Dear Friends,

Thank you for your letters, cards, gifts and inquiries about whether I am still residing on planet earth. YES! I’m here and keeping busy. Thanks to questions from many of you, including Vee (A Haven for Vee blog), my old pal Susan Branch, and so many others, I thought I would send you a quick note.

Life has been good and full, too full sometimes, but I am grateful for everything good that comes my way.

My newest book, Running Out of Night, now a Yearling paperback, has opened so many doors for me. School visits (sometimes with hundreds of students), classroom visits, author days, and library talks have been a wonderful challenge and more fulfilling than I could’ve ever dreamed.

I still do talks for gardening and nature, and recently did three talks at the 25th Annual Visalia Springfest Home & Patio Show in California. I met many new readers, but I also got a chance to visit with people I knew from my old days at Heart's Ease in Cambria. Dear, dear people, and so appreciative of everything. Thank you for not only making me feel welcome, but also loved. (Rachel Snodgrass, you were the crowning glory).

When I present talks to large groups, I always like to have something special for the teacher and the students. Recently, I was given a complimentary sampling of wooden, book shaped flash drives with one of my illustrations and my name printed on the cover. I am able to offer this to teachers, who may want a copy of the program I present. If you are interested in ordering some of the flash drives with your design and name on them, here is the ordering information from USB Memory Direct (http://www.usbmemorydirect.com)

For students, teachers, and my readers, I have drawn and painted a new fox bookmarks. When I visit groups, I’ll tuck a bookmark into each book as a useful keepsake. (Thank you to my husband, Jeff Prostovich, for the great design).

If you’re reading this and would like some bookmarks, please send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Sharon Lovejoy, 495 Buena Vista Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, and I will mail some out to you.

I welcome your e-mails and letters. Thank you for your loyalty and caring.

Love across the miles,

Sharon

Do What You Love!

Happy 11th birthday dear little book. Thank you readers!

Welcome to the world, Running Out of Night (Yearling) in paperback! 

Dear Friends,

No excuses except one. Somebody needs to invent a 36 hour day! Period. Never enough time to do all the things you need to do and all the things you want to do!

January

What a wonderful month. I was one of the luckiest people in the world. I got a chance to work with fine authors, Sara Louis Kras, Sherri L. Smith, and James Burks at the annual Author Go Round for Santa Barbara County Department of Education. 

James Burks-Fabulous illustrator, cartoonist and graphic novelist. 

Sara Louis Kras. She is an explorer extraordinaire with lots of courage. Face offs with monitor lizards (behind her) and polar bears are just some of the things she writes about.

Award winning author Sherri L. Smith. Her fantasy and fiction books are gripping.

One of the happy audiences. Let's face it, every kid loves a day off from school and a chance to do something different in a new place. They're loving this experience.

I visited with hundreds of students, teachers, librarians and parents from 75 schools. Every day of the week was crammed with adventures and new beginnings.

Each author had a large booth with an area to set up books, art work etc. Groups of 25 to 30 kids, parents and teachers would cram into the booth and ask questions about book writing, reading and jobs. So inspirational for me and I hope I inspired a few of the kids too.

February

A month to work, work, work on my new book and a month to give a couple of small talks to groups and to do some more wonderful book club SKYPE interactions. The questions thrown at me by the kids were great. Here I am with a group of students and the little hummingbird (right window pane) is watching the goings on.

SKYPE Book Club 

...and Kiddie Writers met at my home for a "class" with Newbery Honor author Kathi Appelt. We did that via SKYPE too. Amazing! Left to right-Sherry Shahan-Ice Island, Frozen Stiff, Skin and Bones and more), Me, Elizabeth Spurr-At the Beach, Farm Life, Wind, Snow, Perrier the Pig and more, Cindy Rankin, her new book, Under the Ashes will be released in October by Whitman Publishing. Helen K. Davie-Penguin Chicks, Animals in Winter and more. Cynthia Bates many books to come and Lori Peelen, one soon to be released. 

Spring really started popping in February and I tried to bring it indoors every day. Here are the 7 days and 7 bouquets for a week. Even accomplishing such a little thing as cutting a bouquet made me feel good.

March

What a month. So fortunate to give two seminars at the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. My first talk was about California Gardens: Glorious Despite the Drought. Sharing photos of gardens I love touched many hearts. I also wrote a two page hand-out for the attendees. If anyone wants a copy of the hand out, please write. In it I list some of my favorite native plants and the critters they attract to a garden.

A little watercolor I did for the title of the talk.

My second talk was "Vest Pocket Gardens." You get it, small gardens to fit into today's hectic life. What I love about the small gardens is that even with our fast paced existence we can tend them and become intimate with the plants in our care. Containers have always meant so much to me and I know they can enrich your life too. I call them the quick change artists of the garden. Just a few well cared for containers can enliven even the darkest corner of a garden. And, they attract myriad critters too. You don't need a huge garden to create a wildlife sanctuary. (Just think smaller).

April

Our March rains were a much needed miracle. Here are a few shots of the astounding rainbow of colors that our California land is producing.

Mariposa lilies galore.

A hillside blanketed in purple bush lupine and poppies.

From 12 miles away the peaks look like they're on fire!

The back side of Figueroa Mountain.

During this month I'll be visiting Cal Poly to give a guest lecture on writing for children, both fiction and non-fiction. I'll talk about all the ups and downs of a writing career and help guide students onto their own paths of creativity. Wish me luck!

Speaking of creativity, the winners of the book give-away are: teejay and Emily Darling. I will need your mailing addresses and my dear Workman Publishing will mail the books directly to you. Congratulations!

Ok, this posting IS like a crazy quilt of thoughts and experiences, but that is really how life hits us.  I'll just end with this photo. Please read the words on the bag I am carrying. It is a mantra we all need to chant. Whether it is by reading lovely books, making bouquets, teaching, creating a garden, cooking a meal, please DO WHAT YOU LOVE!

Love across the miles, the seas, the mountains,

Sharon

What I Expect of Myself

Me and my best friend Hans Lovejoy

Years ago I stopped doing what other people expected of me and started doing what I expected of myself.

 The 21st century needs another Mark Twain

It wasn't only teachers and counselors trying to dictate my choices, but also my family. "What Sharon? You are an art major? What will you do with THAT major? You need to learn how to type and take dictation."

"I can't believe you're not going to accept the job with the school district. You could retire in 20 years and THEN do what you want."

Twenty years? Really? Wait 20 years to do what I want?

Right around that time I met a woman in an electric wheelchair. She was proud to tell me she once trekked all over Britain, but now? Now she blew on a mechanism to make her chair work. Her words to me? "Don't waste any time, don't put off doing things, follow your heart. I was waiting to retire before I did so many things. I retired at fifty five, but look at me now."(She was 56)

 Oh how I love the wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt

I chose to take chances. To start businesses, some of which thrived, one which didn't do well. I chose to devote myself to drawing and painting and to learning everything I could about the critters and the gardening I loved. I chose to write, well, maybe I didn't choose it, it chose me. I knew that whether or not anyone ever read my work,  I wanted to try to touch other lives and open doors of understanding and build bridges between me and my readers.

So, I didn't learn how to take shorthand, but I did learn how to type, thank goodness. It makes my life so much easier. Mom was right about that one.

I guess what this final blog posting for the swiftly fading 2015 is all about, is believing in yourself and always trying to live up to your own expectations. It is impossible to have expectations of others, you never know when people are going to do a 180 degree turn from what you think you've figured out. But, if YOU know what you're going to do and how you're going to live your life, you're on your pathway. You are "honoring your calling," as author Elle Luna says in the following quote.

Because I honored my pathway (despite the bumps, wrong turns, and dead ends), my life is richer and more joyful. Because I honored my pathway, I am sometimes broke, sometimes frustrated, sometimes on fire, and sometimes sitting alone under a dark cloud. But if I hadn't taken the chance and expected more from myself, well, I'd finally be ready to retire and start living.

I'm living now–what about YOU?

My generous editor and publicist at Workman Publishing have offered TWO copies of Elle Luna's book to my readers. Please leave a comment and we'll do a drawing around January 15th of 2016 (Don't hold me to that). Workman Publishing will ship the books directly to the winners.


 

 

 

Love Always, Maine

A harvest of autumn treasures from my wanderings

Dear Friends, Happy Autumn! So many wonderful letters, cards and e-mails have made their way into my life. Thank you, thank you. I'll admit that yesterday's e-mail is the reason I am posting today.

"Dear Sharon,

As a teacher and a lover of nature, I find your posts so inspiring!  I have missed seeing your lovely posts.  Do you plan to return soon?  Sincerely, ------- 2nd grade teacher at Oregon Episcopal School, Portland, OR"

I've also received notes from a teacher in Indiana (hi Lori!) and friends from all over the country. Honestly, I didn't realize that so many people still read blogs. I post every day on my page on Facebook, Sharon Lovejoy: Home Gardens Books, and thanks to my granddaughter, who put me on Instagram without my knowledge, I now also post on Instagram under sharonlovejoyauthor.

So, here I am, sitting at my computer and preparing to share, in a single posting, some of my happy and peaceful times in Maine.

Morning from our porch.

When I awaken, I can look through four windows to the sea. I never take it for granted. Every morning I say how grateful I am.

My little studio faces the sea.

Working on spreads for my new book.

Drying pages on the back of the couch.

The screened porch is the perfect work room on a hot day...

...or a cold morning...(which I love sharing with Jeff!)

...or a dark, sea-scented night.

Our supply of hats, walking sticks, and umbrellas stand ready for our hikes all over the peninsula.

You can't see me smiling, but believe me, I AM!

Past the homes of Christmas Cove toward...

...the home of Miss Rumphius...

...and the sandy beach where I find bird hieroglyphics and sea glass.

But we don't just walk during the day. Luckily for us, the night of the fall "Blood Moon" was clear and sparkling. Perfect for a hike to the causeway where we watched the full, autumn moon turn into a brilliant red orb.

The moon rose over the hump of the Pemaquid Peninsula.

The Blood Moon

Watching the transformation of the pearl-like moon into this glowing, red orb felt like magic. I can't imagine how ancient man, not knowing the rhythms of our eclipses, would have felt. Fright? 

Many of our friends tried to watch this, but fog or storms stole their views. I feel so lucky to have seen/experienced this phenomenon.

The Lucky Winner is...

The winner of the (long ago) drawing for the Sara Midda book is reader Thea McGinnis, who said, "Toss my name in the hat." 

Congratulations, Thea dear! Please send me your address and Workman Publishing will send you your copy of this marvelous book.

Book News

A Blessing of Toads (Down East Books) is available now in paperback. All the inside illustrations are in black and white. 

The Little Green Island with a Little Red House

Second printing and hard cover from Down East Books.

Tim and his beloved grandmother.

Above is a peek inside the little rhyming rebus written and illustrated by me.

My 1859 historical, middle grade novel (Penguin Random House) is still available in hardcover, but will be coming out in March 2016 (Yearling) in paperback. I have been so fortunate to do some wonderful book club meetings via SKYPE. The most far reaching was from my favorite Korean teacher, Lily, who joined me in my studio with five of her star students who read and discussed Running Out of Night.

All my books are available from bookstores, on-line, and from me. If you want personalized books for gifts, I am happy to inscribe them.

I am working on several books right now, one of which is a personal journal of Maine and its rich traditions. Stay tuned!

Well, this has gone on and on. Sorry, I still have so many things to share with you, but perhaps you'll join me again for more Maine. In the meantime, visit me on Facebook for a short (almost) daily glimpse at nature and the wonders of life.

Sending love and joy across the miles to you.

Sharon