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This is a native plant, blue-eyed grass, which we planted along with a bunch of other natives in our new front garden last fall, all from a local nonprofit that specializes in native plants. When we put them in the ground in October, all but a couple of them looked dead, like pots of dirt with
withered stems poking out.Â
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All winter, they sat in the garden under a layer of leaves, looking like nothing. Squirrels dug some up. The weather got warmer, and we saw some hints of green, but still, mostly dead-looking. Then, suddenly, everything started growing, and before long, we had these pretty flowers everywhere. They needed time to settle in--to
rest and grow their roots--before they could "suddenly" bloom.
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Writing is often like that for me. Occasionally I'll get a story that just bursts into existence like a dandelion, but with both of my current projects, the ideas needed months or years to root down in the ground before they could start growing into actual drafts, and even then it takes time and
tending before they can bloom.
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I'm in the midst of shifting from drafting one project to revising another, which takes a big mental transition, especially for two stories as different these, my cozy fantasy novel and genre-bending science fantasy with portals novella. But the novella is blooming quite prettily at this point. I'm looking forward to sending it
off to my agent (and eventually sharing it with you all).
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