PJ Sharon is in the Garden

Welcome to Mary's Garden. This week we have PJ Sharon. It's always a treat when she joins us. 

Garden Tip: Putting your personal stamp on your yard or perennial bed is half the fun of gardening. Whether you’re into birdhouses, feeders, giant glass orbs, or ornamental sculptures, creating an oasis that speaks to your soul and brings you a measure of peace in a chaotic world requires a bit of whimsy. Being drawn to Celtic lore, gnomes and fairies are the perfect escape for me and create a sense of magic in my woodland garden. Let your creative streak take over, keep it in good taste, and don’t overdo…but have fun and make your garden a welcoming haven to all who enter! 

What’s on the other side of that door?

I once took a cruise through the Mediterranean with my eighty-year-old mother-in-law. Fourteen ports in seventeen days. Now, I know what you’re thinking. First, WOW! How cool to see Europe that way? And second, OMG! Seventeen days traveling with your mother-in-law. Are you crazy? Well…it was both WOW and OMG. We got on well enough, and I love her dearly, but I’ll confess there was more than one occasion I considered jumping ship and swimming home.

We made it fine and had a wonderful time, but I kept my sanity by taking copious notes, chronicling the journey to hopefully later turn the adventure into a novel. No experience is wasted for a writer! The story eventually became PIECES of LOVE, in which sixteen-year-old Lexi is a troublemaking, pot-smoking teen whose family is dealing with the aftermath of her sister’s death from an alcohol overdose at college. When her mother and stepfather are at their wits end with her, they decide to ship her off to her grandmother’s house in Malibu—a grandmother she hasn’t seen in years and barely knows. When Lexi finds a party her first day in California, her grandma, Maddie (a Malibu Barbie of a grandmother with her own history of escapism and challenging relationships) decides to take Lexi with her on a cruise—a senior’s cruise, no less.

Yes, there is a boy, a sweet romance, some very comical moments, lots of lessons to be learned for both Lexi and her grandmother, and an incredible journey through the Mediterranean’s ancient coastal cities. The beautiful backdrop to this story allows readers to travel with Lexi, take in the sights and the culture of Europe, as well as experiencing the people and history of places like Dubrovnik, Croatia: Ephesus, Turkey: Tunisia, North Africa: Nice, France: Palermo, Sicily: the Greek Islands: and Rome and the Vatican, to name a few.

Writers find inspiration in all kinds of places, but none more than from asking questions and seeking answers. We are inherently drawn to the mystery of a place. In this case, my attention was immediately drawn to the magnificent doors I saw in every town we visited. The giant iron gates of Dubrovnik, the colorful doors of Tunisia and Portofino, and the ancient wooden doors in Barcelona with their intricately carved designs—all begged the questions; I wonder who lives there, what their life is like, and what secrets they hold? 

Music, art, a stranger in a café—all are fodder for the creative mind. In PIECES of LOVE, Lexi is a musician trying to find her voice. Her story brought out in me an adventurer’s spirit and a song-writer’s soul I didn’t know I possessed. I even wrote a song to go with the book! You can listen to part of it in the book trailer here. It was pure joy for me to memorialize my trip through telling Lexi’s story. I hope you’ll enjoy the journey as much as I did. 

Peace and Blessings,

PJ

What inspires your creativity?

Thank you for joining us again, PJ. 

I love gardens, but you'll never find a gnome in one of mine. I find them creepy. LOL. But I love fairy villages. 

As for Doors, I LOVE doors. I have a collage of doors from our trip to Ireland and Scotland. 

What inspires me? Music. Now everyone, please let PJ know what inspires you.