Guest Post: Gardening and Writing by Paranormal Romance Author C.D. Hersh...

Gardening and Writing...

Can they possibly have anything in common?

The warm days this week enabled us to take a stroll through theyard, another put-our-butts-in-the-writing chair avoidance tactic. We found aslew of winter weeds scattered throughout the landscape. Some tiny-leafed,prostrate thing has taken over a portion of the easement making it the greenestit has been in years. Buckhorn plantain spills out between the path steppingstones. Flat rosettes of chickweed carpet the stone gully in the backyard, andhenbit, with its scalloped leaves and purple stems, juts out of the grass—or atleast what passes for grass in the lawn. 

We’re letting the unidentified weed taking over the easement andthe lawn. It’s green, low growing, and doesn’t look like it would need much mowing.But after an afternoon of surfing weed identification web sites (anotheravoidance tactic), we’ve come to the conclusion that we might have to dig outthis patch of weeds and eradicate it every other spot we find. You see, ifwe’ve identified it correctly, we’re harboring shot weed, also known as hairybittercress. Oh, it looks innocent enough, but when it sets seeds the slightesttouch will send hundreds of seeds shooting out in a three-foot radius acrossthe lawn into flowerbeds and pathways looking spots to hide and root. 

Fighting weeds in the garden is a full-time task. It starts inearly spring with digging out winter weeds like plantain, chickweed, and henbitfrom the paths and flower beds. By the time we get those eradicated thedandelions rear their yellow heads. After that it’s pigweed and purslane andnutsedge and Canadian thistles and Jimson weed and ground ivy and goose grass.Spring and summer progress marked by an army of weeds marching through thegarden. We hoe and pull and mulch and spray, and they just keep coming. Theonly thing that keeps them under control is persistent daily effort—and maybe ahard, hard freeze. 

Like the cycle of weeds in the garden, writers face differentchallenges along every stage of our careers. As soon as we think we have ahandle on our craft and profession something new springs up and surprises us.The beginning writer’s weeds might be learning the basics of the craft orfinding that story idea or dealing with writer’s block. For some it’s gettingto the end of the book, or figuring out what to do with the sagging middle. Forthe more skilled, unpublished writers the weeds that need pulling could besocial networking, getting an agent, or getting published. Whatever the weedsin your writer yard there’s one universal truth—they will always be there. Ourjob is to figure the best way to control them.

We’re not beginning writers. We know how to write. That has beenreinforced with a number of contest placements. We have a good grasp of theskills and have been published. We know our stories and the characters. We evenhave books waiting in the wings to be written. But we still have writing weedsto pull—BIG ones. 

We haven’t finished our series—yet.
We want to write in several genres, which presents branding problem andsometimes an identity crisis.
While we have some social networking and internet connections there isn’t alarge following wanting our books—one of the biggest weeds for a lot ofwriters.
Currently, we spend more time blogging than writing the books. 

Gertrude Jekyll, one of the most importantBritish landscape designers and writers, once said, “There is no spotof ground, however arid, bare or ugly, that cannot be tamed into such a stateas may give an impression of beauty and delight. It cannot always be doneeasily; many things worth doing are not done easily; but there is no placeunder natural conditions that cannot be graced with an adornment of suitablevegetation.” 

Gertrude’s advice applies not only to the garden, and all thoseweedy patches, but to writing as well. The road to success isn’t easy, but wecan accomplish it. We can transform those bare, ugly pages into somethingoverflowing with suitable vegetation (the best words and story we can make).When we finally reach that goal it’s worth the work. So, pull those weeds outof your writing garden and create something beautiful!

We’re going to try this year to get rid of our biggest weed andfinish our next book.

What are the writing weeds that are stopping you from creatingyour masterpiece? Do you have a plan to pull them out? 

While you figure out what weeds to attack here’s an excerpt fromthe first book in our series.

In the wrong hands, the Turning Stone ring is a powerful weaponfor evil. So, when homicide detective Alexi Jordan discovers her secret societymentor has been murdered and his magic ring stolen, she is forced to use hershape-shifting powers to catch the killer. By doing so, she risks the two mostimportant things in her life—her badge and the man she loves.

Rhys Temple always knew his fiery cop partner andwould-be-girlfriend, Alexi Jordan, had a few secrets. He considers that part ofher charm. But when she changes into a man, he doesn’t find that as charming.He’ll keep her secret to keep her safe, but he’s not certain he can keep up arelationship—professional or personal.

Danny Shaw needs cash for the elaborate wedding his fiancée hasplanned, so he goes on a mugging spree. But when he kills a member of thesecret society of Turning Stones, and steals a magic ring that gives him thepower to shape shift, Shaw gets more than he bargained for.

EXCERPT

The woman stared at him, blood seeping from the corner of hermouth. “Return the ring, or you’ll be sorry.” 

With a short laugh he stood. “Big words for someone bleeding todeath.” After dropping the ring into his pocket, he gathered the scatteredcontents of her purse, and started to leave. 

“Wait.” The words sounded thick and slurred . . . two octavesdeeper . . . with a Scottish lilt. 

Shaw frowned and spun back toward her. The pounding in his chestincreased. On the ground, where the woman had fallen, lay a man. 

He wore the same slinky blue dress she had—the seams ripped, thedress top collapsed over hard chest muscles, instead of smoothed over soft,rounded curves. The hem skimmed across a pair of hairy, thick thighs. Muscledmale thighs. Spiked heels hung at an odd angle, toes jutting through the shoe straps.The same shoes she’d been wearing. 

The alley tipped. Shaw leaned against the dumpster to steadyhimself. He shook his head to clear the vision, then slowly moved his gaze overthe body. 

A pair of steel-blue eyes stared out of a chiseled face edged witha trim salt-and-pepper beard. Shaw whirled around scanning the alley. 

Where was the woman? And who the hell was this guy? 

Terrified, Shaw fled. 

The dying man called out, “You’re cursed. Forever.”

C.D. Hersh–Two hearts creating everlasting love stories.
Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after.

They have a short Christmas story, Kissing Santa, in a Christmas anthology titled Sizzle in the Snow: Soul Mate Christmas Collection , with seven other authors.

They are looking forward to many years of co-authoring and book sales, and a lifetime of happily-ever-after endings on the page and in real life.

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