Front Yard
Page 32
“And there’s another?” wondered George.
“Sure is!” gushed Dr. Brockheimer. “Here’s to having a best-seller. We just sold the plant-whispering book.”
“Didn’t!” cried Nan.
“Did!” said Dr. Brockheimer. “The editor who bought it thinks it’ll be huge. They’re going to call it, Talking to Your Plants: The George and Nan Fremont Way.” Glasses clinked again.
“Oh, boy,” said George. “Another shot at fame. Just what we need.”
Acknowledgments
Thanks to all the folks at Kensington for making me look good as an author. I’ll single out editor Martin Biro especially for his judicious and insightful edits and suggestions. Martin is a shining example of how every author needs a good editor. The fact that he’s unfailingly polite and patient has served to raise him even more in my esteem.
Literary agent Peter Rubie at FinePrint Literary Management has offered me sound advice on carving out a career as an author, and helps steer me on the right course of action when necessary.
In terms of research, a farcical novel such as Front Yard allows you by its very nature to treat accuracy with a blithe disregard much of the time. Still, I do like to get my gardening facts straight. For that, I lean on my friend and former colleague Mary Jane Smetanka, who brings the expertise of a master gardener to her perusal of my manuscripts. I will also mention a few others who helped by looking over sections of Front Yard, mostly to make sure I didn’t write something that strayed too far from the realm of fictional possibility. They are: Sam Draper, whose experience as a tree company employee proved invaluable; Neil Anderson, professor of flower breeding and genetics at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Shaun David McGuinness, a PhD student in Welsh history at Bangor University, in Wales; and Paul Stone, assistant professor of history at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. To them, I offer my thanks. In the case of Mr. McGuinness, I say, Diolch yn fawr.
Special thanks, as always, to my family—wife Jennifer and sons Sam and Ed.
If you enjoyed Front Yard, be sure not to miss
BACKYARD
A novel by Norman Draper
Livia is a nice little suburb in the upper Midwest—but behind the manicured lawns and pristine hedges seethes a ruthless desire to be the greatest green thumb of all. . . .
George and Nan Fremont have created a paradise in their backyard, complete with semi-hallucinogenic exotics and a comfy spot for drinking their favorite merlot. Marta Poppendauber’s garden is as pleasantly haphazard as she is. And Dr. Phyllis Sproot, Livia’s self-styled and cantankerous gardening expert, has determined the exact formula for the only correct garden possible.
But once Burdick’s PlantWorld announces the garden contest to end them all, none of the gardeners of Livia can afford to live and let live. The Fremonts have almost gardened themselves into bankruptcy. Marta is the victim of black tea blackmail. And Dr. Sproot is turning into a horticultural megalomaniac of the worst kind.
The gardeners of Livia are digging up trouble with every turn of the spade, but if they can make it through the summer, who knows what might bloom?
A Kensington trade paperback and e-book on sale now!
Photo by Jennifer Draper
Norman Draper spent thirty-five years as a newspaper reporter before leaving journalism in 2011. An avid gardener in thought, if not in deed, he is always up to the task of uncorking a bottle of Sagelands 2007 merlot and checking in on his beloved Minnesota Twins. Draper lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his wife, Jennifer, and has two grown sons, Sam and Ed. Visit him on the Web at normandraper.com.
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Copyright © 2015 by Norman Draper
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ISBN: 978-1-6177-3307-9
First Kensington Electronic Edition: October 2015
ISBN–13: 978–1–61773–307–9
ISBN-10: 1-61773-307-5