Tuesday is the 1st of September, and the release day for my second Hawke Brothers book, Bidding on Her Boss. And what's the most appropriate way to celebrate the release of a book about a florist? Why, a bunch of flowers of course! So my plan on Tuesday is to duck out and buy myself a lovely flower arrangement.
But that begs a question: when you receive a bunch of flowers, either from the shop or handpicked, do you stuff them in a vase, or do you rearrange?
I'm a chronic rearranger. Though, if it's clearly an artistic arrangement in the first place, I try to make as few changes as possible and really only move them around a little to match the vase shape (after trimming the bottom of the stalks, naturally).
When I was researching Bidding on Her Boss, I watched a lot of clips on Youtube. (Well, I told myself it was important research. It might have been a little bit of me indulging a hobby...)
My heroine, Faith, is a florist who works in one of the Hawkes Blooms stores. Dylan Hawke is one of the three brothers who run the company, and Dylan's area of responsibility is the retail arm - the florist stores. So, you see, with all that flower action there was a very real need for me to keep watching these videos...
And it's possible that now I'm a little addicted to flower arrangement clips...
Of course now that Dylan and Faith's book is done and will be out in the world tomorrow (and the third brother's book, His 24-Hour Wife, will be out in October), I don't really have an excuse to keep watching them. Perhaps I need to write a new series about florists...
How about you - do you plop your flowers in the nearest jar of water, or do you have an urge to play? And most importantly, do you have any flower arrangement tips for me? I'd love to hear them!
Florist Faith Crawford has a brilliant plan—win her company's CEO at a bachelor auction and use their "date" to show him her designs. But her plan backfires when the focus of their meeting shifts from flowers to a floor-tilting kiss.
For Dylan Hawke, it's time for damage control. Promoting the talented Faith is a no-brainer, but fraternizing with her is strictly forbidden. Dylan must remain professional—the fate of his business rests in the balance. Too bad Dylan won't rest until he gets another kiss…
Woohoo Rachel this is a fabulous story I loved it :)
ReplyDeleteObviously all of those video clips paid of because Faith was so very good at arranging flowers I could picture everyone she did. Huge congrats on the release this really is a story not to be missed now for me to read Adam's story":)
And as for tips on arranging flowers well I am one of those that put them in a vase make sure they have water and look nice but I really don't play around with them too much :)
Have Fun
Helen
Helen, *so* glad to hear all my procrastinating... er... research paid off. :)
DeleteYou're probably being very sensible with your flower method. As long as they look nice, that's all that matters!
Congrats Rach on the release - another USA Today'er for sure!
ReplyDeleteI'm a plonker :-) Hopeless at flowers. But I ADORE them. Currently have my Ruby tulips from Harlequin still going strong and they make me happy every time I see them :-)
Amy, congrats again on your Ruby win! I screamed when they announced it and would have given everyone a fright, except they were all screaming too. :)
DeleteGlad your tulips are still going strong and making you smile - it's like flowers have a superpower, isn't it?
Happy release day Rachael!! I just adore that cover.
ReplyDeleteI'm not too fussy when it comes to putting flowers into a vase, TBH. I have no skill there! But I do love flowers and almost always have a fresh bunch on my writing desk :)
Stefanie, it surprises me to hear you say you have no skill with flowers when you're amazing with makeup. Similar concepts - it's about colour, and line, and contrast, and balance. I bet you'd be amazing if you tried. :)
DeleteI love that you almost always have a fresh bunch on your writing desk - I'm going to try to do this too!
Woohoo! Happy release day, Rachel! I'm about to dive into Faith and Dylan's story and get re-acquainted with them. Bliss!
ReplyDeleteSadly, I'm a flower plonker, too! But after watching your research clips, especially the first one, I might be moved to make an effort. I love that tape grid! How clever!
Sharon, isn't the tape grid a neat idea? So simple.
DeleteHey, Dylan and Faith will love to see you again! After all, you're pretty special to them. I know because I read about it in the dedication. :)
Rachel, I read it in the dedication and I'm incredibly touched. Thank you. Mwah!
DeleteCongratulations on the new release, Rachel -- I can't wait to dive into these Hawke Brother books. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I'm a definite plonk and dumper. Mind you, that lemon and delphinium arrangement is so gorgeous it could inspire me (almost) to great heights. :-)
Michelle, isn't the lemon and delphinium arrangement glorious? Mind you, I'd look at all those lemons and think about the lemon drizzle cake I could be eating if I hadn't used all the ingredients in an arrangement...
DeleteI just plonk the flowers in a vase. I'm artistically challenged, but love flowers anyway they come.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading this latest release.
Lol, Sue - it looks like you're not alone!
DeleteHey, congrats again on your Koru win on the weekend!!
Thanks, Rachel. It was pretty exciting.
DeletePlonk, stuff and done!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Release Day!!
Plonk, stuff and done!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Release Day!!
Mary, that sounds so efficient!
DeleteThanks for the release day wishes - it seems to have arrived so fast!
Loved the first Hawke brother story so am really looking forward to this one. Happy release day for tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be good at flower arranging but I have zero talent so just try to keep them in same arrangement as I buy them.
Jen, I had such fun with these three brothers - I think I'll be sad to see Adam's book come out next month because my time with them will be over.
DeleteYou know, most bunches of flowers are already in a nice arrangement so I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping them in the same arrangement as they go in the vase. Easy and pretty. Win!
I'd love to be talented and artful but I seem to do more damage by trying to be artful so I'm a put them in the water and be done with it.
ReplyDeleteSo jealous of Faith's talent in this story.
Lyn, I might watch all these clips and have dreams about being artful, but one of the reasons I wrote Faith being a florist is because I'm jealous of that skill too! I play a bit, but I'm in awe of what someone really skilled can do!
DeleteAnother plonked here, but I tell myself it's because I like the natural, informal, plonked look rather than a too formal arrangement. My mum, on the other hand, is a chronic over-arranger who has all these "rules" about height of flowers in relation to the vase, and what should go at the back and the sides, and which greenery goes with each style of flowers. Needless to say she despairs at my plonking and starts rearranging.
ReplyDeleteHappy Release Day!
Bronwyn, all those rules make it sound no fun at all! No wonder you're a plonker. Though, you know, my mother is a plonker, so perhaps that's why I want to be an arranger. You and I are both rebelling. :)
DeletePS: bet you had a ton of fun with that research!
ReplyDeleteBronwyn, I did! In fact, I'm thinking I'll need to write another florist at some stage just to justify more research. ;)
DeleteHappy Release day Rachel. Flower is arranging is a lot harder than it looks. I know from experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the release day wishes, Tammy!
DeleteIt's funny how something that looks simple can be hard to pull off, isn't it? I've had to start all over again a few times when arranging flowers, but I love playing with them so it's not really a problem. :)