Summer-blooming Zephyranthes (rain lilies) are a fave in my Carolina garden.

I’m convinced they're shy. Their unremarkable green stems stay small and lanky most of the season, fading behind showy annuals strutting their colors.  Not much to look at.

But these tiny bulbs like to surprise me.  Buds peek out near sunrise, usually after a heavy rain, and nod as I walk by to fetch the morning paper. 

By day's end, their open-wide blooms are welcome invaders, weaving a pink-petaled flotilla through my garden.  They stop passers-by, who take a moment to enjoy these happy flowers before the blooms shrink back into the night, waiting for the next rain and sunrise.

An element of surprise adds the sparkle to life.  Not the kind of surprise like a dead car battery or in-laws popping by for a visit.  And I won’t even go near dreaded surprises associated with loss or illness. 

It’s taking delight in the every day and unexpected.  Like reading a great book with a plot twist you never saw coming.  Or finding the sweetest kitten to take home from animal rescue.

Kids are best at surprise and delight, don't you think?   If you ever watch as they explore their world, you know what little sponges they are. Soaking up every discovery.  Not afraid to climb high and tackle the unexpected.

This weekend, I'm following my own advice and tackling a new experience: guesting on Beantown Pals, a Saturday morning blogtalk radio program for kids and parents, to discuss children's books and writing.  It's my first time using this technology.  I'm a bit nervous about flinging my actual vocal-cord voice (not my writing voice) through cyberspace.  In those first 30-seconds of the program, I'll remember to suppress my jitters and dive in to the unknown with gusto.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Here’s to keeping that child-like delight and discovery in us all. And wishing you the loveliest of surprises in life.

Finally!  After 14 months of wanting to convert my print books into digital format, Sweet T and the North Wind is in the hands of a code-writing, techie guru. He'll make sure Irene A.  Jahn’s watercolors and my text flow perfectly for the book’s digital debut in August. 

Can't wait to share e-Sweet T with you.  What do you think about the new book cover by graphic designer and jewelry artist Kayte Price?

I’ll post details soon about specials for T's upcoming e-introduction (i.e. *FREE* e-book download on Amazon for a limited time).

Speaking of introductions, I'm working on my third Sweet T Tale for publication later this year or early in 2015.  It's about middle sister Kristen, and it will be another You-Decide tale.  I’m noodling over ideas for the perfect plot where kids  write or draw what happens next. 

And a final introduction: please meet the real
Sweet T.

Tara graduated from a college in upstate New York (USA) in June with a B.S in Education. She wants to teach high-school history. 

Ummm   .....  Think T will dazzle the boys and win over the girls in her history classes in a heartbeat, even without using a magic scooter?