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Sunday Letter: 02.16.2020

February 16, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Good morning Sunday Letter friends. I’m a little under the weather, so this is more of a Sunday note, like the ones you passed in the hallway at school, jotted down at the end of class, slipped into your friend’s hand before library. A do-you-want-to-get-a-hamburger-after-school-at-the-Yellow-Jacket-Cafe-sort of thing.

Today’s Sunday Letter includes a giveaway so I didn’t want to skip it altogether. I intended to do this giveaway for Valentine’s Day but as you can see, I’m late.

Good thing it’s never too late to win a book. Right?

Pocket Change Giveaway!

Pocket Change is a delightful whodunit steeped in southern charm. And it’s definitely a sweet read for the month of romance. Classified as cozy mystery / romance suspense / Christian mystery—I gotta tell you I don’t read many books that fall into any of these categories. But what a fun change of pace this book was for me!

Yes, I am a huge fan of Debbie Archer, the author and person. She’s an Arkansas gal (from Walnut Ridge) with a sense of humor and a way with words. I met her several years ago at one of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer writing retreats I attended in Piggott, Arkansas. Debbie is one of those people you feel like you’ve known forever the minute you meet her.

And, she was the first person to lay her eyes on my Gene, Everywhere manuscript!

This is your chance to win a signed copy of her debut novel and support another Arkansas author. Giveaway ends 2/23 and there are lots of ways to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Valentine’s Day Crud

So yeah, I woke up on Valentine’s Day with the crud. You know, a sore throat and swollen glands. My head feels like it is underwater. I think it’s just a cold, but it’s so strange how you can go to sleep one night feeling perfectly fine and wake up feeling crummy.

Crummy enough to eat plain ole’ Campbell’s chicken noodle soup from a can.

Sunday Letter

I think of all those people quarantined on a cruise ship in Yokohama Bay, and I’m grateful to be home with a can of soup.

By the way, I’ve been to Yokohama Bay. Back in college. A million years ago.

Goodreads Giveaway

Speaking of giveaways, there’s a giveaway on Goodreads for an ebook copy of Gene, Everywhere. I would love if you would enter.

The more who enter, the more who will see my new book. Thanks in advance!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Gene, Everywhere by Talya Tate Boerner

Gene, Everywhere

by Talya Tate Boerner

Giveaway ends March 01, 2020.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

NyQuil Fog

I should have put this disclaimer at the beginning of this Sunday “note”. I took a dose of NyQuil at 3:00 a.m. because a) I couldn’t breathe, b) I couldn’t sleep, c) my head was pounding, d) all of the above. So yes, I apologize for such a lame letter. But I do love me some NyQuil for those time when relief won’t come and I want to knock myself over the head and get some shut eye.

With respect to The Bat—Momma is still home on the farm so I have nothing to report from her. But her college roommate is visiting her for a week, so you can bet there will be Mississippi County shenanigans to report later.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

 

 

Sunday Letter – End of the Decade Edition!

December 29, 2019 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Welcome to today’s Sunday Letter –  End of the Decade Edition. Sounds both ominous and celebratory, doesn’t it? But in the spirit of optimism, I’m expecting 2020 to tip the scale on the positive side. Wishful thinking. I truly believe in it.

But seriously. 2020? JUST YESTERDAY, I worked at State Bank & Trust in Dallas where the year 2000 loomed over us, unknown and questionable. We fretted and plotted and attended monthly Y2K planning meetings to prepare our computers and ourselves for possible issues when loan and deposit systems rolled from 1999 to 2000. I carried a 3-inch thick Y2K Emergency Manual in the trunk of my car! It was a requirement for all bank officers…

But alas, people way smarter than I wrote code and patched computers. As far as I know, Year 2000 arrived and no one’s money disappeared as we traveled into a new century.

And now here we are.Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 10.06.19

October 6, 2019 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

You probably know our daughter got married last weekend. It was a fabulous to-do in Austin. Absolutely dreamy (even though it was hot as Hades). But afterward? I wasn’t prepared for how exhausted I would be. And, really, I didn’t have that many responsibilities. The bride and groom coordinated most everything.

After we returned home to Fayetteville, for two days I staggered around, zombie-like. I even slept until 8:00 on Tuesday, something I haven’t done since I had mono in tenth grade.

It’s true.

I hope you’ll indulge me for a moment as I recap a few of my favorite things about the wedding…Continue Reading

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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:

  • Sunday Letter: 11.23.25
  • Maggie and Miss Ladybug: My New Children’s Nature Book
  • Sunday Letter: November 9, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Oct 26, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Oct 5, 2025

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

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