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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: 11.23.25

November 23, 2025 By Talya Tate Boerner

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

This is a super short Sunday Letter. Various distractions, website issues, and general busyness sent me veering off track. You may even wonder why I interrupted your serene Sunday morning for so little content. To this I say—Happy Thanksgiving! The truth is I couldn’t let one of the best weeks of the year to pass without at least a nod and a wave. A reminder that sometimes less really is more. That even if your mashed potatoes are lumpy and you forget the cranberry sauce altogether, it will be okay.

Thanksgiving season reminds me to look around, take stock, and say thank you—for the people at my table, the memories tucked into old recipe cards, and the simple grace woven into ordinary days.

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Fiction-Themed Coloring Books!

September 17, 2025 By Talya Tate Boerner

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

When was the last time you sat down with a box of crayons and lost yourself inside a coloring book?

When I was a kid, Saturday afternoons often meant a trip into town with Momma to run errands. And, if we were lucky, we’d end up at Sterling Five and Dime. Before Walmart came to town, Sterling was the place for toys and candy. Honestly, it was almost impossible to not go into Sterling! The hot cashews and buttered popcorn lured in everyone milling around the courthouse square.

My sister and I always made a beeline for the coloring books. We’d flip through the new arrivals and admire the beautiful Barbies, too. Barbies were strictly a Santa Claus gift, but coloring books didn’t cost much, and Momma was occasionally willing to buy us one. Looking back, I realize she bought them for herself as much as for us. A new coloring book kept us happily occupied for hours while she cooked supper or did laundry.

Tom & Jerry. Barbie. Peanuts. The Wonderful World of Disney. Scooby Doo.

Television cartoons were reserved for Saturday mornings, but coloring books let us keep the fun going all week long.

And that box of 64 crayons with the sharpener in the back? My sister and I shared one and thought it was just about the most magical thing in the world—second only, perhaps, to a week at the lake.

(This post contains affiliate links.)

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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:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

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