Hello Readers!
I’m H. R. Sinclair, an
urban fantasy author and artist living in New England. When I need a break from
scribbling words down or splashing paint around, I turn to my garden. Digging,
planting, and even weeding are cathartic for me. It might not be a surprise
that my main character in my book is a professional gardener.
Until I started gardening,
there were some things I didn’t know. For example, I thought annual plants were
strictly for one season while perennials came back every year. Imagine my
surprise when the ‘annual’ pansies I planted came back the following year and
all over! It was a good surprise.
Annuals can “come back”
the next year. The plants die, but first they drop their seeds all over the
place, and those seeds grow second generation plants. Perennials go
dormant. Their above-ground parts wither and fall back to the ground. They regrow
the following year.
Here are things I learned:
·
Chrysanthemums
start blooming in late July. I thought they were only a fall flower.
·
Hydrangeas’
color depends on the pH of your soil. Acidic soil yields blue, alkaline soil
yields pink, neutral yields purple or a mix of pink and blue blooms. (I don’t
know about those white and yellow ones!) The color change is because those
colorful petals are actual sepals (a type of leaf). Side note: I just learned
my soil is neutral. 😉
·
Bees nap in
flowers.
My
Top Tips for Gardening
·
Know your
plant zone and your first frost and last freeze dates. This lets you know when
to prep for spring and winter.
·
Learn when or
if to prune your plants.
·
Mulch is a
multi-tasker. It helps suppress weeds, keeps the ground moist on hot summer
days, protects your plants from the winter freeze, and it will decompose into
your soil, providing nutrients. Be sure to use organic mulch as the other kind
won’t break down.
·
Sow seeds in
the morning, transplant in the evening. The seeds need the warm sun for a good
start, while transplants need the cooler weather so they don’t go into shock
and wilt, change color, drop leaves, and die.
·
Water plants
in the morning. Watering in the evening can lead to rot, fungal disease, and
insects.
Tell me, are you a
gardener? What’s your favorite flower? Mine is the dahlia.
Excerpt:
Small colored flecks danced in the sunlight. They darted back and forth. They rushed me, encircling me, round and round, faster and faster, creating a whirlwind of color that made me woozy. I began swaying before the flecks scattered. They swooped and gathered in front of me, coalescing into the shape of a small, translucent woman. She hovered several feet off the ground, sparkling like multicolored glitter and moving like an ethereal ballerina.
When she spoke, it echoed a thousand voices speaking in harmony. “Fáilte. Welcome. We are the Breena. You are of Andraste.”
“I’m Katie.” Wariness crept into my voice. The family books read Andraste. “Yeah, I think I’m Andraste.”
“Yes. You wear the Taith, a gift of the Breena.” She gestured to the traveling boots. “We are pleased to see them in this form. It has been long since the clan Andraste has visited. Tell us, what has become of sweet Clara and her quest?”
She—they—knew Clara? “I’m sorry, she died.”
“That is unfortunate. We liked Clara. You are taking up the quest?”
My stomach dropped. They may have said it as a question, but it sounded like a statement. “I ... I didn’t know my Aunt Clara, and I don’t know anything about a quest. I’m not the right person to talk to.”
“Yes, she was given the quest. As she is no longer, the task falls to the next in line.”
“Is this an optional type of quest?”
“It is your charge.”
“Well, I’m not the next in line. That’s probably my uncle. I’ll put him in touch with you.”
The Breena moved closer to me. One of the little flecks zipped from one side of her face to the other. “You are next in line. You wear the blessing. You are of Andraste, Keepers of Secrets, Guardians of Mamwlada. You are the Legacy. Protector of the Light. You will take up the quest. Find the Oubusch. Find the Others before the gates open. Stop the disciples of Morus.”
“Find what now?”
“Find the Oubusch. Find the Others before the gates open. Stop the disciples of Morus before they break the lock.” The Breena’s voice reverberated off my skin.
I swallowed. “Who’s Morus? What gate? What others? What’s an Oubusch, and how do I find it?”
“The Oubusch will lead you to the Others. Find the Stone, find the Others.”
“But how?”
“Open the box. Use the sundial.” The words rhythmic like a song. Her essence oscillated, and her form began to melt away.
“Wait, what box?”
“What is there is here, what is here is not there. You must hurry, time is ending.” With that, the flecks disbursed, and she was gone.
“Wait, please, I don’t understand.” No one answered
1 comment:
Thank you for hosting me!
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