Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Authors in Bloom Giveaway Hop!





Welcome, hoppers!

Now just because I only planted my first garden last summer, don’t think my post stop isn’t clearly the one you should read the most thoroughly and take to heart!

I have one stellar piece of gardening advice and here it is:
Leave. It. Alone.

Brilliant, right? Okay, maybe I should give a little background so you can appreciate the wisdom of those words.

I’ve had plants in my life. Lots, actually. And I’ve killed them all. Even my “indestructible” brain cactus grew some sort of fungus and died. (It may or may not be relevant that the rotting began after my cat ate a chunk out of the plant, but at least the cat went on to live a long and happy life.)

ANYWAY – last summer I finally identified the root (pun intended) of my planticide career: trying too hard. Every plant in my past passed because I over-watered, over-sunned, or over-thought it to death.

So when I began the garden, assuming nothing would make it, I planted a gazillion seeds and didn’t even dare hope for the best. But when I checked the pots days later, the seeds had magically ALL sprouted. And of course the first thing I wanted to do was, well, something. Water them, touch them, anything. But for once I decided to just leave them alone, and when I checked them again after the 2nd week, this is what I found:


Unbelievable, right? I actually ended up with so many healthy plants that I couldn’t fit them all in my garden plot!

But don’t cue the happily-ever-after music just yet. (Although you shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that I reverted back to my murderous ways, either!)

This is the point where a self-proclaimed gardener extraordinaire threw in her two cents about which vines needed to be cut and which plants had to be moved. Sadly, after following her expert advice, 7 of my 8 beautiful young pumpkins died, along with all but one of my watermelons and my entire cauliflower and pea sections. 

If only I’d left them alone, I could’ve raked in cash hand-over-fist at a roadside stand instead of ending up back at the market purchasing the fruits of someone else’s labor. Or non-labor, really, which is what I now know is the key!


But wait - there's more than just free advice here today;
there are prizes, too:

My giveaway here at BWATE? is a set of 2 ebooks (the first 2 of my SOLID series): 






AND Dianne Venetta is giving also giving away an EREADER and a $25 gift card to start filling it up! (Winning one prize doesn't exclude from winning the other; you can win both.)

To enter BOTH giveaways:
Follow this blog and leave a comment/question,
along with a way to contact you.


Optional Extra Entries:
+1 Follow on Twitter
+1 Like Solid Series on Facebook 
+1 Add series to your to-read list on Goodreads

Winners will be chosen from the comments ACROSS ALL OF THE PARTICIPATING BLOGS, so here are the notable points:

1. Leave a comment here that includes your contact email address.

2. Leave a separate comment for each additional entry (i.e. follow the blog and leave a comment that you did so, then leave another comment once you follow on Twitter, a third once you've followed on FB, and a final one for the GR add, allowing up to 4 entries here).

3. Visit as many of the other blogs as you can, leaving comments with contact information there as well.

4. The hop runs from April 10th through the 19th; last day to enter is April 19th. 

Good luck to you all - Happy Reading and Happy Spring!

 Participating blogs:






1. Dianne Venetta (INTL)  
2. Rose Anderson  
3. Margay Leah Justice  
4. Catherine Chant  
5. PJ Sharon  
6. Darcy Flynn (US)  
7. Katharina Gerlach  
8. Amy Saunders  
9. DarcyholicDiversions/Barbara Tiller Cole  
10. Sheila Seabrook  
11. Mina Khan  
12. Caron Rider  
13. Lakisha Spletzer  
14. Christie Palmer  
15. Karl Fields  
16. Beverly Nault  
17. Shelley Workinger  
18. Samantha March  
19. Cat Lavoie  
20. Courtney Vail - Gotta Have YA  
21. Lisa Lim  
22. Candy Ann Little  
23. Lynette Sofras  
24. Boys on the Brink  
25. Dee S White (INTL)  
26. Patti Callahan Henry  
27. Elizabeth Allen  
28. Maria Geraci  
29. Linda Andrews  
30. Mary L. Laudien  
31. Edie Ramer  
32. Kate Copsey  
33. Kate Austin  
34. Best-Selling author Jennifer Conner  
35. Anna Patterson  
36. Bestselling Author Danica Winters  
37. Sharon Kleve's Romantic Ramblings  
38. Jennie Bentley  
39. Leanne Tyler  
40. Stacy Juba's One Stop Reading  
41. Gemma Juliana  
42. Kara Ashley Dey  
43. Dey for Love  
44. Sara Walter Ellwood  
45. Jennifer Lowery  
46. Summer Kinard  
47. Tracy Solheim  
48. Alexa Grace  
49. Teena Stewart  
50. Cynthia Vespia - Author of Thrills and Chills  
51. J.D. Faver  
52. Laina Turner - Being Fabulous is a Skill  
53. Lise Saffran  
54. Ninette Swann  
55. Jencey Gortney  
56. Kaira Rouda  
57. A Cozy Readers Corner 
























































































































































































































































































































































17 comments:

  1. I follow you on GFC Savannah Miller

    I"m going to try my luck at pumpkins this year again they always seem to die on me :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. Followed you on Twitter (bookwormjen05)

    gimmethescoopreviews@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Planting some tomatos and cucumbers soon!

    gimmethescoopreviews@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I follow you on GFC laurie

    and this year i am trying to grow mint

    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks
    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I grow a small veggie garden every year and it's not that hard but watermelons doesn't grow n all kinds of soil. I've never had luck with them but tomatoes, corn, beans, cucumbers yes. Sharma Darby rdarby@roadrunner.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank y'all for stopping by!
    @Savannah - I hear the secret to pumpkins is turning them...although I'm sticking with a strict "no touch" policy this year. ;)
    @Jennifer - I've started my tomatoes, too, along with cauliflower, peas, and string beans!
    @Laurie - I did basil last year, but hardly used it; mint sounds like a fresher fun option!
    @Sharma - I am an amateur (leaning more toward idiot than learning) gardener and string beans are actually something I was very successful with. I did purple ones and not only did they pretty much grow themselves, but they turned out to be the coolest looking vegetable I've ever seen. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the giveaways! I like to take my dog for a walk in springtime. He gets too cold in the winter (and so do I; ) So, we wait until spring!
    I would also like to enter the grand prize giveaway!
    I also follow your blog via GFC: Meghan Stith

    mestith at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I follow via NB: Meghan Stith

    Thanks again!
    mestith at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  11. I tend to kill my plants too..(well my indoor ones), My outdoor ones are normally pretty healthy and grow yummy stuff as long as hubby doesn't get to happy with the weedeater or lawnmower (mowed my violets and strawberries down cause he thought they were weeds) Men... Lol thanks for being part of the hop.

    j.m.platt83@gmail.com

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  12. I've not had much success in the past with growing my own plants either...but I like your words of advice, and I will definitely take them to heart for when I get back into gardening :) I follow on GFC Thanks!
    oddball2003 at hotmail dot com
    sarah perry

    ReplyDelete
  13. I added your series to my goodreads list.
    GR name: sarah oddball2003 perry
    :)
    oddball2003 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. I would probably have a hard time leaving them alone if ever I start gardening.
    bituin76 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I can't even grow a house plant, seriously! LOL. Following via GFC and I'd love it if you'd come check out my post, too!

    http://www.ninetteswann.com/2013/04/authors-in-bloom-blog-hop.html

    ninette.swann at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for sharing! I will admit, i cant grow anything. I have want my family calls, the black thump of death. lol Plants wither in my presence. Though, ive tried tons of times to grow things, they just dont seem to take. And i love flowers. Big disappointment! :/ Thank you!
    GFC: Shadow Kohler
    FB: Shadow Kohler
    Goodreads: Shadow kohler
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  17. So sorry for the result delay; I was waiting to hear from Dianne to know the name of the grand prize winner.
    Unfortunately, that winner did not stop by here (Chris B.), but there is still a winner here of 2 ebooks and that is:
    Sarah Perry!
    Congratulations, Sarah, and I will contact you directly to coordinate the book delivery.
    Thank you again to everyone who took the time to visit me here at BWATE? - I do hope you'll come back again! Happy Spring, everyone. :)

    ReplyDelete