What Do Gardening and Writing Have In Common? by A. Catherine Noon

Writing and gardening require similar skills – the ability to start small and build, patience, and the focus on process over product.  If one plants something and weeds around it, waters it, and fertilizes on occasion, one will be rewarded with healthy plants.  If one brainstorms an idea, writes a rough draft, and edits it thoroughly, one will be rewarded with a novel.

Is it really that simple?

Yes, actually.  It’s something that I feel strongly about, so we gave this passion to one of the characters in Sealed by Magic.  We have Wiccans in the book and one of them is an older man, the mentor of our hero Zac, and he gardens with zealous attention to every detail.  He’s rewarded with happy plants, trees, and shrubs that are bushy and healthy.  

The best part about giving one of my hobbies to a character is that I get to do research on something I already enjoy.  I would dearly love to have the space to grow trees, for example, but I live in the city of Chicago and have a garden plot the size of a postage stamp.  Problem solved – I gave my ideal urban garden to Jerry, and he grows several different kinds of trees including a lovely hibiscus.

What about you, Dear Reader?  What’s the best character hobby you’ve come across in your reading?

And now, a little about Sealed by Magic, to whet your appetite:

Seattle has been at peace since before it was founded on the banks of the Puget Sound. The war between the witches and the snake shifters ended and they now live separate lives. Generations of distrust have kept them separated, until Ari Fitzgerald meets sexy Zachary Bennett, a young witch from the Queen City Coven.

Ari is the son of the lamia king. He needs to find the source of the black market trading in lamia venom before any other snake shifters are hurt, or worse. The young ones are most at risk, because their venom is more potent. Ari discovers the source is a witch and suspicion falls on Zac and his coven. Ari doesn't want to believe it.

Zac works for his brother-in-law, a powerful bear shifter who doesn’t care about shifter politics. When three coyote shifters come to town, looking for black-market lamia venom and a witch to kidnap, Zac gets caught in the middle between the bears, the lamiae, and the power-hungry coyotes. He's going to need all the help from Ari that he can get.

Ari and Zac must find the source of the venom before the city erupts into a dangerous war, with the two of them on opposite sides.


A.Catherine Noon
Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | LinkedIn | Pandora 





Sealed by Magic
by A. Catherine Noon & Rachel Wilder



Seattle has been at peace since before it was founded on the banks of the Puget Sound. The war between the witches and the snake shifters ended and they now live separate lives. Generations of distrust have kept them separated, until Ari Fitzgerald meets sexy Zachary Bennett, a young witch from the Queen City Coven.

Ari is the son of the lamia king. He needs to find the source of the black market trading in lamia venom before any other snake shifters are hurt, or worse. The young ones are most at risk, because their venom is more potent. Ari discovers the source is a witch and suspicion falls on Zac and his coven. Ari doesn't want to believe it.

Zac works for his brother-in-law, a powerful bear shifter who doesn’t care about shifter politics. When three coyote shifters come to town, looking for black-market lamia venom and a witch to kidnap, Zac gets caught in the middle between the bears, the lamiae, and the power-hungry coyotes. He's going to need all the help from Ari that he can get.

Ari and Zac must find the source of the venom before the city erupts into a dangerous war, with the two of them on opposite sides.





2 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me today, Brenda! I'm grateful to be here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome. happy to have you here :-)

      Delete