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Happy Birthday, Theo Gruene!

May 20, 2026 By Talya Tate Boerner 1 Comment

Happy Birthday, Theo Gruene!

 

Today marks the first book birthday of The Third Act of Theo Gruene. I can’t believe it! Kids sure grow up fast, don’t they?

Spring is the perfect time to celebrate Theo Gruene — a man who spent his life preserving plants and avoiding change… until one rainy afternoon changed everything.

Maybe that’s what spring really is: evidence that quiet things are still growing.

Oh, Theo would not want the attention of a book birthday party. He wouldn’t have social media—no way!—but if he did, his posts would probably include:

  • detailed weather observations;
  • plant photos with Latin names;
  • complaints about texting culture and how no one writes in cursive anymore;
  • maybe a viral quote from Penelope

I am grateful to all the readers and book clubs that have selected The Third Act of Theo Gruene as their book of the month. And, I would especially like to thank those who not only read my book, but also took the time to post a review. By spreading the word on Amazon and Goodreads, you’ve help me gain new readers.

That’s no small feat.

Summer reading is almost here!

 

Click HERE to add Theo to your summer reading stack.

 

Thank you for celebrating this milestone with me.

And, thank you for being a good literary citizen!

Talya Tate Boerner
Grace Grits and Gardening
farm. food. garden. life.

 

Sunday Letter~ 05.17.26

May 17, 2026 By Talya Tate Boerner 8 Comments

Hello, Sunday Letter readers!

In case you were wondering—no, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. I’m still here, and I’m glad you are too. Lately, I’ve been busy in the garden and doing a little traveling. In between all that, I read and write. That’s pretty much my life these days, and honestly, I’m not complaining in the least.

Yes, I’m still plugging away on my next book. I hope to have a completed first draft by June 30. I’m a slow writer, partly because of all the aforementioned ways I like to spend my time, and partly because I tend to let a story unfold in its own sweet time. Have no fear—I’ll keep you updated on my progress along the way.

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Sunday Letter: 03.29.26

March 29, 2026 By Talya Tate Boerner 7 Comments

Dear Sunday Letter readers:

The beginning of spring is such a wild time of year. It reminds me of the old wooden roller coaster—the Pippin—we loved to ride at the Mid-South Fair in Memphis. Thrilling and a little rickety, the whole thing trembling as we climbed higher and higher before plunging down—hair flying, stomachs dropping.

Within five days, our Fayetteville temperatures swung from 19 degrees to 90. Some of the tulips have simply given up, I think. Others are giving it everything they’ve got, and I admire the effort. It would be a shame to miss tulip season entirely.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best: Our life is March weather—savage and serene in one hour.

There’s so much truth in that.

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Happy Birthday, Theo Gruene!
  • Sunday Letter~ 05.17.26
  • Sunday Letter: 03.29.26
  • Sunday Letter: February 22, 2026
  • Our Garden Mission Statement

Novels:

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Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

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