Signs of Spring

Viola

 Many parts of the country have had a long and rough winter. Ours was worse than normal too. It's nice to see these spring flowers finally blooming!

Anemone (windflower)

Pulmonaria (lungwort)

Daffodils

Even the goldfish in the pond think it's spring and want to eat.

Crocus

Daffodils

Dutch iris

Crocus

Dutch iris

Hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse of spring.
Vonda

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My Wild Highlander has received several great reviews! Here is a snippet of one from Eileen:

I absolutely adored Lady Angelique with her reactions about events around her, her fighting spirit to stand up to what she believes, and her absolute belief her husband-to-be was nothing more than a skirt lifter, lecher and debaucher, dallying with women at court. She could not abide sharing a bed with him, a barbaric Scot of the Highlands.Narrator Andrew Bryan's excels in dialog. I love the smooth baritone voice of Lachlan. He did a superb job with Angelique's voice, depicting her very French side. Her English had a strong French accent, in addition to speaking French in dialog.

Available at Amazon, Audible and iTunes.

With Spring Comes Storms and Flowers

Have a great Saturday!

We've got more storms all weekend. Time to stay in and write vampire tales. :)

Terry
www.terryspear.com

Let's Get Excited!

It’s spring! It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted from my shoulders, or maybe it's just my skin isn't so dried out. Anyway, to see the sun after such a strange winter is immensely inspiring, but it’s not the only thing that rouses me. I realized as I enjoyed the blue sky and sunshine today that a number of things, little things mostly, inspire me, and I thought I’d like to share them in today’s post. So, here is my list of “Things That Inspire Cameo”:

1. Love—This is self-explanatory.
2. Technology—Remember when we didn’t have cell phones? Or home computers? Or blogs or e-mail? Yes, some say it was a simpler time and that technology is sucking our lives away. I don’t see it that way. It inspires me that we can connect to people around the world to find solutions to problems that have plagued us for years; that we can save lives and improve the lives of those who need it most because we are connected. Yeah, that definitely inspires me.
3. Johnny Depp—This, too, is self-explanatory.
4. My cat—Who would not be inspired by the love and loyalty of a creature who sees your every flaw and still allows you to be its servant 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
5. Music—I truly believe music is the universal language. Take two people and put them in a room, one who loves blue grass techno jazz and one who loves Scandinavian scream singing, and after several tension-filled minutes they will come out with the understanding that even though they have their differences, they are united by the fact they share a true passion for something that is bigger than both of them, something that unites us all, and that’s more important than anything. Kind of wish some world leaders would do the same.
6. Flowers—They’re just so darn pretty!
7. Writing—Even though I do it professionally, it still inspires me artistically and emotionally, especially other people’s work. I love to read, and everything I read affects me in some way, for better or worse. I’m changed. I’m a different person than I was just before I read those words by that writer. Words have such power, such a magical quality. They are my thoughts and my breath and my heartbeat—how can they not be? And how can I not be inspired by the written word?
8. My mistakes—Because I made them, and because they make me a better person, at least most of the time. Where would I be if I never made any mistakes? I’d be left with only numbers 1-7 and number 9 on the list to inspire me. Speaking of which…
9. Spring—The season of rebirth and renewal always infuses me with hope. It’s irrational and I can’t explain it, but I just feel better when the world comes alive again after a long winter’s sleep. I don’t question it anymore; I just enjoy it and hope you do, too.

 What about you? What inspires you? Please do share. :)

The Azalea Garden at Biltmore

My friend and I visited Biltmore on May 2. The main reason for our visit was to see the 15 acre Azalea Garden which is spectacular at this time of year.

I loved this little bridge (above). This is the largest garden at Biltmore and it contains a thousand azaleas of all sorts of varieties, including native and hybrid.

This garden was mostly planted by Chauncey Beadle, a Cornell University graduate and horticulturist who was hired "temporarily" as a very young man in 1890. He once said that he "came to Biltmore for a month but stayed for a lifetime." He worked here for 60 years. He and his azalea hunters traveled the country looking for unique and different azalea cultivars. In 1940 he donated his huge collection of azaleas to Biltmore.

This garden has a few of these precarious crossings. This serves as a bridge across this stream. :)

I didn't get the names of any of these azaleas but I thought this one was especially lovely.

I loved this bridge and stone bench beside the little stream.

A nice collection of various colors near the woods and exit drive.

When we left the Azalea Garden, we strolled down to the bass pond. It looks more like a lake to me, it's so big.

 I was so excited to get to see and photograph the Canadian geese chicks! I saw these babies for the first time a couple weeks before but didn't get a photo until this time. They are the cutest! The parents were ever watchful to make sure we didn't grab one. :)

The walk along the bass pond is nice and relaxing. It leads down to a dam and a man-made waterfall. There are benches here and there along the way so people can sit, rest and enjoy the view. Above and below are opposite views. Below you can see the top of the boat house, which looks like a big gazebo.

After leaving the Bass Pond, we again passed through the Azalea Garden, no hardship with all the beautiful flowers and other interesting sights, like this crooked tree and a stone bench.

This is the exit to the Azalea Garden, a grand finale of blooms.

I hope you enjoyed today's garden stroll! :)
Thanks!
Vonda
www.vondasinclair.com

Beautiful and fiercely protective of those she loves, Lady Seona Murray captured Keegan MacKay’s attention when she first set foot in Dunnakeil Castle. Though she is a chief’s daughter and forbidden, Keegan has fallen in love with her from afar and burns to possess her. But so does the clan traitor, Haldane, an obsessive outlaw bent on murder and kidnapping.

Sinfully handsome, Keegan MacKay is a fearsome guard as well as the chief’s cousin, but Seona’s father would never consider him a worthy husband for her because he is not a titled laird. Seona has secretly watched the sensual, tawny-haired warrior from across the crowded great hall for months, but when he is tasked with escorting her across Scotland, back to her home, their simmering attraction flames into sizzling passion with just one kiss.

Though she fears she is endangering Keegan’s life, Seona cannot resist his seductive charm or his spellbinding kisses. Keegan sets fire to the memories of her sad past and shows her what it means to truly live. But her father has other plans. He’s arranged for her to marry a wealthy Lowland laird. Is Keegan daring enough to steal her away? Or will the vindictive Haldane snatch her first? Buy My Daring Highlander at Amazon,B&N, iTunes and various other sites.

Celebrating Spring!

Photo of Biltmore House I took in February.

Biltmore House in Asheville, N.C. is one of the few castles in America. It was built in the French Chateau style, and completed in 1895 by George Vanderbilt. Not only is the house impressive with its 250 rooms, it is surrounded by a large estate, including beautiful and extensive gardens. One of the highlights each year is the tulip display in the Walled Garden (designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead). Since I love castles so much, I'm lucky to live nearby. I decided to go yesterday and take some photos of the tulips and other flowers. It was a lovely spring day, not too hot and not too cold. Just right. I thought it was a good day to celebrate spring.

Tulips

 If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Violas among the ajuga

 Spring has returned.  The Earth is like a child that knows poems.  ~Rainer Maria Rilke

white tulips

 He is happiest who hath power to gather wisdom from a flower.

Mary Howitt

 Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes.

Carl Friedrich Gauss 

 Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'

Robin Williams 

And Spring arose on the garden fair,

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant"

 Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer.  ~Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

A little madness in the Spring

Is wholesome even for the King.

~Emily Dickinson

 It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

Awake, thou wintry earth -

Fling off thy sadness!

Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth

Your ancient gladness!

~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Narcissus 

 Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower

William Feather

Bluebells

 Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree.

 Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Azaleas

 April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.  ~William Shakespeare

Redbuds in the distance

 The seasons are what a symphony ought to be:  four perfect movements in harmony with each other.  ~Arthur Rubenstein

I stopped by the lake to take this photo of the gazebo.

I hope you enjoyed this spring visit to the Biltmore Gardens!

I also want to announce that my book, My Wild Highlander, is a finalist in the OKRWA National Readers' Choice Awards!

Lady Angelique Drummagan, a half-Scottish, half-French countess, has suffered much pain and betrayal in her past. She wants nothing to do with the sensual Scottish warrior that the king has ordered her to marry because the rogue could never be a faithful husband, but she has little choice in the matter. Dangerous, greedy enemies threaten her from all sides and she's in dire need of his protection.

Sir Lachlan MacGrath, known as Seducer of the Highlands, possesses a charming wickedness and canny wit which has earned him much popularity. After the king decrees that he wed the fiery hellion, Lachlan discovers there is one woman who can resist him--Angelique. Can he break through her icy façade and melt her heart, or will the dark secrets lurking in her past not only cost them their future together, but their very lives?




Thanks!!
Vonda
www.vondasinclair.com