Tag Archives: Spring
Authors in Blooms Blog Hop
If you are looking for the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop then you have found it.
I love gardening and planting things in pots that bloom and growing tomatoes are two of my favorite things.
So is taking photos of blooms as you can see from the following pictures.
Climbing Jasmine from the arch over my gate
Bush type snapdragon
Aztec Lilly
I live in the country in a almond orchard. The blooms are amazing. Here’s some photos taken early in March.
Bees boxes and some blooms
Almond blooms against the sunset and clouds
Almond blooms against the sunset
A row of almond trees in bloom (and one of my walking areas)
I have two sets of advice for gardening. If you have problems with your back or hands, don’t let it stop you from gardening. You can always plant your garden in pots. Flowers do amazing in pots, so do tomatoes and a lot of other veggies.
The second piece of advice is if you have a heirloom verity tomato you want to save or another one that you favor, there is a easy way to save the seed. Squeeze out some of the seed out on a napkin, smear it out flat and allow it to dry, then store in a zip lock (or similar) bag or a jar. When you’re ready to plant, tear off the seed and plant it into a peat pot or small pot. Water and watch it grow.
My last tomato from my potted garden. Picked in December.
I also mention flowers in one of my books, Matrix Crystal Hunters.
Team Alpha Three’s spaceship is out of power after fighting a wormhole, and parked on the primitive world of Zenevieva. With half the team sick from radiation poisoning, the team commander entrust geologist, Maya Gladstone, to find enough matrix crystals to power up their spacecraft, so they can go home to Earth.
Vach Namaste of the powerful Clan Namaste, a native of the planet, has desire the lovely Maya since she stepped off the spaceship on that astonishing day a year ago. He’s hounded her every step since. As Hymeneal Night approaches, he makes plans to take her as his bride… willing or not.
Garden excerpt:
They walked through another gate which led to an orchard. “What do you think of Vach?”
Maya smiled. “That’s a loaded question.”
“Is it?” The old woman looked at her.
“Yes. He’s persistent, stubborn, smart-mouthed and arrogant.”
“Yet you say all that with a smile on your face,” the old woman said, giving Maya a shrewd look.
“Yeah, well, he can be awfully charming too.” Maya gave a little laugh.
The old woman chuckled. “Yes, my grandson does have a way about him.”
“Yes, he does.” She looked at the older woman. “About the matrix crystals—”
“Let me ask you a question instead.” Grandmother pointed out a field filled with huge, bright red blossoms. “These are treacle flowers. We collect the nectar, then allow it to dry so we can use it as a sweetener. You enjoyed that in your tea today.”
Maya admired the flowers. “I’ve heard of treacle flowers before.”
“Have you heard of the treacle flower’s pollinator?”
She shook her head. “Uh, no, I haven’t.”
“There’s a type of lizard that pollinates the flowers. They lick up the nectar, but they receive spots of pollen right here.” She touched the middle of Maya’s forehead. “If we allow the lizards to pollinate the flowers, they’ll lap up all the nectar and we’ll have none. But if we ring off the field with sulfur crystals, they don’t come near the flowers and we get the nectar.”
Maya looked for the ditch and sulfur crystals, and soon spotted them. “How do you pollinate the flowers then?”
“We don’t. We use the seeds from another field that we allowed to be pollinated.”
Maya frowned. “How is this connected to the matrix crystals?”
“I’ll think about it.” The canny old woman turned to enter the house.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Matrix Crystal Hunters is available:
US Kindle
***About Janice Seagraves’s contest***
The winner will received a amethyst pendant valued at no more than ($5.00) five dollars. Or if the winner lives outside of the US or Canada, they will receive a similar amount in their countries currency as a gift certificate to Amazon. The winner will be notified by email at the end of the blog hop, April 18th. If the winner doesn’t respond in (3) three days, a new winner will be picked. Only contestants that are eighteen (18) can participate.
***To enter the contest, leave a comment on what you love about the spring and gardening with your email addy***
***Void were prohibited by law***
***About the blog hop contest***
Visitors will have 10 days to enter each
individual author contests. To win, visitors must hit each and every
author on the hop. Grand prize is an ereader of their choice (up to $200
value) with second prize a $25 gift card to the ebook retailer of their
choice.
To be eligible for the grand prize, the winner must have left an email (via
rafflecopter or the comment section) on an author’s site that can be
verified for notification by April 17th.
Everything from books to swag, promotional products and more! The grand prize is an ereader of your choice (up to $200 value). A second prize of $25 gift card ~ winner’s choice which ebook retailer gift card, available to INTL residents (VOID where prohibited by law).
Authors will note US or INTL for their giveaway eligibility. Where US or INTL is not specifically noted, US eligibility will apply. The grand prize is available for US entrants only. Winners will be announced on the landing page, BloominThyme.
What do I do when it’s all over?
By April 19th we will post the grand prize winners on the main page and the landing page. Individual authors will announce and contact the winners of their author-specific giveaways. You will be required to claim your prize according to each giveaway’s terms and conditions.
Questions??
Please feel free to contact me! dianne@diannevenetta.com
“Giveaway ends April 17th at 11:59 PM EST. Open to Legal Residents (18 years of age or older) of the US only. Prizes cannot be shipped to PO Boxes. Winner will be selected by Rafflecotper.com and be notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Please note that Dianne Venetta, host of the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop, is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. I have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. I will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. I will make every effort to assist you in obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you. The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to me and me alone. I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.” VOID where prohibited by law.
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Authors in Bloom Blog Hop
If you are looking for the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop, you have found it.
www.diannevenetta.com or www.acozyreaderscorner.com
I love growing tomatoes. My favorites are the yellow pear tomato. They’re a variation on the cherry tomato, and are considered a heritage plant.
My favorite gardening tip: To save your favorite tomato for the next years planting, squeeze out some of the seeds onto a clean napkin or paper towel and spread it out. Wait until dry, then store in a sealed container or Ziplock bag. When you’re ready to plant in either a peat pot, or into potting soil, simply tear out a seed or two (paper towel included) and plant. Done. Now water and wait.
And while you’re waiting, here’s some lovely almond blooms from around the house where I live. I bought a new camera on Cyber Sunday and waited until early spring, so I could take these photos. 🙂
Here’s something to help heat up your springtime.
Blurb: Team Alpha Three’s spaceship is out of power after fighting a wormhole, and parked on the primitive world of Zenevieva. With half the team sick from radiation poisoning, the team commander entrust geologist, Maya Gladstone, to find enough matrix crystals to power up their spacecraft, so they can go home to Earth.
Vach Namaste of the powerful Clan Namaste, a native of the planet, has desired the lovely Maya since she stepped off the spaceship on that astonishing day a year ago. He’s hounded her every step since. As Hymeneal Night approaches, he makes plans to take her as his bride… willing or not.
Vach Namaste of the powerful Clan Namaste, a native of the planet, has desired the lovely Maya since she stepped off the spaceship on that astonishing day a year ago. He’s hounded her every step since. As Hymeneal Night approaches, he makes plans to take her as his bride… willing or not.
~*~
Excerpt: As promised, Maya bought another cheap tote so she wouldn’t damage her prize. Then she worked her way through the bazaar, buying supplies for the next day’s trip. As she went from tent to tent, hunting down the few veggies, fruit and other types of food that she could digest, she caught glimpses of the Zeeman following her. She tensed. What does he want with me?
.
She stalked completely round one of the tents to come face to face with him. Now’s my chance. “Why are you following me?”
.
“What? I don’t know what you mean.” He took a step back.
.
Maya grabbed a fistful of his dark brown robes. “Yes, you do. You’ve been dogging my steps from the moment I set foot on your planet.” She suddenly noticed that the young man was bigger than she’d thought. His chest was deep and his shoulders broad. His arms were larger than Bobby’s and he worked out. And here I am, holding him by his clothes.
.
He stared at her hand. “I like you and want to get to know you. If you were one of my people, I would woo you.”
.
She realized his robe wasn’t made from the rough, homespun fabric used by the common Zeeman. Is he a clan lord? Maya loosened her grip on the silky material. “Who are you?”
.
He moved back and swept his arm down in an elaborate bow. “My name is Vach Namaste of the Namaste clan. It would please me if you remembered it.”
With a flutter of his robes, he hurried away, weaving through the crowd. It wasn’t until he had disappeared that Maya realized that he’d been speaking to her in English.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Vach finally reached the edge of the bazaar, where he had tied up his steed. He patted its thick neck. “Hey, Brawley.”
.
His mount woke up with a snort, then lipped at his hand, demanding a treat. It was still standing in the same place that he left it and no one had bothered it. No one would dare touch a sherakey, not even this sleepy fellow. Reaching into a pouch, Vach dug out a sweet lump for his mount. Giving him the treat, Vach turned to see if the human female had followed.
.
She hadn’t.
.
He felt disappointed. But she wasn’t of his race and didn’t understand the proper way to act. If she wanted him to woo her, she should have followed him. If she didn’t, then she should have knocked him on his well-bred butt, just like the human guard had suggested.
.
Vach had wanted this human female since he saw her step out of the spaceship on that astonishing day a year ago. Her blue eyes drew him closer. Her long, red hair made him want to run his fingers through it. Her curves sent flames of desire flickering through his body. He’d taken to coming into town regularly to stroll by the compound, just to see if she would be there. Today had been one of those rare good days when she was there to follow. He learned a little more about her each time.
.
Now he knew she wanted to find something. If he knew what it was, maybe he could find it for her.
.
Climbing up on the saddle, Vach clicked his tongue and his mount started down the dusty road toward the Namaste bachelor compound. He contemplated his plan for Hymeneal Night. Vach already knew from eavesdropping at the map seller’s tent that Maya would be out on the desert, all alone.
.
And then he’d get his chance to have her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
US, Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FJ10W26
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I also like to present my Christmas story. A two for one.
My new eBook, Matrix Crystal Christmas, which follows, Matrix Crystal Hunters, is now available: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GJCNBAY
Matrix Crystal Christmas is made up of two short stories (one erotic and one sweet) for the fans of my novel, Matrix Crystal Hunters, who told me that they wanted to know what happened next.
In Crystal Flower Christmas: Vach and Maya are on a mission to undam the Laonooco River for the drought stricken region. As heartache fractures their marriage, will the gift of a crystal flower mend their relationship or break it beyond repair?
In Crystal Clear Christmas: Plague has struck the village of Zama and the citizens blame the only human left on Zenevieva, Maya. Will Vach make the ultimate sacrifice to save his wife?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
***************************************************
“Giveaway ends April 16th at 11:59 PM EST. Open to Legal Residents (18 years of age or older) of the US only. Prizes cannot be shipped to PO Boxes. Winner will be selected by Rafflecotper.com and be notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Please note that Dianne Venetta, host of the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop, is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. I have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. I will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. I will make every effort to assist you in obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you. The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to me and me alone. I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.” VOID where prohibited by law.
***For Janice Seagraves’s contest***
***Leave a comment about what you like about spring or gardening along with your email addy***
Contest rules: The prize is an Amethyst Crystal necklace or if you live outside of the US a five dollar or similar amount in the winners country’s currency in a gift certificate to Amazon. The prize is valued at no more than five $5.00 USA dollars.
Contest starts April 7th and ends April 16, 2014. If no one claims the prize within Forty-eight hours of being notified, then another winner will be selected. No one under the age of eighteen need apply.
***Winners are those who leave the best comment in the comment section and leave an email address***
By entering your email in the comment section, you are agreeing to the Official Rules and stating that you are older than eighteen (18).
Void were prohibitive.
Spring Poem The Earth Laughs
The Earth Laughs
a poem
by Janice
Roots waken in the gloom,
reach and stretch for more room,
looking for nutrients to consume.
Tickled the Earth laughs to the moon.
Blossoms open sending out their sweet scent.
Bees buzz sweet talk the flowers with an accent.
To pollinate all the trees is the farmers intent.
And the Earth laughs content.
Robins and sparrows chirp and sing.
Killdeers drag a pretend broken wings.
Mocking birds sing everything.
The Earth laughs at these things.
Daffodils show their sunny faces,
Crocus, Tulips, and Hyacinths appear in some places.
Yellow, lavender, scarlet, and blue many a garden graces.
The Earth laughs delighted in those places.
Leaves unfurl to the fullest percent.
Children climb trees and hopefully without accident.
Bouquet of flowers are gathered for moms’ a present.
And the Earth laughs to the fullest extent
Janice Seagraves, Author 