Every summer, my garden reminds me that perfection isn’t really the goal.
The photos above are a sampling of what’s blooming right now in what I lovingly call my chaos garden. It’s a constant battle with the weeds. When I complained about them recently, my mom told me that weeds need to learn their place. True!
My garden is a cheerful mix of perennials, annuals, volunteers that decided to plant themselves, and flowers that somehow wandered far from where I originally intended them to be. Some bloom early. Others wait patiently until midsummer. Every morning there’s usually a new surprise—a blossom that wasn’t there yesterday or a splash of color tucked between the leaves.
It’s colorful, a little unruly, and absolutely one of my favorite places to wander with a cup of tea.
The funny thing is...writing feels a lot like gardening.
Right now, I’m working through my editor’s notes on Frosted with Fear. Opening her editorial letter was very humbling. It always is because I send my “masterpiece” and get back a document marked with so much red I feel like I’m looking at an overgrown flower bed after weeks of rain.
There’s beauty…but plenty of work ahead.
Some scenes need pruning. Others need room to grow. A few chapters have to be moved entirely so they bloom in a better place. And every now and then, something I loved has to come out because it simply doesn’t belong anymore.
It’s humbling.
But it’s also part of creating something better.
Books aren’t written in one perfect draft any more than beautiful gardens grow themselves. They evolve one careful decision at a time, with plenty of trial and error along the way.
So this week, while I’m knee-deep in manuscript edits and occasionally knee-deep in weeds, I’m reminding myself that a little chaos isn’t always a bad thing.
Sometimes it’s exactly where the best things bloom.
I’d love to know...
Are you a neat-and-tidy gardener, or do you lean toward a chaos garden like mine? Or maybe you don’t garden at all—which is perfectly acceptable if you’d rather admire someone else’s flowers. I’m happy to share mine!
Happy sleuthing,
💙 Emmie
A note from a Small-Town Detective Dog (from the Cooking Club Murder Mysteries)
Detective’s Garden Report
I have completed a full investigation of Emmie’s chaos garden.
My findings are as follows:
Every flower is innocent.
Bees are extremely busy and refuse to answer questions.
Butterflies will not sit still long enough for proper interrogation.
Chipmunks remain my primary suspects. (Not sure where the squirrels have gone)
I also discovered that humans call it a “chaos garden.” Personally, I think it’s excellent detective training. Every day there’s a new clue...I mean flower...to discover. You never know what’s going to pop up next.
Kind of like solving a mystery.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to return to surveillance. I spotted suspicious movement behind the cosmos.
It was probably another chipmunk.
Probably.
—Detective Tango 🐾
Cooking Club Murder Mysteries: click here to preorder the first two!
Crime and Croissants - Sept 16, 2026
Marinated in Murder - Oct 14, 2026
Spiced with Secrets – Dec 2, 2026
Frosted with Fear – Jan, 2027
Baked with Betrayal - June, 2027
Sweetened with Scandal - Jan, 2028
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.