Welcome Guest Blogger Mary J. Forbes

SPRINGTIME HAPPINESSforbes_pic AND…LOVE

The scene on the cover of my May release, THE DOCTOR’S SURPRISE FAMILY, 3rd installment of my “Home to Firewood Island mini-series,” makes me think of summer.  A little boy fishing, a lake in the background, trees fully leafed out. No doubt about it, I love summer, and we’re almost there if we look at the calendar.

But in truth, it’s still springtime. It’s also the season that evolves in THE DOCTOR’S SURPRISE FAMILY.

Over the past few years, I’ve set a number of books on the cusp of springtime. I wondered if that held any significance to the stories and/or my characters. I didn’t have to look far to get my answer. Gazing out my window, I knew.

forbes_surprise_coverSpringtime is a sign of hope.

And hope is what romance novels are all about.

So what is it about springtime that’s so unique? What makes springtime a season of, well, happiness and love?

Off the cuff, there are several reasons spring makes me smile more, laugh more, and just…feel good.

For one, springtime is warmth. It’s sunshine and milder temperatures. It’s about chasing off cold and cloudy days and being able to go for walks without shivering.

Two, springtime is alive. Growing things are edging out of the earth. Trees turn mint green. Forsythia shrubs showcase their yellow bell-shaped flowers. Rebirth is on the horizon.

Spring is melodious. Songbirds fly up from the south and sing in the backyard. They tug worms from my garden. With a sense of urgency, they flash color here and there among shrubs and trees where they build nests. Where life moves forward.

During spring the skies offer shades of blue and cottony clouds. Eagles and hawks hang against them on the breeze, searching the ground below for food to offer their young.

In the greening woods, does hide fawns. In my backyard, squirrels chatter with gusto. Babies appear.

Everywhere I look I see spring hosting one key element: new beginnings. That evolution grew into the backdrop of THE DOCTOR’S SURPRISE FAMILY. Hero and heroine, Dane and Kat, endured a great deal of heartache. In the end, they needed an omen, a sign. So I gave them nature’s forecast that love waits just around the corner.

I gave them springtime. 🙂         

Tell me about your favorite season—and win a chance to choose a copy of your choice of either THEIR SECRET CHILD, AND BABY MAKES FOUR or THE DOCTOR’S SURPRISE FAMILY.  

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Entries accepted until midnight P.S.T.

To read Mary’s bio and the back cover copy for THE DOCTOR’S SURPRISE FAMILY, please see yesterday’s post.

To learn more about Mary and her books, please visit her website.

By Cindy

I'm irritated because my posts won't publish.

27 comments

  1. Hi Mary–great post!

    My favorte time of the year is summer but sprinttime is right behind that. My favorite thing about spring–aside from those you mentioned is that during the months of April and May the grass is the thickest, greenest it will be all year. The first real warm day in spring I take my shoes and socks off and walk barefoot in the yard. There’s nothing like the feel of fresh, soft spring grass between the toes!

    Looking forward to reading your book!

    Marin
    A Cowboy’s Promise (April 09)
    http://www.marinthomas.com

  2. Spring is my favorite season, too. I love everything you said, plus the longer days. The sun wakes me in the morning, not an alarm clock. That’s what’s supposed to happen.

    As I read your blog I realized my books are usually set in the fall. I’m going to change that with my next book and start it in spring.

  3. Hi Mary,
    I enjoyed your post and as always, your stories. You’re an amazing writer! Hands down, I love the fall! The crisp air, the explosion of colors as the leaves turn – their last dance of the season. Then, the understated spread of brown, the sense of ending, which is truly a life’s breath, a waiting until the new year unfolds and with it, the promise of great things hinted with the season of fall.
    That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. *G* Great seeing you on Muse Interrupted!

    Diana
    http://www.dianacosby.com
    Romance Edged With Danger

  4. I picked up my copy yesterday and I curled up with Kat and Dane last night. I love the feel of these characters!

    I love how you describe spring in your books!

  5. Hi everyone!

    Mary, an excellent blog post. I’m with you on loving spring. I enjoy summer, too, but it can get too hot. Although, now that I have air conditioning, that doesn’t concern me the way it used to, LOL. I also love September. I love when the weather allows me a variety of clothing options. If I want to wear jeans, it’s not too hot. If I want to wear shorts, I can. I’m not one for lying on the beach for six hours in a row, so late spring and early fall are my favourite times of the year.

    I’m trying to think if I favour certain seasons in my books, but I don’t think I do. Aside from I haven’t set any in snow-bound seasons yet, but I plan to. I have a tendency to set my books in the season in which I first start writing them, LOL. I’m wrapping up a book now. Hmmm, I’ll have to see if I have a weird compulsion to set my next project in the months of May and June. 🙂

  6. It’s hard to beat spring when the days get longer, the birds sing, the grass turns a color that is worthy of it’s own crayon in a Crayola box of colors.
    I’m also partial to autumn with it’s glorious colors, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot and the cool weather after a hot and humid summer.

  10. Hey Diana!! Thanks so much for popping by! I agree, fall is a beautiful and unique season–it has to be because I was born in the fall, LOL! Speaking of writing, you have the most amazing way of describing things. No wonder I love your books so much! 🙂

    Mary JF.
    http://www.maryjforbes.com

  12. Hi Mary. I’m a spring person too. I really don’t like winter, even here in the Pacific Northwest where it’s relatively mild. My favorite thing about spring is that, when it arrives, I know I’ll have months and months of enjoying spring, then summer, then fall (all seasons I very much enjoy) before I have to deal with winter again. Oddly enough, though, I tend to set my stories in summer. Unless it’s a Christmas story, or one set in a tropical location during the winter.

    I picked up “The Doctor’s Surprise Family” yesterday and am really looking forward to reading it. Don’t enter me in the draw – I have all your books already.

  13. Mary,
    I love your descriptions of spring. I love spring too because of all the flowers. Here in the desert it gets hot too soon for flowers. So I enjoy the burst of bloom as long as possible. After that, fall is my favorite time of year when the summer heat cools enough that we don’t burn up when we go for a walk in the evening. I love the colors of fall too, walks in the country and mountains with the leaves changing to gold and orange, and the clear days and cool nights.
    Looking forward to buying your book at the store!

    Jeanmarie

  14. Cindy, I love September as well! It and May are about the only two months you can wear almost any type of clothing. As to the seasons in my books, I leave that decision to my characters. 😉

    Mary JF.

  15. Ann, I’m glad you stopped in! Yes, spring and fall are gorgeous seasons. I love winter, too, for different reasons. And summer, well, summer puts her own stamp on the world. 😉

    Mary JF.

  16. Susan!! How nice to see you here! Thanks so much for picking up my book–and reading the series… I’m blushing. 😉 Oh, I hear you about all those lovely warmer months from spring through fall. This past winter in the PNW the rain/snow never seemed to go away, did it? Let’s hope we have nice warm, bright summer!

    Mary JF.

  17. Great interview! I have to say I like fall. Living in southern California, I get real tired of the heat, and so happy when the cooler days arrive. As to the seasons in my books, I used winter in How to Hook a Hottie because I liked how the icy northern weather add further layers of complication to the story.

  18. Hey Jeanmarie! Thanks for coming by! I’ve never lived in the desert, or even vacationed there, but I can imagine how wonderful those cool evening walks would be. 😉

    Mary JF.

  19. Hi Tina! I don’t blame you for putting chilly northern weather into your book. Winter can definitely complicate things for the H/H–as well as give them great opportunities for, ahem, snuggle time. 😉

    Mary JF.

  20. Oh, I adore summer, probably because where I live in the NE we really have to wait for it, we earn it alright and for that reason nothing beats a wonderful summer night to me. Strolling out in a sundress, sitting outside as the sun sets, admiring tan lines and enjoying cool beverages and a laid back summer attitude make me smile! Thanks for the contest and the blog post.

  21. I am soooo glad to see spring arrive. Living up north, the cold, bitter weather gets old real fast. I love it when the trees get their new leaves. And especially love reading a good romance while the spring rain is falling outside.

  22. Aimee, all the things you mentioned are why I, too, love summer! That said, I still hunger for those green things popping out of the soil in springtime after a loooong winter. 😉

    Mary JF.

  23. Lindsey, I hear you about the north and the cold. After 4-6 months, one really longs for bright sunny days and warm breezes. Oh, and spring rains? Nothing can compare! 🙂

    Mary JF.

  25. Mary, thanks for chiming in! I love reading stories based in the South as well. And…there are some very talented writers living down there! 🙂

    Mary JF.

  26. The Mary’s have it! Mary Marvella, congratulations, you won Mary’s book! Please look for a private email from me. And, btw, Mary M., thanks for dropping by. 🙂

    As for our author Mary, my friend thanks so much for another great blogging day. Congratulations on your Top Pick review from Romantic Times. Now go write us some more books!

    Folks, my next guest blogger is debut dark romantic suspense author Christy Reece. She’s visiting May 13th and giving away the first book in her first trilogy. A lot of firsts there, so make sure to drop by.

    As always, you can check my full listing of upcoming guest bloggers in the sidebar. May is the last month I’m doing 3 guest bloggers. From June forward, I’m cutting down to two guests per month, and I have an excellent lineup. Hope to see you return!

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