My Volunteer Flower Garden

Hi everyone, Winnie Griggs here.

Unlike many of the other ladies who post here I do NOT have a green thumb. Mine, I'm afraid, is much closer to brown. That's why am so enamored of what I call volunteer flowers, those that just pop up on their own without any effort on my part. In the spring there are those lovely yellow daffodils.  And this time of year I always look for the first signs of spider lilies.

And today was the day I stepped out in my back yard and saw them!  With their blazing red color and slender, tendril like petals they are a sassy close out for summer and harbinger of the Autumn to come.  Here are a couple of pictures of the ones in my back yard.

I did a little reading up on spider lilies and learned that they normally bloom a few days after the first good rain in September, so I guess mine are a little early.

I also learned that they have several other common names (none of which I'd ever heard before) British Soldiers, Guernsey Lilies and Surprise Lilies. 

So are you a bona fide gardener? And how do you feel about 'volunteer blooms'?

TEXAS CINDERELLA - A September 2016 Release

In Search of a Groom 

After a life of drudgery on her family's farm, Cassie Lynn Vickers relishes her new-found freedom working in town as a paid companion for feisty Mrs. Flanagan. When her father suddenly demands she come home, she has no choice. Unless she can find a husband. If only she could convince handsome town newcomer Riley Walker to marry her… 

Riley is on the run. He's desperate to keep his niece and nephew safe from his crooked half-brother. But a delay in Turnabout, Texas, shows him everything he didn't know he was missing: home, family—and Cassie Lynn. Can he find a way to both keep the children safe and become her Prince Charming?

Writing A Small Town Series

Hi!  Winnie Griggs here.  This month the sixth book in my Texas Grooms series hit the shelves.  When I wrote the first book in this series, Handpicked Husband, I hadn't really intended to go past four.  But as I wrote these first four books, some of the secondary characters that popped up really captured my imagination and made me itch to tell their stories.  At the moment I plan to have ten total books before I wrap it up.

These books are tied together by community - they are all set in the fictional town of Turnabout, Texas with, of course, a common set of secondary characters. They are standalone stories and can actually be read in any order.  But trying to set so many stories in the same town can become a nightmare from the perspective of keeping up with characters, landmarks and town layout.

And, since I'm a visual person, I came up with a couple of documents to help me do this.  The first is a town map I drew up, and that I update with each book as I reference new areas of town or different businesses.  Here is what it looks like.

The second document I created contains the main characters, by book, including important dates.  It looks like this:

Having both of these documents handy when I'm writing new books in the series has really saved me lots of time, and prevented potential mistakes, as I write.

So what do you think?  Would these documents be of interest to readers who follow this series?  Is there other information that you as a reader would like to see all in one place like this?

And in honor of the release of Second Chance Hero this week, I'd like to give away a copy to someone who leaves a comment on this post today.

Winning the Widow's Heart 

To help his dying sister, Nate Cooper once broke the law and paid a heavy price for his actions. Now the ex-con turned saddler hopes for a quiet life and new beginning in Turnabout, Texas. Being declared a hero for saving a child’s life, however,  leaves Nate feeling like a fraud. 

Since the violent death of her husband, single mom Verity Leggett has attempted to lead a safe life, avoiding danger and excitement at all costs. And her daughter's handsome rescuer Mr. Cooper seems like a perfectly responsible man, one she can finally rely on. 

When his secrets come to light, however, will Verity be able to get over his past and see Nate for the caring man he's become? 

Fall in Georgia

Fall in Georgia

Missy Tippens

I saw Marta's beautiful post the other day and felt such a longing for the changing of the leaves. But I have to admit I don't relish the thought of cold weather. I prefer early fall, spring and even the heat of summer.

Still, there's something nice about the weather cooling (it was a wonderful 70 degrees as I wrote this Tuesday night), the smell of cinnamon and apples cooking, the smell of pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie baking.

Each year, our church's youth group sells pumpkins for a fundraiser. The kids work to make money to pay for their trips during the year--mission trip, retreats. We bring in hundreds of gorgeous pumpkins to sell.

When it's time to buy a pumpkin for our own front porch, the kids and I always go around and around about whether to get a nice round pumpkin. Or a tall, skinny one. Or a short fat one. A smooth one or one with bumps (we call warts). :) Personally, I like the short, squat, warty ones. And I love them to have a nice stem.

What we usually end up doing, though, is picking one pumpkin each. It's a nice way to settle the "dispute". And it is, after all, for a good cause! :)


Missy Tippens has a new release from Love Inspired this month!

The Guy Next Door

From Friend to…Fiancé?  

Stalwart and steady, Darcy O'Malley has been by Luke Jordan's side since childhood. She has seen him through trials and tragedies, romances and breakups. They've been everything to each other—except boyfriend and girlfriend. Why ruin a good thing? What Luke can't explain, however, is why suddenly Darcy's presence is making his heart beat so hard. Something has changed since he left Appleton, and it's making him uneasy. Is it possible his best friend is meant to be something more? Dare he risk their perfect friendship in the hopes of finding his perfect wife?

Spring Rains, Inspiration and a Giveaway

Hi y'all, Winnie Griggs here.

Recently I was procrastinating getting to my writing and looking for inspiration.  It had rained earlier that day so I got my camera out and decided to take a stroll around my yard and snap a few pictures.

I'm not a particularly talented photographer, but the point was not to take great pictures, but to observe my surroundings in new ways.

Today I thought I'd share with you some of the pictures I took that day.

This first one is of a wet leaf that had fallen onto my driveway.  I thought it was interesting, not only because of the sharp color contrast, but also because of the juxtaposition of the actual leaf with the imprints left by fallen leaves when the concrete was first poured.

This next one is of my magnolia tree.  It was the first time this spring I'd actually paused and noticed that there were blooms on the tree.  Aren't they lovely?

Just past my magnolia tree is the street that passes in front of my house.  When I glanced that way, I noticed a bird just standing there looking around.  I'm not really certain what kind this is but I thought it was very polite of him to hold still long enough for me to snap the picture.

Circling to the other side of the house, I saw this lone mushroom growing near a patch of clover.  Nothing really special about it except it caught my eye.

And here is a picture of an old stump hunkered down near the small creek that runs behind my house. It caught my eye as I remembered that its been holding its own there for many, many years and it never seems to change much.

I took many more pictures but these were the best of the lot.  And I will admit that by the time I went back inside my house I did feel refreshed, inspired and ready to write again.

So what about you.  Where do you go, or what do you do, when you're looking for a way to 'refill the well' or find fresh inspiration?

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And since I have a new book out this month, I'm planning to give away a copy to one person who leaves a comment on this post today.

LONE STAR HEIRESS (Book 4 of the Texas Grooms series)

       Awarded a 4 ½ Star review from Romantic Times 

Rescuer Turned Husband? 

Plucky Ivy Feagan is headed to Turnabout, Texas, to claim an inheritance, not a widower's heart. That all changes when strapping schoolteacher Mitch Parker rescues her in the wilderness. Straightlaced Mitch has never met a woman like Ivy—beautiful, adventurous and good-hearted—but he already lost love once and doesn't dare try again. 

When Turnabout's gossips target Mitch and Ivy's friendship, he proposes to save her reputation. But Ivy doesn't want to marry for honor, and she doesn't need to marry for money. Ivy will only agree to a proposal made for love's sake—but will Mitch make his heart part of the marriage offer? 

Texas Grooms: In search of their brides…

New Book and Exciting News...from Missy Tippens

Missy Tippens, here. Celebrating a new book from Love Inspired! I thought I'd share the wonderful cover. I can't wait for you to read and find out what special scene is depicted on the front. I won't give any spoilers, but it's a BIG scene! :)

Oh! And before I share the new book info, I wanted to share some exciting news with you. My last book from Love Inspired, A House Full of Hope, was named a Romance Writers of America RITA^® Finalist! I'm absolutely thrilled!

Now, the new book, Georgia Sweethearts...

A Pattern for Love…

After inheriting her great-aunt’s failing yarn shop, Lilly Barnes is determined to make it a success. All she wants is stability, something she doesn’t think possible in the small town of Corinthia, Georgia. Then Pastor Daniel Foreman rents space in her store to hold meetings for his growing congregation, and this proves to be her lifeline. At first Lilly wants nothing to do with Daniel’s big dreams, but she soon finds herself starting to share his goals. Yet trouble between her customers and his congregation make them both doubt the path they’re on. That is, until practical Lilly shows him that love is a risk worth taking.

Visit Missy at www.missytippens.com for more information or to read excerpts.

Kim Watters here.  Cancer. I shudder every time I hear that word, yet these days its almost as common as breathing. Every time I turn around, I know someone who knows someone with the disease.  As the mother of two young children, I can't even begin to know or comprehend what it would be like to have a child with cancer like my heroine does, and my heart breaks for those parents who do.  I pray daily that God helps us find a cure.

Writing And Father Makes Three gave me the opportunity to explore the complex subject of bone marrow transplants. The stories and testimonials were truly inspirational and humbling at the same time. A portion of the proceeds of this book will be donated to the Be The Match program to defray the costs associated with the testing. Straight from their website: "The National Marrow Donor Program ® (NMDP) and our Be The Match Foundation ® are nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating an opportunity for all patients to receive the bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant they need, when they need it."   http://www.marrow.org/

From a personal perspective, one of my dear friends from high school was diagnosed with Large Cell B non-hodgkins Lymphoma and needed to have a bone marrow transplant to put her cancer into remission.  In her honor, I have dedicated this book to her. Today she is in remissionand living life to the fullest.

And Father Makes Three
July 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0373877560
“Your Daughter Needs You.”She’s saved countless lives, yet there’s one person emergency room doctor Elizabeth Randall can’t rescue—her adopted daughter, Jordan. Perhaps meeting her biological father, Blake Crawford, will be the lifeline Jordan needs. The handsome, guarded firefighter takes risks every day. But facing the daughter he never knew—along with lovely Elizabeth—has him thinking about family. With fatherhood thrust suddenly upon him, there’s no way he can turn his back on his sick child. Will working together to give Jordan a second chance at life also lead them to a second chance at love?