March 2023
Flower of the month: Daffodil
The birth flower for the month of March is the daffodil. While most recognizable for their sunny yellow petals, they actually come in a variety of shades and colors. Daffodils can mean chivalry, new beginnings, or unrequited love depending on the context. Daffodils bloom in the spring, which means their roots must experience the cold of winter before they flower. We can take heart from the lesson of the daffodil–winter storms and trials produce growth!
Reading
- Writer’s Workbook: A Personal Planner with Tips, Checklists and Guidelines by Tanja Hanika
- Okay, technically not something I’m reading, but it’s a book so it counts, right? This guide has been so helpful as I’m unpacking the plot for the second book in my trilogy. The best part is that the exercises can be applied to any narrative project, for any age! (And yes, I could totally see upper elementary students benefiting from Hanika’s lessons right along with adults.)
- Worldbuilding for Fantasy Fans and Authors by M. D. Presley
- Highly recommended reading for anyone who enjoys fantasy in any medium! I’ve already learned so much from Presley’s funny anecdotes, and he makes it accessible to understand what goes on in an author’s mind as they create new lands.
Research
- All things technology–especially website building! Launching my new website has been a learning curve, but I’ve definitely enjoyed the challenge of trying something out of my comfort zone.
- The Roman Empire, including weaponry, political structure, and military tactics. There’s plenty I missed in my high school Western Civilization course about the iconic empire, and it’s been fascinating to delve into the details of the culture again.
Updates
- Publication is on the horizon! I’m excited to announce that I finally signed a contract with Redemption Press to begin the process of getting Lily’s Passage in print. It’s going to be a long road, but I have a supportive network of friends, family, and fans cheering me on as I embark on this dream of mine.
- Project Jumpstart is almost live! Related to publication, the first step of the journey is raising enough money to get the editing process going. Project Jumpstart will allow people to donate to my book project to help me reach my funding goal. More details on that to follow once the link is up and running.
Lore
Floriography–the language of flowers–has roots in ancient folklore from all over the world. People have always been fascinated by the hidden meaning of plants, and the Victorians were no exception. The practice of delivering secret messages via bouquets was popularized during the 1800s when some conversations were just too taboo to verbalize. The kind of flower, the state of the bouquet, the color of the blooms, and even the way the ribbon was tied all conveyed a message to the receiver. Talk about code!
Today, some messages are well-known, such as red roses meaning love or white blooms representing purity. But the history of attaching significance to plants is dependent on culture as much as it is on region. Take the sunflower: most people think of happiness when they see the sunny petals, but to the ancient Aztecs they were symbols of war. Two very different messages based on who receives them!
If you’re interested in floriography, be warned–once you begin cracking the code, ordinary moments take on a whole new meaning.
As the wind blows,
Sydney Frusti
