Wildflower in Bloom

I just came inside from my balcony where the breeze whipping across the San Francisco Bay carried the fresh scent of lilacs and wisteria growing in my backyard. Not many things in life are more wonderful than flowers.

The Wild Rose Press held an Easter contest and the criteria was that we had to incorporate the scripture from Song of Soloman 2:2, “Like a lily among the thorns, so is my darling among the maidens." Imagining a beautiful lily made me think about what it takes for a flower to thrive. I believe the sun could represent the warmth of God’s love, and the rain is like the Holy Spirit who quenches our dry and thirsty soul. Being rooted and grounded in rich soil comes from immersing ourselves in the Word and abiding. But even with all this provision, some flowers still wither. In spite of the fact that as believers we have the warm sun, cool rain, and rich soil, we sometimes still wither for no apparent reason.

In my own life I know I sometimes wither because of fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown. Three hundred and sixty-five times the Bible tells us, “Fear not.” One command for each day of the year. There is no reason for us to ever wither in fear when you consider all God has given us to be strong and courageous.

The theme of Wildflower in Bloom is overcoming fear. My heroine Poppy lives in fear because of heart wrenching tragedy in her past. Her pet raven Henry chooses to live within the bars of a cage instead of spreading his wings and enjoying the world. Henry is a symbol of Poppy who isolates herself in her quest for safety. Throughout the story Poppy learns to live in a world outside the bars of fear. We all need to constantly remember that perfect love casts out fear.

Here is the copy for Wildflower in Bloom:

Barton Remington has always thought of his best friend's little sister as an untamed dirty-faced tomboy, but after a six year absence he returns home to find this little wildflower all grown up and much too appealing for her own good.

Poppy Mandelville is merely a merchant's daughter, so when Barton returns from the war, and she discovers her childish infatuation has bloomed into love, she must put aside all hope of a match with the future Earl of Birmingham? Or must she?



The three winning rosettes will be released April 9th, 10th, and 11th on ebook format on The White Rose website. I hope you get a chance to read them all.

Wildflower in Bloom by Janelle Ashley
By Another Name by Ashley Ludwig
Under the 5th Street Bridge by Carla Rossi