Four Stars

Growing Season is what I like to call a "quiet" feel-good story. Some feel-good books are very dramatic, and don't get me wrong, I love that. Sometimes, though, a book comes along with subtleties that make the reader think and feel, more than anticipate. (Again, nothing wrong with anticipation!) I was happy to just be in the story with Melinda Foster, who was laid off from her job in Minneapolis and returned to her home town in rural Iowa to nurse her wounds while helping her family. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Melinda learn how to bring her rented farm and garden back to life, with the help of new friends and neighbors. The rhythm of small town life is enchanting, and the author does a great job of evoking a rural setting. Yes, everyone was very nice in this story, but in these dark times in our nation--a global pandemic and civic unrest--nice goes an awfully long way. There are seven books in this series, and I can wait to read the next one. 

A typical day of being a full-time author when I am about to release one book and start another:

7 am: Rise and shine; feed the dog (husband walks the dog!)
8 am to 6:30 pm: Edit the Summer manuscript (again!) before it goes to the editor/proofreader. A few breaks during that time. I have to eat, stretch and take the dog out!
6:30 pm: Social media; listen to music; watch news; dinner
8 pm: Update the Finch’s Crossing Style Guide
8:30 pm: Continue to plot Winter
9 pm: Brainstorm ideas with hubby over a glass of wine.
9:30 p.m: Read
10:00 pm: Lights out!

I use a mini-binder planning system, with planning pages that I have customized over the years, based on what I'm doing at the time. Currently my planner includes a monthly overview of daily word counts and other milestones; a weekly overview and daily tasks list, plus a weekly social media action plan. The mini binder and tabs come from Russell+Hazel stationers.