Where does Shereen get her inspiration? How is Canada part of her inspiration? Read on and see...
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We’re within kissing distance of Canada Day, July 1st. Writing a blog about my country made me pause to consider what I love most about Canada. What comes immediately to mind are trees. Everywhere I’ve lived across this beautify country, I’ve loved the trees.
I’ve moved from Ontario (grew up in Ottawa) to Manitoba (met my two best friends there) to Saskatchewan (where I learned all about veterinary practices in a farming community) to British Columbia (I finally settled on Vancouver Island and laid claim to this spot as the home of my heart).
In every one of those provinces, I’ve adored the trees that grew there. Now, thinking back, the maple trees in Ontario remind me of school trips and my very first taste of maple syrup. Yum!!!
In Manitoba, I went on my first ever camping trip and was surrounded by oaks and spruce and Cedars. I remember a group of us carrying a canoe over our heads through the forest to go paddling on a lake.
In Saskatchewan, I remember there were miles and miles of flat country. I was lucky to see one tree as we drove down country roads. I searched for trees at every farm the vet and I visited.
By the time I arrived in British Columbia, I was surrounded by trees again. They were everywhere. Planted along the sidewalks, growing in the parks, along highways and down mountain paths. This is where I had my first taste of white-water rafting, as we sped through lush forest landscapes.
I now live in a house where I planted a spooky Weeping Sequoias at the front and back of the property and an Arbutus tree in my immediate backyard.
It’s almost time for me to move from here into a condo. I think I’ll miss the trees the most. In the back of my mind, though, there’s a plan growing for a container garden in my new balcony. It’s going to be spectacular. Though I’ll be limited in how big the plants can be there, guaranteed, there’s going to be a tree in one of those pots! Fingers crossed, the strata council isn’t reading this post.
If you’ve read this post down to here, you might have gained the impression that I like to travel as much as I love trees. In my books, you’ll encounter reflection of both these loves, as characters go from place to place exploring vast new landscapes, encountering interesting new folk and sheltering against trees.
Below is an excerpt from my newest release called Missing You, a travel mystery romance (big surprise).
Still a little bleary-eyed from her twenty-one-hour flight and the shift in time difference, Phoebe texted her aunt. I’m home.
She got out of the Uber, hoping Aunt Helen would come downstairs and let her in. It would save her waking up her parents or her great-grandfather Walter.
After a three-year absence, it felt odd to be back in Harrington Bay, or HB as it was known among the locals. HB was located south of Portland, Oregon, close to the coast. She stood partially shielded by the thick trunk of a white oak as she observed their closed front door. It was past midnight, so the porch light had been switched off. The moon, too, wisely hid on this cloudy spring night that vibrated with tension.
Her phone buzzed. Another text from her aunt. Finally.
Thank God you’re back, Phoebe! I’m already in. Hurry!
Phoebe ran toward her front door while thumbing back the obvious question. In where?
The next text flashed a different address than theirs. She stopped in her tracks, her astonished gaze swinging left, toward the large Victorian house next door.
She fished a flashlight from her travel duffle bag before tucking her kit behind a bush near her front door. She then cautiously headed to the neighboring property.
According to her aunt, Tucker Harrington, a retired army major, had recently returned to the town his ancestors helped build and then brought this house.
Over shoulder-high box hedges, the neighboring home’s exterior appeared to have been painted a new lighter shade. The garden had been tamed since Phoebe left home. It no longer grew wild, appearing tended and landscaped, with fresh dark mulch spread thickly on the beds.
Why was her septuagenarian aunt texting Phoebe from inside Tucker’s house? No porch lights on there either. Tucker was also in his seventies, so he could be asleep. Was her aunt in his bed? Phoebe shook off the unsettling image. Just how close was Aunt Helen to this old dude? Was his grandson home?
A light flickered in one of the downstairs windows. Her phone buzzed. Another text from her aunt. You coming? Head to the right of the front door. Don’t wake Tucker!
It was the longest note Phoebe had received since Aunt Helen first mentioned this family emergency. It set her alarm bells ringing.
Enter your name in the comments below for a chance to win a Kindle copy of Missing You.
Once upon a time, USA Today bestselling author Shereen Vedam read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love and mystery elements woven in for good measure.
Shereen's a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily-ever-after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.
Trees love to toss and sway; they make such happy noises – Emily Carr
We’re within kissing distance of Canada Day, July 1st. Writing a blog about my country made me pause to consider what I love most about Canada. What comes immediately to mind are trees. Everywhere I’ve lived across this beautify country, I’ve loved the trees.
I’ve moved from Ontario (grew up in Ottawa) to Manitoba (met my two best friends there) to Saskatchewan (where I learned all about veterinary practices in a farming community) to British Columbia (I finally settled on Vancouver Island and laid claim to this spot as the home of my heart).
In every one of those provinces, I’ve adored the trees that grew there. Now, thinking back, the maple trees in Ontario remind me of school trips and my very first taste of maple syrup. Yum!!!
In Manitoba, I went on my first ever camping trip and was surrounded by oaks and spruce and Cedars. I remember a group of us carrying a canoe over our heads through the forest to go paddling on a lake.
In Saskatchewan, I remember there were miles and miles of flat country. I was lucky to see one tree as we drove down country roads. I searched for trees at every farm the vet and I visited.
By the time I arrived in British Columbia, I was surrounded by trees again. They were everywhere. Planted along the sidewalks, growing in the parks, along highways and down mountain paths. This is where I had my first taste of white-water rafting, as we sped through lush forest landscapes.
I now live in a house where I planted a spooky Weeping Sequoias at the front and back of the property and an Arbutus tree in my immediate backyard.
It’s almost time for me to move from here into a condo. I think I’ll miss the trees the most. In the back of my mind, though, there’s a plan growing for a container garden in my new balcony. It’s going to be spectacular. Though I’ll be limited in how big the plants can be there, guaranteed, there’s going to be a tree in one of those pots! Fingers crossed, the strata council isn’t reading this post.
If you’ve read this post down to here, you might have gained the impression that I like to travel as much as I love trees. In my books, you’ll encounter reflection of both these loves, as characters go from place to place exploring vast new landscapes, encountering interesting new folk and sheltering against trees.
Below is an excerpt from my newest release called Missing You, a travel mystery romance (big surprise).
Excerpt from Missing You
Copyright Shereen Vedam, 2019
She got out of the Uber, hoping Aunt Helen would come downstairs and let her in. It would save her waking up her parents or her great-grandfather Walter.
After a three-year absence, it felt odd to be back in Harrington Bay, or HB as it was known among the locals. HB was located south of Portland, Oregon, close to the coast. She stood partially shielded by the thick trunk of a white oak as she observed their closed front door. It was past midnight, so the porch light had been switched off. The moon, too, wisely hid on this cloudy spring night that vibrated with tension.
Her phone buzzed. Another text from her aunt. Finally.
Thank God you’re back, Phoebe! I’m already in. Hurry!
Phoebe ran toward her front door while thumbing back the obvious question. In where?
The next text flashed a different address than theirs. She stopped in her tracks, her astonished gaze swinging left, toward the large Victorian house next door.
She fished a flashlight from her travel duffle bag before tucking her kit behind a bush near her front door. She then cautiously headed to the neighboring property.
According to her aunt, Tucker Harrington, a retired army major, had recently returned to the town his ancestors helped build and then brought this house.
Over shoulder-high box hedges, the neighboring home’s exterior appeared to have been painted a new lighter shade. The garden had been tamed since Phoebe left home. It no longer grew wild, appearing tended and landscaped, with fresh dark mulch spread thickly on the beds.
Why was her septuagenarian aunt texting Phoebe from inside Tucker’s house? No porch lights on there either. Tucker was also in his seventies, so he could be asleep. Was her aunt in his bed? Phoebe shook off the unsettling image. Just how close was Aunt Helen to this old dude? Was his grandson home?
A light flickered in one of the downstairs windows. Her phone buzzed. Another text from her aunt. You coming? Head to the right of the front door. Don’t wake Tucker!
It was the longest note Phoebe had received since Aunt Helen first mentioned this family emergency. It set her alarm bells ringing.
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GIVEAWAY
Enter your name in the comments below for a chance to win a Kindle copy of Missing You.
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Shereen's a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily-ever-after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.
Website: www.shereenvedam.com
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Shereen-Vedam/e/B005A53Q10
Goodreads Author Page: www.goodreads.com/author/show/3415603.Shereen_Vedam
Bookbub Author Page: www.bookbub.com/authors/shereen-vedam
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/ShereenVedam
Pinterest: www.pinterest.ca/shereenvedam/boards
Twitter: twitter.com/ShereenVedam
~ All pictures (except for the 1st) are supplied by today’s guest with their assurance of usage rights.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog, Shereen, and have to agree about trees. I grew up surrounded by them. My favorite place to play as a kid was in one of the old dead trees at the edge of the woods in our backyard. It was a boat, a castle, a faery fort ;) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, C.H. Your backyard sounds like a dream.
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Jacqui you again have brought an author that I have not read and she sounds just wonderful. I really love that you have stayed true to the blog and not dropped out like many did or they don't post on the day they were. Your blogs are just so interesting I get excited when I see that you have posted and I thank you so much for that. I know that this is a kindle giveaway but if i win maybe she has a print in her closet or somewhere. Hugs Peggy Clayton ptclayton2@aol.com
ReplyDeleteThanks, ptclayton. Nice to meet you, too.
DeleteTrees and rocks and lakes -- kind of defines Canada for me. Somehow our great cities seem like they could be any where in the world, but trees and rocks and lakes -- O Canada!
ReplyDeleteHi, Alice. O Canada! Indeed.
ReplyDeletecute cover
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Congratulations bn100. You've won a copy of Missing You. It's on its way from Amazon.
Deletebn100, thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteYour interview was so intriguing especially with the focus on trees. I guess because I'm surrounded by trees I kind of take them for granted. I lived briefly in the NWT above the tree line and that's when I truly understood how much I missed trees.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
So true, Jodie. Like most things in life, we often take what's most precious for granted, until they're suddenly gone.
DeleteThis giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who commented.
ReplyDeleteThe winner (randomly chosen) is bn100. Amazon will email you the prize. Congratulations! Thanks for having me over, Jacqui.
Congratulations bn100 on winning Shereen's book! Thank you everyone who commented and visited. And thank you Shereen for sharing your inspiration with us ❤️
Delete