Thursday, April 30, 2009

FAREWELL TO APRIL

April is my favorite month. I wait for it all year and now it’s over.
Photo courtesy of the Netherlands Flowerbulb Centre (www.bulb.com)

In Virginia, April is when gardens burst into bloom and birds reappear.(birdhouse by Ruth Welter, www.artfulcreations.biz)

I rush out first thing in the morning to see what’s new and I check again at dusk.
Things happen fast in April.

The weather is usually pleasant and the bugs haven’t arrived yet.
Soon it will be hot and humid and gardening will become a chore. Growing June's fresh veggies is hard work. Watching April’s tree peonies bloom is bliss.


This week, after finishing a story for Custom Wood Homes about an amazing house on a Wyoming ranch, I've turned my attention back to launching my new Waterside web site.

It should be up and running within a week and you will be able to pre-order autographed copies of Waterside Cottages on the site.I checked Amazon and saw that they listed the book’s cover price as $24.99 and their discount price as $16.49. Since the blad lists the price as $30 (not $24.99), I called Kim, the sales coordinator at Gibbs Smith, to ask which was correct.

Alas, it’s the $30 price. (Kim was glad I caught the mistake and was going to call Amazon.)

Even with my author's discount and wholesale price, I’m not sure that I will be able to match Amazon’s price. Dan suggested that I order them in bulk from Amazon to autograph and resell, but with mailing envelopes and postage, my web price would still be slightly higher.

I promise to sell the book for less than $30, so stay tuned.

My new web site will feature fun themed slide shows,
decorating features,(Photo courtesy of Jaima Brown)
home tours,
must-see destinations,
cottage craft projects,beachy recipes, and great stuff to buy.

I’ll let you know the launch date soon. The Book Blog will continue to feature posts on decorating, gardening, ramblings and my next book project.

I'll also be posting Waterside Cottages: Behind The Scenes-- a chapter-by-chapter look at the stories and photos that didn't fit in or didn't belong in the book.

*** BLOG DU JOUR ***

If you love starfish and other underwater oddities visit Echinoblog. Don’t expect decorating ideas. You’ll find photos worthy of National Geographic and posts that rival a chills-and-thrills adventure series here.

10 comments:

Ruth Welter said...

Hi Barbara, your photos are beautiful...thanks for showing my birdhouse. : )

April and May are two of my favorite months...I think because, here in NY, so much is starting to emerge and that always brings me a lot of happines yet the heat of the summer isn't here nor is all the garden work at this point. I love summer also, when the garden is in full bloom. You know what I'll say next though, the only season I could skip over is winter. LOL

I hope you'll be enjoying some lovely May weather Barbara...

Ruth

NeereAnDear said...

Wow .... love the photos.... That birdhouse Ruth did is beautiful and your flamingo... too pretty.... I cant wait to see the website ... the book... all the fab features... the excitement is building!!!!

I must admit April is quite a lovely month because its cool (not too hot yet)... the flowers are starting to bloom... the showers bring May flowers... one drawback for me is the pollen though ... but I have truly had a BLAST planting pots and flower boxes full of beauties... and tomato plants all to make my haven complete...

Looking foward to your website debut from your number one fan...

LOTS OF HUGS
JO

FrenchGardenHouse said...

How exciting!! I can't wait to see your Beachy website unveiled. The photos are beautiful, makes me want to go to the beach today, instead of making a hundred cupcakes.:)
xo Lidy

Carolyn Parker said...

Hi Barbara,

Beautiful photos--such tree peopnies! Congrats on the website and book, I'll buy the book no matter how much it is. May should have some nice surprises too.

Carolyn

Lisa @celebrate CREATIVITY said...

Great browsing through your selected photos today. Can't wait to see your sneak peeks of your book.

Congrats again!

The Painted Garden said...

Hi Barbara,

Your photographs are beautiful and your new blog looks yummy - just like a little on -line magazine featuring everything I love - decorating - gardens - charming homes and rooms and much more - can't wait to see it up and running.
April is one of my favorite months also - even though we have Spring almost year round in Southern California - it is the month when our roses are in full bloom and looking fabulous.

Have a wonderful week in your garden.
Blessings,
Erin
P.S. I adore the bird house that Ruth painted - she is such a great artist.

Elyse said...

hi barbara,

beautiful blooms and exciting news.

april is a nice month. it hasn't stopped raining since may began. i don't think i have stopped yawning! i am wishing for a sunny day with a nice breeze!

xo

Mary said...

Can't wait to see your new website, and the book, too! Oh, and you have peonies in April? Or are tree peonies earlier than herbaceous ones... Up here in NJ, we're still waiting for the peonies. May is my favorite month -- with iris, peonies, foxglove, wisteria, lilac, azalea... well, you get the idea!

Best of luck with the new website. :)

Daisy Cottage said...

Hi Barbara!

I'm stopping by to wish you a Happy Mother's Day and I absolutely can't wait to own a copy of your book.. so looking forward to your new site too!

xo,
Kim

Julie said...

Nooo - don't say that... Gardening is NEVER a chore...ha ha