MARCH COMES MARCHING IN

                                    by Judy Ann Davis

Okay, I admit it, I’m not a fan of February. Every year, I wish it would fly by and push us into March. After the holidays, February brings holiday bills to pay, freezing temperatures in the northern regions, hibernation tendencies, snow, lack of light, more snow, colds, flu and then…more non-melting, dirty snow with ice. It’s a bleak, long, tedious month, despite the fewest number of days. But to February's credit, it ushers in March.

March in Pennsylvania is cheered on by the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, featuring rising temperatures, longer days, and vibrant, but unpredictable weather. It’s Women’s History Month, Ides of March, Johnny Appleseed Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Spring Equinox, and a full lunar blood moon that looks red on March 3^rd.

For me, it’s a joyful time. Rains will come, but they will leave.

I search my flower beds for new shoots and check the lilac buds to see if I’ll have blooms in April. Daffodils, crocus, snowdrops, tulips, and forsythia burst forth to color the dreary landscape. In the words of Bishop Reginald Heber: “Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.”

Rabbits scurry over the yard looking for tasty new shoots. The neighborhood possum checks out the fallen sunflower seeds below the bird feeder. Canada geese flying overhead sing their tunes of spring. Their sounds remind me to check my many birdhouses which may need paint or repairs before they can be hung outside.

March is the time to make time and do the things we love after a cold winter. You might find me scrutinizing the colorful seed packets on display at a local store—or staring into space and making a mental list of vegetables and herbs to plant in our bucket garden in May. Or maybe I’ll just stare at the blue sky and watch the clouds sail by in a brisk spring wind.

  

It’s March. It’s spring. Fresh breeze and warm sun. The best time for new beginnings is now.

                              NEW RELEASE - Finding Love in Pine Valley  

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

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SPRING IS IN THE AIR

 by Judy Ann Davis

March blew in mild and warm to Central Pennsylvania, then swept out while morphing into rainy days and chilly weather. We know April will to be fickle here and always brings us breezy, sometimes blustery days as well. But, April showers will bring May flowers, as the saying goes.

As we look toward to spring, we start thinking and rehashing in our heads all the outdoor and various chores we want to accomplish. Just remember the old phrase, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Take time to make time for yourself.                                                                    

Find something you like to do: Read a book, work on a craft, re-order or reorganize those aggravating miscellaneous or mismatched files...or even your desktop. Put in order anything that makes you uncomfortable at a first glance. Clean an untidy corner or closet. Take a walk. Do whatever will make you happy and feel good.

This month, I’m highlighting my book, “Courting Betsy,” Book 3 in the Ashmore Brothers Series. It’s a romance with a touch of mystery, but has the humor of children, the quibbling of grown siblings, intrigue, and of course, Two Bears, a Ute Indian and friend of the Ashmore Family.

BLURB:

When Betsy Ashmore, adopted sister to a family of four brothers, discovers U.S. Marshal Luke Ashmore is lying wounded in a renegade Indian camp, she can’t refuse to help a brother in peril—especially one she has loved all her life. With the help of a wily Ute Indian, the spunky shopkeeper saddles up to rescue him.

 Marshal Luke Ashmore never expected to be bushwhacked  while escorting the young boy of a murdered army scout northward to Fort Collins in the Colorado Territory. Outlaws want the boy and believe he knows the location of a hidden treasure.

As Betsy and Two Bears struggle to get the marshal and the child to safety, can they outwit the ruthless outlaws following them? And what will they do with two more orphaned boys they stumble upon along the trail?

Fall in love with the plucky shopkeeper and her three scheming youngsters—all determined to help the U.S. Marshal lasso her heart so they can become a family.

A sweet romantic western and mystery!
Best Book Award Finalist!

               VISIT MY   AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE FOR ALL MY BOOKS 

 

PROMISES OF SPRING

By Caroline Clemmons

March is here, and that means spring is near. What a lovely thought. This month brings the switch to Daylight Saving Time on the 8^th, St. Patrick’s Day on the 17^th, and Palm Sunday on the 29^th. 

In addition, this is Irish-American Month. Most schools have a spring break this month—applauded by students and teachers. I not only love living in spring, I love writing books set then. 

Bluebonnet photo by Nelda Liles

One of my books set in spring is BLUEBONNET BRIDE. Pardon me for being immodest, but I love that book. (Okay, I love most of my books.) My friend Nelda Liles gave me the lovely bluebonnet photo for the cover and Hero applied the image of the lovely woman who (in my head) looks like the heroine, Rosalyn. Many of you readers have commented on how much you like the book’s cover. Thank you. If you haven't read the book, here's the link to purchase it. (hint, hint)

Amazon http://amzn.com/B00BHOC7L8

Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bluebonnet-bride-caroline-clemmons/1115679131?ean=9781482507089

In addition, bluebonnets are the Texas state flower and one of my favorite flowers, second only to pink roses.  Did you know bluebonnets smell like orange blossoms? Every spring when they bloom along the highways, we see families stopped to take photos of children sitting in the fields of flowers. Picking the flowers from public land is illegal, but smelling them and photographing them is just fine.

Ennis, Texas has an annual Bluebonnet Trail. That’s where Nelda photographed some lovely pictures of fields of bluebonnets.  I’ve always wanted to drive that trail, but life always interferes. Le sigh.

Ladybird Johnson

Regardless of your politics, Texans have Ladybird Johnson to thank for the wildflowers, including bluebonnets, that grow along Texas highways. She persuaded then Senator Lloyd Bentsen to promote planting wildflowers on highway right of ways. He even promoted it in Washington D.C. for national roadways. The last grass cutting of the year, cutting crews tossed out seeds. For many years, free bluebonnet seeds were available from the State. Amazing what one influential person can accomplish, isn’t it?

I’m not a fan of summer heat, but spring and fall are my times of year. Not too hot, not too cold, just right. We do have violent storms in spring, but we always need the rain they bring. My books often feature extreme Texas weather. BE MY GUEST has a spring flood which strands the heroine on the ranch of the hero. The cover features Jimmy Thomas standing in front of a photo I took of spring flowers. BE MY GUEST is also the first book I had published. Once I recovered the rights from Kensington, I self-published.

Amazon http://amzn.com/B004M8T1EC

Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/be-my-guest-caroline-clemmons/1100076650?ean=9781478192206

As happy as I am to see spring approach, I know all those in the frozen northeast are even more eager to see the end of winter. What a winter they’ve had! In the meantime, stay warm.

What’s your favorite time of year?   

READING VS. JUDGING A BOOK

By Caroline Clemmons

If you heard a roar, that was March coming in like a lion. On a cold, blustery day, what’s better than snuggling down with a book? Okay, chocolate and a book, but I’m trying to cut down. Yesterday was 81 degrees here in North Central Texas. Tonight we are forecast to dip to 16 degrees. No wonder everyone is sneezing, coughing, and grumbling. 

One of the tasks authors have is judging contests for upcoming writers and other published authors. It’s a job of mixed emotions. Some of our other blog members and I judge for the Yellow Rose RWA’s Winter Rose Contest, and many of us also judge for the national Romance Writers of America’s RITA contest.

For unpublished authors in the Winter Rose Contest, the judge is given the first twenty five pages plus two pages of criteria to consider and score. Some of the as yet unpublished authors are so good that I want to read the rest of the book immediately. Reading these is exciting and I want to cheer for this story.

Other entries make me cringe in sympathy for the person who thought his or her story was ready to be judged. My job then is to point out ways to improve the writing without crushing the writer. This is delicate and many judges have been too harsh. But there’s a system in place for that.

Each entry has four judges. When final scores are tallied, the lowest score is dropped. No matter how much judge’s training and instructions, some people are not tactful. Or maybe the judge had a bad day and takes it out on the scores. Dropping the lowest score evens the scoring. For instance, last year one entry had three scores near perfect and one with half that score. Really?

Published authors submit copies of their book. This is sometimes a fun job. I get to read without feeling I’m slacking on my own writing. Once in a while, I wonder how in the world this book became published. Most of the time, though, this is a chance to feed my need to read. Yay!

Once again, criteria are judged for each book. Did the plot make sense? Was it a romance? Were the characters well developed. There's a score sheet and, once again, the lowest score is dropped.

The Winter Rose Contest always needs readers to help judge the published contest. If you would like to be a judge for next year’s contest, please tell us your email in a comment and you will be entered in our contest coordinator’s data base.