My publisher put this little quote card together for me. I really loved writing this scene, which takes place in a graveyard! P.S. Blackberry Winter will be out on September 25! You can pre-order it here, here, and here!

Hello readers! Do you have a mom, grandma, or friend who likes to read books in large print? The large print edition of The Bungalow (as seen in the cover directly above) recently came out in hardcover, and I’d love to offer a signed copy to one of my readers! To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below. And, you get an extra entry if you mention this link on Facebook or Twitter. (Just note that you did this in a **separate** comment below so you’re in the running twice.) If you’re lucky, this would make the perfect Mother’s Day gift for your mom or grandma, huh?!

And, if you’d like to order the large print edition of The Bungalow for someone in your life (or yourself!), you can find it here and here. The large print edition of The Violets of March will be coming out soon too!

I can hardly believe that it’s been a full year since my first novel, The Violets of March, debuted. And what a year it has been! Thank you, all, for making this book a success, for sharing it with your friends and relatives, and for just being so lovely! I am truly grateful.

And, you will never believe the very special discovery I made about violets, recently, in the book Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees by Ernst and Johanna Lehner.

According to the ancient flower calendar from the middle ages (dating back to 1493 Germany) the violet is the official flower of March! How cool is this? I had no idea this was the case when I set out to write The Violets of March. It seems so fateful and meant to be!

And, more violet-y fun: The Violets of March covers from around the world, and the actual violets that inspired the book! And, a fun day for Violets that I’ll never forget!

I love this tutorial on how to make all kinds of gorgeous paper flowers:

And, how to make paper pansies (or violets!):

Plus, how to make flowers from … coffee filters!

Today my publisher (Penguin/Plume) sent me a lovely letter in the mail from a reader who wrote to tell me she adored The Bungalow. It made my day. I love getting mail from readers. It means so much to authors. Thank you, Mandy, for taking the time to write!

Mandy, these tulips are for you:

How dreamy is this cover from my publisher in Germany (Heyne-Diana/Verlag–a division of Random House), for The Bungalow, which will be coming out in hardcover there in August! Don’t you just want to pluck a hibiscus and go sailing off in that little boat? Better yet if you had a certain Mr. Westry Green to do the rowing for you!

The title translates into: “On a Day With You.” Swoon!

And, I was so excited to see that, once again, the book cover made the cover of the sales catalog for the season. So pretty, right? (It feels like a nice companion to the cover they used for The Violets of March, which debuted in hardcover in Germany last year, and will soon be releasing in paperback.)

I’m also thrilled to announce that my editor in Germany just purchased Blackberry Winter, to debut in 2013!

ABOVE: Yes, Jodi Picoult’s name is bigger than mine here in the Polish cover for The Violets of March, but I don’t mind at all! (I love Jodi!)

ABOVE: I still think this cover, from my publisher, Heyne (Random House/Germany) is sooo dreamy. The translated title means “Somewhere, Forever.” Love!

ABOVE: The newest cover to add to my collection comes from my new Spanish publisher, Vergara. (If you or someone you know would like to order it, you can find it here.)

I love this.

P.S. I used to chase butterflies as a little girl and had a fascination with Monarchs.

Which quote resonates with you/your life? Feel free to Tweet, blog, post on Facebook, Pinterest—or just put on a good old fashioned bulletin board.

***Update! A winner has been chosen at random. Congratulations, Katrina!***

Today, I’m giving away a copy of the lovely, lovely author Kristina McMorris‘ new book, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves! Not only did I adore this book, but I adore its author. I had a chance to meet her in Portland for my reading at Powell’s, and then I got to see her again in Seattle for an event at Third Place Books, where Kristina read from her new book and hosted a panel where two Japanese-American internees shared their story about life in internment camps during World War II and told such touching, memorable stories!

Here’s more about the book:

Los Angeles, 1941. Violinist Maddie Kern’s life seemed destined to unfold with the predictable elegance of a Bach concerto. Then she fell in love with Lane Moritomo. Her brother’s best friend, Lane is the handsome, ambitious son of Japanese immigrants. Maddie was prepared for disapproval from their families, but when Pearl Harbor is bombed the day after she and Lane elope, the full force of their decision becomes apparent. In the eyes of a fearful nation, Lane is no longer just an outsider, but an enemy.

When her husband is interned at a war relocation camp, Maddie follows, sacrificing her Juilliard ambitions. Behind barbed wire, tension simmers and the line between patriot and traitor blurs. As Maddie strives for the hard-won acceptance of her new family, Lane risks everything to prove his allegiance to America, at tremendous cost.

Skillfully capturing one of the most controversial episodes in recent American history, Kristina McMorris draws readers into a novel filled with triumphs and heartbreaking loss–an authentic, moving testament to love, forgiveness, and the enduring music of the human spirit.

You can order the book here, here, and here.

And, to enter to win a copy of this book, plus a few other treats from Kristina, just leave a comment here answering this question: What’s your favorite time period to read about in novels? Present? Past? A favorite decade? Why?