Most places in North America experienced a longer and harsher winter than usual. Ontario was no exception.
This year, we had snow on the ground in October (!), and it persisted all winter.
Personally, I missed the sunshine. Many days were dreary, gray and with temperatures as low as –40°C with the wind chill, darn cold! (Coincidentally, –40°C is also –40°F.)
Although I’m not a fan of slushy, dirty snow in the city, at our cottage the pristine, glistening blanket of white can be very appealing.
But this year, even there we seemed to get less sunshine than normal.
On the plus side, except for a few of the coldest days, our dogs weren't deterred from playing Frisbee.
Still, I’m happy that spring is only days away. I think fondly of the perennial gardens at our cottage.
With spring and my May 1st Harlequin Heartwarming release, THE TRUTH ABOUT HOPE, in mind, I’ve been thinking about how best to celebrate both these events. I consulted with a few of my fellow Heartwarming authors with upcoming releases, and we came up with a fun idea. What better way to celebrate spring and our spring releases than with our readers!
First, let me profile some of the beautiful covers of the April and May books from some of the participating authors . . .
Watch for our Sunday, April 12th post announcing the contest and how you can enter to win.
Happy (almost) spring . . . and happy reading!
Kate
I'm so happy to be participating in the Spring Fling giveaway. My Heartwarming book, FIREFLY NIGHTS, is a May 1 release also, Karen. It has been a long, tough winter for many of you. The warm-up is here!
ReplyDeleteCynthia
Yes, we share a release date, Cynthia! I look forward to seeing the cover of FIREFLY NIGHTS and adding it to our collection for the Spring Fling Giveaway. I love the title and I expect the cover will be beautiful!
DeleteBeautiful pictures of the snow and your garden! When we go without the sun for many days I miss it too. Here in NC where I live it's so bright most days, even in winter. Yesterday it was a perfect 75° and we spent time walking in the park. I hope it will be like that from this day forward!! I am ecstatic about the giveaway. I just ordered 3 new Heartwarming books last Friday. I'm starting on His Hometown Girl today. ( : I've been meaning to read it for quite some time. Thx for this lovely wake-me-up Monday morning post.
ReplyDeleteHello, Laurie. We can't thank you enough for all your generous support. I am a big fan of Karen's and I loved HIS HOMETOWN GIRL. I hope you will, too.
DeleteI am so glad (and a little envious) to hear about the beautiful weather you are experiencing. My husband and I returned late yesterday from sunny and warm Exuma. We were hoping that most of the snow would be gone, but we still have a couple of inches of snow covering most of our yard.
I am glad you like the idea of the Spring Fling Giveaway, and we look forward to your participation.
Best wishes for a terrific week, and happy reading!
Thanks so much for the shout out, Laurie :) I'm thrilled for you to read HIS HOMETOWN GIRL and it'll definitely put you in the spring/summer mood! Whenever I look at that cover I crave fresh strawberries- lol
DeleteBig fan of Karen's as well. I had the pleasure of reading Raising the Stakes. I totally loved it. I do believe it is the best one yet by Karen. I also have read His Hometown Girl which was a lovely heartwarming read. You have to love Karen and her writing style.
DeleteI'm a northerner, too, and wow am I ready for spring!! It actually snowed here yesterday. I have Spring fever and am so excited to be a part of the Spring Fever giveaway :-)
ReplyDeleteAlthough the forecast calls for more snow near the end of the week, I am hoping the sun might actually peek out from behind the clouds today!
DeleteEven if I didn't enjoy your writing so much, I know I couldn't resist the cover of RAISING THE STAKES.
I look forward to celebrating the arrival of spring with you, the other participating authors and--most importantly--our readers!
Love all these photos, Kate! I just got back from Florida's sunny shores, and now I'm ready for some spring and sunshine more than ever. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cerella. I'm just back from Exuma . . . I share your feeling!
ReplyDeleteKate, Sending you good wishes for a wonderful spring that includes all of those lovely flowers.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Roz. Where the snow has melted, I can actually see some shoots trying to force their way out of the soil. I'm almost positive it's not just wishful thinking! :-)
DeleteYour pictures are a reminder of how Spring looks. It's getting there hete in New Jersey. But even with 53 degrees it doesn't seem the same as I crunch on ice and snow when I'm out. :) Awesome giveaay.
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
Thank you for visiting, Carol, and leaving a comment. I long to see at least our spring bulbs in bloom. I just took our dogs out for a walk, and we were crunching on the snow/ice, too!
DeleteI'm glad you like the idea of the giveaway. We hope you will participate.
Have a great day, and trust that the snow will be gone soon!
Even in Mississippi it's been a miserable winter with clouds, snow, sleet and rain. But yesterday was gorgeous--75 degrees and finally! Sunshine. Your flower garden is beautiful. I'm so glad spring is right around the corner, although the largest snow in North Mississippi history occurred in 1968 on the first day of spring. 18 inches. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteLet's focus on the positive that spring IS just around the corner. I was hoping the sun would show itself today, but it doesn't look promising right now. At least it's light outside later!
DeleteKate, what a fun post! Here on the west coast (even in sometimes rainy Washington) we're enjoying a lovely early spring. The hummingbirds and swallows are back already and daffodils are blooming.... Seriously feel bad for my northern, mid-western, east coast friends. Sending sunshine-y thoughts your way! So excited to be participating in the Spring Fling!
ReplyDeleteOh, now you've got me wishing for hummingbirds, too! I'm glad you're enjoying and early spring, and I am very happy our releases allow for a joint promotion. It promises to be a lot of fun!
DeleteKate - love the photos of your dogs and gardens! I'm in with your fling if you need books! Spring's coming. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteThanks you for the comments, Muriel. It's nearly impossible for me to do a post and not feature our black Labs, Harley and Logan, in some way.
DeleteI do know spring is almost here . . . I'm just a little impatient for it to arrive! :-)
Your posts are always so colorful and pretty--just what we need this time of year! can't wait for the fling!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the post, Anna. You know what they say about a picture . . .!
Delete. . . if I count each of the book cover pics separately, that would mean this post is worth 20,000 words! Hmm . . . wouldn't it be nice if we could do that in a day for our manuscripts?
DeleteNOT FAIR! That is the most gorgeous garden and I kept easily 12 deer alive all winter and there is nothing left of my garden. Shrubs, holly, trees are all stripped! I adore gardening and yours should be in a magazine, my dear. I agree, this winter was just gloomy, dreary, icky. I nearly forgot what sunshine was like! Can't wait for the giveaway. AND to read all these fabulous books! It's going to be a reading spring fling! Great post, Kate!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Catherine. I do love my gardens. I have challenges with deer, rabbits, squirrels, etc. as well, but I am happy to share a little with them. Since I know you love dogs, too, you might enjoy this post, which reveals another challenge I have keeping my gardens in good shape: bit.ly/1BFIx1y!
DeleteI JUST HAVE TO SAY---WOULD YOU LOOK AT THOSE COVERS????? HOLY COW. WOW OH, WOW.
ReplyDeleteI now have Cynthia's cover. It looks beautiful, too!
DeleteLooking so forward to spring being back. It is my favorite of the seasons. I love when everything begins blooming. And yay for a Heartwarming giveaway! The books all look fabulous, but I will admit it's hard to stop staring at Jennifer's cover man ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's just a few more days now. I bet you're not the only one to have that problem with Jennifer's cover.
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous pics, Kate!! Amazing gardens! Makes me really crave spring :)
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Rula! Although there's still snow on the ground (in some shady areas at home, and just about everywhere except the driveway at our cottage), I can see some shoots forcing their way up through the soil!
DeleteWhat lovely pictures, adorable and beautiful. You also have a nice line up of heartwarming authors. Nicely done....
ReplyDeleteThank you for for visiting the blog, Cyn. Yes, Heartwarming features four terrific releases each month. I do look forward to the May releases with a bit of extra enthusiasm! :-)
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