posted on June 15, 2016 by Marie Ferrarella

Taking The Cacti For A Walk

Cavanaugh Cold CaseIf I ever write an autobiography, I have the perfect title for it. It would be called Taking The Cacti For A Walk. My husband has an affinity for ugly things (we will not extrapolate on this thought) and began collecting cacti and succulents just shortly after our second child was born. Since he worked in aerospace (on both the space shuttle and the space station), at times my husband would be required to keep long hours. Long hours during which time the sun could do undesirable things—like turn the temperature very hot. Or shift position in the sky, as the sun has been known to do. All of which would be fine—if it wasn’t for the fact that certain types of his beloved cacti and succulents cannot tolerate too much heat, while others needed to be in direct sunlight for long periods—longer than they were getting. Since I was home (with kids and a laptop, not to mention other responsibilities—including taking care of a mother-in-law), I was “free” to move these sharp, prickly things around. So I did.  From one spot to another. Now mind you, we’re not talking about a plant or two—or twelve. At one point, there were close to four hundred plants in a whole host of sizes for me to move—more than once a day. And let’s not even talk about the times it rained.  All bets were off then and those little darlings had to be kept dry, which meant moving them quickly to some forms of shelter. Consequently, I began to think of my life in terms of pockets of time when these nasty plants had to be moved around, hence the title: Taking The Cacti For A Walk.

This latest Cavanaugh book is a direct result of all the field trips my husband and I took, going to this one particular out-of-the-way nurseries, looking for specimens to add to his collection. As I wandered around the sprawling 7 acre spread, I couldn’t help thinking that it was a great place for a murder. Took me fifteen years to find the right story—and the right murder—to fit this property, but I finally found it. Hope that you find that it was worth the wait.

All the best,

Marie

CAVANAUGH COLD CASE can be purchased in mass market paperback and/or eBook format for/from:

Marie Ferrarella

Marie Ferrarella

Born in West Germany, arrived in the U.S. at four, I began writing when I was eleven. I began selling many years after that. Along the way, I acquired a Masters in Shakespearean Comedy from Queens College in N.Y, a husband and two kids (in that order)---the dog came later. My first romance was bought by Second Chance At Love November of 1981. The road from there to here has a hundred and thirty-seven more sales to it. I've been published by Silhouette, Harlequin, Zebra, Harper, Bantam and Berkeley. I've been fortunate enough to have received several Rita nominations from the Romance Writers of America Association over the years, with one win for Father Goose (in the Traditional Romance Category). I've also been nominated several times in various categories by Romantic Times Magazine. I hope to be found one day---many, many years from now---slumped over my computer, writing to the last moment. But before then, I would dearly love to write a successful screenplay. My goal has always been to entertain. Entertainment Weekly 2015 named me the fifth most prolific romance author of all time---and I have since moved up to the fourth position, having published 296 works.

http://www.marieferrarella.com

Marie Ferrarella Contest

Marie Ferrarella is giving away a book related prize to one winner!

Enter Here

One thought on “Taking The Cacti For A Walk”

  1. ELF says:

    Wow, that is definite dedication…I am not crazy about cacti as I invariably stick myself on a thorn! This was a great post and I giggle thinking of you muttering imprecations and chasing the sun around with a myriad of cacti and succulents. My mind boggles at the sights your hubby has been able to describe to you, I bet that has been a wonderful inspiration. Thanks for sharing and good luck with the new release!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest from our Blog

Mahoney & Squire – Military Women’s Fiction – Meet The Characters

Have you met the men and women of Mahoney & Squire, my high-stakes, high-octane military action adventure series? Let me introduce you! Captain Kathryn “Kate” Mahoney, USN Call Sign “Scarlett” Ambitious, strong-willed, patriotic, and assertive, Kate Mahoney is often derided as a “bitch” by the old school naval aviation community. She struggled through dysfunctional relationships,… Read More

Read More