Creating Sanctuary
The heat arrived early this year. Our little corner of the world feels more like late July than early June, and like many of you, we’ve been outside nearly every day — building new flower beds, hauling rock, clearing brush, and watering almost constantly. Part of it is the simple joy of watching a new garden come to life, but part of it, too, is preparation. Fire season has become part of our yearly rhythm now, and we do what we can: clearing fallen branches, trimming back overgrowth, and trying to make our home a little more resilient.
In between the digging and watering, I’ve been working steadily on my final edits for The Velvet Spy: Volume 2 as well as drafting the 27th Ginger Gold Mystery. It’s quite something to live half the day with one’s hands in the earth, and the other half lost in 1917 France or 1920s London. My grandson—now eight months old—often visits during the day, and watching him discover the world with such bright-eyed wonder reminds me of what a precious, fragile place this is. Both the world itself, and the time we’re given to live in it.
As I’ve been writing these latest chapters of The Velvet Spy, I’ve found myself returning to an image that feels strangely relevant even now: the gardeners of war.
During World War I, amid the devastation of the trenches, soldiers and civilians alike often planted small gardens wherever they could. Tiny plots of poppies or beans grew between shattered buildings. Window boxes appeared in battered towns. Even in the trenches themselves, some soldiers planted little patches of flowers — not because they had to, but because they needed to. In the face of destruction, life asserted itself. Growth became both an act of hope and quiet defiance.
Today, we live in a world facing its own upheavals — though thankfully, for most of us, not on the scale of 1917 France. But whether it’s wildfires, political tensions, or simply the uncertainties that seem to swirl louder each year, I think many of us are planting our own kinds of gardens right now. Whether it’s a literal flower bed, time spent with grandchildren, or creative work like writing books, we’re all cultivating something that helps push back the darkness, even just a little.
Perhaps that’s the small WWI lesson I’m carrying with me this season: you cannot always control the larger forces around you, but you can tend your small patch of earth. You can create beauty. You can nurture life. You can pass something good to the next generation.
Thank you, as always, for being part of this journey with me. I’ll leave you with a few photos of our garden-in-progress. The flowers aren’t quite in full bloom yet—but like all good things, they’re growing, one day at a time.
Stay safe, stay well — and wherever you are, may your own small gardens thrive.
Book News!
The Velvet Spy: The Wartime Journal of Lady Gold - Volume Two Dive deeper into Ginger’s past with this gripping wartime journal. Secrets, espionage, and high-stakes danger await in this second and final volume of Lady Gold’s clandestine adventures.
Murder in the Painted Masque: A Ginger Gold Mystery When a lavish masquerade ball turns deadly, Ginger must unmask a killer hiding behind silk and jewels. Glamour, deception, and a twist-filled mystery—perfect for fans of classic whodunits!
And something for my German speaking readers... Book 6 of the Ginger Gold Mysteries series is coming soon in German!
Mord in den Kensington Gardens: Ein Fall für Ginger Gold 6 Für unsere deutschsprachigen Leser: Ginger Gold ermittelt wieder! In diesem charmanten Cosy-Krimi wird ein idyllischer Spaziergang durch die Kensington Gardens zum Tatort—und nur Ginger kann das Rätsel lösen.
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