I love the Sequoia, the enormous redwood trees of California. I knew they were big, I knew they were old, but when I actually looked into it, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Three thousand five-hundred years! That’s how old they think the oldest of the sequoia is. That tree has seen an awful lot. It… Continue reading Forever Trees
Author: florencewitkop
writer of fiction, including clean romance, distopian, confession, mystery, sci-fi, romance
How do I get a first novel published?
This question opens up a can of worms! Writing is the easy part, getting published is waaaaay more difficult! But there are some steps to follow that will get you there. 1. But there are books and blogs and articles out there telling you what to do. I’m not sure how helpful they are but… Continue reading How do I get a first novel published?
Tea Bag Anyone?
The tea bag is rooted in the belief that the leaves ought to removed from the hot water at the end of a specific brewing period. At first, there were infusers -- perforated metal containers which were filled with loose leaves and immersed in boiling water, and then removed using an attached chain. They are… Continue reading Tea Bag Anyone?
Pizza Anyone?
The Aztecs grew tomatoes but Cortés brought the seeds to Europe. He thought they’d look nice in gardens. Like pretty, round, red flowers. Soon, however, aristocrats – the only people able to afford flower gardens -- nibbled those pretty red flowers and discovered they were delicious and soon lots of aristocrats were eating tomatoes. And,… Continue reading Pizza Anyone?
Still above water
Venice, Italy, is a floating city. It is comprised of 112 separate islands that are near each other in a bay of the Adriatic Sea. You'd think the city would gradually fall into the sea as its foundation decays. But the foundation doesn't decay. At least it hasn't yet and it looks like there are… Continue reading Still above water
Mother’s Day – coffee mugs – flowers
I got these flowers for Mother's Day. I also got the coffee mug for Mother's Day. They both came in the mail and I knew immediately, without looking for cards or anything, which came from which son. The flowers came… Continue reading Mother’s Day – coffee mugs – flowers
Fairytales revisited
There's a lesser-known fairy tale than some more familiar ones in which a sweet young girl shares a cake with an old woman she meets at the well. Turns out that the old woman has magic powers (of course she does, it's a fairy tale) and is so grateful for the young woman’s generosity that… Continue reading Fairytales revisited
Berries are berry confusing
As a writer, I know words are important. I also know that language evolves and words change. Still -- shouldn't a berry be a berry? No matter the year, the century, the country or the language, shouldn't a person be confident knowing that something labled 'berry' is actually what the label says? Nope! Doesn't happen!… Continue reading Berries are berry confusing
5 fascinating facts about cats.
I've been learning about cats. I've had a cat for eleven years now so you'd think I'd know a bit by now. I did end up making one a major character in my novel, A Very Black Cat. But these strange critters never cease to surprise me. Anyway, I ran across a few cat facts… Continue reading 5 fascinating facts about cats.
Some flowers are tough! Not mine.
I always thought of flowers as delicate and fragile. And some are. But not all. Some of the loveliest are some of the toughest. Lotus flowers, for instance, begin life in the yucky, muddy bottom of a pond where they struggle until they grow enough to reach the water's surface where they finally have fresh… Continue reading Some flowers are tough! Not mine.
