Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman, ©2013

The cover on Winter in Full Bloom is absolutely the most beautiful cover I have ever seen. To add to that, if you move it under a light, you can see the snow falling ~ if you have a little of Irish wonder, that is!

Here is the very first page of Chapter 1! Wait until you turn it to the next, and the next, ....

I sat on a 747, trying to talk myself out of a panic attack.

   The jet still sat on the tarmac, but already I could imagine—in electrifying detail—the fiery crash and then the watery pull into the briny depths of the Pacific Ocean. Lord, have mercy. What had I been thinking?

   Fool that I was, I'd left the sanctuary of my own home, which was safe, and hygienically clean, I might add, to board this death trap. Too late now. I'd taken a leave of absence from work, stopped the mail, given all my indoor plants to my neighbor, and said a dozen goodbyes to my daughter, Julie. The trip was set in stone—the igneous kind that the geologists liked to talk about at work.

   While I sat there sweating, my mind got out its magnifying glass to examine my inner motives. All in all, the journey had a grab bag full of miseries attached to it. For me, getting on the plane proved that my empty nest had driven me over the edge like the biblical herd of pigs. Since my Julie had left the house, was I trying to find a person to fill that void . . . that vacant place at the table . . . the perpetual silence of the house and the clocks, ticking away the rest of my tedious life? Probably. And yet finding my sister in Australia would be no less than wonderful, whether Julie was at home or not.

   I looked out the small plane window at the heavens with my anxious puppy dog eyes and could almost hear the Almighty chuckling. Yes, I know, God. I must keep You entertained.

I really like how the back story is written, telling the passenger across the aisle on the long airplane crossing to Melbourne. A seasoned traveler, young Jenny replaces the jitters of flight for Lily Winter by listening to the remembering and experience of the telling.

St. Paul's Cathedral ~ Melbourne

Lily gets settled in her hotel and immediately goes to St. Paul's Cathedral; the only clue she has to locate her sister. As she is pondering in the park, perchance another "Texan" arrives.

Here are quotes I dearly loved:

   He gazed  over the gardens. "Soon the park will be in full bloom. You'll see colors that even artists have trouble re-creating on their canvas."
   "Oh?"
   "You know, every winter it's hard to imagine how it will be . . . all those tightly closed buds just waiting for a little spring. And a bit of love and attention."
   --Winter in Full Bloom, 39

   ...He stared up at the sky as if there were some revelation written there. "Just look at those clouds off to the west . . . a wash of Prussian blue near the horizon. It's the color of deep twilight or . . . the color of a storm brewing."
   --Ibid., 40

   ..."So, what's in the case?"
   He touched the container with affection. "The Great Highland Bagpipe. It's broken at the moment. Some things aren't easy to mend, but when they're precious enough, it's worth the effort." Marcus smiled.
   --Ibid., 41

   ...Marcus would be an interesting book to read if you didn't mind starting from the back.
   --Ibid., 42

Aren't those just sooo good! Marcus keeps up his repertoire and I pause on them aside from the story. Deep reflections on beautiful phrases ~ Rhetoric. a group of spoken words that the mind focuses on momentarily as a meaningful unit and is preceded and followed by pauses. I wonder if Lily will pause on them? I like her comment above. Pensive.

Hmmm... Marcus mentions he attends services at St. Paul's and does some volunteer work for them ~ which would put him there at irregular hours too. But... sleuthville ~ IF he knew of Lily's sister, who happens to be her identical twin from description given her, wouldn't he have called her "Camille"?

I am sure you will want to find out too how this emerges. Will she go back to Texas empty-hearted or... is Melbourne her new city?

Anita Higman
Bonus: Remember all of their words come from Anita Higman!

In Chicago there is an area called River North. This area is just north of the Loop, west of Michigan Avenue and south of Chicago Avenue. The Chicago River runs through it.  Like this river that runs through these well-known busy areas of the city, River North Fiction brings to our readers rivers of refreshment, encouragement and hope through the power of story. ***Thank you to Litfuse Publicity Group for sending me a copy of Winter in Full Bloom. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***


Song of Solomon 2:11–12
for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.

Anita Higman’s “Winter in Full Bloom” Kindle Fire Giveaway and Facebook Party! {8/29}

Anita Higman's latest novel, Winter in Full Bloom, has just released. She's teamed up with her publisher, River North Fiction, for a fun giveaway and a Facebook Author Chat Party on August 29th.

 
  One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HD
• Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 28th.Winner will be announced August 29th at the Winter in Full Bloom Author Chat Party on Facebook. During the party Anita will be hosting a book chat, talking about family, announcing the winner of the Kindle Fire, and giving away a ton of books, gift certificates, and more. Oh, and she'll also be giving party goers an exclusive look at her next book.

So grab your copy of Winter in Full Bloom and join Anita on the evening of August 29th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)

DON’T MISS A MOMENT OF THE FUN; RSVP TODAY. HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE 29th!