#TuesdayTreasure: Special Guest Post by Maureen Bonatch

Good Morning Friends,

As we roll on toward the end of 2015 and the holiday season officially begins with Halloween, I thought today would be a great time to introduce you to Marueen Bonatch while she shares with us something she treasures....

A Labor of Love

As the summer winds down and the first thoughts of fall tickle the corners of my mind, there’s one thing I treasure more than the changing colors of the leaves and the shadow of a promise of the autumn crisp air… tomatoes.

Not just any tomato, mind you, garden tomatoes. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the tomatoes you see in the store, the ones that never seem quite as red. That lack firmness, and when you cut them they reveal mushy centers or bleached flesh… those aren’t real tomatoes. Those imposters could never live up to the taste of a fresh, garden tomato.

Around June I’ll start asking my father, and father in law, how soon I should expect a garden tomato. Knowing darn well that I usually have to wait until well into July, or maybe even August. I get impatient because there’s nothing like that first tomato after long months of deprivation. Then they start coming in droves. I make my best effort to ensure none of them are wasted since I know; it’s feast and then famine.

I don’t garden myself. I’ve never tried. One reason being that despite having a mother who grows beautiful flowers and a father who gardens, I have what I refer to as a black thumb. Most things I try to grow die. Houseplants shudder at the thought of taking up residence. The other more important reason that I’ve never attempted to grow my own tomatoes, is because both my father and father in law are stellar gardeners. They provide me with my bounty of tomatoes and I don’t take it for granted.

But it’s more than the tomato itself that I treasure. Because I’m sure, if I scoured the stores and farmer’s markets I might, just might, be able to find a home grown garden tomato somewhere. I treasure knowing my father and my father in law have grown these tomatoes. They’ve taken their time, and love, for months to nurture the little seedlings into plants. Painstakingly caring for them through unpredictable weather and fending off wildlife clamoring to have the garden as their lunch.

Almost anybody can start a garden (well, maybe not me, lol) but not everybody can be a gardener.  I’ve encouraged my husband to learn the gardening secrets these two wonderful men in my life have honed into a science. These tricks of their skillful trade are as precious as that cherished family recipe. These gardens, these tomatoes, are the fruits of a labor of love.

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Although tomatoes are not on my list of favorite foods, I'm sure anyone who gardens and loves them will agree with Maureen!

 Maureen realized later in life everyone didn’t have characters telling stories in their heads, or weren’t envisioning magic and mayhem within the everyday. This, and long walks in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania spawned a love of writing.

Therefore she’s chased other interests, though none-the-less-daring, but closer to the ground, such as belly-dancing, becoming a self-proclaimed tequila connoisseur, fulfilling her role as biker babe to her alpha hubby and surviving motherhood to twins (so far).

Penning stories boasting laughter, light suspense and something magical in the hope of sharing her love of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary world.   

Find out more about Maureen's world by visiting her Website, Amazon Author Page, Blog and connect with her on Facebook, Good Reads, Pinterest and Twitter or sign up to receive her newsletter!

She's a witch hunting a spell. 

He's hunting witches and falling for her.

Carman has worn out more towns and last names than impractical shoes protecting the secret of her magic blood. But when a friend goes missing, and another is infected with a deadly spell, Carman must choose. Expose her magic blood by curing the spell—or stop the infection from spreading by killing the source…the grandmother.

Magic bounty hunter Dylan has scoured libraries of banned magic paraphernalia seeking a method to distinguish genuine witches from impersonators. He suspects unorthodox librarian Carman might hold this information tighter than the hair he’s dying to unleash from her bun. With a past as hidden as his sleeve of tattoos, Dylan discovers he’s been used to gain Carman’s trust and their passion risks more than mixing mortals and magic.

Fun Facts about Grandma Must Die:

The inspiration for the church/library and the town in the story are located along a bike path the author frequents.

A church that now operates as a bar the author has visited inspired the interior of the church/library in the story.

 The heroine, Carman, is obsessed with sexy, stilettos.

No real Grandmas were harmed in the making of this fictional story. In real life everyone loves Grandmas (unless, of course, they’ve been infected with a nasty spell). 

Sound like a really cute story!

Grandma Must Die can be purchased at The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.

Hope you enjoyed today's treasure. Stay tuned weekly for more!

Until next time....take care & God Bless.

PamT