She’s rooted deep. He flies free.Local-foods chef Claire Halford envisions turning Green Acres Farm into an event destination. Weddings prove trickier than she imagined when the first one comes with a ruggedly handsome brother-of-the-bride, who has everything but a fixed address. Oh, and faith in God.
Noel Kenzie loves the freedom his reforestation company affords him. Why worry about deep stuff like God and commitment when he’s in his prime? Except there’s a woman who might make it worth giving up his wings…and digging in some roots. If he dares.
Get your copy of Wild Mint Tea at Amazon.
My Review
There is something to be said for building something from scratch and working for your dream. When you work as a family – even when your family is those you labor with for your dream, you put down roots. Something most people long for. Maybe because it is so widely missing in our culture.
That is a lot of what you’ll find in Wild Mint Tea. Roots served up alongside a lot of good food- your likely to get hungry reading this book, mixed together with a measure of faith and offered with a serving of romance. Oh, yeah, and plenty of Wild Mint Tea. A tasty combination.
If you enjoy a gentle romance, God’s great outdoors and a bit of danger you are sure to enjoy Wild Mint Tea.
The Author
The Author
Valerie Comer’s life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their creation-care-centric church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
Valerie writes Farm Lit where food meets faith, injecting experience laced with humor into her Farm Fresh Romance stories.
Connect with Valerie on her website. Sign up for her newsletter while you’re there.
An Interview with Valerie
Have you always been a writer? If not, what was your previous occupation? How long have you been writing?
I’ve always dabbled in writing, but didn’t know how to learn to craft and finish a story for many years. I didn’t have the passion or drive to learn it. Always something shinier to do! But in 2001 I landed a job in a small-town flooring shop and found myself with many empty hours in my day. My bosses were good with me writing at work, so I set myself to learning the craft. I wrote nine novels over the ten years I worked there, gradually learning how to weave story pieces together. (I never said I was a quick learner!) Most of those novels aren’t worth rescuing, but two are now published with another coming soon. I’m thinking about self-publishing a few of the others, but they have to wait their turn!
When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
As a farmer, gardener, foodie, and grandmother, I keep quite busy, especially in the summer and fall. My Farm Fresh Romance novels are set in a life very similar to mine (other than the grandmother part), so it’s all research. I love hanging out with my little grandgirls (age four and under). The trampoline is a favorite.
To really take a break, my husband and I love to tow our little holiday trailer up beside a mountain stream when we can get away for a few days in the summer. Nothing is more rejuvenating than a babbling brook, fresh trout in the frying pan, and a Kindle full of books to read.
Tell us about your writing process.
When I’m playing with a new story idea, I’ll start with brainstorming. It doesn’t take long before I break out my three-by-four foot whiteboard and begin mindmapping. I love scribbling all over it with bright dry erase pens, finding connections and building characters and plot.
Then I’ll snap a few photos of the board, erase it, and start over from a different angle. One of the ways I use the whiteboard is to find my characters’ GMCs (goals, motivations, and conflicts). That’s half the plot right there.
Once I start writing, I’m in Scrivener with all my notes in the sidebar. Love that program.
Do you have a separate space set up in your home or a favorite place to write/be creative?
I’m a lover of silence. Thankfully, my house usually accommodates that unless the family is visiting. My west-facing office is tucked under the eaves upstairs. My laptop goes under the window where I can look out across the vegetable garden and pastures to neighboring farms and the mountains beyond. A long table forms an L, and above that are my whiteboard and an equally large inspiration board pinned full of character photos, print-outs, floor plans, calendars, maps, and whatever other visuals might keep me inspired and on track.
What advice, if any, do you have for others aspiring to publish a book of their own/follow their dream?
Take time to learn the craft. You probably won’t be as slow a learner as I was, but don’t discount a practice novel or two while you figure out the process. If you don’t have any idea how to start (as I didn’t in 2001), check out the overview writing course I’ve created at http://towriteastory.com. It comes via email, and it’s free!
What motivated you to write on this topic?
I write Farm Fresh Romance because it’s my life and my passion. We live on a 40-acre farm and believe in fresh, local, seasonal food, so we grow a large garden and can and freeze plenty for winter eating. I know a thing or two about romance because I’ve been married to the same guy for nearly 34 years.
Young people today are far more concerned about where their food comes from than my own generation, in general. When my son and his wife were in university and told their friends they were moving back to the farm after graduation, their friends were jealous. I began thinking about what it would look like to turn a few idealistic city kids loose on a farm, and the Farm Fresh Romance series was conceived.
Do you plan on writing a sequel to this story? Are there other books in the works?
Wild Mint Tea is the second book in the Farm Fresh Romance series, and I’m currently working on the third book, Sweetened with Honey, which will release in March 2015. It completes the original mandate of the three young women who bought the farm to begin with, but my publisher and I are talking about continuing the series. Nothing final, yet!
I also have a release, Snowflake Tiara, in September with co-author Angela Breidenbach. Angela’s novella is historical and mine is contemporary. Both are romances set around a Christmas beauty pageant in Helena, Montana. And yes, my themes of farm, food, and faith are strong in this story as well.
In another genre, I’m independently publishing a romantic fantasy, Majai’s Fury, in May.
What do you want readers to take away from your book?
I hope they’ll feel at home at Green Acres Farm, laughing and crying with their newfound friends. I want my stories to linger in their minds. And I’m also hoping they’ll be challenged to consider the junction in their lives where food meets faith http://valeriecomer.com/wherefoodmeetsfaith.
Thanks so much for inviting me here, Angela!
I appreciate the fun interview, Angela! Blessings on your day.