Tuesday Tales: A Brand New Story from a Picture.

Welcome to the week’s Tuesday Tales, the closed blog where a small group of authors share their work in progress with you. Books are born here and that’s certainly true of my newest manuscript. This morning, I give you, The Price of Courage, Canadiana Series Series, Book Two.  Book One in the series, The Price of Honor, is currently in revision and should be available shortly after Easter.

For those who may not have visited before, Tuesday Tales posts are based either on a word or picture prompt that is incorporated into the story. Today, we have a picture prompt, which also limits the post to 300 words. Come with me as we travel back to New France in the spring of 1669.

Here is my picture prompt and post. Enjoy!

Ville-Marie, New France, May25,1669

Sophie Gaudier, leaning her chin on the broom handle, stood on the veranda of her home, now officially an inn, admiring the healthy green plants in her garden. For the first time in her life, she’d actually worked the soil herself, and while it had been hard to do, the satisfaction it brought was incredible.

With the help of one of the Mohawk servants she and Tante Louise had hired, she’d divided her large garden into two sections. One side had been planted with crops familiar to her from France—cabbage, radishes, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, peas, and melons, as well as the white tubers called pommes de terre that she enjoyed with butter, and a variety of herbs including purslane, sorrel, and parsley. On the other side, she’d allowed her Mohawk servant to plant the maize, squash, and beans as the indigenous people did.

The maize was growing well, and since the other seeds had just gone into the soil, they would be up soon. Planting three different vegetables in one spot was alien to her, but the Mohawk, who referred to the plants as deohako, which translated to those that supported life, did it this way and never had any problems with their crops. Some referred to them as the three sisters as well. The corn stalks provided support for the vines and tendrils of the beans, while the squash leaves would protect the roots of both crops and keep the moisture on them when the sun grew hotter in mid-summer.

“Sophie,” Izzy called from the kitchen door. “Do you want a tisane? Maman is making one to help with my heartburn before  we move everything out to the summer kitchen. I’ll be grateful when this little lordling deems to make his arrival.”

That’s it for this week! Don’t forget to check out all the other posts on  Tuesday Tales.