Book: THE BIRD AND THE BEES

A dream. 

These different, socially-distanced days must be a dream. To some, those who are living with the very real companions of Fear or Uncertainty, these days can be a nightmare. I know others who are quite content with a return to simplicity and quieter schedules. Me? I’m just ready to wake up. 

I’m a hopeless daydreamer. When I think of gardens, I never remember pesky Bermuda grass. When I think of beekeeping, stings are the last thing on my mind. Somehow, when the boys requested a Tadpole Growing Kit, I was excited about the homeschool learning opportunity and totally forgot the, well, um… slimy tadpole part. 

This is National Library Week and yet another example of the long list of celebrations that is not a party per usual. Even though we can’t go to our library and the boys won’t be returning to school for the remainder of the year, I’ve already anticipated a summer reading list that will take us beyond any canceled beach vacations.

As a child growing up in eastern Kentucky, books were the first way I ventured from home and experienced the world beyond the hills. A moon landing, Zuckerman’s Farm, and Nottingham were the settings of my adventures. I vowed to never chase bunnies out of my garden or bake them in a pie, worried about three sisters as if they were my own and their little cabin in some big woods, and first wept for a stranger who kept a diary in 1940s Germany. The stories were as much an escape as they were a reality in my thoughts. They’re one way I’ve always felt connected to the world without a cord or charged battery. Something about the power of a story reaches the depth of our souls, or that’s my hope. 

During this National Library Week, I’m celebrating with the release of my debut novel. The Bird and the Bees is a story about a struggling nurse from Appalachia. When she’s propelled out of everything familiar and comfortable, it’s amongst the uncertainty and questions that she begins to discover herself, rather, who she was created to be. When I started to write, I wanted to give readers a message of hope. No, it’s not the book launch I dreamed of with library readings and book signings, but different doesn’t automatically discredit everything. I can think of no other time in my own life I’d be more honored to paint a dream of encouragement with words like honey.

This week, try dreaming with your eyes open… with a book. 

The Bird and the Bees is a Christian contemporary romance published by Mantle Rock Publishing. It is available from Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle versions and from booksellers everywhere. 

Paperback HERE

Kindle Format HERE

Author: Neena

Neena is a Kentucky wife, mother, and beekeeper. Her first novel, THE BIRD AND THE BEES, is a Christian contemporary romance available now. Visit her at wordslikehoney.com.