Happy Birthday IWSG!

 

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is celebrating 15 years! I remember when it was first started by Alex Cavanaugh. Hard to believe it has been that long! Many of us who are part of it can attest to what a positive experience it has been. So many friendships, so many writer opportunities, and so much knowledge shared about the publishing business and the craft of writing. If you're not already a part of it, you can join here.

To celebrate, Alex has asked members to share their books with links. The idea is for each of us to visit our blogger friends and support them by purchasing their books. Reviewing them is optional, but I plan to review every one that I buy. Reviews are so important for authors!

Here is my list:

I'll begin with the Bubba and Squirt books. These are middle grade stories about two siblings who travel through a vortex and arrive in different countries. They have an adventure while learning about the language, history, and cultures of the country. The series is published by Dancing Lemur Press. I participated in a IWSG Twitter Pitch many years ago. Diane Wolfe, the owner, who is also an IWSG member, liked the pitch, asked to see the manuscript, and the rest is history. I am so grateful to IWSG and Diane for this opportunity! Diane also has several excellent books of her own, so be sure to check them out!

These are all universal Amazon links: 

Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China

Bubba and Squirt's Mayan Adventure

Bubba and Squirt's City of Bones

Bubba and Squirt's Shield of Athena

Bubba and Squirt's The Legend of the Lost Pearls

If you'd like to read all five books in one, check out

Bubba and Squirt's Adventures Around the World    

I also write picture books. Here are the links to those. All are universal links except That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN and That Mama is a Grouch. Those were my first two books and are only available as paperback books.

Happy Birthday to US! 

Ten Zany Birds

Don't Feed the Elephant

That Mama is a Grouch

That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN!

Finally, one of my stories, The Ghosts of Pompeii is in a IWSG anthology called, Voyagers, The Third Ghost. IWSG used to have writing contests, and the winners would have their stories published in an anthology. This particular one featured ghost stories.

Congratulations to IWSG on their 15th Anniversary! Thanks to the admin team for all their work!

We also have a question of the month:  What character archetype do you gravitate toward when you write? Since I write for younger people, the characters in my stories are young people. The oldest main characters would be in the upper teens, but most are early elementary to middle-grade.

Gardening Tips:

Since this is a gardening blog, here are some gardening tips for you: Grow tomatoes with basil, lettuce, and cucumbers. Conversely, don't grow cabbages with tomatoes. They compete too much for space and nutrients. Consider adding marigolds and nasturtiums to your vegetable gardens to attract bees and butterflies.  

  

Gibbs Gardens

 

Founded in 1980 by Jim Gibbs, owner of Gibbs Nursery, Gibbs Gardens began as a 300-acre private family estate in Ball Ground, Georgia . It was Jim's dream to create a world-class public garden. For more than 40 years, he designed and developed the land, expanding to 376 acres of landscaped gardens adjacent to spring-fed streams, ponds, and lakes. Today there are 24 garden venues, including the Manor House Gardens, Monet Waterlily Gardens, and Japanese Gardens.

 The gardens are open March through June, Tuesday-Sunday 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM and July through November, Wednesday-Sunday 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Cost of admission is $25 per adult.

When I visited in August, I found the gardens in full bloom, colorful and loaded with butterflies. The place is well-marked with signs, and a map is provided, so you shouldn't get lost. I've heard it's beautiful in the fall as well, so I plan to go back. If you visit north Georgia, be sure to plan a visit.

  

And now for the IWSG question of the month:  Is there anything I regret as a writer? Hmmm. Perhaps there are two things: Not thoroughly researching the publishing industry before I began. I just jumped into it while in a completely sleep-deprived state. Probably not the best move. I think I would have tried to secure a traditional publisher with my first book or formed my own publishing company to have full control of my work. I also think I would have not spent so much money on marketing. You can spend a fortune, and never see it paid back in earnings. What about you? If you're a writer, do you have any regrets?   

  

Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens

 

The Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens is located about ten miles southwest of downtown Savannah, Georgia. It's a fifty acre garden which is part of the University of Georgia.

The garden's collections began in 1890 when Mrs. H. B. Miller planted three huge Japanese timber bamboo plants. They had become a substantial grove in 1915, which got the attention of botanist, David Fairchild. His friend, Barbour Lathrop, purchased the site and added to the collection. In 1983 it was deeded to the University of Georgia and is part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Today the garden has over 100 kinds of bamboo, making it the largest collection open to the public in North America.

While the gardens are noted for the remarkable bamboo collection (and bamboo maze), there are plenty of other flowers here.  There's a Mediterranean garden, a water garden which showcases a nine-foot waterfall, an orchid greenhouse, and a cottage garden with a white gazebo which is a popular site for weddings.

The gardens are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday from 10:00 - 5:00, and Sunday from 12:00 - 5:00.  Admission is free.

Today's IWSG question is, "Is there anything you'd like to change about the publishing industry?"

I'd like to change the trend of short picture books with simple language. Kids need more complex words to help build their vocabulary. Look at Make Way for Ducklings. Now that's a classic with some substance! What would you like to change?   

Tips for "Senior" Gardeners

 

Gardening is one of the most common leisure activities for older adults. The benefits are numerous:  stress relief, exercise, and regulation of emotions. However, with aging, seniors may develop mobility, functional, and physical limitations. Here are some tips that can help older folks enjoy their time in the garden:

1. Protect your skin. Wear long sleeves, gloves, and pants. And of course, use sunscreen.

2. Limit bending over by using a garden bench or seat and long tools for weeding.

3. Keep tools handy on a garden belt or rolling cart. 

4. Mulch in order to prevent weeds.

5. Break down gardening tasks into 20-30 minute increments.

6. Counter the effects of gardening with swimming or yoga.

7. Use raised garden beds.

8. Recruit help if you're not able to complete a task.

9. Take breaks to stretch.

10. Change your body position and grip during longer activities.

You are never too old to enjoy gardening and having the satisfaction of watching plants grow. These tips should help you enjoy gardening all through your senior years. 

This month's IWSG question is, "Do you get your story ideas from one place, or all over the place?"

I get mine from life, which for me, tends to be "all over the place." Many of my picture book ideas came from being a parent. My middle-grade Bubba and Squirt Adventure books came from my travels around the world.  Some ideas come from what I see or what I read. Living brings all sorts of inspiration! Where do you get your ideas?

One more thing today—My book Happy Birthday to US! is in All Author's Cover of the month contest. If you like it, please consider voting for it. (You can vote anonymously.) Here's the link.

 

 Thank you!

 

Tips for Getting Kids Interested in Gardening

 

Gardening is a fun way to engage kids in hands-on learning and teach them important life skills. Gardening provides a comprehensive experience that fosters a love for nature, curiosity, and responsibility. Here are a few tips that can engage kids in gardening and make it an exciting, educational journey:

Plant Easy-to-Grow Plants:  I'd recommend sunflowers, marigolds, or zinnias. They are vibrant and grow quickly. In the vegetable department, check out tomatoes, beans, carrots, or lettuce. These grow quickly, allowing kids to harvest them in a few weeks. Let kids participate by digging, planting, watering, and caring for the plants. A plus is that kids tend to be more interested in eating vegetables that they've planted. 

Make it Fun and Creative: Have themed gardens. My kids loved fairy gardens with miniature decorations. Plant a pizza garden with tomatoes, basil and peppers. Create colorful plant markers to label the plants. Make a seed bomb by mixing clay, compost, and wildflower seeds into small balls which kids can leave in various areas of the garden. Let the rain wash the clay away and see the flowers grow and blossom!

Make it Educational: Explain how plants need sunlight, water, and soil to thrive. Introduce concepts like photosynthesis, pollination, and composting. Teach kids about insects like bees, butterflies, and ladybugs and how they help plants.

Gardening allows kids to learn how to care for plants and gives them a greater appreciation for the world around them.

Today's Insecure Writer's Support Group question of the month is, "What was the most inspiring feedback you've received from readers?" Well, I've gotten a lot of great reviews for my work. I appreciate every single one of them! But the biggest and most helpful feedback I got was from a publisher when I was submitting Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China. He said it was good, but that I should change the point of view to make it first person, alternating between the two protagonists.  It was originally a third person point of view. I took his advice to heart and rewrote everything. It made it a lot better! Not long after that, it was published!

What about you? Any inspiring feedback from readers?

A couple more things before I go...   

Happy Birthday to US! is on tour, and there's a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card (and signed copies of the book). If you'd like to enter, go here:  https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/happy-birthday-to-us-by-sherry-ellis-awareness-tour/

And I just performed Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody arranged for Viola and Orchestra with the Gwinnett Symphony. If you'd like to see the performance, go here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoralI5HD6o

Garden Scents for Every Season

 

We often think of gardens as sensory experiences for our eyes. But gardens can also be sensory experiences for our sense of smell. Here are a few flowers that you can incorporate in your garden to enjoy their beautiful fragrances throughout the year. 

Winter 

Daphne Odera pictured above, is a real treat. It flowers in January and February when the weather is dreary and cold. It has fragrant, white to pink flower clusters and grows on an evergreen woody shrub. It likes part sun and part shade. 

Spring

Star Jasmine is an intensely fragrant, evergreen vine with white flowers, opening in late spring. It is excellent on trellises or fences. It prefers four hours of morning sun.

Summer

Gardenia comes in a variety of sizes and is perfect for the front of a border or along a sidewalk or pathway. All are evergreen and have white flowers that come in a variety of shapes with a recognizable aroma. An added bonus is that deer don't like the smell. I have found that gardenia are terrific for planting around hydrangeas (that deer like). It helps keep those oversized rodents away. 

Fall

Sweet Autumn Clematis is a vigorous vine with masses of small, white fragrant flowers. It's perfect on a trellis or fence.

Of course, depending on where you live, you can find many more fragrant flowers to enjoy throughout the year. Do you have any favorites?

And now for the ISWG question of the month: If you have a playlist that either gets you in the groove to write or fits with one of your books, what songs are on it?  Well, I honestly don't write to music. I prefer silence so I can hear the voices in my head. (Does this mean I'm crazy?) But, if I were to have songs, I'd listen to Sia music. Like Titanium and Unstoppable.  What about you? Do you have a writing play list?

 

Lotusland

 

If you want to see a rather eclectic garden, visit Lotusland in Santa Barbara, California.  This 37 acre garden was created by Madame Gann Walska, a polish opera singer and socialite.  She started the garden in 1941 and worked on it for the next 43 years.  The garden was open to the public in 1993.

Visitors will see all kinds of interesting things, such as a forest of dragon trees, avenues of succulents, weird little garden gnomes , a huge clock made of flowers, and a lotus pond.

The two-hour tour of the garden is by appointment only.  These are given Wednesday through Saturday between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM.  Admission for adults is $35.00.  If you would like to schedule a tour, call 805-969-9990.

Today's IWSG question of the month is, "What elements  do you include in a book launch?" I always do a social media (and email) promotion which includes a cover-reveal and a countdown. Sometimes, I'll have a cover vote to spark interest. I also do an online book tour. I've used Silver Dagger Tours and The Children's Book Review Awareness Tour. The first is inexpensive. The second is expensive, but more effective in getting the word out and getting reviews. I also contact reviewers to try to get pre-publication reviews. I've been doing Authors in Grocery Stores book signings at Kroger. That's been a great way to get my books out there and make sales.

What do you do for a book launch?