I am honored and grateful to have won the 2023 NERFA Award. I am one of the most recent winner of the Best First Book with my book Tides of Blue. The National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award celebrates published romance novels and novellas and is judged by romance readers. Winners are selected from three finalists in…

I am enjoying the subtle winter morning light. It’s the calm before the storm. The muted winter color palette has its own gentle glow of insular beauty.

New Year’s Eve is my day to celebrate another year around the sun. There is so much to learn and do in 2023. I think every millisecond should be filled.

The billowing clouds are a palette of grays kissing the tops of the mountains. It looks like they’re breathing when they move over the top of trees and cast swathes of shadows to the forests below. It’s a dance of light and shadow.

Finishing a book involves a little grief. I liken it to becoming an empty-nester. You have given birth to the idea and story, watched it grow, gave it structure, discipline, and much love before pushing it out of the nest to become a thing of its own.

Every story I’ve written was written because I had to write it. Writing stories is like breathing for me; it is my life. Ray Bradbury I agree.

As a group, gardeners are hard workers. We battle weeks and vermin and love to dig in the dirt. There’s something very satisfying to putting plants in the ground and tucking them in. There’s another pleasure in pruning or giving the plants a needed haircut.

Nights begin well. I fall asleep to a favorite audible book, usually tucked in by a dog and a purring cat. I move into sweet dreams. But, sometime after midnight, I wake up. Sometimes, the dog paws frantically to be let into the kitchen for a drink. Other times, it’s a sound or a dream. It’s puzzling magic.
Back in bed, the dog settles in again, groaning happily and putting his head on my legs. The cat snuggles into a warm, purring puddle of fur on the pillow next to me. And I try to sleep. But I can’t.

I have always been fascinated with herbs since childhood. I can blame it on my parents because instead of taking my siblings and me to amusement parks, we always ended up at museums or historical areas. I was entranced with life in earlier times, especially learning how people used herbs in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Novels change us from within.

It’s a gorgeous spring day and everything seems to celebrate spring! The birds are wild with delight and almost screaming as they cheer their songs to one another. The bees are busily finding every, single, spring blossom and are buzzing in happiness. The frogs croak lazily and are sunning themselves at the edge of the pond.

Writing. Writing is like going into a vortex or a wormhole to a little piece of heaven. I question writing all the time, but when deep in writing, it’s definitely magical. Alice Hoffman (another favorite author) quotes: “A Book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.” When I have finished a book, a bit of the magic wanes until the excitement of crafting and editing fills me to work and re-work and create a better piece

Last weekend, I finished the 5th book in The Green Man Series. Is the story finished?

When the world is dark and quiet, and everyone is asleep, you lie there, jealous of the sounds of the sleeping humans and animals near you. In some ways, you feel lucky to enjoy the peace and solitude of the night. But, you know, later in the day, the gritty eyes, the fatigue, and no time to rest will strike a negative chord in the day.

One of the great pleasures during my career as a librarian and also as a writer is researching. Since the advent of the internet (and yes, I am that old) is that one can spend many an hour wiling away the time by searching and researching a topic of choice. It’s an amazing gift when insomnia wiles its way into the night or if a sliver of interest in something leads me on a merry chase to find more information.

When I am deep inside writing a book, I liken it to being underwater in the deep, deep end of the pool. I struggle to come up for air, but I’m not drowning.

MMSC is turning 44! This excellent organization has been helping marine mammals and sea turtles for 44 years. It’s featured in my book Between Earth and Sea.

It’s a beautiful, late winter morning. The sun is arriving earlier and the sky is brightening every moment luring us into the day. It’s a lazy Sunday and the animals are settled in beside me as I drink my steaming cup of coffee. The glowing fire in the woodstove is keeping us toasty as we look out the window on a chilly morning. The palette of the frost and winter-worn grass is a medley of beige, tan, and brown with sycamore seed pods decorating the grass like polka dots and the brown leaves lying like a paisley pattern.

A free 10-day virtual festival connecting gardeners with the influencers, taste-makers and cutting edge content of today’s gardening world.

Yes. It’s a thing. Writer’s block. But it’s not really a block where everything stops. The author knows the story. It’s there, inside their head and inside their heart. But, sometimes, when we type, an icy death ray freezes our fingers from moving, and our mind goes blank—writer’s block.

Before the sun awakes is one of my favorite times of the day.

Thoughts on gardens and upcoming spring.

I am beginning to prep for the 2022 Delaware Fun-a-Day, where folks sign up to create a piece of art each day for a month.  I don’t consider myself an artist most of the time, but Fun-a-Day is a wonderful way to explore creativity and create art daily. I try to make it an opportunity…

Thank you for planting Beauty Berries!

We’re having our first ‘real’ winter storm of the season.  Our other predicted storms have been a bust.  Something’s going to happen tonight.  The birds and squirrels were particularly active at the feeder until late afternoon, when all became quiet.  Until this recent storm, the Beauty Berries (Callicarpa Americana) have adorned their branches with clumps…

We are in the deep heart of winter. This year, we seem to be having a ‘real’ winter after years of warmer temperatures. The temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic are currently into the teens. The crisp, brisk air is certainly a wake-up call from the unusual warmth of November and December 2021 and recent past years.…

When I retired from education, I had a penchant for butterflies.  I told myself, family, friends, and acquaintances that butterflies reflected growth and change. I wasn’t retiring, I said. I was transforming. I was convinced at the time that I was emerging into my true self.  It’s been a journey. My life has been changing.…

We live in an aging neighborhood near the Chesapeake Bay. The majority of the residents’ age is over seventy. It’s a special place – an older community. It’s full of groups of friends and acquaintances. Of summer people and year-round residents. Overall, it’s a caring group, at least on the periphery. I’m not sure what…

Christmas has always been a magical time for me since childhood.  As the days march along, memories of Christmas past still fill me with wonder in December.  I’m sure no one has had an idyllic childhood, but many of my Christmas memories bring me joy. I grew up in the sixties, in a rural, suburban…

It’s the day to bring back the light! There’s a term in Italian “Dara Alla Luce,” which usually refers to giving birth, but translated means to “bring to the light.” The Solstice reflects this. We have endured the dark and are ready to be reborn. There are so very many references to the Solstice, religious…

I read some time ago, an article or chapter, on the benefits of tending to ‘Hearth and Home.’ I enjoyed the language and agree that a ‘Hearth and Home’ day is one of the tickets to feeling grateful and better. We lead such very busy lives. I find it almost satirically comic to wish for…

I can’t stop grinning and feel like shouting “Squee!” every time I think about the Green Man series being picked up by Tivshe Publishing!  J.L. Jackola and the team are working their magic to re-edit and repackage the books for publication beginning in either late 2022 or 2023.   Tivshe currently has books 1-4 of the…

November is ending. It’s been a lovely month of blustery days, passionate clouds, and leaves dancing to the ground, either swiftly or slow, depending on the wind…

The TBR pile or the “to be read” pile for a bibliomaniac like myself can be problematic.  My current TBR pile is now two columns of books waist-high whispering to me beside the bed.  Another approximate-foot-high pile was on the bedside table.  I say ‘was’ because a hungry imp, also known as Dax, our Siamese…

It’s morning.  The pale sun creeps up as winter attempts a coup to the last bit of autumn.  The colors of the leaves are muted now, from gold to mustard, brilliant orange to an orange gouache, and flaming red to deep burgundy.  The leaves lie on the ground, stripped from the branches that held them…

Our high-functioning autistic daughter told us one time that she couldn’t do a sleepover where there wasn’t an animal breathing in the house. At the time, we shook our heads in disbelief, our hopes of social growth diminishing quickly. She has an uncanny gift with animals and has been dubbed the “animal whisperer” in our…

November is National Novel Writing Month, hence the name – NANOWRIMO.  It’s a challenge for all levels of writers. I have found that it’s a great challenge and it gives me a deadline to PRODUCE writing. The 2021 challenge for me is to write the beginning draft of Verdant, the 5th novel in The Green…

I often hear from friends that they hate the month of November.  The crisp Autumn air has started to chill.  The colorful leaves have fallen to the ground.  My friends dislike the monochromatic palette of November, but I am the opposite.  I have always felt that November is a passionate month.  The clouds are aswirl…

How does one find fairyland? Crawling under bushes and seeking fairies, kissing flowers, or reading a multitude of fairytales? I have tried all of these since childhood…

A little look at Green Man and Green person costumes. Come costume hunting with me as I explore online shop from Etsy and Amazon!

Summer has slipped quietly into autumn, and I have been remiss in not commenting about the Green Man-oriented film Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by A24 films..

I thought the 2020 COVID-19 time of quarantine might be extraordinarily creative.  Instead, it’s been a muffled form of grief.  Grief? From what? I’m not really sure…

We awoke more than an hour before dawn to see the Eta Aquarid meteor showers purported to have crumbs of Hailey’s Comet zinging through the sky….

The opening quote in a recent post from the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, is from Beau Taplin: ‘The secret is to never lose sight of the simple, everyday miracles in life….”

Learning the online education scene in the last couple of weeks, when educators are trying to swim out of the tidal wave of information and expectations, delayed this news….

We are on the burgeoning of Spring. Each day brings a delightful surprise to something bursting into bloom and a whiff of warmer weather. The cold air still underlies each day….

I am so very anxious to complete A New Leaf, the fourth book in the Green Man Series. The story is seeping from my pores. There’s been a major upset in the plot’s ending….

There are so many books to read. There are so many books to create. Sometimes, it’s overwhelming. It’s not overwhelming in a bad way, not most of the time…

The wheel of the year is turning toward Spring. It’s time to begin again, and welcome life anew. As the new bits of green arise from the soil and branches, as the sharp spikes of daffodils and the beautiful, chaste blossoms of snow-drops grace the landscape, I am ready for renewal and to resurrect this blog again.

“A book too can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding Universe.” – Madeleine L’Engle. I mentioned in a recent newsletter that with the oncoming of spring, ideas have begun to burst after the dormancy of winter.  Stories, articles, and art fill every waking moment.  I have…

“Why the Green Man?” is a question I am asked constantly at festivals and talks. The Green Man has been on this journey of life with me for a long, long time…

The last few weeks of dire predictions of violence from terrorists and military powers and the natural disasters from wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods…

Whether it’s the original version from Eddie Floyd, or the more recent version from Amii Stewart, the expression to “Knock on Wood”…

Maryland Author Sharon Brubaker is back to blogging in her most recent post…

I’m back in the blog saddle again. Apologies to all my readers for the blog hiatus…

Sharon took a quick break with the family after putting the finishing touches of Between Earth and Sea to visit a live seal at Hershey Park…

The blizzard Jonas has left the Mid-Atlantic covered in a thick blanket of snow. Needless to say, when the groundhog did not see his shadow…

At this holiday time of year, many places of worship have a ceremony for “the hanging of the greens.” There is a bit of mash-up as a new…

My feeble attempts on a blog on the Green Man are clearly outshined by the fabulous and wonderful blog “The company of the Green Man”

A fabulous new cover for Book 1 of The Green Man Series. Special promotion — The Greening is free from April 4th – April 6th, 2014

Happy St. Patrick’s Day — Tis the Wearin’ o’ the Green or Green Man? The famous Irish “Book of Kells” has numerous illustrations of…

When I first became aware that the Green Man was something that was real and not a prickling in the recesses of my imagination…

I had the opportunity to visit the “City of Brotherly Love” today — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA to see Isaiah Zagar’s incredible art…

Surfing the internet, I stumbled across this artist and their rendering of the Green Man by artist Holly Edwards.

Life takes us down funny roads. In a cursory search of interesting and unusual Green Man facts, I found a reference to Ngen-Mawida…

Traditionally May has been a celebratory time for “Jack in the Green.” A “Jack o’ the Green’ epitomizes the Green Man…

Reminiscent of The Leaf Man and the Brave Good Bugs by William Joyce. A new movie has been created where brave, green…

In the April 8th edition of Time Magazine this photo was posted of men with green faces: The colors on their faces and bodies…

The adventure continues! The second book in the Green Man series, entitled: The Leafing has been uploaded to www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com After solving a grisly local murder the previous year, Sylvia thought her life had settled into a happy and predictable routine. Instead, changes occurred that caused her to doubt everything: her job, her relationships,…

Many thanks to James for finding this Superhero Green Man in the He-Man episode “Orko’s Garden.”  The Green Man in this episode is called “Moss Man.”  His evil nemesis “Evil Seed.”  There are two or three episodes with this Green Man character.  Check out this wiki with additional information, and this page for information on his…

Happy St. Patrick’s Day Tis the wearin’ o’ the Green for many and only appropriate that there is a post on Irish Green Men.  Here is an interesting article regarding Irish and Scottish Green Men: Also, this bit of information is out there on the internet: The Green Man Friday, November 6th, 2009 The Green…

I have been totally fascinated by the Green Man character of Jarilo since learning about Zeleni Jurai. On his website, the author states: “He was a fairly typical life-death-rebirth deity, believed to be (re)born and killed every year. His mythical life cycle followed the yearly life of various wheat plants, from seeding through vegetation to harvest.”…

Found this lovely quote: “Our ancestors said to their mother Earth: ‘We are yours.’ Modern humanity has said to Nature, ‘You are mine.’ The Green Man has returned as the living face of the whole earth so that through his mouth we may say to the universe: ‘We are one.’” on a Facebook Page to the…

Thoughts of the Green Man’s return in the Spring hinge on the peep of snowdrops through the snow, the crocus that bloom in the winter’s sun and the lilt of birdsong that grows greater with each warming day. I ran across this lovely folksong about the Green Man waking in the Spring by Lauren Raine…

Fabulous film snippet of Paul Stamets.  Paul Stamets has much wisdom to share in this brief and elegantly beautiful film at: http://www.wimp.com/importantmushrooms/ (Image from: http://www.tellurideinside.com/2011/04/telluride-institute-news-mycowizard-paul-stamets-returns-to-shroomfest-in-telluride.html) This film is from an amazing site: http://www.movingart.tv/screeningroom/ Enjoy!

When discussing the Green Man, conversations often branch out into conversations of the Green Man and trees.  Some thoughts turn to the infamous “Ents” in Tolkien lore, tree people and the worshiping of trees.  An article on Ents can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ent This is fabulous renditon from: http://lawrencegarcia.org/tolkiens-mythology-the-recovery-of-wonder-for-creation/ents1/ Tree people are a world-wide archetype. Much…

I am happy to announce The Leafing, the second book in the Green Man series has been finished.  Editing will commence and it will be uploaded to Amazon and Nook in the next month or so.  Thank you for your support!

Happy Solstice 2012! May your days grow longer…

Tis the season of giving.  If you are seeking Green Man related gifts, check out the links below:  George Carruth’s classic Garden Smile Green Man and other Nature Faces are available at: [button href=”http://www.carruthstudio.com/categories/Nature-Faces.aspx” icon_size=”12″ animation_delay=”0″ class=”” target=”” color=”red” dimension=”normal” icon=”no-icon” animation=”” animate=”” ][/button] [separator color=”#b5b4b4″ margin_top=”1″ margin_bottom=”5″ style=”single” ] The Greening by Sharon Brubaker…

With the advent of hurricane Sandy and its wild winds along with our usual November gales, leaves have been spiraling down in a whimsical ballet and carpeting the ground with brilliant color.  The sound of raking and mowers grinding up the leaves nearly drown out the crunch and swish as one walks through the fallen leaves.…

Here in the US, the Green Man is almost an anomaly.  You can find Green Man sculptures in larger cities such as New York and Chicago. Outside of the urban areas, the Green Man is often relegated to garden art and personal collections.  It is humbling to see the amazing array of Green Men globally. …

Are you in need of a last minute Halloween costume? If you would like to portray yourself as the Green Man, here are a few sources of Green Man masks: http://www.rainewalker.com/catalog3.htm These are exquisite, one of a kind, leather masks. Etsy.com has a variety of masks from various artists: http://www.etsy.com/search?includes%5B%5D=tags&q=greenman+mask Artist, Larry Wood has created…

Spooks, witches, black cats  and ghosts moaning “Oooooooooh!”  Soon cries of “Boo!” and “Trick or Treat” will reign the streets.  All Hallows eve is coming next week!  The hunt for an outstanding costume is reaching a fever pitch.  Here are a few Green Man related ideas. Steve Silk put together this blog post in 2008 on natural fashion:http://clattervalleygardens.blogspot.com/2008/12/three-ways-to-wear-plants.html…

Throughout history, the Green Man has remained a mystery.  There are many books and sites that discuss why the Green Man is a universal archetype.  Luke Mastin has compiled an outstanding site devoted to the Green Man.  You can visit the site by following this link: http://greenmanenigma.com/  Check out the gallery of Green Men. It’s…

In my section of the world, the leaves are changing from green to brilliant hues of orange, red and gold.  Festivals abound at this time of year and I was lucky enough to find references to an autumn Green Man … otherwise known as “The Berry Man.”  Below are some photos and links: from:http://www.projectbritain.com/calendar/january/hollyman.html http://www.thelionspart.co.uk/octoberplenty/…

Zeleni Jurij – A Slovenian Green Man I have found a decent translation and explanation of the Slovenian Green Man — Zeleni Jurij and a very interesting music video.  The story can be found at: http://sms.zrc-sazu.si/pdf/02/SMS_02_Smitek.pdf on pages 185-186.  The book is titled: The Image of the Real World and the World Beyond in Slovene Folk Tradtion…

It’s easy to feel the influence of the Green Man when out of doors. Look at the trees — the shape of green faces in the leaves looking down, the bark on trees having interesting expressions.  Nature is alive and well.   The Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, England have an interesting tale, but also a…

I was surfing around the internet on this blustery, rainy evening on the Eastern coast of the USA amid flood, storm and tornado watches, and found a link for a “Green Man Trail” in Oxfordshire, England: http://www.bejo.co.uk/greenmantrail/html/tradition.html The site has an excellent trail of Green Man through Oxfordshire–history of the Green Man, historic sites, folklore,…

I have struggled to write this post reviewing the recent Disney Film “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.”  Most critics panned the film, but our family and friends found the film sweet and enjoyable.  For those who know about the Green Man and the cyclic nature of birth, death and rebirth, the portrayal in the…

I cannot let the celebration of Star Trek’s anniversary pass by…Congratulations Trek-dom for a fabulous 46 years!  http://www.startrek.com/ The only reference to a ‘green man’ is the little green guy who accompanies Scotty in the latest Star Trek film: http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Keenser It’s not quite the Green Man I’ve been blogging about, but I must give nod…

Here’s a new trailer – a mystical, Celtic poem about the Green Man. Please let me know your thoughts.

Surfing the internet I located a really cool site where a young man is protesting nuclear weapons. http://www.gogreenman.com/ Also, there is a Japanese television series Go! Green Man where the Green Man conquers evil. Check out this intro. to the series and enjoy! This is also linked to a Japanese television program titled: Go! Green Man

I’m playing with the Windows Live Movie Maker and created a second trailer for the book. Here’s the new trailer for The Greening: [youtube video_id=”bUSP2GY9IHA&” width=”640″ height=”360″ ] If you happen to be in the vicinity of Wales, check out the Green Man Festival: http://www.greenman.net/  

Dear Readers, I am seeking any Green Man or Green George folklore/stories.  If you have one to share, please post on the comments or email me at: greenmanseries@gmail.com I thank you. Sincerely, Sharon Check out the article that accompanies the photo above at:http://nyslandmarks.com/treasures/08jul.htm  Home Page:http://nyslandmarks.com/treasures/index.htm

Check out the trailer to the book The Greening: [youtube video_id=”f5QhiddP3N0&” width=”640″ height=”360″ ]

Not just any George… He’s not George Washington, George Carlin or George Lucas. He’s “Green George.”  If I was politically correct, I would post this blog entry on April 23rd  — Green George’s Day or the Christina celebration of St. George. Green George is a Green Man figure from Eastern Europe and Russia.  He is the…

[youtube video_id=”6BrwSroSCvE&fs” width=”640″ height=”360″ ] Here is Sean Connery as the “Green Knight” in the film “The Sword of the Valiant.”    In the story of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,”  the Green Knight challenges a young Sir Gawain in a beheading game.  This game of life and death in the ancient Celtic poem/play is…

I cannot tell you how amazed and excited I was to see the trailer of Disney’s new film “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” on television yesterday.  The Green Man has come to a major motion picture…well, a Green Man of sorts.  I need to wait until the movie is released on August 15th, but…

Wonderful youtube.com!  Here is a video with Morris Dancers and Jack-in-the-Green on Beltane 2009: [youtube video_id=”XNB3VVSD6Ow&” width=”640″ height=”360″ ] As well as a lovely song about Jack: [youtube video_id=”8VMduKN7qgI&” width=”640″ height=”360″ ] Photo from: http://grumpyvegan.com/blog/2011/05/01/happy-may-day/

One of my interpretations of the Green Man. He’s available at: www.cafepress.com/outinthegarden “Old Sage” is coming soon.

Another guise of the Green Man is “Jack-in-the-Green.”  The Jack-in-the-Greens date back to the 16th and 17th centuries in Britain where elaborate garlanded men would lead May celebrations.  In recent times, Jack-in-the-Greens lead Morris Dancers in celebration and at Maypoles. Jack-in-the-Greens traditionally celebrate Spring and the Straw Bears, winter.  One of my favorite interpretations of Jack-in-the-Green…

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! Our family has very fond memories of attending birthday parties for Harry at the former Borders Books and Music.  But, I digress.  What does Harry Potter have to do with the Green Man? Actually, there isn’t a connection, but there is a great set in the movies that is adorned with…

How exciting to watch the opening ceremonies to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London!  Even more exciting was seeing the Green Man commercial by Dow Corporation!  Check it out here if you have not had a chance to see it: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dow-chemical-olympics-2012   Hey, was that Sylvia waving from the one window in the commercial?  Amazing! …

Green Men are a favorite venue for garden art.  My family and I are always on the hunt for Green Men. Once we found a fountain (which, in truth, was extremely ugly) with Green Men all around.  Many are portrayed as Dionysis.  George Carruth is one of my favorite sculptors of “Nature Faces.”  He has…

The Green Man is a universal archetype.  Throughout history he has had different guises and many names.  Buddha is considered to be a Green Man as he was born in a tree.  Osiris, Adonis, Dionysis, Al Khidr are also Green Men.  More contemporary Green Men are Robin Hood, the May King and even the Jolly…

I am an animal lover and adore our two Siamese in our menagerie of animals.   An interesting Green Man fact is that there are actually Green Cats!  I first learned of this via Mike Harding many years ago [http://www.mikeharding.co.uk/greenman/] and found a terrific site that covers Green Cats and Green Dogs more in depth: http://www.green-man-of-cercles.org/articles/green_cats_and_dogs.pdf…

Dearest Reader, (and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading the book: The Greening  as well as this blog.) I have a question for you, dear reader.  I am working steadily on the second book in the Green Man series –tentatively titled: The Growing.   Do you like the murder sooner than later…

Revisiting Terri Windling’s articles and site, gives me pause to wonder and wander through her wise words.  A quote from fantasy artist Patricia McKillip from the Endicott Studio site: “‘At its best,’ she says, ‘fantasy rewards the reader with a sense of wonder about what lies within the heart of the commonplace world. The greatest…

One of my favorite authors, Terri Windling (author of The Wood Wife [my long time favorite book of hers] and many other fine books) edited a series of short stories with different aspects of the Green Man several years ago (see: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Man-Anthology-Mythic-Forest/dp/B003F76FMM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340191170&sr=8-1&keywords=green+man+windling).  She also has an outstanding treatise of art and philosophy on her Endicott…

I just ran across this artist — Ryszard Zarebski in the UK.  He has an amazing Green Man painting that is closer than many to my imaginings for the book series. Enjoy! http://rysart.co.uk/gallery/

The Green Man series is a trilogy of books revolving around Sylvia Ash, a young woman who meets the great, green enigma of The Green Man.  In the series, Sylvia learns that she is part of the great pattern with the Green Man as a guide.  Each book contains murder, mystery, romance and a touch of…