mid-June, my grass is hovering half way up my calf, and the telltale signs of Black-eyed Susans and Daisies are popping up. Just like my writing muse, percolating with snippets of ideas. So, I mow around each stand of wildflower greenery. Then I wander off toward a tree and mow around that, before I realize I’ve veered off course. Seems I can’t mow a straight line to save my life.

As I was mowing my creative course around the yard, preserving the wildflowers and trimming around trees and gardens, it came to me—I mow like I write. I know where I need to begin and I know where I need to end—the garage in both cases. I also understand that my goal is to mow the entire lawn—complete the job.

I complete my mowing assignment the same way I write a book. I pull the lawnmower out of the garage and then I pantser (as in writing by the seat of my pants) my way across the lawn. I take the same side-trips I do when I write. Just like my characters take on a life of their own before I have to rein them in, my mower takes a trip of its own design before I have to straighten out in order to complete the task of mowing the entire yard.

My mower comes to obstacle after obstacle in my lawn—usually because I didn’t plan ahead. I didn’t take the time to pick-up the lawn before I started the mower. A downed limb, buried under the long grass, means I have to stop the mower to pick up the limb and toss it in the discard pile—interrupt my mowing pace. Or, I can choose to toss the limb aside in the area I just mowed, then go back and discard it later.

As a pantser writer, I usually get inspiration from a kernel of an idea, rev up the computer and start writing. I keep moving around the obstacles, highlighting them in yellow so I can revise later, and continue writing while my muse is comfortably seated on my shoulder. Who knows how long she’ll stay before she gets restless. Once that happens—once my muse has returned to the garage—I go back and do the tedious job of picking up and tossing the waste into the discard pile (my outtake file, since I hate to throw things away).

When I’m mowing and come to a stand of wildflowers soon to bloom, I take a detour around it. I preserve the waving green-leafed stalks, knowing they’ll blossom into something beautiful if I nurture them along. In my manuscript, these soon-to-blossom flowers are highlighted in gray before I move on with the story. Later I go back and ponder the best words to bring the bud to bloom, to give the sentence more pizzazz or deepen the character’s POV.

Now it’s mid-July. I’m back to mowing. We’ve finally had enough rain to encourage the grass to grow again after weeks of drought. My stands of Black-eyed Susan are in full boom. It’s easy to mow around them because I can identify them as blossoms, rather than trying to determine which leafy stalk lives or dies by the mower (or the outtake file). I’ve fixed the problems from my first draft. The editing and revising gets easier—I can straighten out the mower again. The repetitive motion of the lawnmower going back and forth along straight lines, frees my mind to daydream—conjure up the next bit of trouble I can throw at my character before we get to the big black moment and the happily ever after.

A Valentine Story – ON SALE until end of February

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Moonlighting-Serenity-Harbor-Novella-Starlight-ebook/dp/B075TK7KYS/

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/mZ5eop

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~
Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.
Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.

Social Media Links:

Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

Clip Art:

Purple Marching Band: http://cliparts.co/clipart/2383123

Lawnmower: https://www.clipart.email/list/lawn-mowing/

Flower: www.allthingsclipart.com/black.eyed.susan.clipart.htm

Winding footpath: https://www.dreamstime.com/vector-foot-tracks-footpath-perspective-walking-away-point-view-image99957323

Happy Trees: https://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/34958/happy-trees-illustration/

Say it with Flowers!

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

Aloha!

This month in honor of my new release, Islands Apart, we are celebrating all things Hawaiian. My novella,  Islands Apart is set in beautiful Honolulu, where I once lived eons ago.

http://amzn.com/B013U5ADOY

As an island girl I feel highly qualified to say that Hawaii has some of the most beautiful flora in the world. You're probably  most familiar with  Plumeria,  known as the lei flower.  Plumeria and Franchipani are actually the same flower and used in making traditional leis.  In addition to being pretty,  they have the most awesome smell. They also come in an assortment of colors like white, yellow, pink and red. Here's a pic of one of the leis sent to a winner at my recent launch party. 

And here’s our own blog queen, Judith Ashley  after getting leied. Judith won this lei at The Generista’s fourth anniversary Facebook party. Doesn't she look stunning?

Here's Franchipani or Plumeria from another angle.  This is the Franchipani tree growing poolside. While lovely to look at, and aromatic as they come, there are challenges. I've got to fish these flowers out of my pool each day and that's no fun!

Another lovely Hawaiian flower, and a  favorite, is the orchid. I’ll take orchids over roses any day. My collection is growing and when the bloom is off, I grow them outdoors. My secret - I do absolutely nothing to them except to twine them around the trunks of palm trees , amazingly they blossom.

Here’s a pic of one of the orchids growing in my backyard.

There’s a scene in Islands Apart where my hero, Caden comes to take my  heroine, Livvy to dinner and an orchid plays a part in the budding romance. Below you can find an excerpt from the scene.

“You’re throwing me to the wolves,” Livvy wailed, even as Mal pushed her out the door.

Somehow she managed to make it to the lobby without breaking her ankle.

 Caden waited, arms behind his back, in front of one of the overstuffed couches, looking so handsome that. Livvy’s breath hitched in her throat. He was wearing a jacket with a white polo shirt underneath and pressed jeans. He tucked an orchid behind her ear, making her feel like Diana Ross in Mahogany, the old movie about Billie Holiday; except Billie wore gardenias. 

 Livvy was  swept into Caden’s arms and kissed soundly on the mouth.

“Lady, you take my breath away. I can’t wait to show you off,” he said, whisking her toward the valet.

Another exotic flower is the hibiscus. In Hawaii they grow in abundance and are used even as hedges. The colors are unusual and no luau would ever be complete without the requisite hula girl with the flower tucked behind her ear. Isn't this sweet little girl just the cutest?

Of course, no woman’s life is ever complete until she receives an exotic Hawaiian bouquet.  These flowers last forever, and as my sexy hero, Caden knows,  what better way to apologize  to the one you love,  than to say it with flowers. 

Another excerpt from Islands Apart:

“Someone likes you. They’re beautiful,” the pretty Polynesian woman at the concierge desk said, when Livvy went off to claim her delivery.  The attendant struggled under the burden of an oversized arrangement consisted of trailing orchids, birds of paradise and anthuriums. “I can have the flowers sent up.”

Please let it not be from Thorne.   

With some trepidation, Livvy opened the accompanying card and read the message. Her cheeks heated up and her heart jumped.

Livvy,

I owe you and  Bryan a huge apology. Will you have dinner with me tonight?

I miss you,

Caden

 I hope this teaser makes you download a copy of Islands Apart. Be sure to enjoy the beautiful scenery and smell the flowers, and hopefully the storyline will keep you hooked.

.

http://bit.ly/1LnrFVx

 Mahalo! 

Here's a Blue Hawaii to keep you reading!

Romantically Yours!

Marcia

Teddy Bears, Hummers & Me!

by Diana McCollum

I love our garden. I say 'our' garden, but really it's my husbands gardens. His dedication to turning over the soil in the spring, planting, watering, fertilizing and weeding which gives us the beautiful different garden areas to enjoy.

I enjoy the flowers and the critters they bring in, Butterflies, frogs, lady bugs, deer, birds and humming birds.

Sitting on the back patio in the early morning, with a cup of coffee, and watching the Humming birds come in to feed is one of the most relaxing moments of the day. I can sit and watch them work for a few minutes or half an hour. It is the meditative time of the day for me. Just me and the hummers!

 leekris (Follow)

The Hummers have gotten so use to us sitting there next to the Black and Blue Stevia, they fly with in a foot or two of where I sit, and work the plants.

One day I was sitting in the garden, reading a book and a Hummer flew between my book and my face and hovered there. I saw his beak, very pointy, and his beady little eye up close and personal. The whirl of his wings sounded like a helicopter when he was that close to me. An amazing experience, I wouldn't have had but for our beautiful garden.

My favorite flower, I love them all, but my very favorite is the mighty Sunflower. My husband always plants a wide variety. This year my favorite is the Teddy Bear Sunflower.

August 2015 Teddy Bear

Sunflowers start out as a tiny seed. And from that comes a Gigantic stalk, sometimes as tall as 12 feet or more, with one or more buds. When those buds open the flowers are so big, and beautiful. We have ones from saucer size to dinner plate size.

We always have a mixture in our garden. There are the Teddy Bear, Regular giant Sunflowers, Brown, Red, single flower, multi-flower  and multi-colored.

The Sunflower brings in birds of all shapes and sizes, butterflies, and even the Hummers have been seen on the blossom.

The Sunflower heads are dried and saved for winter. My husband puts the heads back into the garden area to feed the birds during the winter.

Do you have a garden, and what is your favorite flower you grow?

GRATITUDE - THE VEGIE PATCH - MARGARET TANNER

 MARGARET TANNNER - FOND MEMORIES OF THE HUMBLE VEGIE PATCH.

I am grateful for many things. Good health, happy family and fond childhood memories. The thing that really sticks in my mind when it comes to gratitude is the garden of my childhood home, and the produce grown there. To say it was life-saving would be an understatement.

My parents didn’t have much money when I was young. I didn’t really think that much about it at the time, but as I grew older I suddenly realized that my mother was a genius when it came to running the household on meagre amounts of money. She was also a great cook.

My father returned from the 2^nd World War carrying injuries, the physical ones we knew of but not the psychological ones. He had a heart attack in the early 1950’s when I was very young, and he could no longer work. Things were tough as we had to survive on a small military pension. He should have received a much larger pension but somehow never did.

No matter how bad things got, we were never hungry or dressed in ragged clothes, and we had a roof over our heads. Luckily my parents had paid off our house before Dad got sick.

Dad had a wonderful garden and we were very thankful for the produce he grew there. Tomatoes were his speciality. He loved them and grew heaps of them. I can still remember the tomatoes, we ate them raw, in salads, cooked, fried, steamed. Green tomato pickle, tomato sauce, chutney, tomato relish. You name it, mum cooked it. She used to preserve tomatoes so we could have them all year long.  

Looking back on things now I realize I should be grateful for the humble tomato, it certainly kept our bellies full.  I can’t even recall how many different dishes mum used to make with tomatoes as a base.

Apples were another thing Dad grew well. We had about six different varieties of apple trees growing in the garden. Once again, Mum baked them, stewed them and preserved them. We used to pick them green sometimes and store them in the roof cavity of the house and they would ripen up there. They lasted for months. Potatoes were another one of his specialties. I firmly believe to this day that it was the garden that kept Dad sane. He used to spend hours there.

So, I am grateful for my mother’s cooking expertise and other housekeeping skills and my father’s gardening skills, otherwise life would have been grim.

My early upbringing has stayed with me and I think that is why I mainly write about heroines who are poor and doing it hard. I can’t remember ever having written a rich heroine in any of my stories. As for my heroes, well they are always rich, arrogant and tough men who are redeemed by a gentle heroine who is strong because she has overcome hardship.

In my novel, Falsely Accused, the heroine is exiled to the penal colony of Australia for a crime she did not commit. She has to survive the degradation and desperation of the convict ship, and once she disembarks, her problems increase a hundredfold.

FALSELY ACCUSED BLURB:

On board the convict ship taking them to the penal colony of Australia, Maryanne Watson meets the mysterious American, Jake Smith. They fall in love, but Jake hides a terrible secret that will take him to the gallows if it ever comes out.

On arrival in Sydney the lovers are separated. Maryanne is sent to work for the lecherous Captain Fitzhugh. After he attacks her she flees into the wilderness and eventually meets up with Jake who has escaped from a chain gang.  They set up home in a hidden valley and Maryanne falls pregnant.  Will Jake come out of hiding to protect his fledgling family? And how can love triumph over such crushing odds?

Available in print and e-book format.

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LEXEVES