The release week for The Gardener and the Garden has arrived, and I still can’t quite believe it, which feels like such a cliche, but it is true.
Our weekend was one full of adventures and as I began to type this post, we were driving through tree lined highways on our way home. (I was not driving). The Midwest has been blanketed in a haze of wildfire smoke, but the world is still in the green of summer.
Copies of The Gardener and the Garden have started to arrive to their new homes. It’s so surreal to see my little book in the hands of readers. I pray it is a joy to everyone who picks it up.
It feels fitting that this collection is arriving in summer. My original release date had been in the spring, but I know now this is when it was supposed to be. Spring has slipped into summer, and this little collection of spring is ready to emerge. Moreover, tomorrow, TGATG’s pub day, is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene.
The Inspiration
The Gardener and the Garden started with a poem I wrote down in the leather prayer journal I had in college (it actually ended up being the final poem in the book). During that semester, a major theme in my prayer life was the scene in the Gospel of John where St. Mary Magdalene encountered the Risen Christ for the first time after His Resurrection.
“Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher” (John 20:15-16).
Years later, more poems came and a collection started to form around the theme of Jesus as a Gardener. While this is a central theme, it is my hope that anyone, regardless of their faith background, can enjoy TGATG and the themes of spring and hope that it holds.
A Couple Notes
Setting ramblings aside, I do have a couple notes for logistics!
My order for author copies has been submitted to Ingram Spark and last I heard, processing is taking about ten business days. Realistically, I won’t have my copies for signed copies until the end of this month. I will be doing my best to get them out as soon as possible once they do arrive. That being said, if you have pre-ordered OR if you order during release week from me or an online retailer (anytime from now until Wednesday the 29th), make sure to fill out the form for pre-order goodies!
You can pre-order signed copies (or plain copies) directly from me here!
If you have a book club or church group and would like to order multiple copies, please reach out to me and I’ll see what I can do about getting you a little discount!
If you’ve already gotten your copy (I know a few people who ordered from Amazon have), I’d be so grateful if you’d take your time to share your thoughts in a review on Amazon, GoodReads, or Fable! Reviews are so important, especially to indie authors.