Mibby Garrett isn't asking for much, just a white knight to rescue her from lonely widowhood, her faltering garden design business, and an unrelenting drought. Or she'd settle for a super dad to guide her son, Ky, through the harrowing years of adolescence. Instead, her free-spirited mother and acerbic sister show up on her doorstep, only magnifying her loneliness. Mentor and friend Louise reminds Mibby that God's blessings flow during droughts of the land and droughts of the heart. Can Mibby put her confidence in Him and discover what it means to be always green and growing? Garden Gates Book 2.
It took me a while to develop the moxy to invite folks to read my writing. Actually, the painful and stomach-churning incident was forced on me by my creative writing professor in college, part deux. Being a teacher for four years toughened me up, so I decided to give novel writing a go. My first book, Like a Watered Garden, was published Jan. 2005 and Always Green followed in July. The third book, and the most challenging one to write, In Every Flower, comes out this fall. My editor at Bethany House had a little trouble convincing the publishing committee to look seriously at my first novel. "It's a story about a widow that makes you laugh a lot," she told them. I'm very thankful they gave me a chance.
What's next? I like to give my books a strong sense of place, so I'm starting research on an early 20th century story about southern Orange County, where I lived before moving to Colorado. At least, that's what I think I'm tackling. First, I'll have to wiggle my toes in the sand of San Clemente for some meaningful research.
