Patricia Johns: The woods are lovely...

I'm the mother of a sixth grader, and I'm determined to expose him to literature. I have a degree in English Lit, and I love the classics. I've read him countless classics from novels to poetry, and I'm not expecting him to remember it all or appreciate it the way I do, I just want him to know that it's there.

So there are always a few classic poems stuck to our fridge, and from time to time, when my son asks for TV time, or whatnot, I'll say, "First go read some poems on the fridge." Then we'll talk about which ones he likes, which ones he doesn't, what he thinks about when he reads them...

We have a ratty little paper on our fridge right now--a Robert Frost poem that is probably familiar to you. I love this poem because of the way it makes me feel, and since it was rattling around in my head for several months, it made its way into my Christmas release, HER TRIPLETS'  MISTLETOE DAD.

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Poetry isn't about understanding the rhyme or rhythm, or even the deeper meanings. It isn't about important poets, or the cannon of English Literature. Poetry is about feeling, and being able to stop for a moment, like in a winter wood, and feel the cold and quiet. It's a very basic human experience to be able to feel some words.

I hope my newest novel will make you feel, too! I hope it will make you stop and breathe and draw in a moment. I hope it will remind you that love is real and powerful and possible.

What about you--what makes you really feel deeply? Music, poetry, movies, a heart-rending romance...? 


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9781335510914



Can a marriage of convenience…

…really last a lifetime?

Single mom Gabby Rogers needs help raising her newborn triplets, so when her best friend, Seth, proposes a marriage of convenience, she cautiously agrees—on the condition it doesn’t ruin their friendship. As far as the town of Eagle’s Rest knows, Gabby and Seth are the perfect couple, but the imaginary romance soon feels surprisingly real. With the triplets’ first Christmas drawing closer, will Gabby risk showing Seth how she truly feels?


Comments

  1. I took part in a library talk yesterday in which a couple of people both reiterated that poetry was about how it made you feel. I often fail in that regard, but the "ratty little paper" on your fridge is one that I do actually "get" in that way. A nice post, the book looks great, and your son is gaining from what you're teaching him.

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    1. Thank you! I think he is... even if he's just aware of what is out there!

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  2. I love how you introduce your son to poetry without making reading poems a chore. I agree with you that poetry is all about the emotion and the one you’ve highlighted is such a wonderful example. Adorable cover!

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  3. I love that poem, too, maybe because it was one of the first "grown up" poems discussed in school. I'm probably like a lot of adults who dabble in reading poetry or have specific favorite poems and poets. And I have a memory from a college poetry survey class, where I met a woman who became one of my dearest friends for the next many decades. Our instructor introduced us to the incredible WWI poets, and their work has influenced me my whole life. Poetry has great power. Thanks for the post--and what a great cover!






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    1. Thanks so much,Virginia! Yes, I love poetry, too, and I've often thought I've loved it for the wrong reasons. Maybe I don't appreciate it as technically as I should, but I do love it.

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  4. I've always loved that poem. We all need to take a minute now and then, to "watch his woods fill up with snow" before we go back to keeping those promises.

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  5. I've always loved poetry. Well done, it often captures feelings and truths more quickly than an earnest philosophical piece. A good story can do it as well, and the story often last longer in the memory.

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    1. <3 Yes, stories and poetry seem to hit me in a similar place.

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  6. Love the post. If you haven't put Frost's the Road Not Taken up, please do. We memorized it in sixth grade. It was Mrs. Johnson, my teachers favorite, and soon became mine. Your son's getting old enough to be contemplating which road he will take.......

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    1. We do have that one on the fridge, too! :) But great suggestion. I'm always open to suggestions of new fridge poems!

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  7. What a great idea!!! I wish I'd heard that when my kids were little. :)

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    1. Thanks! :) It seems too be connecting with him!

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  8. What an encouraging thing to do for your son. He may not appreciate it now, but one day he will. I love that poem. As for what moves me, it's music. I've been watching the History of Country Music and so many of those songs take me back to my youth.

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    1. Thanks, Patricia! My husband has a really big connection to music, too.

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  9. I love the poetry on the fridge idea. I might have to adopt it in my household. Your new book sounds great! I want to snuggle all three of those babies on your cover too:-)

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    1. Those babies wake up my mommy instincts, too! :) If you find some great fridge poems that your kids like, let me know!

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  10. I think I need some poems on our fridge! What a great idea.
    Lovely post, Patty!

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  11. I think that on https://admission-writer.com/blog/scholarship-essay-examples you can get high quality Scholarship Essay Examples. It's really important to know these days

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